Oh man. Biohazard were one of those bands that really broke me into heavy music when I was just a tyke. While the band’s debut—which oddly enough was largely edited verbally—never did much for me, Urban Discipline, State of the World Address (I still have the version with the orange gel case somewhere), and the much maligned Mata Leao were all albums that dug into my 10 to 14 year old soul and left permanent impressions. Those records were tough, heavy slabs of machismo that with Type O Negative, Life of Agony and Sepultura paved the way towards the heavier side of tracks. Unfortunately, I grew away from these guys and—I’m going to be frank—their records really started going downhill in quality (turns out I *wasn’t* down for life). So, when I saw that the original lineup had reunited for a new record (before Evan Seinfeld left the band), I gotta say: I was interested in spite of myself.

Reborn in Defiance is just as self-conscious as I was conscious of the history and what it means that the original line-up of Biohazard was reuniting. The opening track of the album is all of the intros from their albums being rewound back to point zero—and when “Vengence Is Mine” burst out the gate with Evan’s characteristic hardcore scream and some fucking gang chants (“You think you know me? FUCK YOU!”)… I got chills. And a Bobby Hambel guitar solo to follow that up? It’s like shit hadn’t really changed at all. Except, well, that’s not really true if you let the record keep playing. What you find is a Biohazard that is maybe a bit older, a bit more jaded, a bit less hungry and really not as heavy (this isn’t to say that it’s not heavy).

While the band does still have balls-to-the-walls heavy and fast tracks like “Come Alive,” the aforementioned opener “Vengeance Is Mine,” “Skullcrusher” and “Never Give In,” there’s a softer, gentler and more melodious side that comes through on this album that I certainly don’t remember from their older material. Like on the final track “Season the Sky” or “You Were Wrong,” there’s a melancholy that permeates this album. Minor keys, dirty, icky guitar tones that reflect the blackness that older dudes see that maybe younger dudes don’t get. While Evan’s semi-rappy part over the beginning of “Vows of Redemption” puts a bit of a damper on the slide guitar work at the beginning of the track, it really stands out as something cool that the band never really tried before. It should be noted that “Vows of Redemption” has a melodious chorus, but one of the fucking crushingest riffs on the whole damned record.

Reborn in Defiance is really a tour de force of what sounds to me like post-Biohazard. It’s heavy, groove-laden with all the things that made Urban Discipline and State of the World Address great records in their own rights, but with a bit of a melancholic edge to it. I certainly have grown up a bit, myself, since being a huge fan of Biohazard. Time has moved me from the world of machismo and ballsy simplicity to more progressive tendencies and technical tastes. But Reborn in Defiance is still a damned good album, with some damned good material on it. While it’s a little on the long side (55 minutes) with Biohazard‘s not-so-inventive lyrics and that does kind of bring it down, there’s definitely something here.

If you dig heavy, groove-laden tracks and hardcore or were ever a Biohazard fan, I think it’s worth checking this record out. With Evan Seinfeld gone, it seems like this is going to be a one time deal, but Reborn in Defiance definitely taps into what made this band really special when they started out. It’s weird seeing them older and thinking of them as being sort of more melancholic than in your face—but that Brooklyn cocksure “HEY! FUCK YOU BUDDY!” swagger definitely still counts for something.

Related posts:

1. Symphony X – Iconoclast Review
2. Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition Review
3. Demonaz – March of the Norse Review

To be frank with you, I wasn’t sure whether to look forward to this one or not. On the one hand, Nightwish has a hype about them that I’ve never really quite understood. While they’re a good band that has produced some good albums (this Angry Metal Guy, for example, really enjoyed Once quite a bit), the rabidity of their fanbase and the standard to which they are held has always been very surprising to me. I have literally met people who don’t listen to anything else. Apparently their songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen (you know, the pirate from that horrible series of movies) has stalkers fans that are so hardcore about him, that they send letters to his mother to tell her that they disapprove of whom he’s dating. But honestly, I’ve never thought of the band as anything other than a pretty good, female fronted symphonic power metal band. And, well, after Dark Passion Play, I wasn’t very excited anyway. Because let’s face it. That was not a good record. So when I heard that they were releasing a movie (especially given that Tuomas is already in the movies) and a soundtrack to it, I was not excited. But Imaginaerum managed to win me over. 

