Stam1na is one of the most successful band in Finland, in 20 years of carrer they have achieved almost everything a rock band can achieve in this country. Each of their seven albums have sold gold and the band has played hundreds of mostly sold out shows all over the country.
Their last album named “Elokuutio” has been released on March 18th via Sakara Records, the frontman Antti “Hyrde” Hyyrynen describes the album’s theme as the “digital hell of the unreligious”, It was produced by Janne Joutsenniemi and mixed by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia, Soilwork, , Moonspell, Kreator, Devin Townsend, Dark Tranquillity, Paradise Lost, Amon Amarth, Symphony X and Sepultura).
Elokuutio stands for eloquence but can also be translated as living cube.
The track that opens the album is “Ikoneklasmia”, which means ‘iconoclasm’, its sound is pretty progressive and the whole song is particular.
A perfect mix between the first and present Stam1na’s style is the song from which the album is named “Elokuutio”, very good studied and elaborate.
“Pienet vihreät miehet” is a typical Stam1na’s song, the sound is an explosion of pure energy, the guitar solo is wonderful.
The first single released is “Kuudet raamit”,which means ‘Six Frames’,from which it was produced a 360 music video directed by Tuomas Petsalo. A speed track with rhythmic changes used impeccably, the refain is pretty chatcy but still badass.
The last song of the album is “Valhe” which begins with an instrumental “triumphant” intro ,the voice is more clean and soft, the instruments are used more virtuously and the keyboards are superbe.
Stam1na did a great work with this album, the band is going on its way in the change experimenting sonority and techniques and album by album their music becomes more solid.
“Elokuutio” is an excellent product, if you still don’t know Stam1na, it’s the time to check out their music starting from this album.
Category: Album Reviews
Weeping Silence-Opus IV Oblivion
Weeping Silence is a gothic doom metal band from Malta, their fourth album “Opus IV Oblivion” has been released last October via Massacre Records, recorded and mixed by David Depasquale at Spine Splitter Studio and mastered by Andy Horn at The Red Room Studio.
The enchanting voice of Diane introduce the first track, “Oblivion – Darkness In My Heart Anno XV”, the sound is amazing and the contrast with the growl voice of Dario makes it unique.
I can define “Ivy Thorns Upon The Barrow” catchy even keeping the symphonic-doom line. The emotional song ” Transcending Destiny” goes straight to the soul and the guitar solo is impeccable. The album fades out with the dramatic and theatrical “Gothic Epitaph”.
Listening to “Opus IV Oblivion” is a continuous shiver, the amazing clean singing and growls complement each other and fit perfectly on the instrumental section.
We have also to mention the album artwork by Jan Yrlund, inspired by and based on the tomb art at the St. John’s Cathedral in Malta.
Weeping Silence is a brilliant band and with this full-length they demonstrate to be high in the symphonic-doom scene.
http://www.weepingsilence.com/
https://www.facebook.com/weepingsilence
Eartheria- Throes of Time
Eartheria is a young band from Pori, Finland, their music is a mix of fast and melodic metal, inspired by thrash and modern metal.
The band’s first EP called “Throes of Time” has been released on December 2015 and it’s producted by the band itself.
Eartheria to be a fledgling band demonstrates a musical maturity worthy of a successful band and this EP is the proof.
The EP contains 6 tracks, the sound is clean and they did a great job with the recording and mastering. The listening to each song is addictive, the rhythm part is heavy, guitar solos are executed well and the mutable voice runs from growl to scream.
There is nothing to reproach to this EP, we have to keep an eye on Eartheria because I’m sure we will hear more from this band.
Vorna- Ei valo minua seuraa
Vorna is a pagan metal band from Tampere, Finland. The band’s music has various influences from black metal to folk and rock. Lyrics are written in Finnish and often deal with themes like nature, myths and struggles of mind.
Their second full length, “Ei valo minua seuraa”, has been released on December 2015 via Inverse Records and it’s been a great surprise for me.
This album transports to another dimension, a journey into the deep immersed in the Finnish nature.
The first track “Harmaudesta” with its melancholy sound and the stunning contrast between musical base and voice catches you, and you want to listen it again and again.
One of the best songs from the album is “Jälkemme”,the particular intro remind of a whiff in glass bottles, the rhythm changes with a wild blastbeat and the guitar solo is sublime.
“Vaipunut” is a waterfall of peace and relax, the feeling to be in the middle of the forest is incredible. From the track “Yksin” has been released also a video-clip.
