Author: Alexiel Divine

Therion – Les Fleurs Du Mal

Mastermind Christofer Johnsson needed something truly special to celebrate Therion’s 25th anniversary rather than a boring greatest hits album. Despite the fact that many will think that a collection of covers of old French pop chansons might be an odd choice, the release of “Les Fleurs Du Mal” is an extremely exciting choice. Because this album will be controversial regardless of its incredible musical quality, the connection with Baudelaire’s notoriously forbidden poem seems appropriate. Considering how the metal scene tends to have stubborn and redundant musical boundaries, it is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to listen to something completely different.

While the main melodies of the original songs are perfectly recognizable, Therion delivers a very personal interpretation in symphonic/gothic metal style.

“Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son” (available in two versions) has a very energetic rhythm and a memorable melody emphasized by a majestic symphonic approach. Of course, Lori Lewis’s flawless performance is the main focus here and on several other tracks such as the decadently sweet “Soer Angelique”.

“Une Fleur Dans Le Coeur” is a semi ballad with a more dramatic approach and melancholic orchestrations.

“Initials BB” is simply addictive with intriguing sexy vocals and an intense French poetic attitude. There is a goth rock atmosphere but also a constant groove that makes this track very danceable.

“Mon Amour, Mon Ami” is a bittersweet romantic melodic piece. The vocals, particularly dramatic towards the end, are fundamental to fully express the gloomy feelings and enrich the vibrant guitar melodies.

“Polichinelle”, “La Maritza” and “Wahala Manitou” have a delicious unmistakably French retro sound that naturally embraces Therion’s symphonic style.

“Dis-moi Poupee” is a very attractive guitar driven tune that shines for Snowy Shaw’s irresistible obscure vocal performance and solemn operatic choirs.

Thomas Vikstrom is one of the most amazing and eclectic vocalist out there and his undeniable talent is consistent throughout the album.  On the hyper energetic fun rock n’ roll short song “Je N’ai Besoin Que De Tendresse”, Vikstrom delivers wild high pitch vocals. Yet, “J’ai Le mal De Toi” definitely represents his best performance. This must be saddest song ever written and Vikstrom’s deeply passionate theatrical interpretation is absolutely faultless.

“Lilith” is the one song that truly has a dark gothic melody as main musical core. Lori Lewis’s operatic vocal style perfectly fits the decadent mood.

In the end, Therion successfully manages to interpret vintage music in a contemporary fashion and “Les Fleurs Du Mal” feels like a very spontaneous well balanced album. Each and every song has its own raison d’etre and will be easily enjoyed by open minded libertine listeners.

 

The Gathering – Disclosure

On The Gathering’s new album “Disclosure” you really won’t find much metal or goth. It seems that with “Disclosure” the Dutch band has finally achieved a brand new musical identity which has developed gradually and spontaneously after the departure of the iconic vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. Since it is the product of a drastic musical evolution, “Disclosure” brings an overload of style changes that are inevitably distant from the band’s musical past.

“Paper Waves” represents well the floating mood of the entire album. In terms of music style, The Gathering decides to dwell in the realm of alternative rock with the aid of electronically generated tunes. This song, like all the others on this album, relies on mellow radio friendly melodies. The guitar work is never dominant and is based on an array of ethereal sounds almost buried under the keyboards and synths arrangement.

“Meltdown” has a very modern electronic approach with a more interesting and dynamic rhythm.  The vocals are extremely catchy both in the duet and the chorus, the rhythmic section is still slow paced and on the soft side but the atmosphere is dominated by a great positive energy.

“Heroes For Ghosts” is a lengthy track that has an exquisite darkly romantic atmosphere highly enriched by soothing keyboard layers, ultra melodic strings and unexpected brass horns. On this song, the new vocalist Silje Wergeland delivers an intensely passionate performance that perfectly enhances the dreamy and charming soundscape deliciously supported by an emotional guitar groove.