Really, it starts out in a way that I don’t think I would have ever expected and started drawing me in slowly. “Taikatalvi” features Tarot vocalist Marco on a soft track that apparently translates into “Magical Winter” in English. This song—with no female vocals, some piano, a music box sound and an orchestra—sets the stage for the whole record perfectly by both building up the feeling and taking you by surprise. The surprise is important, because despite being a Nightwish record, it varies a lot more than you would expect. While it does launch into a standard record opener (in the first single from the record “Storytime”), it lets you know that this album will be a little on the unpredictable side. And surprisingly from this pop metal act—it is.

Though, don’t get me wrong. This is obviously a Nightwish record and if you’re not a fan of the style, you probably won’t like it. Though, what’s not to like? The songs are snappy, with sharpened hooks that have you singing them for days in spite of yourself. The arrangements are actually interesting and smart, the orchestrations are huuuuuge, bombastic and beautiful and the production is very good (but wow is this record LOUD—too loud, as it peaks in my speakers). And what’s good about it is that the band never settles into one thing really specifically. The songs don’t really fade into each other as can happen with certain types of records. Instead you’ve got title track pop rockers (like the aforementioned ”Storytime” and “I Want My Tears Back”), followed by mid-paced creepers like “Ghost River” and “Scaretale.” You’ve got a musical number called “Arabesque” and a kind of noir, smooth jazz(esque) track in “Slow, Love, Slow” which Anette acquits in a way that La Prima Donna never could have. Hell, you even have Celtic folk bits that sound like they should be on a Loreena McKennitt record (while breaking into a Morricone/The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly sounding whistling at the end), not a Nightwish one.

Honestly, I only have a few complaints about this record. I guess, firstly, I think Anette is kind of a weak vocalist. This is not to ignite any kind of “they should have kept Tarja” debate—because frankly, they shouldn’t have. It just seems like she only really hits her stride in the poppy choruses of these songs and sometimes she brings down songs on the softer side (Tarja was the same). Her accent gets a tad cartoonish at times (“At the end of the reeever!”), but mostly I just think she doesn’t have the same grace as someone like Helena Haaparanta, who is just such a much more dynamic and powerful performer. But this is offset by the fact that Marco and choirs are used very wisely, and Anette feels more like a part of an ensemble than La Diva. My second complaint is that the last 12 minutes are completely wasted on citing lines from the movie and then recapping the whole album as an overture (the title track “Imaginaerum”). So a record that could have ended with a bang, makes me just want to shut it off before it’s done. That’s a shame. Finally, sometimes I feel like Tuomas is quoting himself a bit much. I actually twice went back to check older records to see if “Storytime” and “Last Ride of the Day” were using similar riffs or melodies from previous records. They never did it, as far as I can tell, but they got really, really close a couple of times.

Still, Imaginaerum is a huge step above the previous record and makes it feel like Nightwish really is on top of the world again. Hell, they even have a song on here that impressed me poetically (“The Crow, the Owl, and the Dove”)—something I never thought possible. The lyrics on that track are actually bordering on really good and the performances are outstanding. On top of that, the record plays well like an original sound track and is everything you expect from Finland’s biggest pop sensation. It’s simultaneously beautiful, while introducing some heavier elements that work well and taking the orchestral presence to a new level. It’s good that these guys got the chance for a do over after the last one because it’s heads and shoulders above it.

Well played, pirate boy, well played.

Related posts:

1. Tarot – Spell of Iron MMXI
2. Cormorant – Dwellings Review
3. Crimfall – As the Path Unfolds…

The guys in Textures are smart guys and they make smart metal. Their brand of metal has a lot of technicality and there’s no tediousness in their approach to song writing. So if you’re a two-digit IQ kind of listener, please don’t bother us with any dim-witted comments you may have concerning how pretentious you think these Dutch fellows sound. Textures started to blossom as a unique band with their second album Drawing Circles and they cemented their sound quite impressively with 2008’s Silhouettes. Some line-up changes brought in a new vocalist and a new keyboardist which consequently had them take three years to put out album number four but it’s one that is definitely worth the wait.