Keyboards create that magic atmosphere, the bass line is interesting, the guitars are just perfect, the drums runs wild with its blastbeat and the voice gives something of unique, the growl mixed with the the clean voice and the female choir, this is a must have album.
46 minutes of inspirational music, if you like bands like Amorphis and Norther you will love this band.
Krisiun – Forged In Fury
I entered the KRISIUN musical camp far too late for my own good, though not through any lack of interest on my end. As a result, I didn’t partake in their rise to Brazilian death metal prominence back at the dawn of the millennium and found myself getting a first-hand account of their approach with the previous outing, “The Great Execution”, and if that was any indication then I’m only missing so much. I did enjoy what the album had to offer, and as far as palette-cleansing metal goes I’ve definitely heard worse, but it still felt a bit flat and only as interesting as their craft could possibly be. That’s more on me than on the band, of course. Still, it had enough going on for me to see where they would continue to tread from there…
From where it stands, “Forged in Fury” reins in a good portion of the group’s original flare and frenzy in favor of a slower and more drawn own method of musical torment. From my own limited engagement with the material it feels like the Kolesne/Camargo clan are still opting for a more simpler take on their particular metal blend, which in itself is fine as this, in turn, leads to a few things to consider; for one, the more mid-paced and chunky “stop-start” segments allow the tracks to breathe better and the collective efforts of the band to be heard versus a blinding windstorm of fire and noise. Even the production isn’t half bad; despite having resident musical trash compactor Erik Rutan again at the helm and dials, everything is clear and able to be heard, if a bit thick with the guitar tone. As a result it’s not an unpleasant album to sit through by any means, though there are only so many moments where it demands your full focus and attention (the fervent immediacy off tracks like ? and “Burning of the Heretic” , for example, offer plenty of flames-clad fun). I mean, you can only run through low B minor scales for so long until it starts to fade into mere background white noise, even if you can’t help it.
But as I’ve said many times before, I’ve heard worse extreme metal out there, so if the worst you can do is be an effective yet inoffensive work of nastiness, then who am I to complain? And truly, I’ve not heard anything off “Forged…” that I would consider terrible by any stretch; at best, it’s quite good where it counts, and at worst it’s somewhat bland. But that said, the flatness and accessibility of the material is both a good and a bad thing, as while it prevents further listens from being such a blur that would leave you exhausted, it also starts to feel increasingly dull the more the album wears on. It’s not so much an overt lack of ideas as it is said provided ideas only fleshed out so much and so far; for my money, a bit more exploration of the material, a more deeper unearthing of it all at hand, would make for a more enveloping listen, and as it stands it only offers so much in that regard before dimming. You KNOW these guys can do better (I mean, look at everything up to “Ageless Venomous”, or even “Bloodshed”), and more often than not you’ll feel that twinge of expectation as this continues plodding on track-by-track and only slightly getting there. But hey, as I said, better to be vanilla than shit.
In the end, I wasn’t all that impressed with “Forged in Fury” but I didn’t dislike it either. I wouldn’t say this is meant to continue the grand tradition of KRISIUN’s obvious supremacy in their given style, but merely just a simple musical treading of the waters. Here’s hoping the next one down the line will do them/us the same amount of justice many have come to expect.
Blind Guardian – Beyond The Red Mirror
Blind Guardian’s new album “Beyond The Red Mirror” is indisputably one of the most awaited release of the year. When it comes to such an influential band composed of highly experienced musicians, music classifications become quite useless as Blind Guardian has truly mastered a personal style. But on “Beyond The Red Mirror” you will certainly find all those beloved symphonic arrangements and the original backbone of power metal.
“The Ninth Wave” features a climactic epic beginning with triumphant, yet tinged of a mysterious darkness, classical operatic choirs and multi-faceted symphonic layers. The song concocts a truly majestic musical landscape that follows faithfully Blind Guardian’s successful sonic alchemy where strong power metal influenced guitar riffs embrace a variegated dramatic orchestration. Also, this is a lengthy track featuring a wide array of tempo changes and prog-oriented guitar solos.
“Twilight Of The Gods” is rather guitar driven with tighter and more aggressive rhythm section followed by a chorus super catchy and easy to remember. This track is quite rich in details but at the same time all the riffs work to create a smooth tune capable of producing a strong impact at the first listening.
