Are you ready for 2012? You better be, since it’s supposedly when the Mayans sell us down the river and everything goes BOOM! That means locusts, plagues, zombies, more Obama and a new Justin Bieber double album. Oh, the humanity! Anyway, as Steel Druhm sits in his Fortress of Reckoning, stockpiling ammo and firearms with varying degrees of legality, it seems a good time to do the first review of a 2012 release! What could be more fitting than a nasty slice of war-themed death metal from frigid Finland? Decaying got some big Steel love earlier this year for their Devastate album and here they are all set to launch their second campaign in 2012 with Encirclement. Taking the same basic approach as on Devastate, they rock a type of primitive, old school death of the European variety. After several spins, Encirclement reminds me of a forced merger between Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets with some Consuming Impulse-era Pestilence sprinkled on the wound. In all honestly, most of the album sounds like vintage Bolt Thrower with Martin van Drunen ( Hail of Bullets/Asphyx/ex-Pestilence/ex-Bolt Thrower) on the mic. As you might then expect, its dependably chunky, clunky, ugly and reeks of a battlefield. What makes this notable amid the legions of death is the sheer length of the tracks. As with Devastate, there are some LONG ass death metal songs here (several between eight and ten minutes)! That can be a tricky feat to pull off and while Decaying largely succeeds in maintaining the interest factor, it can be wearing on the attention span at times. If the impending apocalypse make you hunger for epic-length death metal all about war, this is your huckleberry.

After a cool intro that swings between dirge and military march riffing, things get off t0 a rousing jump off with “Operation Citadel.” Its old school death and walks a line between Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets but shakes it up with some Middle Eastern influenced riffing and some odd riff patterns that don’t seem to belong on a death album (there’s a slight NWOBHM vibe, not unlike that on Sentenced‘s Amok). At over six minutes, it runs through a lot of ideas and for the most part, everything is interesting and absorbing. The vocals are excellently guttural and the various twists and turns delivered by the guitars are interesting, engaging and often quite catchy (nifty blackish riff at 2:50). ”From the Cradle to the Grave” is pure Bolt Thrower worship right down to the riffing and tempos (nice solo at  2:30). Other notable moments include the cool doomy segment at 3:52 in “Conclusion” and at 2:42 of “On the Path of Subjugation.” A personal favorite is the blackened riffing at 1:30 on “Public Enlightenment.” Speaking of black metal, there’s less of a blackened vibe this time out and this is far more of a straight-up death platter.

The guitars of Matias Nastolin and Henri Hirvonen are impressive and there’s quite a few standout riffs across Encirclement. They mix in just enough black metal influence to add flavor and they excel at the slow doomy sections. In fact, the doom moments are my favorites. The solos are solid and a few are excellent. The uber-deathy vocals by Matias are also commendable. He can go super deep and phlegmy and then switch to a dead ringer for Van Drunen and mixes it up enough to satisfy. His vocals are the reason a lot of the material works so well.

Now for the negatives. I have a real problem with the guitar tone here. It’s just not raw and confrontational enough for the approach or the material. There’s a lot of top flight material here but the absence of a truly nasty, blood-curdling tone weakens the impact substantially. Another problem is the length of the album. While these gents have obvious talent and the bulk of the material is well done, it starts to feel like TOO MUCH by the three-quarter point. Sixty minutes is a lot of death to endure and songs as long as these can contribute to a feeling more akin to battle fatigue than shell shock. Likewise, certain songs drag on longer than necessary and wear out their welcome a bit (“Rising Sun” feels WAY overlong at ten-plus-minutes, despite some great doomy moments). That’s a shame, because there aren’t any bad songs here. It’s just too much to easily withstand in one session.

Decaying is a young band well worth watching and Encirclement is a very solid album with some great moments of doomy war-themed death. While I still prefer their Devastate release, I have no hesitation recommending this to anyone who loves Bolt Thrower or Hail of Bullets. It’s not a bad way to ring in (or blow up) the new year and when the wolves and zombies encircle your doorstep, this and a big bottle of bourbon will make for one helluva last stand. Bring it on 2012, Steel Druhm is armed and ready!