Dualism clocks in at fifty-six minutes, making it the longest record in the Textures discography. “Arms of the Sea” opens up with some staple Textures arrangements and finishes off with a brilliant riff at its end, setting a high bar for what’s to come after it. Now the guitars and the drums sound the same as they did on Silhouettes but that’s not entirely a bad thing. Dualism contains lots of high-IQ riffage and skin-pounding that will have you doing air guitar while trying to catch those intelligent ride bell accents. “Singularity” and the previously released single “Reaching Home” are a couple of examples of the astounding technicality on offer while “Stoic Resignation” and “Burning the Midnight Oil” burst with extra shots of awesomeness and stellar musicianship.

New vocalist Daniël de Jongh shows off his vocal command on the aforementioned album opener to put any doubts that may linger among old fans to rest. He also proves why he was the man chosen for the job more than once throughout Dualism as so starkly pointed out by that slightly hollowed-out scream on “Sketches from a Motionless Statue” which brings a strong sense of urgency to a great track. De Jongh’s vocal versatility makes the ferocity of the tracks ebb and flow on various occasions which would discourage any naysayer trying to accuse Textures of being ‘trendy’ or ‘Meshuggah wannabes’; even after listening to that confusing drum beat in the first couple of minutes of “Consonant Hemispheres”.

So if you’re a tech-geek like me or someone who enjoys some amazing drumming or even a metal fan who hasn’t even heard of Textures, do yourself a favor and listen to Dualism. It will need a few spins to start showing its true color but you’ll enjoy the ride. The line-up changes haven’t had a detrimental effect on the sound of Textures; quite the contrary. It’s one of those rare albums one stumbles upon each year that masterfully balance adroit instrumentation, flexible vocals and top-notch production while exceeding the fifty minute mark without a single dull moment.

Related posts:

1. Theocracy – As The World Bleeds Review
2. Korpiklaani – Ukon Wacka Review
3. Sylosis – Edge of the Earth Review

Just so you feel appropriately thankful, Steel Druhm survived storm, surf and medieval living conditions to bring you this damn review. With that out of the way, there’s a new Edguy album out, its called Age of the Joker. Now, I like old Edguy quite a lot. They had a really classic Euro-power metal sound and some serious songwriting chops. As they went along however, they went from their original power template into more of a hard rock/arena rock style and with an increasing sense of tongue-in-cheek silliness that I didn’t care for (Rocket Ride is a mighty lame album with a few good songs mixed in). Of course, main-man Tobias Sammet is also the mastermind behind the Avantasia albums and I’m a fanboy, especially of 2010′s The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon releases. The man can sing and the man can write, there’s no denying it. Therefore it’s quite a letdown to hear how mellow, safe and uneventful a lot of Age of the Joker is. Sure, there are the usual big Edguy anthems here and there, but by and large, this is a pretty tepid, pedestrian release by a band capable of much much more. Way closer to pompous cock rock than classy Euro-power, it goes down a road I’m not that into but it still has its moments of charm and fun.

Lengthy opener “Robin Hood” is a study in why the current Edguy is a mixed bag. At times classic mid-paced power metal, it features cringe-worthy lyrics and a glib sense of humor that doesn’t necessarily help the music. It also has its great moments like the memorable, anthemic chorus and the segment around the half way point that sounds like something off the almighty Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. With all that in one single-serving song, its tough to know what to make of it. After that its a pretty diverse selection of moods and styles, some work, some don’t. The tracks with a more classic Edguy sound like “Nobody’s Hero” and  ”Breathe” are good, entertaining songs with big, hooky choruses. Others that deviate in interesting ways like the album standout ”Rock of Cashel” (very cool Irish jig music interspersed) are a lot of fun. Semi-power ballad “Fire at the Downline” is also interesting and sounds like classic Krokus, yes, Krokus! However, the honky tonk/country western tinged “Pandora’s Box” takes awhile to get itself going and the cheeseball 80′s MTV rock of “Two Out of Seven” (think “99 Luft Ballons”) isn’t too good (and is marred by out of place profanity). On top of that, there are TOO many power ballads (“Behind The Gates to Midnight World”, “Every Night Without You” “Fire on the Downline”) which drags the energy quotient way down. For all its accessibility, its a much less interesting and far less rocking affair than 2008′s Tinnitus Sanctus.

