Angry Metal Guy

Iron Maiden // The Final Frontier
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — A great record…
Label: EMI
Websites: ironmaiden.com
Release Date: EU: 08.13.2010 | US: 08.17.2010

Iron Maiden is the greatest heavy metal band to ever live. Thirty years after the release of their self-titled album, they are arguably just as relevant as they ever have been—not resting on their laurels and imitating a hits jukebox, but instead touring the world playing their new material to the joy of fans everywhere. After what was a rousing success with their most recent record, the 2006 release of A Matter of Life and Death, there is actually maybe a bit more pressure on the band to produce something that is quality, memorable and, frankly, classic. Especially with the rumors floating around that this is Maiden‘s final album, spurred even further on by the fact that Steve Harris helped write every song on the record, the pressure cooker of fan scrutiny is reaching fever pitch. And so it falls to this Angry Metal Guy to try to put all of this into some sort of context; to try to listen to my favorite band with fresh ears—and I’ve come to some realizations about the band in the process. Continue reading

Mose Giganticus // Gift Horse
Rating: 3.0/5.0 — Sludgedoomstonersynthrock
Label: Relapse Records
Websites: mosegiganticus.com | myspace.com/mosegiganticus
Release Date: July 20th, 2010

Every now and then, a band comes along and I’m utterly at a loss for how to classify them in the official Steel Druhm Book O’ Metal [That's what you get for not using the Angry Book o' Metal Classifications™, n00b. — AMG]. Generally, this causes me anger and vexation, but I always give a nod of appreciation for the bands that resist easy classification. The latest recipient of the nod is Gift Horse, the second album by Mose Giganticus, for they have truly baffled my considerable pigeonholing acumen. They have forced even me to admit I’m stumped. Mose Giganticus is apparently a one-man entity created by Matthew Garfield, a staple of the Philly punk rock scene for some time. While some of that punk ethos is apparent on Gift Horse, this isn’t exactly a punk album. What is it then? Good question!! Let’s try to piece this puzzle together shall we?

Continue reading

InTensity // Times
Rating: 2.0/5.0 — Few unique ideas
Label: Unsigned
Websites: intensity-band.com | myspace.com/intesnityband
Release Date: July 3rd, 2010

You may have noticed that AMG doesn’t actually really do a lot of unsigned band reviews. Partially this is ’cause we don’t get a lot of unsigned demos, and partially it’s ’cause when we do they tend to be poorly delivered with little promo info and so forth. So I was pleased to get this promo from the Greek progressive modern rock band InTensity who delivered it to me via BandCamp—this is a highly recommended way of doing this, unsigned bands. Times is a four track EP that was self-produced by the vocalist/guitarist Ilias Iovis and is available digitally throughout the world today with future, physical versions to be announced. Continue reading

Amorphis // Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — The first time I’ve ever recommended a DVD
Label: Nuclear Blast (EU | US)
Websites: amorphis.net | myspace.com/amorphis
Release Dates: EU: 09.07.2010 | US: 07.13.2010

Amorphis is a band that needs no introduction, particularly if you’ve been reading this zine for more than a few weeks. When Skyforger came out in 2009, I was fortunate enough to be able to catch it on MySpace at the time and put up a review of it on this site: it was actually one of the first things that started increasing traffic to this site. At the time that I wrote the review I was particularly laudatory of the band’s new material. Despite the wave against them because they never re-wrote The Karelian Isthmus or Tales from the Thousand Lakes again, I have been nothing but enchanted by the last three albums. They are, for lack of a better word, genius. Modern, melodic metal done with class and style, Eclipse, Silent Waters and Skyforger are three of the best album from the 2000s and have re-established the legacy of a band that has seemed to have lost its way at times. Continue reading

Anathema // We’re Here Because We’re Here
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — Masterfully done
Label: K-scope
Websites: anathema.ws | myspace.com/weareanathema
Release Dates: EU: 31.05.2010 | US: 05.31.2010