Related posts:

1. Angrily Unreviewed: Decaying – Devastate
2. Iron Fire – Voyage of the Damned Review
3. Eluveitie – Helvetios Review

I’m part of a small minority of metal fans that heard of Finland’s Fall of the Leafe and loved what they did. Although they began life as a black metal band, they eventually morphed into a unique type of progressive gothic metal and their 2005 Vantage album is one of my all time favorites. It had a special, moody atmosphere that I return to often (largely due to the strange but brilliant vocal work of Toumas Tuominen). Sadly, the Leafe called it a day in 2007 and their compelling style was silenced. However, from the acorn of the great Leafe arose The Man-Eating Tree, another interesting forest-themed entity with Tuominen on vocals and many of the same winning characteristics and flavor. Their 2010 album Vine was a pleasantly moody, typically Finnish exercise in melancholy gothic rock/metal and their sophomore followup Harvest is more of the same but even better. The songwriting is tighter, more focused and immediate, the moods are more pronounced and honest and the whole album clicks in a way that recalls the finer moments of Fall of the Leafe without plagiarizing their sound completely. Although most similar to Fall of the Leafe, there are also flashes of Sentenced (same drummer), lighter Opeth and late-period Katatonia. This is not a very heavy album and at times, the material barely has anything to do with metal. Even the most aggressive material here won’t rattle teeth or inspire a raised fist. The sound is more about darkened, somber moods, not exactly doom but clearly not happy either. Regardless, this is a great album and deserves to be heard by anyone who likes dark rock overflowing with mood and emotion. 

The slow, somber strains of intro “Harvest Bell” sets the tableau of things to come and reveals the palette the Tree will be painting with. It’s a great lead in to “At the Green Country Chapel,” which is an instantly likeable, gloomy rocker with a simple, honest chorus that worms into the grey matter. Tuominen’s vocals are as mournful and mysterious as ever. If you’ve never heard him, he has a rich, soulful style, restrained but exuding emotion (mostly sadness) and he makes any material better for his contributions. The guitars shift from edgy and semi-crunchy to softer and peaceful and everything is steeped in morose vibes. Harvest is loaded with songs of similar quality and the one-two punch of “Code of Surrender” (extra emotive vocals with thick riffing) and “Armed” (outstanding vocals hooks and best song overall IMHO) is sure to convince listeners what these chaps have to offer. Elsewhere, the doomy plod of “Exhaled” is complimented by emotionally raw, anguished vocals which can’t help but touch a nerve. The cover of Type O Negative‘s “Everything Dies” is another standout and maintains the original’s tragically brilliant gallows charm and even surpasses it in some ways.

This is one of those albums that works best as a whole but one can take away “singles” as well. Of the eleven songs, all work well and there’s a nice flow throughout. One song melts into the next and there’s always that overhanging sense of loss and sadness. While there isn’t an enormous variety in tempo or dynamic, the nuances from track to track keep things from getting too samey or boring and the writing is very solid.

As one might guess from the above, Tuominen is the driving force and the secret weapon to the Tree‘s sound. His riven, heartbroken vocals work magic on each and every tune and he really sounds on the verge of slitting his wrists. Janne Markus and Antti Karhu shine as well with some beautiful, haunting and spacey fret-work. The morose solo at 4:33 of “Like Mute Companions” is touching and rings of personal loss. Elsewhere, “Down to the Color of an Eye” and “Incendere” have trilling riffs that remind of Insomnium. Rounding out the Tree sound properly are the understated but effective keys from Heidi Maatta and a crisp, sharp production with a satisfying low-end thump to it.

This type of melodic downer-metal/rock clearly won’t work for everyone but it’s exceptionally well done and I’m eating it up like chocolate covered bacon (mmmmmmm, bacon). Fans of Fall of the Leafe or other goth-influenced melodic metal would be well advised to spin this and let it soak into the soil of the mind. It’s both beautifully dark and darkly beautiful and that kind of quality doesn’t grow on every man-eating tree. Be sure to check out Fall of the Leafe’s Vantage too, you won’t be sorry!

Related posts:

1. Insomnium – One for Sorrow Review
2. Ghost Brigade – Until Fear No Longer Defines Us
3. Svart Crown – Witnessing the Fall Review

Tuomas Saukkonen is clearly a man concerned with the dangers of idle hands. To stave them off, he’s forever toiling in various musical projects (Before the Dawn, Dawn of Solace, RoutaSielu) and his highly underrated Black Sun Aeon project. While primarily known for his work in  the excellent Before the Dawn, Tuomas has always used this project to explore more morose, gothic-tinged doomscapes while taking cues from fellow countrymen Insomnium and especially Rapture. As with the previous two Black Sun Aeon releases, Blacklight Deliverance is a compelling mix of death, doom and goth, with hauntingly beautiful melodies, ample heaviness and razor-sharp songwriting. It doesn’t break any new ground and at times veers very close to the aforementioned influences, but its a highly enjoyable journey nonetheless and has a few moments of absolute brilliance. It’s also a much more tightly focused work than 2010′s double album Routa and as a result, feels more immediate and accessible.

