Amberian Dawn - Magic Forest (2014)

It is almost a shame that the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn has been heavily compared to Nightwish, but there are reasons to why these bands has been compared to each other. Just like Nightwish, Amberian Dawn quickly grew a reputation as a fast playing band that mixed heavy riffs and melodies with the female opera singer Heidi Parviainen behind the microphone. But in 2012, Heidi left the band and was later replaced with Päivi "Capri" Selo, who is a "normal" singer. Most of us know what happened to Nightwish when they went through the same phase, Anette Olzon replaced Tarja Turunen, and even though the two albums she was involved in was some of the band's strongest works, she herself was heavily criticized by the fans of the band.

Checking around in some various metal sites and such, I get the feeling like the fans are a little hesitant about the new singer and that most of them wants Heidi back. Even though Capri is a good singer, I can actually agree with these fans, but mostly because it is hard to accumulate from one style of singing to another. We already got some heads up with the best of album "Re-Evolution" where Capri sings on some old Amberian Dawn classics, and she did a pretty decent job, but it was pretty clear that it was not at the same class as the original versions.

Anyway, how is Capri doing in "Magic Forest", the band's 5th studio effort? Well, she is doing a good job and it is clear that the band has succeeded in writing songs that fits Capri's voice while still maintaining the typical Amberian Dawn sound. I still miss Heidi though, but that does not take away that Capri is a great replacement for the band.

The music itself is nothing surprising, solid and melodic power metal at its finest. However, I do miss some of the craziness that the band usually brings in the guitar department, especially in the solos. Sure you can do a great solo without shredding until your fingers bleed, but it was one of the trademarks of Amberian Dawn in their early career and one of the things that made me a fan of the band. There are however very little in the music I can complain about, even if most of the songs in "Magic Forest" has been done before in any other of the band's albums. I also feel that the album starts of good with strong songs like "Cherish My Memory" and "Magic Forest", but it becomes weaker and more anonymous the longer it goes.

But in the end, "Magic Forest" is just another solid album by the band, and it is definitely a step forward from the lackluster effort known as "Circus Black". The band has made it as easy as possible for Capri to fit in the Amberian Dawn formula, and she is doing a wonderful job fitting in. So do not mourn over Heidi's departure, be happy over that Amberian Dawn still creates highly enjoyable melodic power metal.

Songs worthy of recognition: Magic Forest, Cherish My Memory, Sons of The Rainbow

Rating: 7,5/10 Warnings

Mastodon - Once More 'round The Sun (2014)

When it comes to the Atlanta band Mastodon, there is only one thing to expect when entering a new album from them. The unexpected. Since its creation in 1999, Mastodon has spoiled us with a massive variety in both musicality and creativity. You never know what the band will throw at you next, which is only one of the things that has helped them gain the fame and reputation that they currently possess.

"Once More 'round The Sun" is album number 6 from the band, and at first, it seems to be a continuation on what the band started in their last album, "The Hunter". A straight forward album that puts its focus on heavy riffs and memorable songs. But the more you listen to the album, the more progressive it seems. And that is what makes "Once More 'round The Sun" so special, progressive and high soaring melodies are mixed with simple memorable choruses. The first single "High Road" is a perfect example of that. The main riff is simple, but effective, and it does not take much effort to learn the chorus, but then we have the solo part that takes the song to a totally different level. It is controlled madness at its best.

The crazy thing is that even if I love "High Road", it is actually one of the weaker songs in the album. Because just like almost every other Mastodon album, the biggest strength with "Once More 'round The Sun" is that all of the songs have a ridiculously high standard. And most of the credit for that goes to the amazing instrumentation by the band, especially the drumming (and some of the singing) by Brann Dailor is exceptionally awesome.

Another strong point with the album is that it shows a big variety in songs, but it still has a red line that makes the album feel like one cohesive piece. "The Motherload" is a very simple, but highly addictive song that could be a potential live favourite, while the title track sounds like a classic Mastodon track mixed with some Rush melodies. Then we have "Chimes At Midnight" that shows the classic Mastodon madness with a main riff that will haunt me for weeks, which I do not mind at all. I also enjoy the nice groove attack that "Halloween" brings, the rapid fire attack from "Tread Lightly" and the calmer moments in "Asleep In The Deep".