On “Paralyzed” and “Missing Seasons” both the vocals and the rhythm showcase the softest side of the album’s musical core. Piano and keyboards are extremely dominant and blend naturally in a fashion that reminds of Tori Amos and Portishead.

“Gemini I” instead has a more intense rock attitude with some scratchy guitars even if everything is softened by a trance/ambience atmosphere. “Gemini II” revolves entirely around Silje Wergeland’s extraordinary vocal abilities and is the most ethereal song of the album.

Overall, “Disclosure” is a very accessible album filled with relaxing atmospheres and effortless melodies. Yet, those who are familiar with The Gathering’s early musical work might not feel comfortable with the extreme style change featured on this album.

 

 

Lacrimosa – Revolution

A new release by Lacrimosa always comes with extremely high expectations and “Revolution” is not an exception. Throughout Lacrimosa’s successful career, the band’s absolute mastermind Tilo Wolff has spoiled us with irresistible baroque musical style, high quality musicianship and strong creative force. As the previous albums, “Revolution” is a passionate an intricate work of art that deserves an attentive listening in order to fully appreciate each facet of its musical complexity and to capture the inner beauty of each melody.  All the metalheads out there would also be glad to know that “Revolution” features Mille Petrozza from Kreator on guitar and Stefan Schwarzmann from Accept on drums.

“Irgendein Arsch ist immer unterwegs” is the undoubtedly majestic opener of this album. Do not waste your time trying to pronounce the title correctly, instead you should relax and savor each and every note of this highly symphonic song. The introductive piano melody is definitely theatrical but never pretentious and even when distorted guitars kick in everything keeps on flowing like a daydream.

On “As the world stood still for a day” Anne Nurmi delivers a flawless interpretation with delicate angelic vocals. This is a soft melodic track but there is a solid classic metal rhythmic section to support the stellar orchestration.

“Verloren” has a distinct metal vibe that dominates the rhythmic section. The main guitar melody is quite catchy and raw but everything gets polished by the layers of classical orchestrations. Tilo Wolff’s vocal style is very raspy, at times desperate, and certainly matches the overall highly dramatic and somber atmosphere.

“Feuerzug” is an odd yet interesting track. It is introduced by the beautifully decadent piano melody of “Interlude” but it changes mood quite drastically. There is still some classical melancholic orchestration but the song’s main theme is influenced by Nordic folklore.

“Refugium” brings back some much needed somber melodies. This is basically a piano and vocals piece that relies on Tilo Wolff’s passionate interpretation and on the uncontaminated beauty of the sound of a classical piano.

“Rote Sinfonie” is the most complex track on the album as it is full of attractive style variations and intense musical surprises. The delicate violin melody at the beginning serves as a stunning intro and a declaration of intent, as this song is a lengthy ambitious symphonic piece. In fact, the musical core here is classical as the orchestra plays always a dominant role, yet there is still a lot of goth and metal influences in the guitars style. Nevertheless, the classical side filled with majestically somber orchestrations and exquisitely captivating piano melodies is the inevitable highlight of the song.

The title track has a much more modern appeal with dark gothic rock melodies, highly distorted groovy guitars and eerie atmospheric synths. The guitar riffs are more rocking and powerful while the extremely addictive chorus is certainly the catchiest moment of the whole album.

Lacrimosa is the one and only band who is capable of blending harmoniously the aesthetic perfection of classical music and the obscurity of gothic metal. “Revolution” embodies all the elements you need to achieve a passionate addictive collection of songs that is destined to satisfy even the most demanding listeners.

 

Doro – Raise Your Fist

With her latest release “Raise Your Fist”, the legendary metal female icon Doro returns to the scene full of energy and good intentions. The thirteen songs included on this album showcase a great passion for metal and a wide range of classic rock/metal guitar riffs. The opening track “Raise Your Fist In The Air” is a straight to your face metal anthem. Doro’s vocals are harsh in true rocker style, the chorus is a little redundant while the lead guitar offers a great musical support with a super dirty sound and loads of shredding. “Take No Prisoner” and “Little Headbanger” follow the same exact style and could end up being repetitive.