Where the hell does one even start with Anathema. The band has been in a state of flux for quite a while. The last thing they put out was Hindsight which, quite obviously, was not technically considered a standard release (despite it being my top record of 2008—a very dry year for metal in this Angry Metal Guy’s opinion). That means it’s been five years since A Natural Disaster an album that I found to be remarkably underwhelming, as it followed up one of the finest albums of the entire 2000s: A Fine Day to Exit. But it has, indeed, been 9 years since Anathema released a new album that I was super excited about. Everyone keeps asking “was 7 years worth it?” Well, for me it’s more like “was 9 years worth it?”

Yes. The answer is unequivocally yes. Now, it’s true that the band is never going to produce Judgement again, so get that out of your head right now. But what Anathema produces in 2010 is just as relevant and interesting as Judgement was in 1999 and A Fine Day to Exit was in 2001. “And what is that music,” you may ask. I’ll tell you: it’s melancholy, yet oddly positive, 60s and 70s influenced prog rock. With the strains of Pink Floyd, and The Beatles (but honestly, mainly Floyd and their ilk) floating around in the background Anathema breeds their own unique strain of ethereal, amorphous and gorgeous rock music.

The thing that stands out the most for me is that while older Anathema is very much a music of sorrow, We’re Here Because We’re Here is a music all its own. A music of Zen one could  say. In fact, there is a hippiesque patchouli stank to this album that is so strong I have to plug my ear-nose™. Someone has been reading Be Here Now and maybe smoking a bit too much ganj, but it’s a fascinating change, really. To see it develop from songs like “One Last Goodbye” and “Temporary Peace” into songs like “Angels Walk Among Us” that has lines like “Only you can heal your life / Only you can heal inside…” or “Presence” (which is basically an extension of the same song) which has a fascinating quote: “Life is not the opposite of death, death is the opposite of birth. Life is eternal.” Or how about the final strains of the album: “There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer / There is no disease that enough love cannot heal / No door that enough love will not open / No gulf that enough love will not bridge / And no wall that enough love will not throw down.” This is not your depressed teenage years’ Anathema, my friends.

The positivity aside, however, Anathema still produces some of the heaviest material on the early tracks of this album since Judgement—on the tracks “Thin Air” and “Summer Night Horizon”. These heavier moments offset a much more poppy and easily digestible Anathema than I think we’ve ever heard before. However, this record is also incredibly epic, or should I say, adventurous and interesting. Tracks like the closing 8 minute epic (see!) “Hindsight” make clear that the band has more to say and a beautiful vision filled with white light, oceans… (silhouettes standing in them.. wait a second this is starting to sound familiar!) and peace and love. They are now, as they ever have been, making the music of the heart and that is the reason that they continue to be admired among fans of heavy music and prog.

So for me, again, while this record might not be on the exact same par as Judgement or A Fine Day To Exit it is definitely still a fantastic album that is worth your listening, your time and your money. The songwriting continues to be compelling, the vocal performances are outstanding and need I mention that Steven Wilson did the mix? Probably not. Now hopefully it won’t be another 7 (or 9) years before Anathema puts out another record of this caliber. Every once in a while Angry Metal Guys need some Zen.

Nevermore // The Obsidian Conspiracy
Rating: 4.0/5.0 – Less complex, more accessible, don’t freak out!
Label: Century Media
Websites: nevermore.tv | myspace.com/nevermorefans
Release Dates: EU: 31.05.2010 | US: 06.08.2010

Nevermore has always held a special place in the metal community with both fans and other bands alike looking up to and respecting them. It isn’t hard to see why they command this level of respect, with world-class guitarist Jeff Loomis and vocalist extraordinaire Warrel Dane both calling Nevermore home. Because of this high profile and superb talent, a lot is expected from Nevermore and for the most part, album to album, Nevermore have consistently delivered the goods. Therefore, the arrival of a new slab of metal from these guys is always a pretty big deal and after waiting five years since The Godless Endeavor, we finally get The Obsidian Conspiracy.