Is "Once More 'round The Sun" Mastodon's strongest album up to date? No, it is not, but it is hard to deny that it is another fantastic high quality piece from the band. It may be the band's most commercial album up to date, but that does not mean that the band has sold out themselves. "Once More 'round The Sun" is still Mastodon to the bone and it is a fantastic roller coaster ride for both old and new fans of the band. This album (and its crazy cover art) will definitely be one of the top contenders of "Album of the year" when I summarize 2014 in December.

Songs worthy of recognition: Chimes At Midnight, The Motherload, Once More 'round The Sun, Asleep In The Deep, Halloween

Rating: 9,5/10 High Roads

Arch Enemy - War Eternal (2014)

There were probably a lot of you that were shocked when you woke up to the news that Angela Gossow, the female front figure of death metal band Arch Enemy, had left her position, after 14 years of excellent service, to instead focus on being involved in the band's management. Not only has Angela been the singer for one of the biggest death metal bands out there today, she paved the way for female vocalists to show that even they can execute brutal vocal melodies with their voices, so who ever would take her place, would have a tough job ahead of them.

Eventually, it stood clear that it was Alissa White-Gluz who would be the new queen of Arch Enemy. Alissa is mostly known for her work in The Agonist, where she mixed both harsh and clean vocals, and she has definitely done some good work there (the latest album for example, "Prisoners"). So with in mind of what she has done in the past and what capacity she has, I think Alissa is a good replacement for the band.

And that becomes even more evident in the band's 10th studio offering, "War Eternal". Alissa does a great job behind the microphone with her large vocal range. And no, she doesn't use her clean vocals once throughout the album (except for one small part in the chorus of "Avalanche", but it is non significant), which is of course an instant plus (could you imagine? Arch Enemy with clean vocals? eww).

Besides from Alissa, there is not much that has changed with Arch Enemy between this album and its predecessor, "Khaos Legions". Although Cristopher Amott left the band once again in 2012 (replaced by Nick Cordle), it is still his brother and founding member Michael Amott that rules the guitar playing with his mix of melodic and heavy riffs. And together with the intense drumming by Daniel Erlandsson and the deep bass rhythms by Sharlee D'Angelo, the band has created some impressive work in "War Eternal".

Some of the strong points of the album are the fast paced title track, the dark and heavy "As The Pages Burn", the melodic "You Will Know My Name" and the apocalyptic "On And On", but there are also some parts of the record that just does not seem right. One thing that bothers me the most is the large amounts of neo-classical music, a thing that fits more into a power metal band or a Yngwie Malmsteen album. Guess that Micheal took some inspiration from the wrong sources. I also do not like how the album itself is build. The first half is considerably better than the second half, so it would have been better to even out the field, and don't even get me started on that boring instrumental "Not Long For This World" that ends the album.

Just like most of the later albums by the band, "War Eternal" will create some controversy. Some will love it, others will hate it. I myself think it is one of the stronger albums by the band, but that its inconsistencies keeps it from being a masterpiece. No matter what, the band still does their thing and Alissa's solid performance makes it seem like nothing significant has happened to the band. The new queen has made her first appearance, and it seems to be the start of a new, strong regime in Arch Enemy.

Songs worthy of recognition: War Eternal, You Will Know My Name, On And On

Rating: 7/10 Avalanches

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Black Sabbath - Mob Rules (1981)

Just like its predecessor, the 10th Black Sabbath album "Mob Rules" had a original member leaving the band. Bill Ward left the band and was replaced by Vinny Appice behind the drum kit. But other than a new drummer, everything was more or less the same with this album as it was with "Heaven And Hell". Dio, Iommi and Butler wrote all of the songs together and Dio wrote all of the lyrics.

