Vreid’s sixth full length release entitled “Welcome Farewell” features a charismatic fusion of raw black metal and traditional rock n’ roll. While the band always personalizes and reinterprets some old school metal favorite elemens, a more melodic approach is dominant throughout the album. Considering the wide range of musical facets explored on “Welcome Farewell” it would be safe to say that Vreid is trying to reach a wider audience.

“The Ramble” stands out for its excellent somber atmosphere. The songwriting is smooth and attentive, the raspy vocals fit the mood perfectly and the guitar riffs have a captivating melodic delivery.

“Way Of The Serpent” has an evident black metal approach filled with aggressive guitar riffs layered on a fast and furious rhythm section. Later on, there are still plenty of softer melodies to render everything more accessible.

The title track shines for its melodic nature and groovy rhythm, but also offers plenty of gloomy tunes and violently heavy guitar riffs. The song’s structure is quite traditional, yet at the same time it displays a unique musical intensity especially in the lead guitar work.

“The Reap” has a dark rock n’ roll aura enhanced by dramatically melancholic guitar melodies performed in Scandinavian fashion. This is probably the catchiest song on the album due to the extremely melodic core and the highly reduced speed.

“Sights Of Old” begins with slow and mellow harmonies and a heavy doomish mood. When the drums kick in, everything becomes black and almost claustrophobic. Yet, in the end the lead guitar brings always charming lighter melodies and purifying clean arpeggios. This track offers several style variations designed to keep the listeners entertained, therefore it is the most interesting track in terms of songwriting.

The slight gothic attitude and the dark low toned vocals make “Black Waves” another pleasant moment that deserves a thorough listening.

“Welcome Farewell” represents a further step towards the rightful achievement of a prominent position in the realm of underground metal. This is a strong and intensely mature album that would easily please all metal lovers.

If you are a long term fan of Corrosion Of Conformity, you should be familiar with the band’s debut album “Eye For An Eye” originally released in 1984. I have mixed feelings about reissues of old albums as they often bring back the early years lack of maturity or they just don’t fit anymore with the band’s current musical vision. It is immediately noticeable that “Eye For An Eye” is very distant from what Corrosion Of Conformity has been releasing recently. This album includes the EP “Six Songs With Mike Singing”, so you get a total of twenty six songs. These songs are supposed to be remastered but the sound is still extremely rough and dirty. It’s hard to distinguish one song from another as the guitar riffs are repetitive and somehow irrational, but I guess that’s what early crossover hardcore thrash was supposed to be. So, there is a lot of explosive energy, angry vocals, rebellious attitude, lack of musical structure and sloppy sounds that certainly might appeal to a specific crowd while others would get bored quite easily.

“Eye For An Eye” is nothing more than a collector item strictly dedicated to Corrosion Of Conformity’s fanbase.

Tiamat’s long awaited come back entitled “The Scarred People” is certainly characterized by that exquisite darkness that has become a seminal trademark for the band. Tiamat’s music style has been evolving deeply since the breakthrough release of the album “Wildhoney” back in 1994, but even now you can still perceive those hallucinogenic/psychedelic rock elements that brought the rightfully deserved fame. Since then, Johan Edlund has fully embraced the darkness of gothic rock and has reinvented Tiamat’s music style over and over. It just seems reasonable that a talented musician such as Edlund desires to explore different musical facets rather than to play it safe with the same old songs to keep people happy.

The title track flows naturally and easily revolving around a simple, yet fundamental, groovy tune. The musical core is undeniably melodic stripped of any traditional metal elements and closer to old school darkwave. The addition of atmospheric keyboards enriches the sound and Edlund’s vocals are exquisitely dark as expected.

“Winter Dawn” has a lovely gothic framework enhanced by catchy and more metal guitar riffs. Certainly, Edlund’s vocals are always the center of attention with that amazingly decadent yet soothing delivery.

“Radiant Star” still dwells in the realm of darkness but it is also filled with sugar coated melodies and a memorable soothing guitar solo characterized by a flawless clean sound.

“The Sun Also Rises” follows the same guitar driven hyper melodic theme with the addition of a slightly more dramatic vibe.

“Before Another Wilbury Dies” is an instrumental track with a more modern alternative rock approach that revolves around groovy guitar melodies.