“Coldhearted Lover” is less dynamic with slower rhythm breakdowns. The chorus and the main old school guitar riffs are certainly catchy but not very original.

“It Still Hurts” is a well composed ballad that will grab the listeners’ attention immediately due to the excellent vocal duet featuring Lemmy from Motorhead. Doro and Lemmy succeed in the creation of a passionate performance that fits the melancholic atmosphere while the songwriting is quite simple and accessible to a wide audience. “Engel” has a romantically symphonic appeal. The main catchy melodic piano theme is emphasized by classic keyboards layers which also create a dramatic atmosphere. Doro’s vocals add a huge dose of tragic passion well accompanied by a highly melodic pleasant guitar solo.

Doro delivers a similar performance on the other romantic semi ballad “Hero” which features exquisite guitar melodies but the songwriting here is more predictable than “Engel”.

“Free My Heart” is another powerful and touching ballad with a lovely keyboards arrangement. Here Doro switches between raspy rock and clean vocals and delivers a highly emotional performance.

“Grab The Bull (Last Man Standing)” features Gus G from Firewind on guitar. This is a mid paced track rendered more aggressive by Doro’s strong screams. Gus G enriches the standard songwriting style by delivering a killer guitar solo filled with high quality shredding and creativity.

“Raise Your Fist” certainly doesn’t bring exceptional novelties in terms of songwriting but it’s a well organized album that will please Doro’s fans and classic metal lovers in general.

 

Killing Joke – MMXII

It is quite impressive that “MMXII” is the fifteenth studio album released by legendary Killing Joke. In terms of music style and execution, this album manages to effortlessly blend the band’s obvious post punk roots, the fierce intensity of industrial and the dark introspective side of gothic rock. This is supposed to be an apocalyptic album as the lyrics mainly concern the environmental and economical issues of our time. Yet, there is a lot of optimism and hope for restoration and redemption.

“Pole Shift” is an atmospheric and emotional musical piece with soothing distorted guitar riffs and several keyboard layers. The vocals style here is mainly melodic, disillusioned and monotone at times.

“Fema Camp” revolves around an obsessively recurring super catchy guitar riff. Overall, this is a straight forward rock song with a captivating dark aura and very raw acidic vocals.

“Rapture” and “Corporate Elect” are faster groovy tracks highly influenced by the band’s punk roots. The basic guitar riffs and the easy rhythm make these songs very accessible even if there is a lingering unmistakable darkwave vibe.

On “In Cythera” the overall rhythm slows down, the extensive use of atmospheric electronic effects enrich the melody, the guitars have a more modern hyper polished sound and the vocals become calm and comforting.

“Trance” has a cool harmonious rhythm with a quite modern electronic approach. The steady guitar sound is dirty, the simplistic rock melody flows spontaneously while the instrumental breakdown is more rough with a clear industrial influence.

“On All Hallow’s Eve” is a slower track that revolves around a darker atmosphere with tons of electronically generated sound. There is a significant style change in the chorus which falls in between rebellious punk rock and angry industrial.

“MMXII” is a must have for Killing Joke’s faithful fans because it features the band’s original line up and it shows that the infamous creative force is still alive

Katatonia – The Fall Of Hearts

After over two decades of successful career, a band like Katatonia needs no simplistic introduction and the long awaited tenth album decadently entitled “The Fall Of Hearts” confirms the band’s legitimate highly influential status in the metal scene. The album proudly represents Katatonia’s everlasting dark soul, always channeling the impeccable Scandinavian melancholy, and embraces a multifaceted mixture of enthralling music styles.

“Takeover” is not your usual all powerful radio friendly opening track as it rather focuses on a cold melodic core of soft arpeggios and soothing piano stripped of unessential special effects. A natural harmony emanates a longing for lost dreams and the eclectic guitar work successfully delivers a tasteful array of subtly majestic melodies that reach a spontaneous climax with a lovely solo.