So is "Mob Rules" a believable successor to "Heaven And Hell"? Yes, indeed it is. Just like its predecessor, "Mob Rules" have a more straight forward rock attitude that may not appeal to those who like the early Sabbath records, but it definitely fits well in the time and age where the album was released.

I definitely feel like this album has several successful parts that the band has brought from the last album to this one, but it also has its retro moments. The title track is edgy and has a nice tough riff to accompany the attitude. "The Sign of The Southern Cross" however is more progressive and darker, a type of song that is originally associated with the band. Then we have "Falling Off The Edge of The World", that mixes the edgy speed and the progressive melodies perfectly in a song that screams Iron Maiden before Iron Maiden even learned to write these kinds of songs. So there are a bunch of different songs to chose from, and it is not hard to find at least one you will love.

Unfortunately, "Mob Rules" does not have the same evenness that "Heaven And Hell" had. The opener "Turn Up The Night" has some speed, but it is a hollow track that wears out quickly, and "Slipping Away" just feels misplaced in the album with its stale 70's rock rhythm. Those two songs drags the album down a bit, which is sad since the rest of the album holds a high standard.

Therefore, I would say that "Mob rules" has a little bit more of variety than "Heaven And Hell", but I do not consider this to be the superior album. The album definitely has its moments and it shows what a fantastic song and lyric writer Dio really is. Too bad this was his last album with the band (until the 1992 album "Dehumanizer"), because I am sure that Black Sabbath would make even more classic albums with Ronnie by their side.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Mob Rules, The Sign of The Southern Cross, Falling Off The Edge of The World

Rating: 8/10 Country Girls

Casualties of Cool - S/T (2014)

While we are waiting for the long awaited follow up album to "Ziltoid The Omniscient", the Canadian mad man Devin Townsend decided to take his music to another, more undiscovered, territory. During his career, he has experimented with punk, ambient, death metal and several other music forms, but this time, he is focusing on a country album entitled "Casualties of Cool", which he decided to release under a new project (with the same name as the album) instead of it being a DTP release. And it seems like people is hyped for this release since the pledge campaign that Devin launched to cover the costs of this recording reached over 500%.

Helping him with this record, we have the female vocalist Ché Aimee Dorval, which Devin fans might remember from the DTP album "Ki", drummer Morgan Ågren and a guest apperance by Jørgen Munkeby from Shining. He is emerging in the track "Moon" with some sexy saxophone beats, making it one of the more memorable songs in the album.

The album itself is a concept album, about a traveler in a sentient planet that feeds on fear, but with the help of an old radio and phonograph, he can confront his own fear, and thereby, freeing his own soul. It is an interesting story, but you really have to go deep into the lyrics to really understand it, which is both positive and negative. It is positive because it is not too obviously told, but it is negative since most of the listeners might not see a cohesive story in the album.

What matters though is how the music is working together with the lyrics and the story, and I have to say, it works nicely. The album is labeled as country rock, and I can definitely hear some country influences here and there, but I would probably label "Casualties of Cool" as a ambient album with hints of country and blues. It is definitely a album that can be compared to Devin's previous ambient efforts, such as "Ghost" and "The Hummer", but I would put this album at the top because it feels so mature and it is more versatile than the other albums. But is it a album that I would recommend Devin's metal fan base? I would suggest them to give it a try, but remind them that this is not a metal release. If you did not like "Ghost" or "The Hummer", then the chances are slim that you will enjoy this album.

There are not many songs that stands out in "Casualties of Cool", but the ones that does stand out does it in a good way. The saxophone in "Moon" gives the album a nice jazz touch, the beautiful "Flight" brings some atmosphere to the record, "Forgive Me" has a nice, smooth flow, "Deathscope" is a wild piece that could wake up them who sleeps through this album, and the longest song, "The Bridge", is an epic creation that would also fit nicely in "Epicloud". These songs makes "Casualties of Cool" a very nice album, but for it to be a great album, I would have like more stand out songs and fewer anonymous ones.