“Love Terrorists” has a very energetic structure that blends genuinely with highly atmospheric synths and super gloomy vocals. Again, the focus is the lead guitar work which is effortlessly comforting and impeccably melodic.

The peaceful sound of rain introduces the listener to the dark danceable groovy guitar riffs of “Thunder & Lightning”.  The super catchy chorus, the easy melodies and the brilliant crispy guitar solo make this track particularly accessible and memorable.

“The Red Of The Morning Sun” is a treat for those who are stuck in the past and deeply miss the harmonious perfection of “Wildhoney”. Edlund’s vocals are passionately impeccable, there is a lovely gothic theme made of emotional semi acoustic arpeggios while enlightening distorted melodies and majestic keyboards dominate the chorus. This track simply has everything you might possibly need.

“The Scarred People” is a comprehensive mix of a wide array of music genres reinterpreted in perfect gothic fashion that might not be an anthem of innovation but it’s certainly a pleasantly mature artistic effort. I would recommend “The Scarred People” to those listeners willing to simply enjoy it rather than analyze it and compare it to the older releases.

 

Regardless of the music quality, famous beloved bands like Kamelot will always manage to keep the fanbase happily satisfied. The latest release “Silverthorn” is a safe album that proposes again the band’s winning recipe without astonishing surprises. The amazing and creative guitar work is the true strength of “Silverthorn” but, unfortunately, the repetitive power metal tunes tend to weaken the album as a whole.

“Manus Dei” is a very exciting intro in perfect symphonic style with the inevitable operatic chorus. Yet, as soon as “Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)” begins, the songwriting and the melodies become too redundant and pompous.  There is a lot going on here both in terms of style changes and instrumental sounds but too often all these elements are in conflict resulting in an unnatural musical flow. At the same time, the vocals and the guitar riffs at the very beginning are sublime while they become very predictable on the chorus. All the musical complexity showcased on this song certainly proves Kamelot’s mature musicianship but it becomes a confusing melting pot.

“Ashes To Ashes”, despite the clichéd title, brings some hope with a series of interesting prog metal sequences.  Yet, the pop power metal chorus is somehow unnecessary and clashes with the intensely creative prog guitar/keyboards tunes.

‘Torn” has an epic tapestry with a pleasant mid paced rhythm and majestic guitar solos, but the recurring overrated happy power metal attitude decreases the early excitement for this song.

“Song For Jolee” is the must have super soft romantic ballad. The vocals are melancholic and passionate as expected and the main piano melodies are quite charming.

“Veritas” shines for its violin intro followed by polished energetic guitar riffs. The keyboards layers are subtle but fundamental, the grandiose operatic chorus perfectly fits the epic atmosphere and the vocals are eclectic enough to keep the song interesting.

The title track simply follows the general music theme of “Silverthorn”. The guitars and keyboards are perfectly entwined and the breakdown has a folk taste but it seems a bit awkward.

“Prodigal Son” is the most appealing track on the album. It has a dark aura that spreads from the mystic organ driven intro enhanced by the inspiring flawless vocals. The Gregorian chant style is certainly an elegant addition that flows quite naturally within the more vigorous metal theme. The guitar work here is truly outstanding and creates a captivating concoction of styles that range from traditional metal to modern symphonic/power metal.

Once again, it seems that Kamelot has decided to stay true to its long term musical legacy. Therefore, the band’s fans will appreciate this strategic move while the others will look somewhere else for something more exciting and innovative.

 

We’ve seen it on the fashion runways and all over the music scene, so I guess that 70’s style is officially trendy again. The German act Kadavar certainly embraced full speed every musical aspect of 70’s classic rock and even the band’s image matches that particular music direction perfectly.
On the new album “Abra Kadavar” (lovely title by the way and maybe pun intended?) you will find all the magic nostalgia of the unforgettable golden days of true hard rock with that delicious hint of psychedelic mood.
“Come Back Life” holds no secrets and no digital special effect. Simple and well executed, this is a distorted guitar driven tune that never fails to build a fun groove with nostalgic Black Sabbath influences.
“Doomsday Machine” feels more like a time machine as its one and only duty is to efficiently take you back in time for a chance to jam in a smoky bar. The groove is always there and the rhythm is laid back without pretenses.
“Eye Of The Storm” is full of catchy guitar riffs that aim to create a good time rather than to deliver a perfect record that will sell out. Yet, you will start to notice that the vocals can be obnoxiously repetitive while the guitars take more chances to get wild in the last two minutes.
“Liquid Dream” not only manages to keep that overwhelmingly groovy maybe bluesy guitar riff but also provides all you need to trip out without regrets.
“Rhythm For Endless Minds” will make a difference. That’s how we like it here…filled with illusions…psychedelic all the way through with hints of Monster Magnet. Slower beat and electronically fueled atmosphere on which you must go experimental with the guitar sound. This is when you realize that the possibilities are endless.
“Abra Kadabra” is another lucky moment. Every instrument here concocts a wide array of psychedelic rock melodies that favor genuine tripping and courageously open the doors of imagination.
Undoubtedly, Kadavar stays true to its musical vision without any apparent effort but “Abra Kadavar” as a whole can be monotone at times.