Nothing is wrong with Sammet’s voice. He sounds solid as always and carries the songs and shines during his big theatrical choruses. He’s the lifeblood of Edguy and he performs well vocally. It’s his songwriting   muscle that seems partially deflated this time around. There are a few solid Edguy numbers for sure but more than half of the material here feels like stuff left over from the Avantasia project or previous Edguy albums. Songs like “Behind The Gates” and “Two Out of Seven” are good enough for B-side releases but not for a the big show. The musicianship is tight as always, the guitar riffs and solos have their moments but the guitar sound is too often muted, relegated to the background and dominated by the keyboards and vocals. Many of the songs lack any real heft or punch because of that.

While I don’t really like the silly, cock rocking direction Edguy continue to move in, Age of the Joker does grow on you if you give it time. It isn’t very heavy or aggressive and it doesn’t come anywhere near the level of classics like Hellfire Club (or even Tinnitus Sanctus for that matter) but you can do far worse in the power metal world. Tobias is a unique personality and does what he wants, I’m not going to fault him for that. However, I won’t be listening to this album much either. So, when does the next Avantasia album come out?

Related posts:

1. Bloodbound – Unholy Cross Review
2. Avantasia – The Wicked Symphony Review
3. Avantasia – Angel of Babylon Review

When one thinks of Polish death metal, the names Vader and Behemoth immediately spring to mind as the standard bearers. Both gained enormous exposure and both have been pretty consistent in output over the years. While I admit that not every Vader release has blown me away, more often than not they delivered heavy, satisfying death to the unhinged masses. 2009′s Necropolis was a one of their better albums and found them sounding hungry and hostile. Now, along comes Welcome to the Morbid Reich to steamroll it in short order. Featuring an overhauled, revamped lineup including a new guitarist and bassist, Vader seems to have a large chip on their collective shoulder and aim to prove they’re the one true lord of Pol-death. This is a WAY faster, heavier album than Necropolis, with way more blasting and pummeling. Its almost uniformly played at blistering speeds and aggressive to the point of exhaustion. In fact, its pretty much a companion piece to the new Hate Eternal album with a lot of similarities in style. There’s also some stylistic nods to countrymen Behemoth and even some throwbacks to old Deicide and Malevolent Creation. Its real nasty business from start to finish and its gives out way more of a ferocious beating than I expected.

After a decently imposing intro they come after you with “Return to the Morbid Reich” and it’s classic Vader in all its raw glory, just sped up some. Peter’s raspy shout/roar is in good form and he sounds plenty pissed off. New guitarist Spider brings a strong technical style to the fold and along with Peter they light things up with a speed drenched assault. Spider’s solos are impressive and almost neo-classical in style. You can clearly hear Behemoth in the writing here, complete with the blackened edges. From there it’s song after song of high velocity death with the brakes removed. The highlights are “Come and See My Sacrifice” (very fluid, impressive solos), “Don’t Rip The Beast’s Heart Out” (cool groove riffing and inhuman drumming). The best cut is clearly “I Am Who Feasts Upon Your Soul” with its enormously catchy, chunky, grooved out rumble and subdued but effective symphonics. Runner up looks to be “Black Velvet and Skulls of Steel” with a satisfyingly slow, grinding slog and a surprisingly melodic solo that could have been on a While Heaven Wept album.

Although most of Welcome is played at insanely high speed, these guys are tight as hell and technical to boot. Spider has a number of really cool solos and the riffing is universally good, gritty and crunchy. The drumming by   Pawel Jaroszewicz is completely ridiculous and berserk. It’s a real shame he left the band following the recording of Welcome. Peter’s roars are effective and while he was never one of my favorite death vocalists, he brings his A game here.