I am glad that Devin did not go full out with the country on the album, because I would have probably hated it. But the mix of ambient and country blues that "Casualties of Cool" gives us is an interesting and soft style that I can enjoy. I am still more hyped for the second Ziltoid record, but until then, "Casualties of Cool" will do a good job on meeting my, and anyone else's, need for new Devin Townsend music.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Bridge, Moon, Forgive Me

Rating: 7/10 Bones

Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell (1980)

So after some turbulent years, the original line-up of Black Sabbath was finally broken up. Ozzy Osbourne left the band and was replaced by the former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio. And to say that this change was much needed is an understatement. Alcohol and drugs almost destroyed the band and Ozzy could obviously continue in the shape he was in. So in came Dio, and together with the rest of the founding members of the band (plus keyboardist Geoff Nicholls), they created the album "Heaven And Hell", which is Black Sabbath's 9th album.

There is no doubt that Dio has one of the strongest and most iconic voices in metal, but it is also obvious that he more or less reignited the flame in Black Sabbath. Dio was much involved in the songwriting, including writing all of the lyrics in the album, and it shows. "Heaven And Hell" feels so much fresher than its closest predecessors and the slight influence from Rainbow gives Black Sabbath a new sound that fits them well.

There are a total of 8 songs on "Heaven And Hell", and they all have different strengths. The opening "Neon Knights" is a simple tune that sits firmly in your brain, while the title track is more progressive and builds up to this fantastic fast paced ending that gives you goose bumps all over the body. Then we also have the beautiful "Children of The Sea" (which is the first song Iommi and Dio wrote together), the groovy "Wishing Well" and the fast paced "Die Young" that all makes "Heaven And Hell" a great album.

But even if the craftsmanship is top notch in the record, I am just left here, longing for more. 1 or 2 more songs would not have hurt in any way. That is however a very small complaint on a otherwise marvelous album. It definitely feels like the band has found their passion again and the song writing is amazing. Even the "worst" song "Lady Evil" is an enjoyable piece.

Thanks to the arrival of Ronnie James Dio, Black Sabbath has gained a second wind in their career. "Heaven And Hell" feels fresh, powerful and original. It may not be a typical Black Sabbath album, but the influences and ideas that Dio brought has lifted the band's spirit, and it shows everywhere, from the musicality to the performance. So after a couple of albums from hell, it feels good that Black Sabbath is back to heaven with their self and their music.

Songs worthy of recognition: Heaven And Hell, Neon Knights, Children of The Sea, Die Young

Rating: 9,5/10 Wishing Wells

Sabaton - Heroes (2014)

I have always asked myself why I do not love the Swedish power metal band Sabaton. Their music has a power that few can match, they can write interesting lyrics about war and history, and their live performances are just electrifying. So why do I not love this band? I have no good answer, but the best description I can give is that the band and its music has a short life span. Sure, the music is fast and adrenaline filled, but I get bored after only 4 full-length listening sessions.

"Heroes" is album number 7 from the band and a lot of things have happened since the 2012 album "Carolus Rex". A total of 4 members left the band, leaving the singer Joakim Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström alone in the band. But even though more than half the band has been replaced, the sounds is more or less the same as it was before.

"Heroes" sets its lyrical focus on World War II with songs about several war heroes like Witold Pilecki ("Inmate 4859"), Leslie "Bull" Allen ("The Ballad of Bull"), and Lauri Törni ("Soldier of 3 Armies"). Sure, you could mark on that Joakim Brodén and Pär Sundström is only writing songs about war and battles and that it is starting to get tedious, but that is what they are passionate about, and their knowledge and research in the subject is impeccable.

As for the music, it is nothing really special. All of the songs have been done at least once in a previous album. It is grand power metal that is perfect for a trip to the gym, or for a killer gaming session if you are a couch potato. The only song that breaks the pattern is "The Ballad of Bull" which is, not surprisingly, a ballad. It is also a pretty grand song, but it loses my interest fairly quickly since it seems to fit a musical better than a metal album. Listen instead to the fist pumping "To Hell And Back", the hard hitting "Resist And Bite", the strong "Inmate 4859" and the epic "No Bullets Fly". Also check out the excellent cover of Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls".