Opening with “Brothers,” long time listeners of Before the Dawn will immediately recognize Tuomas’s familiar riffing style and excellent sense of melody. His death rasps are also familiar and as good as ever. Balancing brutal with beautiful is something he’s always excelled at and this song is yet another testament. It feels thick and heavy but rises into a melodic, memorable chorus as the swelling keys and chanting female vocals lend an epic mood to the proceedings. Making things all the better are the somber and elegant acoustic interludes interspersed through the song. It’s a winner. Things get even better with “Solitude,” which is one of the best songs Tuomas has ever penned. Bringing in the vocal talents of Janica Lonn (Lunar Path, ex-Nocturnal) and Mikko Heikkila (ex-Sinamore, Crowned With Black, RoutaSielu), he weaves a magnificently bleak goth/doom tale with excellent duets and powerfully melodic, doomy fret-work. It manages to be both depressive and wildly catchy as it revels in its downbeat Finnishness (in case you’ve been living under a rock outside of Finland, a lot of their national musical output is bleak and melancholy).

The other standout is “Oblivion,” which also utilizes the vocals of Janica and Mikko to maximum effect and wrings every ounce of emotion from them. It has a chorus that will move into your head and raise a family and I’ve felt an irresistable need to spin it over and over again for weeks. The rest of Blacklight Deliverance is up to snuff, with the heavier selections (“Sheoul,” “Horizon”) providing a good balance to the softer moments (“Nightfall”). Overall, it’s another impressive example of Tuomas’s songcraft and creative genius and I don’t know how he’s able to write so much quality music in so short a time frame.

Besides the excellently done vocals, one of the big reasons Blacklight is so effective is the heaviness of the guitar. Even while exploring softer, doomier styles, the guitar tone is wickedly heavy in the vein of old Entombed and Dismember. When paired with the delicate vocals of Janica and the forlorn voice of Mikko, the effect is impressive. Add in the death growls for emphasis and its a big sound indeed (the black metal influences present on Routa are largely gone). When he’s not throwing down jackhammer riffs or Sabbath-inspired dirges, Tuomas crafts some great melodies (for example, 3:37 of “Horizon”) that any fan of Rapture will love.

There isn’t much here to complain or nitpick about but if forced, it’s a fairly short album (seven tracks) and at times, run too close to his work with Before the Dawn. Since I love them as well, that’s a pretty minor gripe. The songs are great, the sound is excellent and the mood is wintry and despairing. What more can you ask from a Finnish band? Free pickled herring and long drinks?

Blacklight Deliverance cements the fact that Tuomas is the MAN. Between this and the excellent Deathstar Rising  album he churned out earlier this year, he’s risen several ranks in Steel Druhm’s Pantheon of Metallic Respect. Yet another great album to hoard for those dark wintry nights. Buy it, you idle handed bastards!

Related posts:

1. Black Sun Aeon – Routa Review
2. Black Sun Aeon – Darkness Walks Beside Me Review
3. New Black Sun Aeon Video

Once considered the ”other Amorphis“ due to the style and sound of their well regarded debut In the Halls of Awaiting, Insomnium have since evolved into one of the premier melo-death units in operation. Along with fellow Fins Omnium Gatherum, they’ve been steadfastly keeping the melo-death banner flying and the style alive and viable. In fact, no one is doing this style better, as One for Sorrow and Omnium Gatherum‘s ginormous New World Shadows  amply demonstrate. Both albums employ hyper-melodic guitar-work alongside sub-woofer blowing death vocals and both shroud everything with the melancholy and sadness that seems to seep from the very ground of Finland. Over the course of four albums, Insomnium has churned out consistently high quality melo-death of this nature with very few stylistic shifts or changes. This has, at times, made their material feel a bit samey and can give the impression of roaming over well worn ground. While this was never a big issue for me personally, those concerns are still present here as they continue to hone their tried-and-true sound to a razor edge. Insomnium gives you ten new tracks of excellently melodic death that incorporates doom and elements of old Amorphis, classic In Flames, Brave Murder Day era Katatonia and Noumena. While there are no surprises, this is some great, emotionally powerful music and exactly the kind of listening material to stockpile as we head into the cold gloom of winter. 