Unlike the last album, the songs are longer this time, between three and five minutes. Between the longer durations and the wildly fast trashing, things can get overwhelming by the album’s back half. A little more variety in tempos might have been nice. Another slight issue is how high Peter is placed in the mix. His vocals are competing for space with the guitars and winning all too often. Other than these minor complaints, this is a big bad ass beating with a lot of wild music to absorb and little details to notice.

With this album, Vader may have reclaimed the top slot in the Polish pecking order. Welcome is a powerfully effective fusion of old school death and the technical speed of more modern bands. This is another great album that should embarass Morbid Angel as they sit in the time out corner, thinking about what they did. Finally, a reich I can support!

Related posts:

1. Vader – Necropolis Review
2. Entrails – The Tomb Awaits Review
3. Hate – Erebos Review

If you hadn’t figured this out yet, all of us over here at Angry Metal Guy, myself maybe most of all, are horrible Symphony X fanboys (and girls). It’s hard not to be fans of what are easily the best progressive power metal band of the modern era. So the coming of Iconoclast has been a so-called Big Fucking Deal™ since it was first announced all those months ago. The record, which is another stab at a concept album, basically sounds like it borrows heavily from The Matrix and any other “The robots are coming!” kind of stories, you know the type. So, it was with genuine curiosity and fanboy-tinged apprehension that I first put on Iconoclast when I got it all those weeks ago.

To my great surprise, Iconoclast opens with “the epic” track, which clocks in at 10:52 and is an appropriate start to this. While there are some technology sounds that come through early on, the music here is very much traditional Symphony X fare, with techy riffing, choral work in Latin, and even a harmonized guitar swell fadeout that instantaneously took me back to “Evolution (The Grand Design)” from V: The New Mythology Suite. This leads into “The End of Innocence,” which you’ve all probably heard by now as its the single, and the track is good. But again, pretty standard Symphony X fare—nothing surprising at all. The very beginning of “Dehumanized” also starts out with more “technology sounding” keyboard work and some very cool guitar work before jumping into the riffing stuff. Here, this kind of ballsy Paradise Lost sound really comes through as Russell Allen sings straight from his nutsack and the riff kind of punches you in a gut with a nice borderline tech-death sound—classic Symphony X.

OK, to cut myself short before I accidentally fall into the “track-by-track” kind of review that bores me to tears, you may have noticed a pattern. While the musicianship is top notch (holy goddamned these people make me feel sad for even ever dreaming that I could be in a band), Iconoclast isn’t really breaking new ground. Instead, it feels a bit like they went out jogging on a familiar trail, if you get my meaning. Now, this is a very pleasant trail full of riffs that you want to headbang to, solos that make you wet yourself with envy, orchestrations that make Rhapsody of Fire look like a bunch of amateurs and the best goddamned heavy metal vocalist in the entire world showing off why he’s the best; but it’s very comfortable material. And while I love it, and I listen to it willingly and really enjoy it, there is no way that it lives up to the glory of what I see as the band’s best records V: The New Mythology Suite—which awed and inspired with its seamless orchestral approach—and Paradise Lost—which broke out into the more aggressive path that the band is continuing on Iconoclast.

Of course, all of that said, there isn’t a bad song on this record. “Heretic” impressed with a great chorus and some classic Romeo riffing that is beyond enjoyable to groove along to. “Electric Messiah” opens up with an awesome progressive piece with some fancy fingerwork before leading into the opening verse and has a classy pre-chorus that really s hows off Allen’s versatility as a vocalist. And “When All is Lost” is the band’s 9 minute concluding power ballad sounding track and it works to close up the record with some swelling orchestras and piano—before segueing a bit like “Accolade II” into proggy material and finally into something that almost sounds like it could’ve come off a stadium rock record. In all honesty, this might be my favorite track on the record, though it’s definitely hard to say.

But I still have some complaints that I haven’t really had previously: first, while this record is well produced, it’s overmastered and peaking. Second, I really feel like this may be the band’s weakest lyrical outing. While the music is fantastic, there are some choices on here that native speakers should know sound cheesy, particularly “Bastards of the Machine” is uninspired, but the other lyrics on here aren’t winners either. It’s possible that the concept sounded like a winner, but then when they got to writing they realized they were coming up short for material, or who knows—but I’ve never had that feeling about the band before.