Right off the bat it becomes obvious The Obsidian Conspiracy is a bit of a departure for Nevermore. While the trademark Nevermore elements are all still present, long-time fans may notice this is less complex and more accessible than The Godless Endeavor and other older works. Now, before diehard Nevermore fans get their panties in a bunch and jump out a window, this is still classic Nevermore and a very technical album with some very heavy moments. Additionally, this is far from some pop metal album. When I say accessible, I mean in the context of past Nevermore albums, which could be very dense and heavily technical and require patience to get into. Here however, the songs are all shorter in length than on previous albums, some tracks are instantly memorable and others quickly become so. For example, both “Emptiness Unobstructed” and “And the Maiden Spoke” jump out and stick in your head very quickly. I don’t recall this being the case with earlier albums, especially The Godless Endeavor. Perhaps the added accessibility comes from a growing maturity as songwriters or maybe some of it bled over from Dane’s solo album. Whatever the cause, the result is a collection of well crafted songs which ebb and flow very well from mood to mood.

As The Obsidian Conspiracy unfolds, you get everything from classic progressive thrash (“The Termination Proclamation,” “The Obsidian Conspiracy”), to brooding, morose epics (“And the Maiden Spoke,” “The Blue Marble and the New Soul”) all the way to more straight-forward metal (“Your Poison Throne,” “Emptiness Unobstructed”), all past elements of the Nevermore repertoire are showcased well even in the more accessible format.

Mood-wise and lyrically, this is definitely not an uplifting, feel good album. It oscillates between rage, despair, grief and other sinister, haunting emotions, all expertly presented by the writing and execution of some truly top flight musicians. Warrel Dane’s vocals shine as always and few are as convincing at emotional expression. It’s easy to believe Dane feels the pain of the lyrics he creates and sings and it makes the songs much more powerful. Similarly, Jeff Loomis shows he can write technical yet accessible riffs and keep things powerful and energetic even during the slower, moodier tracks.

At the end of the day, this is a Nevermore album so you know it will be quality and contain excellent musicality. The Obsidian Conspiracy has no truly weak tracks and is interesting throughout its varying moods. The added accessibility makes the material easier to digest and appreciate for the average listener, yet this hasn’t caused the music to lose its edge or overall technicality. While I can foresee some negative feedback forthcoming for the slight shift in style and some considering this a disappointment of sorts, don’t be swayed. This is still Nevermore and it’s a solid, quality release and definitely worth checking out.

Pain of Salvation // Road Salt pt. 1 – Ivory
Rating: 5.0/5.0 — A stellar re-invention that should bring you to tears
Label: InsideOut
Websites: painofsalvation.com | myspace.com/painofsalvation
Release Dates: SE: 14.05.2010 | EU: 17.05.2010 | US: 06.08.2010

One would assume that an Angry Metal Guy wouldn’t be handing out high scores willy nilly, something I seriously try to avoid doing. But apparently 2010 is a year filled with really fantastic albums by bands doing the things that, as a reviewer, and more specifically, as a music-lover, I have trouble not totally falling for. Pain of Salvation has never been a band that I personally fell for. Scarsick, the band’s 2007 release, was a record that I had issues with and I’ve had some personal gripes about Daniel Gildenlöw’s vocals on the older material (specifically his wannabe Mike Patton rappy/talky vocals). But, that said, Pain of Salvation has long been the darling of the progressive rock and metal scene, with legions of fans who love their technical prowess and pop sensibility.

Road Salt, then, stands to be a great disappointment for a large number of fans who are looking for neo-progressive sensibilities. This is simply not the same band that put out The Perfect  Element (Part I). There is nothing on this record that should outright appeal to metal heads and fans of tech music. But there’s something else, and something that in my opinion places this album on a different plane than 99% of albums released this year, an emotional depth, beauty, fragility and, lastly, dirtiness that makes this album a fantastic journey and easily my favorite Pain of Salvation to date.