But as stated before, Sabaton records tend to be short lived, and "Heroes" is unfortunately not different from its predecessors. The 10 songs adds up to a total play time of 37 minutes, which makes the album short and compact, and allows you to get the max out of every second. But since almost all the songs have about the same tempo and structure, you tend to get tired of them quickly. And after 7 albums with almost the same formula, it just doesn't have the same effect any more.

I'm sorry Sabaton, but you didn't convince me this time either. "Heroes" is without a doubt another solid album by the lads from Falun, Sweden, but thanks to its many similarities with previous albums from the band, it just feels that it is missing that extra level. The only thing that made me raise an eyebrow over this album is the anatomies of the two guys fighting in the cover, the rest just made me shrug. It is stability in musical form.

Songs worthy of recognition: To Hell And Back, No Bullets Fly, Inmate 4859

Rating: 6/10 Smoking Snakes

www.sabaton.net/
twitter.com/sabaton

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Epica - The Quantum Enigma (2014)

Few bands in the world have a name that fits more to their musical style than the Dutch band Epica. Created in 2002 by Marc Janssen (after leaving his previous band, After Forever), this band has been proving again and again that it is amongst the top in the Dutch symphonic metal community, together with Within Temptation, The Gathering and Delain.

So you would easily expect greatness from the band's 6th album entitled "The Quantum Enigma", and sure enough, this album contains a lot of things that we have learned to love with Epica. The epic melodies, the wide variety in vocals (from harsh to female and quire) and the technical craftsmanship is all there to enjoy within the album.

And so is also the strong quality in the songs. I would say that the band has become a little heavier in their sound since their last album, the 2012 offering "Requiem For The Indifferent", which is of course a good thing. I have always liked it when Epica has leaned more towards their heavy side than their symphonic side (even though I enjoy that part of them as well). But one thing that really surprised me with "The Quantum Enigma" is that it grows on you. After the first couple of listens, I did not really think that the album was something special, but the more I listen to this album, the more I enjoy it. This was not the case with the other Epica albums, but I have to admit, it definitely increases the life span on "The Quantum Enigma" more than on any of the earlier albums.

Song wise, you can be sure to find a couple of songs that you like. Do you like catchy and easily memorable songs? Then the single "The Essence of Silence" is perfectly suited for you. More of the progressive type? No problem, "Sense Without Sanity - The Impervious Code -" and the title track will meet your needs. And don't forget that the album is also packed with grandiose tracks like "Natural Corruption", "The Second Stone", "Omen - The Ghoulish Malady -" and "Chemical Insomnia".

So the variety is not one thing that "The Quantum Enigma" is lacking, but I could wish for some stronger refrains, since several of them are lacking a good punch. But otherwise, there is not much to mark on this album. The production is clean, the instrumentation is nice and Simone Simons sings like a queen. And even though I like Simone and I understand that she is the lead singer of the band, I would like to see a little more from Mark Jansen's harsh vocals. They may not be very original, but they give Epica's music another dimension that most bands within the same genre does not have.

If Delain showed how good a simplistic symphonic metal album can be with "The Human Contradiction", then Epica is showing how good a more complex ditto can be. "The Quantum Enigma" could be one of the more meatier Epica albums up to date, but once you're getting down to its bone, you will see what an amazing piece this is. This is definitely an impressive album that helps Epica maintain their position as one of the best bands in the symphonic metal scene.

Songs worthy of recognition: The Second Stone, The Essence of Silence, Chemical Insomnia, Omen - The Ghoulish Malady -

Rating: 8,5/10 Victims of Contingency

Light The Torch (ex-Devil You Know) - The Beauty of Destruction (2014)

Another super band? Oh boy, that is just what the metal community needed... not really. Anyway, the band was created in 2012 by the drummer John Sankey (Fear Factory, Divine Heresy) and guitarist Francesco Artusato (All Shall Perish). They were later joined by Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage), Ryan Wombacher (Bleeding Through) and Roy Lev-Ari (Hiss of Atrocities).

