Angry Metal Guy

Shadows’ Grey // Bonjour Tristesse
Rating: 1.5/5.0 — If you love the Twilight series, you’ll love this!
Label: Twilight-Vertrieb
Websites: myspace.com/shadowsgreyband
Release Dates: EU: 21.01.2011 | US: 01.21.2011 (digitally)

You know, if you read this blog all the time you’d probably be getting the impression that I hate female fronted bands who are doing sort of the gothy thing. But that’s not true. It’s actually something I really enjoy when it’s done right! I have no issues with gothic metal, I don’t find the sort of dramatic, over-the-top stuff to be a turn off really. It just needs to be done well, something that it is serially not. And there are varying levels of ‘not done well,’ but let’s say that Shadows’ Grey—the German band formerly known as Scargod who had one EP in 2007—is one degree of the idea. Continue reading

Sirenia // The Enigma of Life
Rating: 1.5/5.0 — The Banality of This Album
Label: Nuclear Blast [EU | US]
Websites: mortenveland.com/sirenia | myspace.com/sirenia
Release Dates: EU: 21.01.2011 | US: 02.15.2011

So, I must admit, I was excited to hear this new Sirenia record. For whatever reason I’d not spent much time getting to know the band of former Tristania founding member Morten Veland and I guess I figured that Sirenia had to be pretty good ’cause, well, I’m willing to give people who have done cool shit the benefit of the doubt. Of course, it’s been a decade since the band formed and I’ve never had the kind of intrinsic motivation to actually go out there and try to learn the about the band—and after listening to The Enigma of Life I’m pretty damn glad I never wasted my damn time [see the final note, however — AMG]. Continue reading

Epica – Design Your Universe
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — Seriously enjoyable, but not exactly high art
Label: Nuclear Blast (EU | USA)
Website(s): epica.nl | myspace.com/epica
Release Dates: EU: 16.10.2009 | US: 11.03.2009

Epica is a symphonic power metal/gothic metal band from the Netherlands that has really taken the scene and the world by storm since their founding in 2002 due to the amazing voice of their mezzo-soprano vocalist (who also happens to be a hotty, there are no coincidences in metal) Simone Simons and the epic *cough* nature of their music. Design Your Universe is the band’s fifth album, and honestly, the first one I’ve ever sat through assuming the band would be like a mix of old Theatre of Tragedy and Nightwish.

So, I guess the best way to describe Epica is as a mix of old Theatre of Tragedy and Nightwish.  Every track on this album is heavily orchestrated, bombastic and saturated with huge choirs and vocals.  The music is pretty much your standard orchestrated female-fronted metal, except a bit heavier due to the death metal side of the band, which is definitely a welcome change from a lot of these bands that seem to be afraid to actually have anything heavy in their music.

No, Epica is not afraid of much of anything.  It’s almost as though they don’t have any shame or self-insight.  There’s no one in that studio going “do you think this is too much?”  No, this record is pretty much a balls-to-the-wall, over-the-top example of what you can do if you have 256 tracks on every song!  And honestly, it’s pretty good for a few reasons.  Let’s take the most obvious (and red-headed) aspect of the band to focus on first: the vocals.  Often a make-or-break aspect of modern power metal and symphonic metal bands, Simone Simons is definitely a serious talent.  Able, unlike other divas, to wander between poppy sounding smooth vocals and operatics, Simone pretty much wanders the range throughout the album delivering her parts with a sincerity and force that few other vocalists can muster.  In a lot of ways, she really carries this album.  While the music is pretty interesting, it is her vocals and melodies that draw me back to the album time and again.

On the other hand, there are some pretty cheesy lyrics on this thing and vocal approaches as well.  On the 13 minute Kingdom of Heaven, even God shows up to scream at someone “NO! You must continue!”  I’m surprised these guys didn’t call in Fabio from Rhapsody of Fire to cheese it up a little bit more for them.  Yes, it’s that bad.  But aside from a few moments like that, and some lyrics that completely lack subtlety (including a rant about martyrdom at one point), I really enjoyed the vocal approach, which honestly goes hand-in-hand with the excellent musical approach. (Also, for you die-hard Sonata Arctica fans, keep your … ears out for Tony Kakko the track White Waters, where he croons a duet with Simone.)