Lead off “Inertia” welcomes you back to the cold, and at times fragile and beautiful sound Insomnium trades in. It begins with haunting, somber guitars and spoken word vocals that both slowly build the tension before blossoming into their typically melancholy death sound. The leads at 2:55 are melodic, mournful and excellently done. Things get more urgent with “Through the Shadows” which sounds exactly like material off New World Shadows and showcases that same style of frilly, trillingly melodic guitar harmonies alongside guttural death vox and clean singing segments. As melodic as it gets, there’s that ever present feeling of sadness and doom that have become the calling cards for Finnish melo-death. Its a great song with top-notch riffing and melodic leads. “Song of the Blackest Bird” keeps the quality flowing with more beautiful harmonies juxtaposed with Amon Amarthy battle riffs and nods to Tales From the Thousand Lakes era Amorphis (check out the harmonies at 2:o2 and the morose soloing beginning at 5:31). “Only One Who Waits” mixes extra aggression with an H.I.M. influence and it works exceedingly well. Other highlights include the surprisingly catchy “Regain the Fire” and the plodding and emotional title track. All the songs are classy and scream quality melo-death. There’s a ton of emotion in the writing and playing and as with prior works, that emotion is sadness and despair. This is music perfectly suited for days spent staring out the window watching the falling snow whilst lost in dark reflections.

As far as musical performance, 90% of the success and appeal of Insomnium depends on the ability of Ville Friman and Ville Vanni to craft a host of memorably melodic riffs and solos. They accomplish that mission   admirable and One for Sorrow is relplete with hooks and winning guitar riffery. Every song has its share and the album has a nice ebb and flow from faster to slower, more doomy material. There’s enough shifts in tempos to keep things interesting and more than enough atmosphere. Niilo Sevanen’s death roar is well done and always sounds great laid over the melody lines. His clean singing isn’t the best ever but it adequate and doesn’t hinder the material. The production is exceptional but not too clean or polished. The instruments are clear, the guitars sound great and the vocals are mixed in perfectly.

While I’ve enjoyed every Insomnium album, I admit to being a little underwhelmed by 2009′s Across the Dark  (as was AMG). One for Sorrow is a solid step forward and in my opinion, a superior album. It may not redefine what they’ve been doing or offer something new but it’s them at their best and that’s enough for me. If you liked their prior platters or Omnium Gatherum‘s New World Shadows, buy this with confidence. Then, get thee to a window and await the impending snowfalls. Winter is coming.

Related posts:

1. Insomnium – Across the Dark
2. Omnium Gatherum – New World Shadows Review
3. The Man-Eating Tree – Harvest Review

My oh my, more rancid, raw and caustic Swedish retro death, this time by way of Finland. Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead is the debut EP by Cryptborn and as with any proper Swedish retro death, it sounds as if it should have come out in 1990 along with the big releases from their obvious influences Entombed and Grave. It has that classic unrelentingly raw, buzzing guitar tone and vocals so low and phlegmy they almost rattle your speakers off the stands. Both Angry Metal Guy and myself have been eating up this particular trend while wondering when we would start to grow weary of it. While I can’t speak for AMG on this, I’m still enjoying it fully and most of the bands currently involved in this retro Swedish death wave are quite good.  Now you can count Cryptborn among those doing it right and doing it crusty, rancid justice. Although its an EP, you still get seven tracks worth of face peeling, zombie attacking, brutal goodness and it packs everything you could want from this style (except originality since its retro).

Opening with “A Feast for the Grave” which is basically a drawn out intro, Cryptborn lay down their mission statement with little preamble and makes clear its going to be a long (28 minute) slog through abrasive guitar riffs and merciless death croaks. This one is a total dirge and it crawls along like a quadruple amputee, oozing evil and malevolence all the way. Damn that’s a nasty guitar tone! Once “The Gift of Rotten Flesh” kicks in, its Left Hand Path-style blistering death in all its glory and these guys know how to make this style work. Alternating between thrashy tempos and dirge, they keep the heaviness factor set to liquefy. Its a helluva good death metal number and once again shows why this specific style seems to have such longevity. “In the Grasp of the Starving Dead” keeps the goods coming with abrasive but lovable riffing and creepy church bells tolling in the distance (check out the cool but minimalist soloing at 3:33) and “Rotten Gates of Heaven” is a pulverizing monolithic track full of huge riffs. The bulk of the material here leans toward the sludgy dirge side of the spectrum and the sound has a fair amount in common with Disma‘s recent offering. While they go for the throat and hit the thrash button at times and always to good effect, like most Swedish retro death, this isn’t a light speed type of album. What it lacks in speed, it surely makes up for in suffocating heaviness. Their sound is absolutely crushing and all the songs are well above average in writing and delivery.

