AVANTASIA: THE SCARECROW REVIEW

  The Scarecrow is the third album and first of the wicked trilogy by Tobias Sammet's Avantasia project. 

  As with the previous and current records, this album has a bunch of guest musicians playing different parts in typical metal opera styling. The story is about a man who feels alone and different from the world. While trying to find happiness he experiences heartbreak and turns to the devilish side of life. While these songs tell a whole story, they are relatable on a track by track basis which is part of what makes this album so great. 

  The album opens up with "Twisted Mind" with Roy Khan (Kamelot) playing a therapist talking to the scarecrow. Considering Kamelot is my favorite band it's safe to say I fangirled a little bit here. It's too bad that Roy was only used on the one track. Following that is the epic title track. Other great moments are the ballad "What Kind Of Love" featuring the incredibly talented Amanda Sommerville, the poppier "Carry Me Over" and "Shelter From The Rain" to the hard rocking numbers "Another Angel Down" and "I Don't Believe In Your Love" (which sounds closer to a Whitesnake song than power metal.)  Closing the album is the single "Lost In Space". The instruments here add to the atmosphere and winds the album down finish on a high note

  The stand out moments here are the guest vocalists. That includes people like Jørn Lande and Michael Kiske. Alice Cooper guests on "The Toy Master" which is great with Alice doing a top notch performance, but seems to throw the story off a bit. It's too bad both he and Roy weren't used more than one track each on this entire trilogy. While no song here is bad, the only track that is forgettable is "Cry A Little" but with only one "ok" song, that's still a pretty good album. 

  The lyrics here convey the emotion perfectly aiding to Tobias Sammet's desire to feel the story rather than understand it. Sadly, this is the best Edguy album without being Edguy in recent years. 

  Fans of any of the singers or power metal in general must hear this record if you haven't already. The guests here all sound at their peak with incredible vocal delivery and the songs are catchy and memorable. 

  Rating: 9 out of 10

  Notable Tracks: 

    "Carry Me Over"

    "What Kind Of Love"

    "I Don't Believe In Your Love"

SUICIDE SILENCE: YOU CAN'T STOP ME REVIEW

  The fourth album by Suicide Silence and the first to feature Eddie Hermida (Ex All Shall Perish) after the tragic passing of Mitch Lucker in 2012. 

  The thing I liked most about these guys is Mitches' voice so i was skeptical about the change. While Eddie does both make it his own and continue in the style of SS, there's something missing. The musical aspect is still very them and up to par with the previous records. The thing that made the last album as great as it was, was the groove. Which is unfortunately taken out for a more straight up deathcore approach here. 

  This whole album is pretty much a tribute to Mitch. With the intro "M.A.L." (Mitchell Adam Lucker) leading into "Inherit The Crown" which is about Eddie taking over the position. The Title comes from the last song Mitch wrote which is recorded with Eddie Here. 

  Lyrically it's the same as on the last three records which has always been the weak point for the band. The guest vocals of Corpsegrinder ("Control") and Greg Puciato ("Monster Within") both stand out here and are very welcome. They rerecorded "Ending Is The Beginninng" from their debut EP which is good but doesn't beat the original  

 The bonus tracks "Blue Haze" would've fit right along with the rest of the record and the Hatebreed cover "Last Breathe" actually does a pretty good rendition. In a scheme of Marketing Genius, the other song "Dogma:I Am God" is available on random copies of the record ( which I got on the first try) causing fans to buy more copies to get it. 

 While this record doesn't hold up to the previous three, it is still better than a good majority of the deathcore bands out there at the moment. Fans of both SS and All Shall Perish will probably enjoy this album. 

  Rating: 6 out of 10

  Notable Tracks:

    "Cease To Exist"

    "Control"

    "Monster Within"

AMON AMARTH: DECEIVER OF THE GODS REVIEW

  Praise the allfather! We have received a blessing in the name of Amon Amarth's ninth album. I'll be honest, they are getting to the point of you've heard one album, you've heard them all. It's not a bad thing though since they've all been consistently good. It shows why they're not only one of the biggest metal bands right now, but also why they're leading the Viking metal charge. 

  Both the instruments and vocals here are top notch with anthemic choruses and catchy riffs. Plus former Candlemass frontman Messiah Marcolin appears on the song "Hel". It's an odd combo but it works extremely well. 

  While you would think that the Viking metal scene as a whole would run out of ideas, these guys continue to keep their songs interesting. From the brutal "Blood Eagle" to the epic closer "Warriors Of The North" there is enough diversity and melody to make each track stand out. It is actually to the point of if someone asked me to tell them what song they should check out I'd have to tell them the whole album. 