Finally, I know there is a special edition of this album that includes two extra tracks and a different tracklisting. What is this about? As a band working on a concept album, you’d think that the flow would be key to writing the best possible album. What makes V such a towering icon of progressive metal, in my oh-so-humble opinion, is that every note is in the right place. I don’t know if there were monetary issues or what, but this is weird and I wonder if the record didn’t suffer because they chose not to include those extra tracks. All of that said, what we’re left with is still a very good album—I know it’s hard to get that through given what appears to be a laundry list of complaints, but it really has some awesome material on it and is really a solid album—but it’s not on par with the band’s earlier material. Fans will like it, but I suspect there will be grumblings among the uninspired and disappointed. I have pre-ordered my special edition and wait eagerly to find out whether my diagnosis is correct.

Related posts:

1. Symphony X – Iconoclast Art, Tracklisting and Release Date Revealed!
2. Avantasia – The Wicked Symphony Review
3. Symphony X – Two New Songs on YouTube!

Rhapsody of Fire is like the kyrptonite of Angry Metal Guy’s Law of Diminishing Recordings™. While they did have diminished recordings when they signed with Magic Circle Records (PRO-TIP: the “magic circle” in question is your anus… which will get fucked by Joey DeMaio), the last two years have been tremendously productive for these Italians. First, they came back with 2010′s The Frozen Tears of Angels which was an amazing success by all accounts and received a raving 5/5 review from me. Then they released The Cold Embrace of Fear which wasn’t exactly the greatest thing they ever did, but it was good and had some solid songs even if it contained far more voice acting than I’d've liked (“IT’S AN AVALANCHE!!”). And they managed to drop a guitarist and pick up another one (by the name of Tom Hess) on the way. But now this. From Chaos to Eternity.

To be honest, it’s sometimes hard to write these raving reviews when a record just nails it and From Chaos to Eternity just nails it. In a way I’m not sure that it’s really better than the last one (this is one of those situations when a 100 point scale instead of a 5 point one could’ve been useful), but instead it differentiates itself a bit from traditional Rhapsody of Fire sound, while actually even reinforcing the sound at the same time. This paradox may be hard to wrap your mind around, but they’ve done something here that I think is really fantastic: they’ve started blending in heavier music and different classical elements in order to create something that feels more progressive and aggressive, but while maintaining that over-the-top power metal style that they created and mastered.

The first thing that stands out that really differentiates this record from previous albums is the more extensive use of black metal-style screams on songs like “Aeons of Raging Darkness,” “Tornado,” and even on the huge epic “Heroes of Waterfall’s Kingdom.” This actually comes with some heavier parts as well, where the drums are blasty à la Dragonforce or Falconer, but without losing what is so distinctly… Rhapsody. Also, the continuation of the movement into the more progressive at times is definitely noticeable. “Ghosts of Forgotten Worlds,” leans in that way at times during the versus, as well as the solos in “Aeons of Raging Darkness.” It should not go unmentioned that the solos on here are often doubles and feel very creative and unique within neo-classical genre. One of the things that keeps creeping through with this material is that Turilli is very aware that “classical” didn’t end with the baroque area, and the music at times is leaning towards periods beyond baroque and Viennese classical and that makes these tracks very interesting.

Of course From Chaos to Eternity still contains its anthemic songs; “I Belong to the Stars” and “Anima Perduta” and the title track all live up to this title. Though, arguably, everything Rhapsody churns out has a way of being anthemic. After just a couple listens, I found myself whistling along with the 20 minute epic final track, which thematically sums up the story of their whole catalogue up to this point. It’s pretty impressive if you can write a memorable, catchy 20 minute track. I mean, there are very few of those out there. But, just because these tracks are memorable and catchy doesn’t mean that Rhapsody isn’t being daring when it comes to song writing, because they really are. At times these tracks have sections that are more akin to ‘movements’ than verses and bridges—merging smoothly between bombastic choruses and flute and acoustic parts. While they’ve done so in the past, they do so more fludily and frequently on From Chaos to Eternity, to excellent effect.

