Nuclear Blast Allstars - Into the Light (2007)

This is an intriguing concept for a compilation/celebration album. It is not a "best of" collection, as each song has been crafted for this production, however each features a different vocalist - a "Nuclear Blast Allstar". The band includes Victor Smolski on guitars, bass and sometimes keyboards (can you say multi-talented?) and Andre Hilgers on drums for most of the tracks. I guess this means that this album is essentially Rage with guest vocalists and occasionally other guest musicians as well. Smolski wrote most of the music, and Peavey Wagner writes the lyrics for a number of the tracks.

The cover is beautiful - depicting a castle atop a rocky isle, floating in the clouds. All is eerie and digital, with light illuminating the top of the tower. Inside the booklet begins with an introduction from Smolski and then the following double page spread feture the lyrics on the right and the vocalist on the left, along with  a brief passage talking a little about the band, the song and singing the praises of Nuclear Blast Records.

The first track, "Dirty Wings" is vocalised by the lovely Tobias Sammet, of Edguy. The heavy structures are classic Rage, stronger, more bass-ic than Edguy's complex manouverings. Sammet's voice is its typical pure and slightly raw self. The song is not overly stimulating or exciting - just energetic power and strength.

With slamming guitars and raging drums, we roar into "Terrified" with Peavey Wagner (Rage). With some slower moments, and Wagner's strongly accented vocals, more shouting than singing. Aggressive more than frightened, I'd have to say.

"Ruling the World", feating Toni Kakko (Sonata Arctica) is another aggressive and raw number.

Slower, more haunting, starting with piano; steadily becoming heavier, dirge like. We enter "Death is Alive". Mats Levens voice is soaring and echoeey, melodious then raw, accompanied by the haunting vocals of Jen Majura. Levens does backing vocals for Lions Share, which may be why he sounds familiar. He has also performed with Abstrakt Algebra and Therion.  Majura's voice is strong, relatively low and somewhat angelic - in the avenging angel kind of way!

Racing and raging, we rip into "Bloodsucker". The raw, aggressive and ferocious vocals provided by Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer of Destruction. Classic speed/thrash. Fast, heavy bass, brutal vocals and lyrics.

Slower, guitar rolls like dust blowing in the wind; sand swirling and turning across the golden wastes. Then the electronic noises roll in, the bass grows louder, more ominous (with a few twiddly bits and intricate guitaring). We are "Slaves to the Desert" with Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian), his voice low and deep and only later gaining the rasping edge we're more used to from him. This is a more intricate, technical song than BG, with a modern feel.

Heavy, but quite melodic, with the occasional pounding rhythm, And Deris (Helloween) gives us the vocals for "A Perfect Day". The bassline is a force of nature, the guitars weaving an intricate web and the music surging, swelling and soaring in line with Deris' vocals:

"It's just another last goodbye, it's just a perfect day..."

Heavy and churning, "Eternally" then falls into slower and more melodic guitar; dreamy, like floating in the clouds. Odleif Strensland (Communic), has a powerful voice - well suited to epic emotion. Sounds rather like Rage's finer moments.

The "Inner Sanctary" brings us another heavy piece with intricate rhythms and the vocals of Marco Hietala (Nightwish) who has a deeper voice with a razor-edge.

We close with the haunting "In the Picture" which features Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish) applying her ethereal voice to vocals. More progressive and technical than Nightwish, but more complex than Rage. There are some beautifully serene moments and, of course, Tarja's voice is second to nonw.

In general, this album feels like Rage with guest vocalists. The music has the epic power and added aggression of some of the later Rage albums, combined with complex guitar structuers and rhythms. The varying vocalists add an interesting touch and overall it is a novel idea for a celebratory album: new tracks with different vocalists.

Rating 8/10.

Freedom Call - Live Invasion (2004)

Another of the NWOEPM, German band Freedom Call formed in 1998, with Chris Bay on vocals and David Zimmerman (from Gamma Ray) on drums and a couple of other members, including Sascha Gerstner who later left to join Helloween. It seems quite probable they are named after an Angra album song.