The guitars by V.M and K.L (yes, no further names given) are flat out oppressive. Taking the basic guitar tone used by the bands in the Sunlight Studio days of the 90′s, they push the raw power up to eleven. After only a few  tracks you will start to feel violated by the weight of the riffs and the sheer ugliness of the sound. While the toxic sound is what makes this EP such a treat, it does seem the rhythm guitar drowns out some of the lead solos, albeit they are few and far between anyway. Yngwie Malmsteen this certainly isn’t. The vocals by Christbutcher (also in Maveth) are about as low-register and guttural as it gets. He sounds evil, demonic, huge and mighty phlegmy. He’s also way up in the mix so you really get blasted by his grisly gurgles and bellowing.

This is a very solid debut by a band I’m personally excited to hear more from. This is exactly the style death metal I love and this EP really soothes my blackened heart. It isn’t original in the least and they don’t make the slightest effort to take the traditional Swedish death sound into new areas. What they do instead is beat you into a coma with vicious, repellent death and Steel Druhm never get tired of being beaten into comas. If you like old Entombed, Grave or Dismember or any of the new wave of retro death, this should move toward the top of your must hear list. Its fucking nasty. Cool cover too.

Related posts:

1. Blood Mortized – Bestial Review
2. Torture Division – Through the Eyes of a Dead Review
3. Demonical – Death Infernal Review

Another depressive, bleak band from Finland? What a surprise! Although they don’t seem to a band on everyone’s lips yet, Ghost Brigade have staked out their own little corner in the doom rock genre. Their first two albums were entertaining platters of doomy metal with a notable rock/post-rock edge and nods to death metal. Some lauded 2009′s Isolation Songs as a genre defining classic. I wouldn’t go quite that far but it had some great moments of downcast unhappiness. Along comes Until Fear No Longer Defines Us and they’ve really outdone themselves and reached a whole new level. Featuring a more laid back (but still highly morose) sound, Ghost Brigade drifts away from the heavier aspects of their sound and toward a more moody, rock-based style. Now, these guys were never what I would call knuckle smashing heavy to begin with. Sure they would toss in some deathy snarls and some heavy riffing but the focus was always on sullen, despondent vibes with enough rock sensibility to keep things moving. That hasn’t changed here, just reached a more effective, accessible phase. At times they sound similar to recent Katatonia, Rapture and the less deathy moments of Swallow the Sun. Does it work? Absolutely it does and most of Until is a testament to what quality songwriting will do for a band.

Opener “In the Woods” showcases what these guys do best. Its a sedate, somber acoustic tune with soft, soulful vocals by Manne Ikonen. It relies on mood rather than brutality   to convey a sense of despair and sadness and it works perfectly (and has a noticeable Black Label Society influence). When Ikonen sings “this is not a boneyard but a home for broken dreams,” its very effective and almost chilling. Its very immediate and one of their best songs to date. They dial things back up to their more standard death/doom style for the very good “Clawmaster” (which bears more than a little similarity to Rapture, especially the excellently sad solo at 5:15) and they share many a similarity with Katatonia on the melancholy “Chamber.” Other quality moments come with the heavier fare of “Traces of Liberty” and Breakwater” (with the latter providing a nicely jarring wake up call that veers near black metal at times). The standout IMHO is the righteous “Divine Act of Lunacy” which has a huge, soaring chorus that feels way more uplifting than the rest of Until and it drills into the cranium and makes itself comfortable.

As successful as this album is at delivering the goods, it does falter somewhat in the final stanza. The last three songs all seem a bit generic and feel tacked on after the impressiveness of the first seven tracks. They aren’t bad but they just don’t live up to the same standard of writing Ghost Brigade showcases on the rest of the album. Had they dropped one or two of these off the album, this would move into “best of the year” consideration.

So why does this work as well as it does despite being somewhat “light” and rockish? Primarily its the top-notch writing but a huge part of the appeal comes from Ikonen’s emotive, passionate vocals. His mid-range, forlorn style is tailor made for what the band is doing and he brings a real sense of unhappiness to the mix. The guitars by Tommi Kiviniemi and Wille Naukkarinen also excel at painting a gray, despondent tapestry for the listener to curl up in and mourn the winter away.