  The only drawback is the fact that it does sound much like their past few albums. If you don't mind that though, this is definitely an album that needs to be heard. 

  Rating: 8 out of 10

  Notable Tracks: 

    "Blood Eagle"

    "Hel"

    "Warriors Of The North"

ALESTORM: SUNSET ON THE GOLDEN AGE REVIEW

  Ahoy! The pirates have come back to deliver more metal to plunder to. The fourth album by these guys is like the ocean. Sometimes it's smooth sailing other times it's a typhoon. 

  The silliness from their last album comes through on this one very clearly with most songs being humorous. Some of them, it works for and some it doesn't. However, as they predicted on album three, there are moments where it seems they're scraping the barrel for creative ideas. 

  The music is still very them with the strong key based riffs and sea shanty melodies. The vocal work here gets experimental though (for them) by adding death growls and rapping. Yep, they rap on a song ( I'll get to that in a minute) 

  As aforementioned, some of the songs are a little bit bland and feel like they're recycling ideas they've already used. Sadly, that makes this album drag on a little bit. That said though, there are some good songs on here that'll stand up to the rest of their catalogue. Plus, this is still a fun album which it needs to be for pirate metal. 

  One of the best songs on here is "Hangover". It's a cover of Taio Cruz feat. Flo Rida. Yeah, it's odd to think ain't it?This is the track with the rapping and it works in a weird way.

 

  As for the bonus tracks, there's five of their old songs recorded acoustically. They're interestingly done but I feel like they would've been better suited as a stand alone EP. The last bonus track is called "Questing Upon The Poop Deck". It's a moment where the humor really shines and should've been on the album itself instead of the unbearable "Wooden Leg". Although, it surprises the hell out of me that it took em four albums to make a poop deck joke. 

  The sun may have set on their golden age,but it is still fun and if you like the band is definitely worth the listen. Just don't expect any boundaries pushed.  

  Rating: 6 out of 10

  Notable Tracks: 

    "Quest For Ships"

    "Hangover"

    "Questing Upon The Poop Deck"

HEATHEN FORAY: FOREST - EP REVIEW

  The first release and my first foray into these Austrian folkers, the Forest EP comes in at 21 minutes and four tracks. 

  As a whole these guys are considered folk but, there's a lot more to them. The vocals are along the lines of melodeath while the instruments and lyrics have more of a power metal feel. Unlike most of their contemporaries, they don't use antique instruments or a sense of atmosphere in their sound. 

  The guitar lines here are traditonal power metal riffs that would fit right in on a Hammerfall record. This not only adds the melody but blends perfectly with the fantasy tinged lyrics. This gives the sense of killing dragons or sieging a castle.

  The vocal work of Robert Scrholl is your

standard melodeath along the lines of Dark Tranquility. While he may be unrefined, you can understand every lyric which makes this album a whole lot better. The problem is the group chanting on "The Wizard's Life" but it is easily dismissed despite sounding like a demo tape. 

  If you're looking for a new band to listen to or an addition to you Skyrim playlist look no farther. This record doesn't break new ground on any level but damn, it's enjoyable. For fans of folk metal or Children Of Bodom, your collection isn't complete without this. 

  Rating: 4 out of 5

  Notable Track

    "Dragon's Eyes"

SABATON: HEROES REVIEW

  

  Power metal is back on the front lines! A band that has had a consistent release of quality records have now released their seventh album. The notable difference here is that the lyrics focus on individual soldiers rather than the battle themselves.

  On the musical side of this album, this is the most diverse record they've released thus far. There are small traces of thrash and folk metal incorporated and there's even a ballad on here. While the ballad ("The Ballad Of The Bull") May be pushing the limits of (singer) Joakim Brodén's voice, it's a nice change of pace with great lyrics. 

  On the note of lyrics, as always the songs do their best to accurately portray the history and work incredibly well on making it understandable without knowing war history. The songs are memorable with more hooks thrown in than a boxing match. Plus there's a song about an American soldier ("To Hell And Back") so I have to feel a little proud. 

  The signature sound of Joakim is still there in a full frontal assault. At most parts, you can understand him. If you can I recommend you get all of the bonus tracks. With "7734" and "Man Of War" ( a tribute to Manowar, yep) available on all special editions. The last 3 bonus tracks are covers of Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls", a Raubtier (?) cover "En Hjältes Väg, and a cover of Battle Beast's "Out Of Control".  Yes, they covered Battle Beast (mentally think "Fuck Yeah!"). 

  This is one of their best albums yet and if you like war history and/or power metal this is a must own. Between the sound and the interesting lyrics, I've probably spun this album 11 or 12 times since it's release a few months back. 

