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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Within Temptation’s career sure feels like an ethereal rollercoaster that began quietly with the understated gothic tinged album “Enter”. Now, we can safely say that the hard working Dutch band fronted by hyper talented vocalist Sharon den Adel has become one of the most important presences in the symphonic metal scene. Therefore, a majestic live album is more than appropriate to celebrate such outstanding well deserved success. Much has changed in terms of music style as Within Temptation evolved through the years, but the massive DVD/Blu-ray/2CD “Let Us Burn – Elements & Hydra Live in Concert” contains a highly satisfying collection of oldies and newer material that will appeal to all the fans. The “Elements” show recorded at Sportpaleis in Antwerp is a very significant one because it celebrated the 15th anniversary of the band. On this concert you will find mesmerizing classics such as “The Dance”, the iconic anthems “Mother Earth” and “Ice Queen” and the super energetic “Faster”.
The “Hydra” concert was recorded at Amsterdam’s Heineken Music Hall and features a lovely acoustic version of “Sinéad”, the powerful hit “And We Run” famous for the guest rap vocals by American hip-hop legend Xzibit, the famous “What Have You Done” featuring the memorable duet with Keith Caputo and the beloved “Paradise (What About Us?)” featuring the most elegant duet with symphonic metal siren Tarja Turunen.
With over 170 minutes of live music excellently performed, “Let Us Burn” is a must have for Within Temptation’s faithful and ever-growing fanbase.

With MaYan’s latest release “Antagonise” Mark Jansen makes a quite serious declaration of intent about what seemed to be “just” another side project. Having by his side a wonderful diverse ensemble of singers and musicians, Jansen is set to create a superband that can play and perform any music genre. Hence, the ravenous listeners will soon find that “Antagonise” is a compelling treasure chest of multiple music styles that wouldn’t necessarily fit on one album.
“Burn Your Witches” is easy to love as it presents a persuasive and consistent musical structure. There is a lot going on, maybe even too much, but it seems that Henning Basse’s vocals are strong enough to support the whole show. The guitar shredding, the catchy delivery and the friendly symphonic layout will easily please the listeners.
“Lone Wolf” seems to embrace more smoothly the death/symphonic mixture that incarnate the musical core of this album. Many will appreciate Mark Jansen’s brutal growls, but Henning Basse is again the center of attention in terms of interpretation skills and obviously his vocal style better suits the dominant melodic nature of this track.
“Devil In Disguise” features a majestic theatrical interpretation by Henning Basse that brings to mind the notorious recipe behind Trans Siberian Orchestra’s performances. In fact, besides the prog oriented guitar work, the whole grandiose orchestration is a focal asset on this song.
“Insano” is the emotionally charged classical operetta that might not exactly fit the whole music pathway showcased on the rest of the album and might feel like just an interlude. Nevertheless, Laura Macrì’s impeccable performance is definitely worth the listeners’ undisputed attention.
“Human Sacrifice” (definitely a title that evokes a more raw inspiration) might as well feel a bit out of place as an old school death metal spirit seems to posses Jansen’s performance and songwriting. There are still some majestic keyboards arrangements in a typical symphonic fashion, the beloved operatic female vocals and even clean male vocals. But when all these delightful changes take over the scene the transition is not as smooth as it should/could be.
A very similar situation appears on “Faceless Spies” which revolves around bursts of angry paranoid death metal vocals and rhythm and the, sort of interesting yet awkward, classical keyboards. Amidst this styles confusion, a highly fascinating and absolutely flawless violin solo successfully brings a luminous harmony.
In the end, the whole concept of smoothly intertwining the primitive energy of extreme metal and elegant magic of symphonic/operatic music feels like an overwhelming task to achieve at once. The result is that “Antagonise” might stand out for its fearless exploration of the unlimited potential of music but it doesn’t keep all those shiny promises of songwriting innovations.