While Ghost Brigade was always solid, they stepped up their game considerably here. If you long for an album with a ”dead puppy under the Christmas tree” vibe,  this is it. This thing is glum until the cows come home (to die) but is still mighty catchy, highly enjoyable and quite rockin. Well done guys, now try to smile a little. Yes, I know you’re from Finland, but try!

Related posts:

1. Things You May Have Missed: Ghost Brigade – Isolation Songs
2. While Heaven Wept – Fear of Infinity Review
3. October Tide – A Thin Shell Review

Apparently a three piece, they have a big, raw, primitive sound that lacks polish but excels in execution and writing. Straddling the line between old school Swedish death and more primitive South American death metal, its a heady mix of filth and power. There are similarities to ancient Sepultura, Entombed and old Death as they grind along. While lead off track “Strangled” has a pretty simplistic, attacking charm, the longer songs like “The Aftermath” engage in all sorts of dynamics and tempo hoping to keep the listener entertained. It’s not anywhere near tech-metal but they do try to write interesting arrangements that retain the maximum level of brutality. For example, check out the catchy black n’ roll segment in “The Aftermath” at 2:12 and the excellent raw, doomy riff at 7:49. In fact, every track is loaded with little sonic nuggets like these that stand out amid the chaos and the pummelry (I really enjoy the trem riffing in “To Decay”). There are a great many excellently blackened riffs splashed across Devastate and more than a little brutality just for brutality’s sake. There isn’t a weak track here and its a fun, blistering listen from start to Finnish (get it?).

The vocals by Matias Nastolin are excellent. He hops between a nasty death gurgle that at times sounds like John Tardy from Obituary but deeper and a harsh, anguished black metal scream. He uses the screams for accents and doesn’t overly rely on them and it proves quite effective. The guitars by Matias and Henri Hirvonen are effective and they craft a lot of great riffs that cross several genres effectively. The production is really solid as well. The raw guitar sound is perfect and the drums sound thick and punchy.

I’m not sure why this didn’t get more attention upon its release but its a really enjoyable slab of death with some interesting musical ideas rattling around inside. Track it down if you like raw death with a nicely blackened edge to it.

Related posts:

1. Angrily Unreviewed: November’s Doom – Aphotic
2. Angrily Unreviewed: Supreme Pain – Divine Incarnation
3. Decaying – Encirclement Review

So there Steel Druhm was, sitting with a promo entitled Steel by the unknown Finns called Battle Beast. A quick perusal of the song titles made it clear they graduated Summa Cum LOUDLY from the Manowar School of Song Namery, as the numerous mentions of “metal,” “steel” and “iron” attest. The cover features a lion man fighting a robot as drawn by a ten year old at metal summer camp. Despite my renowned power metal geekdom, I felt a sense of dread and apprehension as I pressed play. Well damn it all if this thing isn’t full of surprises. Steel is a raging slab of frenetic, over-the-top 80′s metal worship that ladles out heaping helpings of thick cheese sauce and demands that you take seconds. Raging twin guitars, heroic solos, uber dramatic song structures and the vocals, Dear God the vocals!! The singer has a huge set of lungs and an even bigger set of balls which are frequently stuck in a vice! From gravelly, rasping shouts, air raid siren screams and superior singing, he can do it all and its so damn metal it kills my neighbor’s lawn. Imagine my shock to find out there are no balls to put in the vice because the HE is actually a SHE! That’s right, Nitte Valo is a true metal queen and she’s flat out brilliant on this album. However, unless you love the classic sounds of 80′s metal (think Grim Reaper, old Grave Digger, Accept) mixed with a smattering of power metal, this will leave you running for the door but quick. It revels in all the cliches and idiocy of that era and these folks certainly aren’t trying to be the next Opeth. You still with me? OK, stay with me.

With opener “Enter the Metal World,” you get big, fist pumping 80′s metal riffs and Ms. Valo quickly introduces herself with authority by hitting some crazy high notes and being bad ass in every way a singer can be. So impressive is her performance that she makes the ultra cheesy Gamma Ray meets Manowar chorus actually work instead of triggering gales of laughter. There’s even that cool ohhh-ohhhhh-ohhh chanting in the background as Valo tears things up like Godzilla. As good as this song is, its just an appetizer for the metal gems that await. “Armageddon Clan” is one of the best classic metal songs I’ve heard in forever and its been in non-stop rotation for a week. Valo’s vocals are double tracked for the chorus with one clean and one super raspy/harsh like on old Grave Digger albums and it works to perfection. “The Band of the Hawk” and “Iron Hand” go for a more epic approach which works well and tracks like “Justice and Metal,” ”Die-Hard Warrior” and “Victory” are the most sincere, brilliant yet cheeseball tunes since the Lost Horizon days (Valo even channels the mighty Daniel Heinman at times). Even the power ballad ”Savage and Saint” is rendered positively molten by the ear-shredding vocals in the back half of the song. Ten out of the ten songs here will kick your fanny and call you granny. Its a win from start to finish.