“At The Edge Of Time” relies on an elegant and rather complex orchestration that renders everything stunningly majestic in operetta style. Flutes and trumpets in particular add a fairytale/mythological atmosphere that anybody would be attracted to.
On “Ashes Of Eternity” guitars become once again the dominant element. There is still a fantasy like atmosphere, especially when the rhythm slows down, but the borderline virtuoso guitar solos are the true key elements.
“Miracle Machine” is a passionate and sentimental collection of delightful piano melodies, almost a power metal ballad, featuring the heartfelt type of choir that we all learned to love in the iconic “The Bard’s Song”.
“Grand Parade” is another impressively solemn opus built on intricate orchestrations of high artistic value. In the midst of an awe-inspiring and noble atmosphere that instantaneously makes you feel good, there is still space for groovy rhythms and grandiose guitar work even if the true star remains the sumptuous theatrical structure.
Overall, “Beyond The Red Mirror” feels like a seductive rock opera or a hymn to talent and the infinite power of imagination. For many listeners, this new release might incarnate the mesmerizing masterpiece that we wanted to hear from Blind Guardian and it is definitely a consistently monumental and stunningly executed album that cannot be ignored.
Melechesh – Enki
With the sixth full length release entitled “Enki”, Melechesh doesn’t seem to step out of the comfortable musical niche that often relies on certain primordial elements of extreme metal. This makes “Enki” a savage album directly dedicated to a particular devoted audience rather than an attempt to attract a diverse range of listeners and expand its musical horizon. Nevertheless, the omnipresent Mesopotamian/Assyrian black metal vibe is what really makes Melechesh’s music more fascinating.
“Tempest Temper Enlil Enraged” features some slower and melodic guitar work but the main focus is the delivery of a high impact array of fast guitar riffing and blasting drumming showing the heaviest side of Melechesh.
Because of the vocal duet with the legendary Max Cavalera from Soulfly, I expected to find some enthralling primitive tribal vibe on “Lost Tribes”. In reality, the song is quite straight forward featuring a fast and furious riffing enraging through a breathless escalating rhythm with some minimal variations.
“Multiple Truths” brings a lighter atmosphere following a slightly more melodic core, embodied by glossy lead guitars, and assembles elements of thrash metal to create a sense of triumphant energy.
Because of its multidimensional nature, “Enki – Divine Nature Awoken” truly stands out and gains an extraordinary momentum when the odd Mesopotamian/Assyrian alchemy full of esoteric undertones takes over. There is a linear melodic harmony here that doesn’t clash at all with the primitive aggression displayed by the confident growls, featuring Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ, and the intense guitar riffing. Also, the softer and slower aspect of this song, furthermore enriched by ominous chanting, successfully evoke a sense of mysterious catharsis that goes beyond the traditional black or thrash metal realm.
“The Palm The Eye And Lapis Lazuli” features on lead guitar renowned Rob Caggiano who undeniably brings an additional dimension and the shredding style that everybody loves. This song delivers a good balance between a bold aggressive rhythm and an ethereal mystical/spiritual mood.
“Enki” definitely delivers some brilliant moments but, at times, the creative force seems to be weakened by a lack of genuine ambition and desire to cross pre-established boundaries, as Melechesh chooses not to take arduous risks and focuses on the creation of a furious guitar centered album.
To/Die/For – Cult
The release of “Cult” by Finnish act To/Die/For brings a mix of delight and nostalgia. It is absolutely a pleasure to see Jape & co. back in the music scene with a clear enthusiasm (there is no need to talk about lineup changes and other drama) but at the same time you realize to what extent such a lovely hardworking band has been always underestimated. The new album “Cult” truly feels like a necessary rebirth and incarnates the melancholic gothic rock that has always been the band’s signature style.
“In Black” runs on groovy guitar riffs that build the proper musical layers for Jape’s tormented vocals. This track features the notorious Scandinavian melancholy omnipresent in every To/Die/For album so it feels like the right way to introduce the album’s mood.
“Screaming Birds” faithfully portrays the band’s somber melodic nature. There are loads of catchy riffs with a wild groovy rhythm and a delightfully smooth guitar solo, while the breakdown brings a romantic sorrowful mood.
“Mere Dream” is all about a highly dramatic atmosphere successfully rendered by simple, yet seductively effective, piano melodies. Jape intensifies this everlasting sadness with passionate vocals and lower tuning.