Part of the melodramatic aspect of Epica means that Design Your Universe has a penchant for hugeness that I just can’t resist.  Sure, they try to convince the listener of their extreme existentialism in any way they can, but at the same time they deliver sickly sweet melodies vocally (and sometimes on the guitar, or in the orchestra) and then they layer the hell out of it!  Some people don’t like this, but this approach has always appealed to me.  Sure, bands can go overboard with it, but for whatever reason one just accepts that Epica can’t do without it.  Of course, this approach also lends itself to a much more dynamic approach to music, which allows the band to go into softer, more subtle pieces well.  In a word, they’re … epic.

Design Your Universe picks up where Lost Horizon left off with it’s theme (“I SEE THE WORLD THROUGH MY FATELESS EYES!!!”), but it is deftly executed and will definitely appeal to the fan of symphonic metal.  Those of you who don’t like chick-fronted bands might find some things you like in here with the death metal stuff, but all-in-all, this band is definitely for the fans of Therion, Trail of Tears, Leaves’ Eyes and so forth.  But honestly, since Nightwish‘s masterpiece Once, this is easily the best symphonic female-fronted band I’ve heard.  But take that for what it is.

Leaves’ Eyes – Njord
Rating: 2.5/5.0 – Mediocre
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: leaveseyes.de | myspace.com/leaveseyespage
Release Date(s): EU: 28.08.2009 (out now!) | USA: 09.29.2009

Fame has its benefits.  Getting signed immediately after you leave/get fired from your other band is one of those things.  Of course, the inevitable problem with fame is that no matter how far away from what you got famous for, you will always be compared to it.  And for me, Liv’s voice will live on forever in Theatre of Tragedy‘s classic album Velvet Darkness They Fear.  Leaves’ Eyes is not Theatre of Tragedy and Njord is definitely not Velvet Darkness They Fear, and while it doesn’t need to be that album all over again for me to like something she’s done, I know it can be better than this.

Firstly, this record isn’t Theatre of Tragedy, as said, instead it’s Nightwish.  While Liv’s voice is, and will always be, infinitely better than Tarja’s voice, the whole style is becoming a pallid replica of itself and is not terribly interesting.  The pompous, plodding songs push their way through your speakers and only occasionally catch your ears with something interesting.  But honestly, the music feels uninspired most of the time, and sometimes it just truly is flat and boring.  The cover of “Scarborough Fair” is a perfect example of this, it takes something well known, puffs it up and turns it into a melodramatic caricature of the tune, all the while conforming to the worst elements of the genre—huge production (courtesy of Sascha Paeth), double bass drums, pulsing keyboards, an unnecessary guitar solo—while never even being close to interesting or heavy.

There are some good moments and melodies on here, and for the gothic metal fan with a thing for female operatics and the whole approach, there are things that I’m sure one will find exciting and interesting.  For the most part, as stated earlier, it’s the melodies that catch a listener.  The undeniable radio single “My Destiny” has a very catchy chorus and a very sexy hook, marred by a Evanescence-style rappy guy on the chorus.  As with “My Destiny,” it is the chorus that stands out in “Take the Devil In Me,” with razor sharp claws sinking into your gray matter and not wanting to let go.  And of course, the highlight of this album on the track “Ragnarok” which is actually truly heavy and dramatic, pretty much the only point on this album that felt dangerous.  It is these moments that stand out, get stuck in your head and are pretty good.  But there certainly aren’t enough of them when you have to compete against filler like “Through Our Veins,” which has no build, no drive and no point.

Liv, of course, is tremendous as always.  Her voice is gorgeous and her performance is flawless.  But if she had wanted to be in Nightwish, why didn’t she go and join the damn band?  She would’ve been a perfect fit, and at least then she would’ve been in the real deal instead of a pale imitation of it.