“Serein” follows a somber minimalist approach with melodic guitars shining throughout the song in a healthy mid paced crescendo. The ambient atmospheric layers provide a sinuously graceful interlude that inspires a heartwarming serenity.

“Old Heart Falls” unveils the beloved melancholy that has become a trademark of Katatonia’s music catalogue. Highly melodic guitars and dreamy keyboards layers create a series of understated elegant phrases lingering in the midst of a delicately poignant atmosphere and culminating in a rather passionately catchy chorus.

“Sanction” introduces a heavier metallic approach that smoothly gives way to a more dramatically charged melody. The decadently distorted guitar riffs evoke a bleak sonic landscape in perfect Scandinavian fashion and the slower sections portray an ominous sense of desolated decay that leaves us quite disoriented.

“Serac” is an instant favorite that holds a solemnly mesmerizing inner strength that must be fully embraced. Featuring a darkly metaphysical essence inspiringly and fully incarnated by Jonas Renkse’s soulful vocals, this track is filled with dazzling prog style guitar work that packs polished catchy riffs and decadently melodious solos. While the uptempo rhythm is highly addictive, the melancholic atmospheric breakdown mixes languid guitar phrases and piano melodies that evoke an everlasting melancholy.

“Shifts” features a slower tempo filled with gloomy sentimental piano melodies intricately surrounded by sober atmospheric layers that channel a sorrowful inner peace while Renkse’s vocals gracefully enhance the intensely tormented melodic nature of this track.

“Passer” will be easily remembered for the fascinating shimmering guitar work that delivers eloquent dynamic style diversity embracing a breathless rhythm further adorned by kaleidoscopic keyboards layers as Rekse’s vocal performance adds an overdose of disarming sentiments.

Once again, with “The Fall Of Hearts” Katatonia delivers a mature piece of music filled with minimalist effortless beauty and moody emotional depth that will easily reach the heart of every listener.

Borderlands – Voice Of The Voiceless

Portuguese progressive metalcore band Borderlands tries to achieve wide recognition in the overcrowded metal scene with a fairly solid debut full length entitled “Voice Of The Voiceless”.

“Children Of The Storm” offers just a taste of melodic prog phrases as it mainly focuses on the furious speed of Borderlands’ metalcore influence with a dynamic range of fast technical guitar riffs and enraged screams.

“Essencia” shines for the atmospheric mood that balances the heavier metalcore rhythmic section and gives way to fascinating technical guitar riffing and syncopated tempo changes.

The titletrack delivers another generous dose of blasting drumming and thick rhythm smoothly embellished by polished guitar harmonies that add a tasteful melodic soundscape.

“Children Of The Sun” still showcases the main heavier aspects of the album but adds a particular sonic richness with rather dreamy atmospheric instrumental moments that spontaneously channel familiar soothing melodies.

In terms of songwriting Borderlands seems to deliver better ideas with the melodic prog oriented themes rather than with the straight forward metalcore rampage and as a whole “Voice Of The Voiceless” manages to work as a cohesive debut effort.

Surgical Meth Machine – Surgical Meth Machine

Renowned industrial icon Al Jourgensen goes on a solo rampage with the debut self titled album “Surgical Meth Machine”. With Ministry on hold or hiatus, it is immediately noticeable that Jourgensen has decided to throw on the plate multiple ideas mixing industrial roots and some speed metal to produce this reckless over the top Surgical Meth Machine project.

“I’m Sensitive” is a hallucinogenic concoction of rage and complaints in a mix of as fast as possible drum machine and screams with a garage style production.

“Tragic Alert” again is all about chaotic speed with a deranged electronic crude sound and the obvious reminder that we live in a scary world.

“I Want More” is all angry and furious like a rebellious punk teenage dream and the only concrete melody comes from a little crunchy guitar solo.

“Unlistenable” has a wild punk spirit drowning in a breathless hectic cauldron of fast random guitar riffs and even more random emotionless electronic beats.

Devo’s “Gates Of Steel” cover catches a breath putting aside the crave for speed and surprises the listeners with the introduction of an actual melody in rough punk style with less confused yelling and less loud disorder.

