Dark Tranquillity - Construct

I think that Dark Tranquillity is one of the most consistent bands in metal. No, they may not have always released albums that appealed to all fans. No, they may not have always been as heavy as a melodic death metal band should be but their creativity should never be called into question. As a matter of fact, I think there are some albums by these Gothenburg originals that get way more shit than they deserve. Their tenth full length, Construct, is one of those albums. It's taken me a lot of listens to actually come to appreciate this album for what it is. There is some really good music and a killer atmosphere on this album and it's time people recognize it. It's not without flaws but it's not the abomination some make it out to be.

Some people think that the band was trying to create another Projector here but I don't see it that way. What I see is the perfect successor to We Are The Void, an album that I enjoyed. It didn't blow me away like Damage Done or Character but it was filled with an atmosphere that had me drawn to it for some reason. Don't get me wrong, Construct is not without its flaws as I feel the album opener, "For Broken Words," is a weak track that should not have opened the album. "The Silence of Noise" is a much better song where the keys provide melody and the riffs are pure Dark Tranquillity. Mikael Stanne's voice is as solid as it's ever been. The leads towards the end of the song are nice and melodic even if they don't provide anything else. "The Silence In Between" is another that has some decent riffing as well as some really melodic parts provided by the keyboards. The softer passage in the middle adds atmosphere adding another dimension to this album. "Apathetic" is a beast of a song that just kicks your ass. This song has some of the heaviest riffing the band has done in year as well as a godly solo.

I will admit that "What Only You Know" would not have been out of place on Projector or Haven. It's a good song with some wonderful melodies provided by the keys. Mikael Stanne's clean vocals are better than they were on any previous release. It appears that he has been working on his vocals because they were not flat in any place. I've never been a huge fan of his cleans but I can't deny that they work here. They tried their hand at it again on "State of Trust" but it did not work near as well as on "What You Only Know." The song is quite chaotic trying to go in too many places at once. Stanne sounds good but not enough to save the song. Then you have a song like "Endtime Hearts" that is a nice mix of the aggressive riffing and melodies. The chorus has a catchy melody that makes the song that much better. The keyboards in the background create a nice atmosphere that mixes well with the rest of the sounds on this song. There is a nice solo going on in this song making it that much better. "Weight of the End" is another song that has some nice riffing as well as those signature DT keys providing the melodies. This song could have been on Character. It's heavy in places and melodic in others but the mix of both has always worked for this band and it works on this song as well.

It's funny that this album is a culmination of everything that makes Dark Tranquillity the great band that they are but it takes some serious heat. I'm not afraid to admit the album's faults because there are a few. "None Becoming" is one of these moments. This is a song that just does nothing for me. It's slow and plodding. It could have been much more because the keys provide a nice atmosphere. However, I think the highlights I have mentioned here is enough to not disregard the album as a whole. Even the worst moments here are not horrible. I suggest that you get the limited edition 2 CD for "Immemorial" alone. Even though this is a slower song it's got some beautiful melodies, nice riffing and a melodic solo that just makes the song a nice addition as a bonus track. The second disc is a live disc and if you have ever heard this band live you know that it is a nice treat. Love them or hate them, they can pull it off in the live setting.

So here it is, I have made my case for this album. With all it's flaws and given the fact that they have moved away from the sound that a lot of DT fans have come to love, this album has some damn fine moments and should not be disregarded in any way. This is the direction the band seems to be going in right now. Who knows what the next album will bring. This band seems to reinvent itself every few albums so the sky's the limit for this band. But in the mean time, I'm not afraid to admit that I like this album. I suggest a few more listens as I have done. You may see that it can grow on you.