Ms. Valo is obviously the focal point and secret weapon as she employs every vocal trick in the book with aplomb and savage grace. Her voice comes closest to Jan Thore Grefstad (Saint Daemon/Ex-Highland Glory) but she also has similarities to Heinman and Chris Boltendahl (Grave Digger). In a nutshell, she’s a metal titan. The guitars by Juuso Soinio and Anton Kabanen also lift the material up with consistently solid, catchy riffing and foot-on-amp soloing. Even the freaking keyboards are fun! I don’t think I ever wrote that before. Rounding it out is a production far better than the album cover would have you expecting. Everything is crisp and clear but a bit raw in that good metally way.

Its been awhile since I had this much fun listening to an album. It goes from deadly serious to painfully cliche but its impossible to turn off. You can rock out, sit in awe of the vocals and laugh at the occasional cartoonishness but you’ll be having tons of fun and you WILL be hooked. This is a great debut that puts these guys way ahead of the other retro 80′s acts like Enforcer, Steelwing, etc. etc. I love this and I think I love Ms. Valo too. Call me!

Related posts:

1. Stratovarius – Elysium Review
2. Battlelore – Doombound Review
3. Iron Savior – The Landing Review

Ah, nostalgia. My very first review upon joining Angry Metal Guy Industries was Tarot‘s 2010 release Gravity of Light. Now, just about a year later, Finland’s longest running metal act returns with a re-recording of their 1986 debut Spell of Iron to mark the album’s twenty-fifth anniversary. Much like fellow countrymen Amorphis, they apparently decided these ancient songs would benefit from a sonic face lift using modern recording technology and the modern day Tarot stylings. In the spirit of full Angry Metal Disclosure, as with many metallers, I wasn’t aware of Tarot back in 1986 and didn’t discover them until founder and front man Marco Heitala rose to worldwide prominence with Nightwish in the early 2000s. Therefore, Spell of Iron isn’t some sacred talisman album in my mind as it may well be for long time Tarot fans. That said, I’ve spun it on and off over the years and found it a very solid, highly engaging slab of traditional metal falling somewhere between Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and W.A.S.P., while always maintaining a unique sound (largely due to Marco’s excellent and distinctive vocals). Also worth noting, it’s one of their most consistent albums from start to finish and less plagued by the Filler Gremlin™ than their subsequent releases were. With the housekeeping done, let’s see what’s in the cards shall we?

Immediately apparent is how much bigger, heavier and thicker the sound is on Spell of Iron MMXI. Compared to the somewhat weak, washed out sound on the original, this is a enormous sound bomb. Also noticeable are the omnipresent keyboards of Janne Tolsa and the vocal contributions of Tommi Salmela, neither of whom were around in 86′. Marco’s vocals are more shrill and aggressive than back in the day and the guitars are a lot thicker, so the overall effect is a far heavier, more ballsy sound. To my ears this is a boon to the material. Classic songs like “Midwinter Nights” and “Back in the Fire” sound WAY more angry and harder than before while maintaining the original spirit and melody. The impact modern recording technology gives classics like “Spell of Iron” (actually pronounced “spell of I-ruhn” which is way more metal) and especially their huge, righteous signature song “Wings of Darkness” cannot be overstated (this excellent track alone justifies the album’s purchase). Besides the aforementioned classic cuts, the rest are all solid and this is an enjoyable slab of traditional melodic 80′s metal.

While Tarot wisely resisted a wholesale overhaul of these older songs, they do add and subtract elements and features from each. The biggest change is naturally the abundant keyboard work. On tracks like “Back in the Fire” and “Never Forever” the keys add a whole new dimension to the sound (almost veering into a heavier Stratovarius sound). The inclusion of Tommi’s vocals also adds some interesting variety to the proceedings. Pace-wise, several songs get a slower, more grinding treatment like “Spell of Iron.” While there’s all sorts of compositional dabbling here and there, the original spirit of the songs remains. It does seem they changed up the lyrics in several of the songs though.