Road Salt is still a prog record, however, it’s just way more a 70s rock influenced album that places the band into the same arena as bands like Porcupine Tree, Anathema, Guilt Machine and their ilk. And when I say “70s rock influenced”, let me be totally clear: this is an album that is built to sound like it was recorded on analogue equipment in a room with brown shag carpeting, made by bearded men in bell bottoms who’d smoked a little bit too much hash. The guitar tone screams Hendrix, the vocal harmonies mimic the soul harmonies of folk musicians like Kris Kristofferson and the moog organ is something that you’ve heard a million times while digging through your dad’s record collection. Hell, even the build at the end of the first track “No Way”, sounds like it came off a Trettioåriga Kriget record. And there’s nary a technical wank solo to be found on this album. No, instead the album is based a lot around blues rock—a thing that this Angry Metal Guy hates with a total passion.

But from the opening notes of this album, I was moved emotionally in a way that I think no record has done almost ever. Gildenlöw’s vocal performance is perfect—it is emotionally evocative, huge and sweeping and amazing. His emotional performance reshapes good (or excellent) music into something that is epic and transformative. By bringing his prog and non-blues rock influenced sensibilities to the entire genre and then placing his vocal perfection over songs like “She Likes to Hide”, “Sisters”, “Linoleum” and probably the most evocative of  all the tracks on the album “Road Salt”, Gildenlöw and Pain of Salvation create a sound all their own in what is easily the most overdone genre in the history of mankind. Turning the sounds of 60s and 70s rock and blues into something unique in 2010 is a magical feat, honestly. I have trouble wrapping my mind around how it was done.

In the end, this is an album that should make your heart ache. There is a sadness that really permeates the album. And in an era when hard rock and metal is so incredibly impersonal, when every other record is faux hate and anger or clichéd nonsense, it is beyond refreshing to have band produce material that is so emotionally poignant and beautiful. On top of that, of course, is the fantastic production of this album, mixed with the superb quality of musicians involved in the whole production and you have the formula for what is easily one of the best albums of the year—and one of the best albums I have heard in a really, really long time.

Wuthering Heights // Salt
Rating: 4.0/5.0 – Ale to the Captain!!
Label: Scarlet Records
Websites: wuthering-heights.dk | myspace.com/wutheringheightsofficial
Release Dates: EU: 15.04.2010 | US: 04.27.2010

Well shiver me timbers, it’s a pirate metal concept album! Sure, Running Wild has been doing that since 1987 but can you ever really have enough pirate metal? Yarr, I think not me mateys! So it is with open arms I welcome Salt, the new album by Denmark’s Wuthering Heights. Salt is the band’s fifth release and although they began life in 1997 as a power metal unit, I am not exactly sure how to classify them now. They still have many elements of traditional power metal (fast, galloping rhythms, speedy yet melodic guitar work) but they have evolved into a far more progressive and unorthodox entity over time. So much so in fact, that yours truly couldn’t get into their past two releases because they were just too schizophrenic, scattered and disjointed. I will admit that after my initial few listens to Salt, I had exactly the same problem and was prepared to send this album down to Davey Jones’s Locker with a vicious cannonade along the lines of “ARRRRRR, she blows!!!!” Then slowly, the album’s buccaneer charm began to seep into my head and I started liking it (although at first I only liked parts of it and prepared to say it possessed merely “pieces of great, pieces of great”). However, after two days of soaking in the Salt, I have signed on for this expedition and am ready to pillage and quaff ale right along with Wuthering Heights.