When I am reading the line-up, I am trying to figure out what type of music these guys will offer us. My first thought was that it would be some kind of heavy metal core, which later on proved to be right. "The Beauty of Destruction" is filled several heavy parts, especially in the guitar work, but it is blended together with catchy and melodic song structures that appeals to the radio stations. It doesn't surprise me that Devil You Know is more Killswitch Engage than All Shall Perish, but I would have expected something more original from these experienced musicians.

The music itself is not overly impressive, but it has it strong points. The epic and heavy "It's Over" is the most original and interesting piece in the entire album, while "A Mind Insane" impresses with its doomish segments and complete insanity. But the album also has some good mainstream quality in songs like "Seven Years Alone" and "For The Dead And Broken". This makes "The Beauty of Destruction" into a well diverse album that does not get boring to listen to.

The overall quality however is far too unstable to be taken seriously. Boring tunes like "A New Beginning" and "Crawl From The Dark" are being mixed with more interesting tracks like "The Killer" and I Am The Nothing", which in the end makes me loose the interest on the album. I know that these guys are experienced, so it shouldn't be such a problem to expect a stable album from them. But it seems like the band does not really know where they want to go with their music. Do they want to go mainstream or do they instead want to focus on creating heavy and innovative music? That is a question that must be answered before the next album if they want to continue this project.

I agree with Devil You Know that destruction can be beautiful, however "The Beauty of Destruction" is far from the prettiest album released this year. It has some good intentions that gives some hope for this project in the future, but just like any other super band, it falls in comparison with the member's past/current main bands. Devil You Know is one of the better "super" bands that has emerged during the 21st century, unfortunately, that does not say much about their overall quality within the band, even though "The Beauty of Destruction" is a promising debut.

Songs worthy of recognition: A Mind Insane, Seven Years Alone, It's Over

Rating: 7/10 Killers

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Black Sabbath - Never Say Die! (1978)

"Never Say Die!" is the title of Black Sabbath's 8th album, which is kinda ironic since this album marked the end for the original line-up since Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne left the band the following year. Well, you could see the end coming pretty easily since Ozzy left the band during a short period between this album and "Technical Ecstasy", but also because of the heavy abuse of alcohol and drugs in the band. But the band gathered some final strength together to create one of the most criticized albums in the band's discography.

Despite the negativity that surrounds the album, it starts off quite fine actually. The title track gets the blood pumping with its simple, yet effective, groove and catchy chorus, while the following song, "Johnny Blade" keeps it going with a fast drum beat and some interesting lyrics. "Johnny Blade" is probably one of the few songs in the latest couple of Sabbath albums that has big resemblances from the earlier records. I also kinda like the groovy "Junior's Eyes", even though it is on the edge of being to light of a song.

The rest however, is a complete train wreck. The remaining 6 songs on "Never Say Die!" is a definite sign of the band's problems. Most of the songs have very little flow to them and it just feels like they were patched up together here and there in under a minute. The whole performance feels contrived and rushed, which ends up in a horrible album with no sense of direction.

There are some really weird decisions through out this album. Like why they made "A Hard Road" so sluggish, or why the keyboard takes over too much in "Over To You", or why they included the horrible big band sound in the instrumental "Breakout". There are bad decisions everywhere in this album, but one of the worst decisions must be the closer of the album, "Swinging The Chain". It is not a horrible song because of the fact that Bill Ward takes the lead here, but because of the horrific harmonica. I don't know who played it, but he should get a slap in the face. Without it (and that scream in the middle of the song), "Swinging The Chain" would be pretty decent, but now it just sits there at the end of "Never Say Die!", being as useless as a appendicitis.

The Ozzy era of Black Sabbath could not have a worse ending than this. "Never Say Die!" is a horrible album that probably every Sabbath fan hate, and I can understand them. Too much keyboard, harmonica and trumpets, and not enough of the band itself. I don't want to count it in as a Black Sabbath album since it doesn't sound like them, but it is, and all I can do about it is to face palm.

Songs worthy of recognition: Johnny Blade, Never Say Die

Rating: 3/10 Shock Waves