 I purchased this live version because a, I found it in a store and b, it seemed like a good way to get a lot of Freedom Call's songs in one handy package. It also contains a bonus with the unreleased "Taragon" ep and three cover songs (including one from Ultravox). Sadly, most of the banter between tracks is in German and I cannot understand it - not that they're in for idle chatter anyhow.

Packaging - pretty enough, but not overly stimulating. It is a live CD after all. The band, in sillouette,  facing their audience whilst lighting crackles up with the stage lighting. Inside are various pictures of the band, posting in various places, and also their names. They look like a fun bunch of fellows.

The album beings with a chanting welcome - as befits any live concert. Then the keyboards begin, and "The Spell" is unleashed.  You can imagine the spotlights strafing across the stage, the band appearing from the haze of dry ice as the symphonic sound arises around them. Then they fall into "We Are One" as the  melodies take hold. Bay's voice is mid-high and pure, soaring into a slightly nasal higher pitch, as he rises up the octave, sounding like he's smiling all the while. Repetitive lines, guaranteed to make the audience chant along.

Into a ballad now, get out your lighters! But not for long, because soon the stirring guitars and flaying hair will overwhelm you (and cause a fire risk). Bay's voice swoops and soars competently enough into "Freedom Call". Meanwhile the drums charge headlong and the guitars do their thing. Some nice lower vocals later on.

"Tears of Taragon" starts with the crowd rising their hands, clapping them together. The keyboards and low hymnal notes lure us in to this epic style piece. Nice soaring chorus:

"Fallen Angels, flying high in the sky
Fallen Angels, rescue me again"

 It is now time to undertake "The Quest", starting slow and then charging into the harder and heavier. Dramatic guitar, pace picking up. I guess the Quest is underway. Slowing again. Vocals slow, a little desperate, anxious.

"Heart of the Rainbow" offers nothing new, but Bay does sound very happy. Nice smooth chorus. Menacing middle bit. Keyboard solo! Then guitars. Bit pompous.

Fat-bellied keyboards intermingle with guitars as we charge into "Eyes of the World". It is very nice for Bay to introduce all the songs. Similar structures and vocals to all of the above.

Some nice, deep vocals lead us into a "Metal Invasion". The structure of this one is different, almost making me imagine a line up of armoured metal knights, chanting and stomping in unison.  It quickly switches back to the tried-and-true FC formula, alas.


The following tracks - "Land of Light", "Warriors", "Shine on" and "Rise up" offer pretty much the same. Solid structures, pompous keyboards, the occasional racing guitars and vocals that rise and fall up and down the same pitch. Nothing remarkable.

"Hymn to the Brave" is a hymn, an anthem, and is guaranteed for the audience to join in. The vocal style is lower, slower and far more powerful. The lyrics are repetitive but spirited:

"Brothers forever, brave at heart together we fight
Holy in heaven, will we march through space and time
Brothers forever, brave at heart together we fight
Holy in heaven, we will ever hear their cry..."

Tears of Taragon EP (with 4 bonus covers):

"Warriors of Light" begins with a good old-fashioned tribal rhythm, then a chat and falls into the recognised patterns of before. Solid, but nothing remarkable. Otherwise very similar to "Warriors" above.

"Dancing with Tears in your Eyes" is a cover of 80s electronic pop band, Ultravox. They have even captured the synth feel typical of that era, before soaring off into power metal. It's a pretty good cover.

More chanting marks the start of "Heart of the Brave". Lyrics leave a little to be desired:

"Born in a nation
A young generation
Is praying for salvation
Out of damnation"

We have piano to start "Kingdom Come". It's actually kinda haunting. Vocals are sweet and soft, almost feminine. I suppose this is the closest they get to an actual ballad, until of course they fall into the ominous chorus. This is probably one of their more original songs. It's pretty nifty.