First and foremost it must be noted that Salt requires some initial patience and attention from the listener. This is a BIG album musically and each song has a lot going on. There are enough dynamic shifts and mood changes to make one seasick at first, but unlike earlier works, this album eventually clicks and makes for a wild, adventurous if not totally berserk voyage. Of the nine tracks on offer, only three are fairly direct, linear song constructs (“The Desperate Poet,” “Tears,”“Weather the Storm”). The rest fly all over the treasure map from power metal, to thrash, to Celtic inspired harmony and so on. A perfect example of this running amok musically is “The Mad Sailor.” This oddity begins life as slow sea chanty then quickly changes over to bouncy power metal, then morphs into weird polka music before transitioning to a catchy, swing the beer stein chorus that may have you singing along before you realize it.

Major commendations must be awarded to Nils Patrick Johansson, whose outstanding Dio-on-fire vocals keep this insane rampage from shipwreck upon the rocks of over ambition. This guy is truly a professional metal singer, which should come as no surprise since he also helms Astral Doors, Lion’s Share and Space Odyssey. Johansson captains this vessel with power and fury and keeps you coming back for more throughout all the madcap, deranged shifts and turns. The rest of Wuthering Heights are equally top-notch musicians and they all shine brightly as Salt blasts along this way and that.

Throughout Salt, the attentive listener can discern elements of Running Wild, mid-period Helstar, Astral Doors, Voivod and countless other metal bands but no one sounds exactly like Wuthering Heights and what they have created here is unique, ambitious, crazy and fun. Do they go too far at times with the lurches and leaps in timing and style? Yes they do indeed and it hurts certain songs because it becomes TOO much to wade through (ex. all sixteen minutes of “Lost at Sea”). Fortunately, this is kept to a minimum and with patience, most of the songs on Salt end up being outrageously fun to listen to.

Whether you love or truly hate power metal, I would strongly recommend listening to Salt. It’s different, unique and inventive and even an Angry Metal Guy can like this and not feel too unmanly. I mean, pirates are really tough and cool right? So grab this album, proudly fly the Jolly Roger and find yourself a comely beer wench or two. Happy raiding you scallywags!

Cynic // Re-traced
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Well, it can’t possibly be AS good as Traced in Air
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: myspace.com/cyniconline | cyniconline.com
Release Dates: EU: 17/21.05.2010 | US: 05.18.2010

I make no bones about it, I have a total love affair with Cynic. Long have I been a sucker for good progressive metal and Cynic is about as good as progressive metal gets. While I was a bit young to really have appreciated Focus when it came out, I re-discovered it later and fell in love with it. When Traced in Air came out in 2008 I pretty much fell over myself with joy. That record has maintained a constant place on my playlists since it was released and ranks among my top 10 albums of the last decade. So when I heard that they were going to re-do some of the tracks in different styles as an EP I was justifiably excited—but skeptical at the same time. I grew up in the age of the Nine Inch Nails re-mix album: I know what happens when jackasses mess around with an already winning formula. Nothing good.

Fortunately, Trent Reznor had nothing to do with this. Instead, this is basically a re-imagining of songs you know and love and to amazing effect. While there are some glitchy IDM sounding beats going on in “Space” (a re-working of the track “The Space for This”), in general the tracks have a much more brittle feeling and what they lack in the sometimes frantic rhythmic nature of the drum and guitar combination on Traced in Air they make up for with beautiful harmonies and enticing chord structures. The sounds that were only really hinted at on Traced in Air, that is the up-close sound that is way more akin to Porcupine Tree or Guilt Machine, is something that that is used in great contrast to the hiding behind the vocodor that we’re all so used to.

While every song on here is excellent, including the new track “Wheels within Wheels” which closes off the record, the ultimate triumph is probably the track “Integral” which is a re-make of the totally amazing track “Integral Birth”, easily my favorite song from the Traced in Air album. The version on Re-Traced is a stripped down acoustic version that shows off just what an amazing song the track is at its root. I once had a friend who said that he wrote everything on an acoustic guitar, because if it sounded awesome on an acoustic then he was pretty sure that it would be even better with a whole band. “Integral” shows this off with a simple acoustic guitar, a little bit of keyboards some female vocals and a focus on the beautiful song structure and the lights out writing that make Cynic one of the best bands on the planet right now.

