Stratovarius

Vision Divine – Destination Set to Nowhere Review

Vision Divine – Destination Set to Nowhere Review

By Angry Metal Guy on September 13, 2012 in 2.5, 2012, EarMusic records, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, 7 comments

When I was an Angry Metal Lad I discovered what was then the burgeoning europower scene in the late 90s early aughts. Deeply influenced by the likes of Rage, Helloween, and Stratovarius I began to be taken in by any band that had a lot of double bass, virtuoso keyboard and guitar solos and a dude who sang moderately operatically but wasn’t too annoying. This held me over for a long time, discovering bands that still stick with me to today as some of my favorites including [Luca Turilli’s] Rhapsody [of Fire], Blind Guardian, Sonata Arctica and myriads of others (as well as their aforementioned influences). But like any scene, this one had its boundaries and excesses and after a while I started to get bored. In that process, I missed Vision Divine – an Italian power metal band that includes Rhapsody’s vocalist Fabio Lione who released their first record in 1999.

Kobra and the Lotus – Kobra and the Lotus Review

Kobra and the Lotus – Kobra and the Lotus Review

By Angry Metal Guy on August 5, 2012 in 2012, 3.5, American Metal, Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 8 comments

Metal has been doing some collective soul searching for a while. The retro-thrash and retro-death movements – along with the ever-growing vest metal movement – have been built on a longing back to the simple, the original, the true. In this push, a lot of bands have been making the claim to the true metal legacy and Kobra and the Lotus are no exception.

Iron Fire – Voyage of the Damned Review

Iron Fire – Voyage of the Damned Review

By Steel Druhm on January 29, 2012 in 2012, 3.5, Danish Metal, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 2 comments

Historically speaking, I think the main reason our esteemed AMG hired me, the ever humble Steel Druhm, as a reviewer/minion [I prefer the term “bitch,” actually – AMG] was to make me the resident power and traditional metal nerd (my amazing prose and rugged good looks didn’t hurt none either). While I’m predisposed to drool over most old school stuff (cause I’m old), I’m actually quite the elitist snob when it comes to power metal. There’s some good in that genre, but there are way more generic, bad and monumentally awful things lurking in the ether. Case in point, I’ve had a love/hate/meh relationship with Iron Fire over the years. Their Thunderstorm debut was decent and moderately rabble rousing, but things have been inconsistent since then and their discography reads like the good, the bad and the WTF? After being unmoved by their past few releases, I hoped for more from their seventh release, Voyage of the Damned. Turns out, I heartily appreciate the new lyrical slant toward outer space themes, as it’s a nice diversion from the usual “dragon ate my wizard’s maiden” schtick. It’s also safe to say, this is much better than expected and it slowly won me over, despite initial doubts. Roping in elements of Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Grave Digger and Metalium, this features some highly enjoyable Euro-power with some surprisingly heavy moments. It also delivers far less generic freight than past Iron Fire shipments. While not exactly a “must hear” album, Voyage ends up being a solid release from a band with a spotty track record.

Arch Enemy – Khaos Legions Review

Arch Enemy – Khaos Legions Review

By Steel Druhm on May 25, 2011 in 2011, 3.0, Century Media, Death Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 13 comments

Looks like the Amott brothers are back in town. That town being Gothenburg (as in the “Gothenburg style”) and their band is the long running Arch Enemy, purveyors of slick, polished, (and some would say soulless) melodic death. Khaos Legion is their eighth full length and the first since 2007’s Rise of the Tyrant (not counting their 2009 re-recording of material). I was a supporter during their early years but with the Wages of Sin album, things took a turn and never felt the same. Although I gave subsequent releases a spin or two, by and large I wasn’t interested in their overly clinical, sterile and generic brand of death metal for the unwashed masses. With this track record of vaguely condescending ambivalence, I approached Khaos Legions with low expectations and much to my surprise, this isn’t all that bad. It’s certainly going to raise some eyebrows though because its much more melodic, mellow and restrained. While there are a few “heavy” songs, this is almost like a power metal album at times (albeit with death vocals). While there’s nowhere near enough death here to satisfy most fans of that genre, the more family friendly approach results in some enjoyable, lightweight quasi-power metal that will amuse some (while royally pissing off many).

Tarot – Spell of Iron MMXI

Tarot – Spell of Iron MMXI

By Steel Druhm on May 19, 2011 in 2011, 3.5, Finnish Metal, Heavy Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 0 comments

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?

Bloodbound – Unholy Cross Review

Bloodbound – Unholy Cross Review

By Steel Druhm on March 19, 2011 in 2.5, 2011, AFM Records, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 1 comment

When I first heard that super talented metal vocalist Urban Breed had left the excellent Tad Morose I was very unhappy. When he popped up in the strangely corpse painted but great classic metal band Bloodbound for their 2006 debut, I was happy again. Then he left, then he came back, and now he’s left yet again. C’mon man, what the hell are you doing? As the ever fickle Mr. Breed contemplates his career options, the boys in Bloodbound soldiered on without him and are set to release their fourth platter Unholy Cross. With vocals now being handled by Patrik Johnansson (Dawn of Silence), Unholy Cross finds Bloodbound bouncing back and forth between their usual classic metal sound and modern Euro-power metal similar to Edguy, Mystic Prophecy and Stratovarius. Gone is the slick blend of classic and modern metal they explored on 2009’s excellent Tabula Rasa and sadly, a lot of the overall excitement seems leeched from their sound this time as well. While still worthwhile, this is inferior to their earlier material, especially Tabula Rasa.