  Rating: 8 out of 10

  Notable Tracks:

    "Inmate 4859"

    "Soldier Of Three Armies"

    "Hearts Of Iron"

EDGUY: SPACE POLICE-DEFENDERS OF THE CROWN REVIEW

  Coming in at ten tracks, the eigth album by power metal jokesters follows their current flow of recent releases. Most of the songs here are lighthearted with a touch of 80's rock. The humor and silliness does wear on you a bit but the sound keeps you pushing through with, well, sabre and torch. 

  Most of the songs here have the strong guitar leads one would come to expect and most of the riffs are memorable. With fast tempo songs mixing in slow parts when needed the musical writing is spot on.  

  As previously mentioned, the songs do take a more fun and silly side most of the album which works in places ("Love Tyger") and become tiresome and almost dumb enough to piss you off ("Do Me Like A Caveman"). However, one thing this album does is have very catchy, anthemic chorus'. Especially on the track "Space Police", I haven't a heard a chorus that good in PM in a long while. What stops that song from being perfect is the part where (singer) Tobias Sammet tries making space noises. That's one of those moments where the dorky side of them is irritating. The cover of "Rock Me Amadeus" is both a good rendition and a welcome edition to this album. 

  Vocally, Tobias sounds great with his mix of Bruce Dickinson-esque power vocals and the more Rock N' Roll rasp. 

The two bonus tracks are obviously the right choice as bonus tracks. "England" is a fun, albeit cheesy, song about how England is better because they have Iron Maiden. While the other one, "Aychim In Hysteria" is about the bands roadie put to a similar musical sound of Def Leppard's prime. 

 

  While I wouldn't recommend this to someone who's not a fan of power metal, but if you are this is a good record to check out. It may not hold up to Edguy's earlier work, or Tobias' Avantasia project for that matter, it's a fun and simple record. If you're in the mood for silly fun but burnt out your Manowar collection, go get this. 

  Rating: 6 out of 10

  Notable Tracks:

    "Space Police"

    "Love Tyger"

    " Shadow Eaters"

 

SONATA ARCTICA: PARIAH'S CHILD REVIEW

  The eighth album by power metal giants Sonata Arctica looks pretty good right. It's got amazing cover art, the old logo, oh and look at that, a wolf is back. I was skeptical after their previous album (Stones Grow Her Name) considering it sucked. Once I put the album on, the first track (Wolves Die Young) made me think "awesome they're back to their old sound". However after the album continues you start to realize it's not quite that. 

  There's a few of there joke songs on here which get annoying real quick. There's a song about drifting cars which might be the most random topic for power metal. Plus the definition of blood is spoken because people apparently don't know what blood is. Seriously guys. The lyrics are cheesy even for PM standards and some of the odd vocal effects Tony Kakko does are incredibly weird to put it mildly. However there are moments where the vocals are some of the best I've heard from these guys too. For better or worse, these melodies will be stuck in your head. Seriously, I woke up with "Cloud Factory" stuck in mine. The ballad "Dad, What Did You Do In The War" is supposed to be emotional but the band doesn't put much conviction into the portrayal. And while "Love" is incredibly cheesy, it's a nice change of pace to hear a slow, simple love song like that in metal. 

 The instrumental sections here are par for the course PM. They're good enough to get by but not super memorable. What stands out on this album is the last track "Larger Than Life". The story about an actor  who spends his life trying to get to the top only to realize he focused only on his work and not his personal life seems like it might be a confession from the band. Either way it's a deep song with lots of orchestral parts and good but  odd tempo changes. 

  While this album isn't one you're gonna go back to specific tracks for the most part, it's enjoyable when played all the way through. Does it hold up against "Silence" or "Ecliptica"? NO! Is it better than "Stones Grow Her Name"? Yeah. 

  Rating: 6 out of 10

  Notable Tracks: 

    "Wolves Die Young"

    "Cloud Factory"

    "Larger Than Life"

ONSLAUGHT: VI REVIEW

The sixth album by thrashers Onslaught comes with the aptly titled VI. Yeah I know clever. The follow up to 2011's "Sounds Of Violence" is a short but sweet thrash outing.

  Comin in at just under the forty minute mark with eight tracks (and an intro). The lyrical content is your typical war, anti religion, etc that permeates the genre. However there are stand out lyrical moments in tracks like "Chaos Is King" and "Children Of The Sand".

  As far as the music goes, it's a very riff

driven album. While the music isn't the be all-end all of thrash, it flows rather well with the album. You'll definitely find yourself moving your head to the guitar/drum parts though.