"Tears of Taragon" again now, solid power metal song, good melodies - pretty much what you expect. With the added bonus of narration by Biff Byford of Saxon. He has a lightly accented and somewhat ominous voice. We get to learn more about Taragon now - seems to have suffered much the same way as Aina. Pretty much pure cheese, but still rather delicious.

One of my favourites is their cover of "Hiroshima", originally performed by Wishful Thinking in 1968. It translates well into power metal. Starting with traditional twangy instruments, the guitars crunch in whilst the keyboards struggle beneath them. Bay's voice casts the emotional edge well, with the rest of the music dying back as mere enhancement of his vocals.

Finally, another cover, this time one from Helloween. It is "Dr Stein". It's a decent cover of a fun song. I'm sure they love playing it. Bay ain't no Kiske, however.

Freedom Call are competent musicians, that have embraced the Power Metal genre heart and soul. Whilst they do have a certain energy and passion, they do not offer anything particularly new and original to the scene. This performance, containing songs from across three albums, I would consider all I need from this band. It gives me a nice cross section and although they do a decent job, they are not a necessary addition to any metal collection. Also, Bay's voice gets a little tedious after a time. Ultimately, it was the bonus cover songs that saved this collection for me - the cover of "Hiroshima" is beautiful.

Rating = 7/10

The Best of Noise 1999

No, this is not my listing for "T" because that would be really lame, using "The" when I still have quite a few T albums to work through. This is the opportunity for me to listen to the bonus cd included with Stratovarius's "Chosen One"'s compilation.

Our first offering is "Ring of Fire" by metal legends, Virgin Steele. The vocals are raw, with a razor edge but also a hint of melody. Sounds rather old-school metal, with a definite American edge. Catchy choruses and a touch of keyboards.

Heavenly are a French neo-classical power metal band, but their track "Riding Through Hell" is nothing special. The vocals are raw edged, the instruments fairly repetitive and the structures uncomplicated. There are some nice twiddly guitar bits. This is from their debut album.

"Coming Home" by German band Iron Saviour is equally raw. What is does have, however, is a slightly catchier chorus. It also has Kai Hansen, but he's not doing the vocals -  if he were they would probably sound like Gamma Ray. As it is, they do not stand out stunningly from the preceeding two tracks. Good guitar, of course, cos of Hansen.

Of a faster pace and introducing a more progressive sound, Stigmata IV's "Crusade of Lies". The vocals are uninspiring - raw and rugged. Catchy rhythms and melodies. So far every track has featured a razor-edged tenor vocalist. It must have been a trend of the late 90s. Stigmata IV were a German band that were forced to continuiously change their name and eventually disbanded in 2005.

Kamelot introduce a bit of variety with "Millenium". The fast-paced drums race the keyboards, whilst Roy Khan's voice soars over them. As far as structure and melodies go, it's more akin to speed than the symphonic power metal they are classified under today. This was their first album with Khan, and you can hear the promise of it with the variable vocals and intricate keyboarding. I really must get myself some of the more recent Kamelot.

Introducing a rather more guttural sound - Afterworld bring us "Dark Side of the Mind". Steady pace, galloping drums, harsh vocals. They're a Finnish "power" metal (this ain't power IMO) band that have not even the recognition of a wikipedia page.

Now, here's something with promise - "Shadow Dancer" by Elegy. Vocals are melodic and of variable pitch (ie, he sings both low(ish) and high). Somewhat reminding me of Edguy. It's not extraordinary or original, but it does have appeal and is one of my top picks from this list - partly because the chorus is really catchy. It's colourful and stirring. They were a Dutch band with an unstable line-up. The carnival music at the end is a nice touch.

More raw vocals from German band Symphorce as they are "Retracing the Lines". Again we have unremarkable verses, but a decently anthemic build up to the chorus.