Fans of Traced in Air and Cynic in general should buy this. It’s not even a question of whether or not this is worth your time and money. The sheer talent of this band turns me into a blithering fanboy and this EP just gets me excited for more new Cynic in the upcoming couple of years. The only people who shouldn’t buy this album are people who for some reason haven’t gone back and checked out the previous Cynic records, ’cause it’s not exactly representative (with the exception of “Wheels within Wheels” which is much more similar to “standard” Cynic album sound). But once you’ve gone back and checked those CDs, you should rush out and buy this magnificent EP.

Kiuas // Lustdriven
Rating: 3.5/5.0 – Toughen up, boys!
Label: Spinefarm
Websites: kiuas.net | myspace.com/kiuasweb
Release Dates: | EU: 31.03.2010 | US: ?

As a young lad, my dear mother strove to teach me two important things: first, don’t be an angry metal boy/guy, and secondly, never judge others. Well, as an angry metal guy reviewing albums I’d say I’m a major disappointment, but I really can’t say that I’m as big of a disappointment as the meaning of the Finnish band Kiuas‘ name. Kiuas is a Finnish word that roughly translates into sauna stove or stove of sauna. So, in essence, this band is called… SAUNA STOVE? These guys lose Angry Metal Points™.

Despite the goofy name, Kiuas has been thrashing about since 2000 and its members hail from the Finnish extreme metal scene. Their previous platters have featured an intriguing, oddball amalgam of power metal infused with doses of folk, viking, black and death metal. Indeed, it is difficult to categorize Kiuas, which is to their credit as artists. Branding them as power metal simply doesn’t do them justice since they have so little in common with the Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Weenie Happy Metal bands that have come to define that genre. Kiuas is not a happy sounding band and have opted to put the power back in power metal with crunchy, thrashing guitars and dramatic, aggressive vocals that run the gamut from clean to rough all the way to death metal roars.

Lustdriven is the band’s fifth crusade and marks a turning point in the band’s direction and approach. Gone are the death metal vocals and in their place is an increased emphasis on mood and melody at the expense of aggression. This is a less furious and speed oriented affair and sometimes that works very well while at other times it doesn’t. Things get off to a blistering and self-referential start with “KiuasAssault” (translation: sauna stove assault and all the awful images that may bring to mind). This is classic Kiuas complete with ripping guitars, pounding drums and aggressive singing and screaming from Ilja Jalkanen, who is an extremely gifted metal vocalist who does a lot of interesting things with his range and vocal dexterity. This is a great opener!

However, what follows the classic, ripping opener are several far weaker songs. “Cry Little Angel”, halts the forward momentum because of its painfully sappy  lyrics and mediocre chorus. While the gothic stylings of “Of Love, Lust and Human Nature” partially sets the record back on course, it, too, is followed up by other weaker tracks. It isn’t until track 8 that we get the blockbuster of the album in “The Quickening.” This is a brilliant metal song that shows what Kiuas is truly capable of. Powerful, epic, heroic metal that makes you want to lift the family war hammer and charge directly into hell. This one truly grabbed me on the first listen and when Ilja sings “I was scorched once by the fire, on one of those long trips to hell” I was ready to rock and rumble. And while the album closes out quite strong with “Summer’s End” and “Winter’s Sting,” which are both solid tracks that showcase Kiuas’s folk metal elements, none of the other tracks quite measured up to the mighty standard of “The Quickening”.

Overall, this is a solid album by a very talented band with what is likely a bright future ahead of them. Sadly, I cannot say Lustdriven is as strong as 2008’s The New Dark Age and there are several songs I wish were left on the recording studio floor. However, as the album marinates inside your head, it does get better and better and fans of top notch musicianship and powerful music are encouraged to seek this out for a listen. Check out “The Quickening” if nothing else because this song is an early candidate for metal song of 2010 and should not be missed. Bring back the death vocals next time boys and rethink that damn name!”