Lokasenna

Cryonic Temple – Deliverance Review

By Lokasenna on August 14, 2018 in 2018, Pop Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Swedish Metal, Power Metal, 39 comments

“As a fan of power metal for almost as long as I’ve been a metalhead in general, there are a few things about it that set my teeth on edge. Pitchy, squealy tenors a la Stratovarius, for instance, or shameless poppiness, like Amaranthe. It’s in the latter camp that we find the once-respectable Swedish band Cryonic Temple. Having arisen from the early 2000s power metal boom, Cryonic Temple managed to carve out their own niche, but apparently lost steam in the back-half of that decade.” Seal the temple!

Elvenstorm – The Conjuring Review

By Lokasenna on July 25, 2018 in 2018, French Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 45 comments

“With magic, the devil is in the details, particularly when treating with the forces of darkness. Make one wrong move and you might find your spleen ruptured or your housecat warped into some sort of hellbeast. If I might invoke a rather maltreated metaphor, so it is with old-school heavy metal. The devil, in this case, comes in the form of French heavy/power metal outfit Elvenstorm and their fourth album The Conjuring. As for the details, there’s the obvious question. In spite of a well-worn style — a dead one by some measures — can Elvenstorm at least offer an enjoyable listening experience?” Magic: The Bothering.

Kissin’ Dynamite – Ecstasy Review

By Lokasenna on July 18, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Glam Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Glam Metal, Hair Metal, 144 comments

“Hair metal! Is there a more maligned subgenre? Given the way it warped the general public’s image of metal, and for how long, it’s hard to imagine one. But for sheer, raw fun, it can be very, very hard to beat, especially on the rare occasion one finds it executed well. But what does ‘well’ mean in this context? Is it even really possible for that word to apply to hair metal?” Hair today, gone tomorrow.

Runespell – Order of Vengeance Review

By Lokasenna on July 14, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, 35 comments

“Like most of my peers, I try to spread out my metal listening; variety being the spice of life and all that. Despite this, however, I frequently find myself short on new black metal. Instead, I return to old standbys; kvlt, traditional and the bravely exotic. Unfortunately, the promo sump is rarely a good way to fix this problem, as so few black metal bands are interested in innovating. This is particularly true at the offices of our friends at Iron Bonehead, an established where ingenuity isn’t welcome. Still, Australian studio-project Runespell’s sophomore release—Order of Vengeance—is at least less baffling than the last Australian black metal act I covered, pulling firmly from the Norwegian second wave with smatterings of other scenes and styles to keep things from growing stale.” Leftover Norway.

Kormak – Faerenus Review

By Lokasenna on July 9, 2018 in 2018, Folk Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Rockshots Records, Folk Metal, 71 comments

“Another day, another Italian folk metal band, this one apparently masterminded by one Zaira de Candia, singer and screamer extraordinaire, or so we hope. Newcomers to the scene, Kormak have only in the last two years finalized a lineup and Faerenus marks their first formal release. That kind of turnaround, especially on a debut album, is distinctly ambitious — worryingly so for some, myself included.” Get the folk out.

Vanhelga – Fredagsmys Review

By Lokasenna on July 4, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Osmose Productions, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 57 comments

“There are few genres as on-the-nose as black metal. Case in point the bunch of Swedes in Vanhelga, which means “to desecrate or profane” in Swedish. The last time these fine fellows rolled through here two albums ago, our local corpse-painted cat, Grymm, covered them, and even talked the folks upstairs into giving them a runner-up spot for RotM April 2014.” Nasal desecration.

Elvellon – Until Dawn Review

By Lokasenna on June 21, 2018 in 2018, German Metal, Power Metal, Reaper Entertainment, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, 79 comments

“Elvellon is a quintet that consciously or not follows closer than I previously believed possible in the shoes of Nightwish’s mid-period. Their debut album Until Dawn is a stone’s throw from both Century Child and Once, while offering a distinct character through some small changes in compositional technique. This statement alone is not an indication of quality, however, and gives rise to the most important question of all. Do Elvellon manage to fill a gap left by Nightwish?” Dawnwish!

Kanseíl – Fulìsche Review

By Lokasenna on June 3, 2018 in 2018, Folk Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Rockshots Records, Folk Metal, 42 comments

“It is hardly controversial to describe the Italian metal scene as ‘bombastic,’ or even ‘cheesy.’ Hell, it’s the go-to for basically everyone in the Anglosphere, even when talking about brutally heavy acts like Hour of Penance. So imagine my surprise when I turn over a rock and find an Italian act that defies those expectations!” Cheese famine.

Abinchova – Weltenwanderer Review

By Lokasenna on April 9, 2018 in 2018, Folk Metal, Massacre Records, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Swiss Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 15 comments

“One of my esteemed fellows, when I picked it from the promo-bin, dismissed Weltenwanderer as Eluveitie-core. Even as one of the few people around here with a soft spot for Eluveitie, that criticism is spot-on. Abinchova are three albums into their career and are settled into a style of folk-infused melodeath strongly reminiscent of their countrymen. Leaving the merits and flaws of the style itself behind, is Abinchova any good at it?” All folked up.

The Absence – A Gift for the Obsessed Review

By Lokasenna on April 2, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, M-Theory Audio, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 23 comments

“Even as a child of the internet era, there are a few things that have declined with its spread, for which I hold a bittersweet fondness. One of those is the once-geographic nature of the different metal scenes; while the influence of place is not gone, it hardly holds the sway it once did. Case in point: The Absence are a Tampa, Florida based act, but to the ear, they should be from Gothenburg. Offering an hour slab of At the Gates worship for their fourth album, A Gift for the Obsessed, The Absence bear a difficult task, as this style is well-worn. Do they have the chops to pull it off?” Did Absence make the heart grow fonder, or fatter?