When it comes to a Sirenia’s new album it’s like playing with fire after being repeatedly burned in the past. You must remember the pain and that you shouldn’t do it anymore, but you always do it anyway. This time could be different because “Perils Of The Deep Blue” comes with unbreakable promises, maybe.
The album opens with the intro “Ducere Me In Lucem” and a Latin title always creates majestic expectations and endless illusions. Then again, if you stick to angelic vocals haunting you from far away and sweet melancholic piano melodies what could ever go wrong?
“Seven Widows Weep” has an undeniably powerful start with the “oh so lovely” operatic choir that here almost sounds evil and angry (this is a very good sign). The guitar’s sound is dirty and the growls are greedy, but Ailyn’s lead vocals still feel out of place. What a pity, especially considering that the keyboards arrangement is as exquisite as it can be.
“My Destiny Coming To Pass” has a classic pompous symphonic approach but the surprisingly violent guitar riffs deserve to be acknowledged while Ailyn’s super fragile and overwhelmingly optimistic delivery (full of echoes and unnatural reverb) is not impressive.
“Decadence” has a catchy and quick rhythm but the vocals are way too high for the melody tuning. Anyways, the blast of evil growls always brings hope while the lack of Gregorian chants makes this song particularly sad.
“Stille Kom Døden” holds the magic of a miracle with its blessed decadent tragic gothic attitude, lovely guitar leads and the genuine powerless feelings of tormented souls. Among the super sad melodies, Ailyn manages to match her vocals to the musical tapestry for the first time. And then the ominous choir helps Morten’s alluring growls to seal this impeccable moment.
“A Blizzard Is Storming” features some inspiring moments such as the darker melodic theme gothic-oriented emphasized by tight guitar riffs a bit on the heavy side and a harrowing solo.
Undoubtedly, “Perils Of The Deep Blue” shows a noticeable improvement in the songwriting and arrangement but, fearlessly, I will say again that Morten Veland does not need a pop style female singer to make Sirenia trendy and successful.

Gothminister’s latest release “Utopia” is a quite complicated concept album. Giving it a quick listening it was extremely hard to realize what was beyond each and every song. First of all, I had no idea that mastermind Bjørn Alexander Brem actually has a “normal” day job rather than being just a talented freak. That being stated, “Utopia” is an album centered on the insane collision of reality and imagination.
“Someone Is After Me” turns on the traditional nightmarish mode full of monsters under the bed and freaky (possibly undead) stalkers. From a stylistic point of view, there are a lot of catchy heavy rock guitar riffs and the electro goth attitude is not as empowering as expected.
The titletrack has a slower darker rhythm with eerie backing vocals and baritone leads. This song is less guitar centered and rather emphasizes a goth mood that naturally flows into a radio friendly chorus.
“Horrorshow” is quite self explanatory. The dominant vibe is that playful creepiness of old cult horror movies with a hint of properly heavy industrial metal and, of course, a dancey groove chorus.
“Nightmare” has a majestic and powerful ensemble of groovy riffs and atmospheric keyboards. In terms of songwriting, the musical core is quite straightforward and leans towards gothic metal roots with the addition of the horror rock sensation.
“All Alone” feels almost like a traditional spooky lullaby with evil whisperings in the pitch black darkness. The lead guitar shows a mellow, almost ballad style, but the overall rhythm is still absolutely groovy while the vocals’ delivery suggests oppressed and scary feelings.
I remembered that Gothminister was much more entertaining and obnoxiously amusing than this, nevertheless“Utopia” shows enough consistent musical variety even if there are not outstandingly creative elements.