So is this re-recording worth your hard earned cash? Well, let’s be honest. Most readers never heard the original versions so they can’t/won’t be getting all angsty over tampering with classic Tarot material. If you fall into the newbie category, I would recommend checking out this version which takes melodic metal from the 80′s and gives it enough power and heft to sound great in 2011. If you’re one of the rare few who were on the Tarot War Wagon from day one (or live in Finland, same difference) then you may feel differently about tampering with the oldies. While I land somewhere between the two camps, this is one of the rare re-recordings I wholeheartedly endorse. Check this out if you like crisp traditional metal done by old pros.

Related posts:

1. Tarot – Gravity of Light Review
2. Iron Savior – The Landing Review
3. Iron Fire – Voyage of the Damned Review

I have to say that Amorphis‘ The Beginning of Times is one of the most anticipated records of the year and it marks a little bit of an Angry Metal Milestone™ as it was my review of Skyforger that really was the first review I posted that blew up and attracted a lot of new visitors. It’s been a busy couple years since the band released Skyforger, having released a live DVD and a disc with re-recordings of the band’s older material, they’ve really been everywhere (except here in Sweden playing shows that I could attend). But I think it’s fair to say that my expectations for The Beginning of Times were through the roof and when I finally received the promo I was practically shaking with anticipation to get tracks into iTunes and to slap on the monitors.

Honestly, I think I’ve had reason to have huge expectations of Amorphis as well, as the last three albums have been utterly perfect, high quality records with almost a straight rock approach, but that have just been fantastically engaging and listenable. But Amorphis is, of course, Amorphis and they are known for their experimentation, changes and progression. This has isolated them from their old school fanbase to a large extent because the material from Tuonela onwards (and some people even stopped with Elegy) has not been what gave the guys over at Relapse Moomin fever back in The Day™. But for more open minded types, Amorphis has been an exemplary case of how a band can get reinvigorated and make amazing records post-”glory days.”

The Beginning of Times, though, is very much in line with the last three records and a continuation of the same kind of material. While not outright heavy, it is driven and catchy and features death metal vocals and even some double kick in a few places to help those of us who enjoy reminiscing a bit about the old days. But mostly, it features vocalist Tomi Joutsen being a fantastic vocalist, with great feeling, good melodies and excellent presence. That said, the vocals on this record aren’t nearly as catchy on Skyforger or, well, the earlier material with him as well. It’s as though the melodies didn’t coalesce into the kind of “House of Sleep” or “The Smoke.” Neither does The Beginnings of Time include a “Majestic Beast” or “Perkele” that really stands out as the dominating, heavy track.

Instead, The Beginning of Times is a much more soft, progressive and melancholy record. Songs like “Mermaid” (my favorite song on the album by far) and “Song of the Sage” use female vocals and flutes and even when they get ‘fast,’ there is still a very mid-paced feel. The melodies are good, too, and the use of different layers definitely accentuates the music in entertaining and interesting ways. I particularly enjoyed the harmonies and rhythmic feel on “Soothsayer,” for example and on the final track “Beginning of Time,” which is a truly memorable and enjoyable track.

But this record leaves me largely cold, particularly in comparison to earlier successes. Whatever magic drink these guys have been getting from their shaman buddy and lyricist seems to not be working or to have worn off, because this record lacks the same kind of catchiness and intensity that showed up on the last three records. Sure, this is a continuation of the old style, but it’s more laid back, more melancholy and the melodies don’t stick as well for me. For the most part I thoroughly enjoy the album through “Soothsayer,” and then it kind of trails off for three songs until “Beginning of Time,” which draws me back in. The flow seems to miss the mark this time, and while there are some things that I love, The Beginning of Times is simply pale in comparison to Skyforger, Silent Waters and Eclipse.

When I give a 3.0, I do think the record is good and Amorphis hasn’t produced a stinker like Am Universum or Far from the Sun, but it is sub par compared to their previous three albums and earlier material which all rank in the 4.5 to 5.0 range for me. I’ve had the record for quite some time, and while it’s grown on me some, I don’t find a lot of desire to come back to it right now and that’s disappointing. It’s possible that it got a bit rushed and that the material needed some time to germinate that it didn’t get, or it’s possible that these guys need to change it up a bit to keep things fresh. But whatever the case, I hope that The Beginning of Times isn’t the beginning of a fourth era of not-as-good Amorphis material, because they have been a pillar of consistency in the modern era.

Related posts:

1. Amorphis Release New Album Info!
2. Amorphis – Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes Review
3. Amorphis – Magic & Mayhem Review