“I’m Invisible” leaves behind the furious noisy industrial and features a slower, mellower and repetitive melodic theme with clean vocals and a scratchy vintage sound.

In the end, “Surgical Meth Machine” likes to keep it short and raw and might have some bursts of creativity that could trigger the interest of industrial devoted crowd but the rather chaotic style without any apparent sense of cohesion doesn’t sound as catchy as expected.

Textures – Phenotype

Dutch band Textures delivers a brand new album entitled “Phenotype” that offers a powerful blend of technical progressive metal with modern metalcore accents consistent with the band’s steady musical pathway.

“Oceans Collide” presents an aggressively heavy approach with a reckless rhythm and raging screams that keep on building a relentless energetic groove but also the song structure leaves some space for clean linear choruses.

“New Horizons” puts aside any exaggerated need for speed and fury to give space to a lovely melodic core smoothly adorned by atmospheric layers and emotionally charged clean vocals. The obvious highlights feature some stunningly executed guitar work with the beloved clarity of prog style that always provide the right dose of soothing harmony.

“Illuminate The Trail” has a highly melodic nature where luminous guitar leads successfully create an uplifting vibe further expressed by clean vocals. While the guitar work shows a clear progressive influence borderline virtuoso multiple layers of atmospheric synths add an ethereal feeling.

“The Fourth Prime” opens with moody ambiance right before the entrance of a brisk rampage of tight guitar riffing and raspy screams. The almost dissonant tempo changes favor a seamless shift between a heavier metalcore drum centered rhythm and friendly darkened melodic breakdowns featuring an enthralling mix of guitar solo and arpeggios.

Overall, “Phenotype” might not sound like a perfect masterpiece but it certainly showcases an appealing musical variety enhanced by genuinely mature musicianship proving that Textures has the potential to gain a wider audience.

Scorpion Child – Acid Roulette

Scorpion Child’s brand new album “Acid Roulette” is a nostalgic invitation to join a wild trippy journey on which your only spiritual guide might be a dusty electric guitar. The psychedelic attitude and the acidic analog groove embedded in each song will inevitably attract numerous listeners who long for dreamy good vibes and old fashioned stoner rock.

“She Sings, I Kill” has an inspiring vintage sound with a genuine classic rock themed galloping guitar riffs and a pleasantly danceable rhythm. On vocals Aryn Jonathan Black channels some fancy rock icons such as Robert Plant but manages to add a personal soulful glamour.

“My Woman In Black” packs an overdose of groovy guitar riffs that feel like a sparkly rollercoaster in the middle of the desert and you just cannot sit still. The dirty hard rock core is filled with bluesy energy and healthy mid paced rhythm while the scratchy chorus is absolutely addictive.

The title track channels a trippy psychedelic mood as everything slows down with languid guitar phrases creating a melancholic feeling of lost hopes and emotional decadence. Yet, the true highlight is the outstanding full blown 70’s style organ momentum in perfect psychedelic fashion that makes you want to dance inside a hazy dream until dawn.

“Twilight Coven” features another highly addictive chorus but let’s not forget the incendiary guitar driven stoner rock fast paced rhythm that would drive wild any crowd at a show. The breakdown channels a lucid dream vibe while smoothly adding a proper dose of crispy bluesy mood to the increasingly catchy stoner rock mix.

“Survives” is a borderline romantic ballad with a daydreaming melody but its gritty guitar riffing still holds the acidic stoner rock attitude. On this song Aryn Jonathan Black rightfully takes the center stage to proudly show his prowess and to deliver a passionately astounding vocal performance.

“Moon Tension” is another exciting track that would sound quite loud and powerful live as it features a rampage of super catchy classic rock riffs with tasteful vintage accents in the midst of a energetic unrestrained rhythm.

“Acid Roulette” has what it takes to satisfy the perennial crave for sonic hallucinations that make you feel good even in daylight and shows that Scorpion Child has potential to become a major act in the stoner rock scene.