7.5/10

Nox Aeternum - Vale nostri moriens spiritum

Nox Aeternum from Pittsburgh, PA is a one man band that formed in the autumn of 2013 by Andrew Hart. To describe the music or put in into a certain genre is kind of complicated since there are a lot of dimensions at work here. We have some melodic black metal mix with melodic death metal and some progressive sounds thrown in. So here we have the debut EP entitled Vale nostri moriens spiritum which translates to Farewell Dying Breath. The EP was released in December, 2013 and is slightly over sixteen and a half minutes with four songs. I'm happy to say that this is one extremely impressive debut and has me anticipating a full length hopefully soon.

So starting off here we have "Empire of Filth" with an opening riff that kind of reminds me of something from the new Vinterbris, which I loved. So, of course my interest is immediately piqued. The riffing here is a cross between the black metal tremolos and some melo-death thrashers. The vocals flow from a black metal shriek to lower guttural death metal growls. At the midway point of the song we have a brief soft passage that reminds me of Opeth that leads into a shredding solo which, in turn, leads to the climax of the song with the harsh vocals slightly under some decent clean vocals. So far this shows me Mr. Hart can throw some serious hooks into his songs. Immediately following is "Reprise (In Nature's Cleansing)." A really brief little acoustic number, it seems out of place in the track order. It seemed that maybe it could have gone at the end of the album as a nice outro, but it's a nice little piece nonetheless.

"We Are But Falling Leaves" begins with a nice acoustic passage that leads right into the riffing that is really atmospheric with some dual lead riffs giving this tons of melody. His vocals sounds like Mikael Stanne here, which is nothing bad at all. The keys are slightly in the mix giving the song atmosphere and the acoustic passage in the middle is nice. Finally we have "Dawn of a Dead Sun" which begins with a piano intro and keyboards providing the string sounds. Once again we have some melodic lead riffs building the beginning up. Some cool riffing mixed with some well placed chugs leading into the verse. This song is the longest at seven minutes and shows a bit more of this guy's epic side. Mixing in all of the elements that make up this band into one song, including some progressive rhythms and chugs with some acoustic guitars in there all leading to a melodic solo and song climax.  The acoustic part taking you to the end of the song was a nice touch

There's a lot going on in the short amount of time that makes up this EP. I'm really interested in hearing a full length from this guy. He knows how to write catchy songs with hooks and melodies that draw you in. If you are a fan of epic melodic metal that has atmosphere and melody than you should check into this band.

9.5/10

Terrifier - Metal or Death EP

It seems like a lot of the bands that are playing 80s style metal, whether it be traditional, doom or thrash get lumped into the whole "retro" category. I think that retro is used to loosely. To me a band is retro if it goes out of it's way to sound like a throwback. Then there are some that are the real deal. British Columbia's Terrifier is that real deal. Actually formed in 2003 under the name of Skull Hammer they changed their name to Terrifier in 2012 and released this three song EP in July of 2013. These guys manage to kick the living shit outta me in just under twelve minutes with their riff laden thrash metal. These guys are no joke, this is head banging, fist banging, moshing thrash metal.

The EP kicks off with the title track and the riff fest begins. The song is fast and well written with a hint of being technical.  The riffs do not let up on this song as the vocals pummel you with their aggression. This reminds me of the 80s. The solos are amazing on this song being very technical. There are a lot of dual harmony leads that add some melody to this aggression. This song is simply a neck breaker. "Infernal Overdrive is another song that just pounds you with riffs and speed. There's some blasts in there that lead to some absolutely godly solos. Some of the riffs actually remind me of early Iced Earth triplets but used sparingly. The assault continues with the third and final song. "Wretched Damnation." This is another speedy thrash number with aggressive riffs and amazing solos. This is thrash done right.

This album is actually well produced with a more classic sound but with enough modern production to not sound dated. You can't go wrong with this band because they know how to write catchy thrash songs that are fuckin' good. I'm waiting to see what this band does next because with the right exposure they could go very far. The only thing wrong with this EP is that there wasn't more of it. This is a band to watch.