Somewhat dramatic "Thunderstorm" by Iron Fire builds up to the catchy chorus. There's echoes of the 80s reflected in this piece, which reminds me a little of a slower paced Judas Priest. The vocals are slightly lower than most of the other bands in this collection, although he manages something of a crescendo for the chorus. They're from Denmark and this was from their debut cd.

"The Game" begins at a frantic pace, as Headstone Epitaph take their turn. Vocals are more shouted than sung - at least until the chorus, when the backing vocalists display somewhat more vocal versatility than the lead. Uncomplicated, solid with repetitive rifts. I would suspect there are some punk influences here. Formed in 1987, they're from Germany and are still active today - despite only releasing three full length albums.

Bringing in more aggression and making a religious statement, we have Warhead with "The Other Side". This German band have been labelled power metal, but they're more thrash metal with a hint of punk. Despite (or perhaps because of) being very reptitive and mostly uninspiring, this song is annoyingly catchy and will pound through your brain for ages - much as the drums pound through your head while you're listening to it.

Finally we conclude with a rather odd cover by Lefay. Once Morgana Lefay, they dropped the Morgana when they dropped Black Mark. However, it appears Noise wasn't good to them either, because they later returned to BM and reclaimed their full name. The cover they have chosen is "Cocaine" and they have chosen to play it relatively true-to-form - with the solid instruments, slow and steady pacing and relatively low-pitched vocals. Originally performed by JJ Cale, and covered by Eric Clapton, it seems an odd inclusion to the collection, but definitely stands out.

It's not a bad mix, but for a compilation album the songs are all rather similar. There is actually more diversity in Stratovarius' album than there is in this collection of "the best of 1999". It makes for good background noise, and some of the songs are quite catchy, so I'll rank in 6.5/10. The only two bands I am inspired to hear more of are Elegy and Kamelot. Although I am a bit of a fan of Morgana Lefay anyway.

Stratovarius - The Chosen Ones (1999)

Thanks to penfriend Jeffrey, who travelled all the way to New Zealand with a number of cds, I first heard Finnish power metal band Stratovarius and decided that I should own an album by them. But which to buy? Well, this one seemed the best choice because not only is it sixteen of their chosen "best" tracks, but it also had a free cd of various other bands included with it. Alas, the flip-tray mechanism sucks, and I accidentally damaged it flipping it over, so now I am scared it is going to snap out altogether. Ick.

The cover is rather entertaining, depicting a band of mooses. Meese? Modelled after the musicians, I imagine. Very toony, very funny. Inside, a little letter from Timo Tolkki himself (the guitarist) explaining how the band formed in 1984 and that this is the end of one era for them - and the start of another. It marked their switch from Noise to Roadrunner. Also included are the lyrics - something of a luxury in "Best of" albums, which tend to avoid including them for some reason.

There is a possibility of two different vocalists on this album - Timo Tolkki was vocalist from 1985-94, with Timo Koltipelto from 94 onwards. He is the longest currently remaining member of the band. Tolkki left in 2008.

The album opens with the cascading keyboards of "Black Diamond". Keyboards soon symphonise with guitars creating a feeling of power and rising force, bringing with it goodwill. It is a triumphant and powerful piece, with the keyboards a constant and prevalent present. Timo #2's voice is strong and high, a fine tenor.

This is followed up by "Twilight Time" in which Timo #1 is the vocalist. His voice is very similar, with a slightly sharper edge, tinted just slightly with the hint of a whine or a scream. This piece is heavier, and slightly more dramatic, with more of a build up to the chorus through which Timo's voice swoops and soars.

A tick-tock-tick from speaker to speaker marks the start of "Father Time". Does this band have a time fascination? Faster paced, with rapid drumming and a soaring and inspirational bridge.

"The Hands of Time" is next on the agenda. This is one of their earlier songs - taken from 1992's "Twilight Time" album (along with the title track above). It has a rawer, energising feel to it. Good vocal melodies, pounding drums.