And while I’m not as overcome with From Chaos to Eternity‘s awesome as I was with The Frozen Tears of Angels, I think that has more to do with the fact that the former was just released last year and that the expectations for that one were sky fucking high because of the derth of good material since Power of the Dragonflame. But don’t let that dampen your spirits even one bit about this album, pick it up and let it sink in. Enjoy the virtuosity of all of the instrumentation (particularly the guitar solos are just ridiculous—Turilli and Hess don’t fail to impress [and that rhymes]—but there’s a fantastic bass run on “Tempesta di Fuoco” and I think that Guers probably doesn’t get enough attention due to being overshadowed by tremendous guitar players), and enjoy the final of these old fashioned radio epics, because these are apparently going away after this record. But if that’s the case, From Chaos to Eternity is one hell of a note to go out on.

Related posts:

1. Rhapsody of Fire – The Frozen Tears of Angels Review
2. Rhapsody of Fire – The Cold Embrace of Fear Review
3. Strident – Oath (From Chaos to Glory) 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

Wow, yet another reminder that you can’t always judge a metal album by the cover. By looking at the artwork for Hell‘s debut Human Remains, I bet most would expect a death or thrash bonanza. Well, a mighty big ass surprise would await upon spinning this thing! This is NWOBHM style metal by a British band that was part of the 80′s new wave but unable to land a record deal, despite adoring fans and supporters like Lars Ulrich. After founding singer/guitarist Dave Halliday killed himself in 1987, it seemed Hell had run it’s course. Fear not, for long time fan, friend and mega-producer Andy Sneap (Sabbat) has come to the rescue, convincing them to reform for another shot at metallic glory. With the surviving members together again along with new vocalist Dave Bower and Mr. Sneap as a second guitarist, we finally get that long awaited debut. So how do a bunch of songs that have been mothballed since the 80′s sound in 2011? Well, despite some great moments and obvious potential, its not a complete success. Allow me to elaborate.

Hell takes the NWOBHM style of titans like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, pairs it with riffing right off the first two Mercyful Fate albums and adds some extra heaviness to the mix. Sounds like a winning formula right? It is, especially for cranky old bastards like me who grew up during that Golden Era of metal (AMG will disagree about the 80′s being a metal Pax Romana, but it was!). On tracks like “On Earth As It Is In Hell” and “Plague and Fyre”, guitarist Kev Bower and Mr. Sneap lay down some great old school influenced riffs that don’t necessarily sound dated (“On Earth” in particular having a heavy Mercyful Fate style). On “The  Oppressors” they craft a swaggering, bouncing main riff that exudes coolness. During “The Devil’s Deadly Weapon” there’s some great, epic riffing that can’t be resisted (especially at 2:02 onward into the solo). In fact, every track on Human Remains has some great riffing and solo work and some truly interesting compositional ideas that get quite proggy at times.

So what’s the glitch you ask? Well, it pains me to say it, but the vocals of Dave Bower (brother of guitarist Kev) are a real hindrance. He’s clearly a gifted vocalist and blessed with a diverse and unusual skill set. He can sing like King Diamond, hit stratospheric highs like Halford in his prime and can carry a tune across town without breaking a sweat. The problem is, he tries just too damn hard on most of the songs and adopts a style incorporating the worst features of Jon Oliva (Savatage), Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian) and Lizzy Borden (Lizzy Borden, duh). If you can’t imagine that combo, it entails alternating between hoarse, gruff vibratos, little, shrill chirps, screams, WAY over-the-top dramatic intonations, cheesy theatrics and lunatic laughter. In essence, Mr. Bower approaches vocals like Anthony Hopkins has approached acting recently. Just listen to his ranting and general hysteria on “Blasphemy and the Master” and you’ll see what I mean. When he takes things down several notches, the songs fare better like with “Plague and Frye” and “The Quest.” Sadly, restraint is rarely the watch word and Human Remains contains the most overwrought vocal performance since Martin Walkyier’s slobbering on Sabbat‘s Dreamweaver album. Oddly enough, Walkyier was the first choice to do vocals here. Apparently Mr. Sneap likes his vocalists unhinged and unrestrained.