9/10

Digital Download Provided by Vlad Promotion

Argus - Beyond the Martyrs

So here we have the album that I deemed to be the best metal album of 2013, Argus' third album Beyond the Martyrs, so I guess it's about time I give it a proper review. This band formed in 2005 and have released three albums. I just happen to discover them in the latter part of 2013 with this album and am I glad I did. This is true metal if ever there was. And I'm not talking about loin cloth Manowar true metal. I'm talking riffs, dual lead riffs, monster solos and melodies. They border on doom a bit but I would not call them a doom band. They just play good old heavy metal that would not have been out of place coming out along side of Maiden's self titled in '81.

This band knows how to write a song that just sucks you in. The opener is an epic number entitled "By Endurance We Conquer" and is just huge. The riffs are crushing right from the start and the dual lead riffs are just classic. "Butch" Balich is a monster of a vocalist not trying to hit every range known to man, but soaring and epic vocals that almost reminds me of Harry Conklin. This band ain't fuckin' around here. This song has some time changes and hooks that make the playing time of 6:33 just go by. Sometimes I repeat this song just because it seems to go by so fast. The guitar work is just godly. The solos are classy and melodic. They take me back to when heavy metal was new and fresh and even though this band surely is old school this is not a stale re-hash. This is timeless music. "No Peace Beyond the Line" is another riff fest using the lead riffs to provide the melodies then the huge riffs that take you into the verse are just crushing. Again, the solos are soaring and melodic and do not rely on just the technical use of scales but instead have feeling and soul. Check out the solos on the title track and album closer. This is an instrumental that shows just how good these guys are and the raw emotion that is in each and every song on this album.

It seems that every song on this album is epic with time changes and catchy melodies as well as being heavy. This band doesn't rely on being fast and furious but instead rely on their strengths as songwriters to create meticulously constructed songs. The intro lead riff on "The Hands of Time are Bleeding," for instance, has a strange rhythm to is but is precise in it's execution leading to a crushing doomy main riff. Again, the vocals are just perfect as they soar with such passion. "Trinity" starts off with doom riffs and could be a doom metal song as it's slower and the main riff is crushing. "The Coward's Path" has a classic Sabbath feel to it and is another doomy number. Mr. Iommi should have listened to this song before writing "13" because maybe then it wouldn't have been a snooze fest! This song is more Sabbath than Sabbath. In contrast to the doom, we have "Four Candles Burning" is faster with more dual lead riffs and a melody that just draws you in. I get lost listening to songs like this on the album. Even if this is one of the shorter songs on the album, it's epic nonetheless. If I were to point out a favorite song it would have to be "Cast Out All Raging Spirits" (can these guys come up with great song titles, or what?). This song is just massive with riffs, melodies, and solos...this is what metal should be.

I absolutely love every song on this album. There hasn't been an album that has been this good and this magical in a very long time. There is a reason that I called this the best metal album of 2013...because no other release could touch it.

10/10

Disfigurement - Soul Rot (EP)

When it comes to the so called return of "old school" death metal there are few bands that are truly doing it old school. When I think old school I think of Death, early Morbid Angel, early Obituary, and of course the old school swede-death sound. There have been many times that I have been mislead when finding a band that SAYS they play old school death metal only to find that they really just play watered down death metal with non modern production. I want to hear riffs! I want to hear solos! Well, finally I have found a band that truly does take me back to those early days of death metal when they still had a tinge of thrash in the music and the riffs were massive and the solos killer...that band is Atlanta, Georgia's Disfigurement.

This EP was released in September of 2013 and is a 23 minute onslaught of riffs, solos and evil death growls. The opener, "Noxious Sensation", pummels you with excellent riffs, and classy solos that are tasty as well as technical. The drums are pounding with some blasts but they do not dominate the music making this truly old school. These guys really show their influences on this and all the songs on this EP. This is a neck breaker as the riffs just keep coming including some good tremolos. "Solitude" is another just crushing death metal song that makes me feel like I'm back in the early '90s again. The first solo has a an eastern feel to it and is just godly. These guys can play! The second solo is another piece of metal artistry. One of the best death metal songs I've heard, ever...coming from a bunch of fairly young guys! Makes my old metal heart feel good to know that there is a generation of people playing this music.