  The vocals on this record is what shines. Frontman Sy Keeler carries these songs with aggression and a groove. There's a certain fist pumping feel the chorus of these tracks. Especially the track " 66 'Fuckin'6". That song In particular surprised me because it isn't as cheesy as it sounds. 

  While this isn't an instant classic, it's still a very solid album. For fans of trash, this record will sit nice with your collection 

Rating: 7 out of 10

Notable Tracks:

  "Children Of The Sand"

  "66'Fuckin'6"

  "Dead Man Walking"

SEVENTH WONDER: THE GREAT ESCAPE REVIEW

First let me start this off by mentioning Tommy Karevik is one of my favorite singers and yes I totally fangirled here (this will be important on later reviews I do). OK background time. The Great Escape is the fourth album by this Swedish power/prog band. The album's thirty minute title track is based off of the Swedish poem "the Aniara". The opener (Wizeman) is connected as well like a sort of prequel.

  You get all the proggy goodness that you'd expect from theses guys. Oddly enough the length of these songs isn't really noticeable though. They maintain enough variety to hold your interest all the way through. Each instrument is given plenty of time to shine and the production is good enough to make each one distinguishable.  The only minor problem on the instrumental side of things is there are moments they seem to be recycling themselves, especially on solos an the bass parts. Each song has a mix between mid to slow-tempo sections which gives a bit of diversity to them.

  Lyrically this is an odd one. There are moments where the lyrics are beautiful and poetic then there are times where they get to be cheesier than a dairy farm. Despite that, they are still very convincing and don't seem to get in the way of the enjoyment factor.

  And now my favorite part. VOCALS! Sorry, fangirl moment. Tommy Kareviks voice mostly feels like your expected prog singer however he occasionally delves into an almost Rock N' Roll rasp. There's a very dramatic feel to him when the time calls for it which makes you feel the emotion he's trying to sell. This is highly apparent on tracks like "Wizeman" and "Long Way Home''. The melodies he conjures on this record make each song incredibly catchy and memorable.

  The lengthy epic title track may not be the most accessible but is super rewarding for it's portrayal of the "Aniara" (given I've never read it but the lyrics makes it understandable as a story). Along with Karevik's wife or sister(?) Jenny guesting on it who is equally as talented. As for the rest of the songs go each is memorable and distinct in it's own right. The only song that is less than (seventh) wonderful is "Move On Through" which isn't a bad song in any way but just doesn't keep up with the rest of the record. This album stays in pretty constant rotation in my listening choices and for good reason.  This album isn't really heavy in anyway so that might deter a lot of metal fans but any progressive fan really should have this one in their collection.

RATING: 9 OUT OF 10
NOTABLE TRACKS
  "Wizeman"
  "The Angelmaker"
  "Long Way Home"

REIGN OF FURY: WORLD DETONATION REVIEW

 

My first impression of this by looking at the cover was "Alright another run of the mill new thrash act". While that is definitely embedded in this record there is more than meets the eye here. The Full length debut starts with the three minute long intro track (Goodbye Mother Earth) then the album kicks right into the thrashing. The thing that caught me WAY off guard was the vocals.

 

  Vocalist Bison Wrathbone has something in his voice that I haven't heard in thrash in a long time...melody. At times his voice delves into a almost punkish sound (think early AFI, Koffin Kats). The melodies he creates are incredibly catchy and easily digestible, which yes I know is an oddity in the current state of the genre, He utilizes intelligible death growls sparingly enough to act like a sort of treat to the listener. truth be told, I think the vocal work and delivery here is what separates these guys from the rest of the retro-worshipping pack.

 

  The musicianship here is has the speed and technical prowess to stand up with the rest of their contemporaries. They really are good players, the problem being they love to play too much. Out of the eight tracks, three of them breach the eight minute mark and then there's the three minute intro. No instrumental intro should be three freaking minutes long!

 

  Especially considering the punk vibe to these songs, they should be short and sweet. The long periods of guitar work start to make this album start to slug on a bit. If the filler of the string work was condensed and another song took the place this would be a near perfect album.

 

  The production of this alum is fantastic as you can distinctly make out almost every cymbal crash. The only thing is at points the mixing makes the guitars over power the vocals. All in all though you'll be singing these chorus' for days too come. So if you're looking for a new thrasher to hold you over 'till Metallica releases a new album (ya know in eight more years lol) this album is definitely worth purchasing. There is a lot of showcasing for promising talent by album two so go out, buy it, and bang your fucking head!

 

RATING: 7 OUT OF 10

NOTABLE TRACKS:

  "Heaven Awaits/ Hell Takes"

  "Born To Die"

  "World Detonation"