Another problem is the length of the songs. “Blasphemy and the Master” feels way too long at eight minutes and “The Devil’s Deadly Weapon” is even worse at ten minutes. Considering Bower’s vocal shit show, that’s simply too big a canvas to let him finger paint on. Also working against them is a tendency for the lyrics to get too glib and supercilious, thereby undercutting the dark mood they’re trying to create. Finally, the songs themselves are uneven, some rock solid, some borderline filler.

After such a long, tough road, I give Hell full credit for finally getting this material released. They’ve been through Hell and back career-wise (sorry, had to do it). While the vocals are a major love or hate proposition and its an uneven record overall, the guitar-work partially redeems things. There’s big potential here and I can see Hell crafting a real stormer next time out, providing they keep Mr. Bower on a much, much shorter leash (with muzzle). Welcome to the big time guys, glad you finally made it.

Related posts:

1. In Solitude – The World. The Flesh. The Devil. Review
2. Wolf – Legions of Bastards Review
3. Tarot – Spell of Iron MMXI

Have you ever wondered what a group of Norwegian black metal musicians might sound like if they played greasy biker rock? Well wonder no more, just hunker down with a case of brews and Chrome Division. Featuring Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir) on guitar and members of Old Man’s Child and Ringnevond, Chrome Division delivers something like a drunken mixture of ZZ Top, The Misfits, Venom and Lynyrd Skynyrd.  There’s nary a cold, icy riff to be found on their new album 3rd Round Knockout and instead you get rowdy, raucous, ribald and very adolescent rock/metal that’s actually exceedingly well done. This is well written, catchy,  fun and highly addictive stuff and it even leaves behind much of the Motorhead worship found on their earlier albums. Its an alcohol fueled party album that virtually forces you to pop open a cold one as you listen. How can anything that drives you to drink be bad?

Opener “Bulldogs Unleashed” is thrashy, noisy and very immediate. You get raspy, whiskey soaked vocals, sharp, smart rock/metal riffing and lyrics that revolve around stale beer, strip clubs and loose women, all with tongue firmly planted in cheek. New vocalist Athera (Susperia) has a great biker tough growl and Shagrath and Ricky Black lay down a plethora of memorable licks (check out the cool riffing at 1:36 on). From there its one party metal monster after another and ALL are catchy and rockin. The first big moment comes with the raise-your-glasses drinking metal of “Join The Ride” which lurches unexpectedly into poignant southern rock and somehow does both equally well (here’s where I point out that any Norwegian band convincingly pulling off southern rock deserves some props). Also of unexpectedly high quality is the rough rock of “Unholy Roller,” the bluesy bayou swagger of “The Magic Man” and the total metal injection of “Zombies and Monsters.” I would be remiss if I didn’t mention their cover of the oft-covered “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” The way they throw themselves into this classic country-western song with so much abandon makes it pretty damn irresistible (although it’s plenty silly too).

It’s a dead heat between the vocals and the guitars for what makes 3rd Round Knockout work so well. Athera really goes balls out on the mic and despite the surprising variety of styles Chrome Division tries their hand at, he manages to do them all justice and then some. Shagrath and Ricky Black let it all hang out guitar-wise and their riff and lead work brings to mind the best moments of Fireball Ministry and Black Label Society. Every single track has its own merits and this truly is a cohesive party/drinking album of high quality. No filler, no wasted space, just the hits.

Whether or not this album clicks with you will depend on how serious you need your music and lyrics to be and whether or not you have a sense of humor. If you don’t have one, you best steer clear of this boozy train wreck. If this album had an I.Q. it would be sub-moron and it should come in a beer stained container. It’s knuckleheaded neanderthal metal with few if any redeeming social qualities but hey, that’s so fucking metal isn’t it? I proudly support Norwegian dudes playing American biker metal mixed with southern rock, country western and the blues. If you don’t, then you simply don’t know how to party. Now where’s the beer and stripper I was promised?

Related posts:

1. Devil – Time to Repent Review
2. Pagan’s Mind – Heavenly Ecstasy Review
3. DC4 – Electric Ministry Review