Following up is the power ballad, "Dream with Me" in which Timo #2's voice is gentle but strong and reassuringly haunting. Accompanied by piano-esque keyboards and light guitars, as we rise into the chorus. Filled with power, passion and emotion. Bonus track from "Destiny" (1998).

There's almost an 80s vibe going for "Paradise" - which is funny because it's from 1997. It's a great song - with strong melodies and thought-provoking lyrics:

"Many rare species will perish soon.
And we'll be short on food"

(I don't think he's condoning the eating of rare species, btw).

Jubuliant keyboards lead us "Out of the Shadows" as it erupts into power metal glory, with a taste of speed.

Violin and haunting, melancholy brings "Forever", one of the most beautiful and mournful but romantic songs I know of. Timo #2's voice bleeds emotion. There's flute too. I wrote a song fanfic based on this track (don't judge my writing too much, this is really old).  It is one of those songs about how death is not the end of love, and how:

"I'm still there, everywhere, I'm the dust in the wind. I'm the star in the northern sky. I never stayed* anywhere, I'm the wind in the trees. I will wait for you - forever..."

The electric-acoustic opening of "Full Moon" brings with it a whole different mood. Fleeting, mysterious, a little eerie but not too scary. It has a tribal and ghostly feel to it. This was a bonus track from 1994 with Timo #1 is on vocals.

A rather more rock and not overly complicated piece, "The Kiss of Judas" touches down with a solid bass line and strong vocals. The bridge soars and the guitars give their flourish, before the chorus takes over in full melodic glory. There's a nice keyboard solo in here too.

In "S.O.S", Stratovarius have reached their full complex progressive-heading-towards-symphonic structures. Powerful with a rich cornucopia of instruments (keyboard, guitars, drums) into a glorious, triumphant melody.

"Dreamscape" is haunting, a little intense, the poignant edge to Timo #1's vocals given it a melodically melancholic edge and the music twisting and turning down strange and eerie passages. There's a touch of insanity here - taunting, taking over, enveloping the narrator and dragging him away into another world.

"Am I safe in here? Nothing left to fear. I will close my eyes, and float away with stream."

Pounding guitars, punctuated with falsetto screams turn to darker, lost lyrics.

We rip-roar into the speed metal inspired "Against the Wind", a track from 1995 (and Timo #2's first album). Fast of pace, frantic rhythms, desperation in the vocals. Building, building, to climax into a grand and triumphant anthemic chorus. Listen to those guitars go - you can just visualise the hair wind-milling, the vocalist rushing about the stage. This would be a great way to open a concert (it's the first track on the album "Fourth Dimension" not surprisingly).

"Speed of Light" follows with similar speed metal and anthemic qualities. The drummer is going wild. Meanwhile the guitarists are thrashing their instruments towards broken strings - this song is rushing towards the speed of light. Even the keyboardist joins the race. Frantic, restless energy - very invigorating. You should never try to dance to this song, you'd hurt yourself!

"Every day, my life goes by...  at the Speed. Of Light."

A final flourish, and then collapse.

Of a less manic pace and a rather more progressive feel, "4000 Rainy Nights" brings with it a deeper mood of loss and melancholy. The vocals bleed with raw, wounded emotion.

"Will the Sun Rise?" brings us powerful and dramatic closure. The keyboards steal the show here, weaving and blending with one another into a rousing symphony. This track is also from "Episode".

The one Stratovarius song I feel this album is missing is "Anthem of the World". Otherwise, it is a fine blend of the old and the new and, when listened to carefully, it is easy to hear the transition from the more progressive and somewhat experimental days of Timo Tolkki on vocals, to the anthemic glory of Timo Koltipelto's later days. It is a generous album displaying a rich blend of the powerful and stirring, intermingled with the darker and more melancholic - and even slightly creepy. As a cross-section of their career, it is a worthy one and deserves an 8/10.

I am now going to go on and discuss each of the tracks in the sampler included with this cd, but I'm going to do that in the next entry.


* This would sound better had he said "strayed" but still...