I'm sorry but modern death metal just does not contain riffs like these. The title track is just crushing with riffs including some classy tremolos that fit perfectly and this song even has a doomy part in there that contains some of the heaviest doom riffs I've ever heard. This song is epic and shows just how talented these guys are. "Entrance to Emptiness," and "Foul Light" are both just pounding death metal songs with some of the best riffs I've heard in along time from a death metal band. These guys could show some of their mentors a thing or two actually. I've been playing this shit out of this EP since I've got it and I'm not even close to getting tired of it. I hope this band gets the recognition they deserve because they will go far. They are tight and talented and I'm a major fan of this band already.

The only thing wrong with this EP is that there is not enough of it. I can't wait to hear a proper album from these guys. Every song written solidly and played with perfection. If you are like me and are sick to fuckin' death of hearing "old school death metal" only to find that it's anything but, these guys will give you hope. Neck braces not included.

9.5/10

Ranger - Knights of Darkness (EP)

It seems that there are a huge amount of young bands coming out now that give a huge nod to the old school in the music they create. Some of it is not that great but the majority of it that I've heard is actually really good. They may not be re-inventing the genre with new and innovative ideas but they are giving a fresh young spin on an old school metal. Finland's Ranger is one of those bands and I just happen to find them mentioned on Fenriz' Band of the Week Facebook page. Upon further investigation, I found their 2013 EP entitled Knights of Darkness and was pleasantly surprised at the sheer aggressiveness of this speed metal band's music. They remind me of old Exciter in a way and this EP did not disappoint in the slightest.

This is a short five song EP but starts off in the right direction with the song "Ranger." What we have are crushing speed metal riffs and solos. The vocals sound more like thrash style rasps and screams. The riffs really do make this song as they pummel you into submission by forcing you to bang your fuckin' head unmercifully. The solos are fast and massive. There is some melody here and there some dual leads but mostly this is speed and more speed....and not flower metal speed but pure speed metal. The lyrics are a tad cheesy but they work with this kind of music. "Touch of Death" starts of with some inhuman screams over top of huge riffs. This song is lightening fast and the solos are so good. The drummer is a beast as he just pounds the fuck outta the drums. Two songs in and I need a fuckin' neck brace!

After a rest for my neck and a shot of oxygen, I prepare to get my ass kicked again as the rest of the EP does not let up at all. You have "Steel Dawn" and "Supreme Evil" that continue the beating with their monster riffs and lightening fast solos. The vocalist could break glass with his screams. But these guys are not a one trick pony because the last song on the album, which is the title track, isn't the pummeling speed fest that made up the earlier songs. This song actually starts off anthemic with less speed but more emphasis on a crushing main riff. The soloing on this song is just godly as the song picks up speed as it goes along finally getting to break neck (literally) speed. Once again the singer's screams are earth shattering. Towards the end it slows down in an epic way as you are left drenched in sweat and your neck broken.

That was one hell of a ride! This album left me in traction. I must also mention the production here since it sounds really old school. It's clean production but not over polished. I'm tempted to say this is an analog production with no tricks or triggers. These guys are a band to be reckoned with. If you like your metal fast and furious then this is the band for you. This is another band I've my eye on because I want to hear much more from these guys. I want to hear a proper album by these guys...even if it kills my old ass!!

9/10

Falkenbach - Asa

I've been a huge fan of Falkenbach since first hearing their 2003 opus, Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty when it was released. To me, that album was an album that defined a genre, being heavy but seriously melodic I instantly became a fan. I immediately acquired the remainder of what was their discography up to that time. I have since picked up all subsequent releases as well. Heralding - The Fireblade was good but not as good as their previous releases and Tiurida slipped even more. They were not bad albums in any way as I believe that Vratyas Vakyas in incapable of releasing anything that's truly bad. These albums just did not live up to the band's former glory.