On “You” Jape channels a classic Billy Idol interpretation but certainly adds a generous dose of haunting misery in goth fashion. In general, the tight rhythm and the melodic lead guitars lean toward a dirty rock style that enhances the song’s catchy core.
“Let It Bleed” is another anthem of To/Die/For sentimental decadence driven by super catchy dynamic guitar riffs and raspy rocking vocals that add a bittersweet momentum to the main melodic harmonies.
Overall, “Cult” will be an enjoyable listening for anybody and a long awaited sweet surprise for all To/Die/For devoted fans.
Shining – IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends
Putting aside all the suicidal/depressing imagery that seems to symbolize and stigmatize the work of Swedish act Shining, the new album “IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends” is an emotional ensemble of music that flirts with a poetic catharsis. Considering that many people easily get offended or heavily criticize the negative messages promoted by Shining, this album might not receive the best promotion or massive attention. Nevertheless, Niklas Kvarforth doesn’t keep his personal struggles secret and his multitalented musical genius must not be ignored.
“Den Påtvingade Tvåsamheten” is pervaded by a whimsical obscurity but at the same time emanates a palpable inner strength. This is an instrumental track definitely bearing the gothic sense of suffering and impending doom but also the elegant poetry of classical melodies.
“Vilja & Dröm” has a true old school black metal vibe empowered by a perennial sense of asphyxiation. Among the expected bone-chilling aggressive drumming & riffing recipe and the ghoulish desperate growls, darkly melancholic melodies find a way to bring a sort of enlightened luminescence.
“Framtidsutsikter” could be labeled as an unorthodox ballad but the point is that the apparent melodic serenity holds a wide range of chaotic emotions. The semi acoustic melodies and the intensely evocative guitar solo are easy to love at the very first listening.
“Människotankens Vägglösa Rum” highlights the band’s black metal roots with traditional blasting drums and hopelessly haunted rhythm. While Niklas’s vocals portray a harmonious mix of agony and passion, groovy guitar riffs gain the center stage and the full blown guitar shredding solo adds a progressive dimension.
Never mind the impossibility to read and pronounce all these Swedish titles and rest assured that each song on “IX – Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends” possesses something magically out of the ordinary that makes it exquisitely unforgettable
Xandria – Sacrificium
With the latest full length “Sacrificium” Xandria proudly introduces the new vocalist Dianne van Giersbergen and, since we keep on noticing frequent line up changes in so many female fronted bands, hopefully this time things will work out better. Despite line-up instability and lack of commitment issues, Xandria steadily proceeds along their majestic symphonic pathway. In fact, “Sacrificium” simply adds additional stylistic details and improved musicianship to the renowned musical recipe that brought a huge success to bands like Nightwish and Epica.
The title track is intensely grandiose and gives you immediately an idea of what to expect from Xanndria’s work on this album. It is noticeable that the band is trying to recreate a quite successful trend empowering the guitars riffs with a generous dosage of triumphant keyboards orchestration and strong operatic vocals & choirs that suit the symphonic theme.
“Nightfall” follows exactly the same music layout with dominant and flawless soprano vocals gracefully supported by meticulous orchestrations and catchy guitar riffs.
“Dreamkeeper” begins more quietly with soft piano melodies permeated by a fairytale like atmosphere. This track is particularly catchy with simple melodies and a chorus very easy to remember.
“Stardust” is another song that could easily attract the devoted symphonic metal fanbase. With an absolutely precise array of vocal skills Dianne van Giersbergen channels the golden era of Nightwish with Tarja while Marco Heubaum diligently provides the right musical tapestry to support and enhance her powerful vocals.
“Betrayer” sounds quite intriguing with a more gothic tinged atmosphere and a faster rhythm that gives the guitars a chance to shine with loads of tighter riffing and shredding before passing the scepter again to Dianne van Giersbergen.
“Our Neverworld” is a delicate operatic semi ballad focusing almost completely on Dianne van Giersbergen’ s flawless performance further enhanced by an ethereal dreamlike orchestration.
All the gentle and softhearted listeners will also be delighted by “Sweet Atonement” where melancholic harmonious melodies performed with piano and violins create the ideal musical frame for Dianne van Giersbergen’s highly emotional delivery.
Overall, with every key element fitting perfectly in the right place, “Sacrificium” sets another important step that would help Xandria gain more popularity in the symphonic metal scene. While “Sacrificium” might not shine for an extraordinary uniqueness, it will be an absolutely pleasurable listening for all symphonic metal lovers.