“What more is there to say about a prog supergroup? How about one that exists as a re-tooling of the now-defunct Sons of Apollo. Part of the melodic core of that group remains the same, with Derek Sherinian (Planet X, ex-Dream Theater) and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Art of Anarchy, ex-Guns n’ Roses) returning on flamboyant keys and virtuosic fretted and fretless guitar madness, respectively, to helm the adventures of Whom Gods Destroy.” Smote by prog?
“AMG’s Law of Diminishing Records is a generally reliable metric that a handful of bands continuously defy, and Denmark’s prog-power mainstays Manticora is one of them. It’s easy to see why; looking retrospectively at their nine prior albums, there is no entry where the band could be accused of failing to innovate or experiment in some respect, a decades-long discographic evolution culminating in the towering To Kill / To Live duology. I maintain that the second act of that duology is their best effort to date, and I lowered my expectations for Mycelium accordingly.” Evolutionary side quests.
What, you thought I wasn’t going to make a list?
Listurnalia continues the plowing towards the year’s inevitable end with two more excellent lists from people who have surprisingly not been fired!
“Ten albums down. This landmark tests a band in many ways—not everyone’s destined to land on Defenders of the Faith after all. That vital quality, consistency, remains part of that longevity. And as Angra Metal Guy has stated before “Consistency has been hard to come by for Angra.” At least that was until Secret Garden fell upon the world and took with it those words.” Angra management.
Angra are back with a new power metal opus this week, so we did our official ranking. You may not agree, but you must study this grand work of metal journalisming.
“Ah, Noveria. When I first encountered this talented bunch on sophomore album Forsaken, the clash between the overt melodrama and the serious subject matter forced me to leave a middling score. But 2019’s Aequilibrium was a huge improvement. It was almost like the band had used my review as a template for what to fix, making strides in songwriting, execution, and production alike.” Peak and Death Valley.
“Even though I have pigeonholed myself as the album art guy around here, when I’m selecting promos, I actually don’t often select an album based on the art. I usually go by one of three methods: completely blind (either random or letting a colleague select), selecting straight from the list (where the only information I have is artist, title, genre and label), or cherry picking (where I listen to singles until I find something I think I’ll like). Trick or Treat is an exception, because just look at this goofy-ass cartoon cover! Either this will be stupid enough to work, like Nanowar of Steel, or it’ll be too stupid to work, like most power metal. So which one is it?” Symphonies of slickness.
![Edu Falaschi – Vera Cruz [Things You Might Have Missed 2021]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Edu-Falaschi-Vera-Cruz-01.jpg.webp)
“I fucking love Angra. When I was first hired onto the AMG team, I even entertained the idea of adopting the handle of Angra Metal Guy, partly in retaliation to AMG Himself‘s review of Secret Garden. That piece is what convinced me to apply to this blog in the first place. I agree with a lot of the Guy‘s takes, but the notion that Secret Garden was an improvement over the band’s older material, which is infinitely more effervescent and charismatic, is borderline delusional. Now, with the opportunity to review Edu Falaschi’s first solo outing of original material, I feel something close to vindication.” Cruzin’ to wictory.
“Feats of sheer sonic escapism have defined much of my listening habits in the Covid era. The stronger an artist can nail a “larger than life” aesthetic in sound and concept, the better. My polyamorous affair with Bal-Sagoth and Galneryus has never burned brighter, while new favorites like Finsterforst have dominated my playlists. Immortal Guardian’s debut Age of Revolution fits comfortably into a similarly overblown mold.” Topic blunder.