In April of 2013 we were given a teaser of the new album in the single titled "Eweroun". I knew at that point we were in for something special from Vratyas Vakyas and his hired guns. On November 1, 2013 Asa was unleashed upon the world (a day before my birthday so happy birthday to me!) and to my wondrous ears it appeared that the Falkenbach I knew and loved were back. All was right with the world. The album kicks off with "Vaer Stjernar Vaerdan" which is your typical Falkenbach song with flowing melodies and acoustic and electric guitars playing together. This album already reminded me of Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty in the way it sounded. The song had Vratyas singing his hypnotic clean vocals in a language that I'm not quite sure of but appears to be an extinct Germanic language. There's even some lead guitar there adding melody and atmosphere to the song.

Then to my surprise the second track, "Wulfarweijd", kicks in and this is an ass kicker from start to finish. It's speedy with double bass and Vratyas doing harsh vocals throughout taking me even further back into this band's discography. This was a welcoming sign because I thought that maybe Vratyas was running out of new ideas. However, this album seemed like he had finally found his niche and was able to combine the aggressiveness of his earlier releases with the melodies of Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty. I was right because this album is the combination of everything that is Falkenbach...aggression, melody and his odes to the Gods of old! Songs like "Mijn Laezt Wourd", "Eweroun", and "Ufirstanan Folk" are your melodic Falkenbach songs with the acoustic guitars just slightly back in the mix over the electrics and Vratyas' clean vocals singing just making beautiful music.

Then you have songs like "Bronzen Embrace" (the only song sung in English), and "I Nattens Stilta" being your more aggressive songs. The songs are catchy and melodic even though they are faster and Vratyas uses only his harsh vocals on these songs. His harsh vocals are really good too as not to overpower the music or sound like he's trying to hard to be grim. Once again, the musicianship on these songs is really good and the songs are catchy as well. There's even "Bluot Fuër Bluot" that combines the two styles that takes me back to ...En Their Medh Riki Fara...

This album takes everything that makes Falkenbach what it is and molds it together to make this the best release from Falkenbach in over a decade. I thoroughly enjoy this album and gets played regularly. I do love this type of folk metal and no one does it better than this band. If you were a fan of this band but were not impressed with their last two releases then get this....you won't be disappointed.

9/10

Queensryche - Queensryche

Okay, I am an old metal head and I grew up on Queensryche. I remember when the self titled EP came out and, like most metal heads of the time, was floored by this guy's vocals. How the fuck did this guy learn how to sing like that? Was this Rob Halford's love child? I became an instant fan of the band and believed (and still do) that Geoff Tate had (you see how I said HAD) the best voice in metal at one time. We all know the story...three essential albums and one good album after the release of the EP. Then it all went to shit!

So we get to 2012 and it seems that the band finally decided that they turned to shit because of the same man that made them great...Geoff Tate. So they fire him and bring in Todd La Torre from Crimson Glory. They start playing shows focusing on their earlier material. All the while a butthurt Geoff Tate decides that he's going to get a band of wash ups and call his band Queensryche too. WTF is going on? Will we actually get a decent Queensryche album now. Will this shake up make everything right in the world?

So, we fast forward to June 2013 and we get a new Queensryche album (if you can call thirty-five minutes an album). Metal heads are waiting on the edge of their seats to see if they will return to their former glory. Well, I'm sorry to say that what we got was an almost EP of mostly homogenized hard rock with minimal metal to be found. And what happened?  You got people jizzing all over themselves saying that Queensryche went "back to their roots." What album were they listening to? And don't get me started on the production! This is over loud production where the drums and base drown out the guitars. And the guitars have this strange thin sound to them and are buried WAY down in the mix.

Okay, before I get carried away here let me clarify where I stand with Queensryche. The EP, The Warning, Rage For Order, and Operation: Mindcrime are essential metal albums...period. These albums are as close to perfect as metal albums can get. Empire was a really good and enjoyable hard rock album with some metal here and there. Every album after that was absolute shit...including Promised Land. I still don't know why that album gets so much praise. So, to me, a back to their roots would be a heavy metal album from Queensryche and they failed to deliver that. Instead the band decided to play it really safe and make an almost sort of metal album. The opener, "Where Dreams Go to Die" is a really good metal song that would not have been out of place on Mindcrime. Sadly their are not too many more moments like that to be found on the album.

Todd La Torre is actually the perfect replacement for Geoff Tate. He has pretty much the same sound to his voice with a touch of James Rivera in his lower registers. Sadly this all goes to waste because most of the songs on this album are just mediocre. "Spore" seems to have a nice riff going throughout the song and would not be too out of place on Rage For Order were it not for the production. "In This Light", "Vindication", and "Fallout" are decent catchy songs but they still seem to play it really safe and have very minimal metal in them. The rest of the album is just so mediocre. Where's the metal??

So here we have Queensryche with an excellent new singer and plenty of potential. So why did they play it so safe? Did they rush this album just to put out something because of Tate releasing his abortion under the Queensryche name? This is the best album since Empire but that is not saying much at all. Their next album needs to crank up the metal or I will, once again, write this band off for good. So sad.

6/10

Tad Morose - Revenant

Tad Morose....this band conjures up some great memories for me when it comes to metal. I got to see the band open for Edguy in New York then see them again a few days later at ProgPower V in Atlanta. I actually got the chance to meet the band and spend some time with them and their former vocalist Urban Breed. Wow, that's coming up on 10 years ago now! The band has made it's mark in metal with their brand of traditional/power metal but it was Urban Breed that put these Swedes on the metal map.  Although they put out two quality albums prior to the Urban Breed era, I think most metal heads can agree that the albums with him were their very best. He is also one of the coolest people in metal!

So now we have Revenant, their first with new vocalist Ronnie Hemlin. Was he able to replace the irreplaceable?  No he wasn't. Urban Breed is unquestionably one of the best vocalists in metal today and his voice on any subsequent album by this will be surely missed. I am probably being biased because of the quality of the Urban Breed albums and was expecting a "Kamelot moment" when it comes to his replacement.  However, even though Ronnie Hemlin isn't horrible, his voice tires quite quickly. He actually reminds me of a second rate "Ripper" Owens if  "Ripper" were to only sing in a lower to mid register.  When Ronnie tries to go to a higher register, it doesn't work, at all.

With that said, the songs on the album are actually quite good. What you get here is a crunchier Tad Morose but all the while keeping the melody that we know and love about them. The songs are well written and the solos are well done with a mixture of technicality and melody.  Guitarist Christer "Krunt" Andersson and drummer Peter Moren are the only members from their glory days so the band has a mostly new line up but they get the job done very well. The opener, "Beneath a Veil of Crying Souls," starts the album off on a good note. The song is actually quite good and the chorus is rather catchy and Ronnie doesn't sound so bad. So far, so good. The second song "Follow" is a mid paced rocker with another catchy as Hel chorus....but the vocals are already starting to get on my nerves.

The rest of the album affected me the same way.  Great songs, although they vary from powerful rockers like "Babylon," "Absence of Light," "Millenium Lie," "Spirit World," and "Timeless Dreaming" to songs like "Ares" and "Dance of the Damned  with that eastern feel with an "Anubis" feel. There isn't a bad song on this album at all. They range from very good to great, but the vocals kill it. By the time I finished the album, I don't want to hear Ronnie Hemlin's voice ever again. Am I biased towards Urban Breed? Probably. But this album leaves me wondering why they chose him in the first place. Honestly? As good as these songs are, I would MUCH rather listen to Urban Breed's band Trail of Murder than listen to this album again. I probably will listen to it again, but when it's over I will have that same feeling. This album would have received 9/10 were it not for the vocals. What a shame.

6.5/10