Scanner - Mental Reservation (1995)

"New Album! Melodic Power Metal. The come-back of '95!" proclaims a sticker on the cover of this highly attractive album. Was it a comeback? Well, it certainly is a good album, and one I was most pleased to add to my collection. I came upon it in a small local music store, Galaxy, one that specialized in techno and NZ music. It was not a store I visited regularly, its neighbor Echo records had a bigger range of my kinda music, and I was rather surprised to find not one but two copies of this in the bargain section. Turns out, that Scanner were also a techno band - not this Scanner, obviously, and they had ordered them by mistake. Thus they were sitting there, unloved and alone. I bought both, one for myself and one for one of my penfriends.

 A bit of history now - Scanner were a melodic metal band from Germany. My first introduction to their music was through the video Buy or Die, as featured on one of the Doomsday News compilations. They have released five albums - of which this one sits smack-bang in the middle at #3. I also own their first, but for nostalgia's sake, thought I'd spin this baby first.

It is a highly attractive package - the cover is moody and brooding - a city stands like it has been fossilized on the shores of an ocean. A young man, wrapped in a ragged cloak, stands on a cliff, staring out to sea. And above all, in the looming, sanguine clouds, an enormous eye sheds an almighty tear of sorrow. Inside the little booklet, the band have given themselves all starring roles - Axel is the Strongtormenter (guitarist), Haridon Lee the Naked Duke, John ABC Smith is Mr Bassic Instinct (bass) and DD Bucco is Lord of the Drums (guess). This is a concept album - but instead of it being all dragons and wizards and fantasy - it's a dystopic future:

"The past is deleted. What' left are my memories. They threaten to vanish more and more before being told the first time. So I will try to escape out of my MENTAL RESERVATION to record what happend. We lived in peace 'till the day the earth burst open and a dark appearing craeture gave a crystal - key to a little boy called Boris Jay. Boris was taught by the creature how to use the key and to .... .... BREAK THE SEAL."

It opens by the sea with the sussurration of waves and the mournful cries of gulls circling above. It crashes and whips into the frantic and fevered "Break the Seal". The bass line is high, tuned to a pitch that is almost irritating. Vocals are shrill, yet melodic, with an appealing edge to it. The rhythms are complex, the guitar solos raging.

Equipped with powers of destruction and far more confidence and knowledge than someone his age should handle, Boris returns to his home to achieve political ascendency. He succeeds and leads his people into worship of an "Upright Liar". It starts with a dire warning, before the vocals come rampaging on, in full shrill glory. Again, more melodic choruses. I'm getting used to the bass now.

Slower now, as Boris's homeland is at war with  seven nations as he expands through diabolical and nuclear means. "After the Storm" is like a storm itself - roiling clouds swell over the post-nuclear wasteland, whilst the survivors struggle trying to last another day.

"After the storm, we'd watch the new sunrise. But the sun is obscured in sight doesn't heave."

Slower, tortured, bitter. The PoV is now through the eyes of one of the survivors, he and his sister struggled through the wasteland, seeking sanctuary. She is sent to support a medical convoy and is eventually brought back, dying. Our protagonist mourns her, and "Her Infallible Smile" in this melodic and surprisingly beautiful ballad. The vocals are softer, gentler, with only the slightest edge of the shrill. They are filled instead with sorrow, regret and bittersweet memories.

Another faster, more technical piece. After the eventual execution of the evil tyrant, the few survivors have found partial sanctuary in the subway tunnels. But most suffer from mental disorders caused by war. Thus a Mental Healer appears on the scene with his "Conception of a Cure".

Resisting  his offers, our protagonist departs, heading to a place called STONEDHENGE. He returns to St. Clinton island some two years later and "reveals" in his life, taking a look "Into a Brave Man's Mind". This is another slower piece, combined with elements of anger and containing choirs, chanting in Latin. The vocals have an echoing, otherworldly edge to them now.

Alone in a population of 200, on Clinton Island, our protagonist mourns his solitude and wishes to share it with someone. He wants to come "Out of Nowhere" in another melancholic piece fueled with desperation. Despite the somewhat broken English, there are some nifty lines in here:

"I remember... once I believed in God but he left me in the lurch..."

"There's no sun in the shadow of unrequited love"

Peace finally comes to Clinton Island and the children who are born have never seen the war and dictatorship that destroyed their heritage. The people are self sufficient, they're happy. Until the "Nightmare" begins and the children are spirited away one day. The sky hung with volcanic clouds and it might have been a sign of Satanic mights. At night, during the rainy season, strange creatures come out from the volcano and the people follow them back into the volcano, hoping to find the missing children. Another tortured piece with shrill, hopeless vocals and further desperation and loss.

In the heart of the volcano, lives a vicious beast-master. The children are here too - trapped in cages with their brains being fed to the monstrous "Rubberman". The villagers are captured too, and forced to aid him in his cruel rituals. One night this monster chose one of the villagers and gave them the crystal-key, controlling him as though he were now his puppet. The vocals are lower in tone, until they give way to the chorus, with its jerky rhythms and howls that replicate the jerky, mannikin dancing of Albert Truestone, the new "chosen one".

Another time jump now - as our protagonist escapes the monsters of the volcano (leaving several dead in his wake) and escapes from the island to find sanctuary in one of the few remaining cities. Here society returns to a new sort of normal, with the people from the countryside all coming into the city to live. Population is 50 million and 6 million are unemployed. (I'm wondering what they were eating, personally). The government can't do anything to help this. The lyrics are quite hard to follow, I suspect that the song writer's English is rather lacking... It's a heavy piece with some slower moments. It's a "Wrong Lane Society".

Within a year, our protagonist has found employment repairing computer chips and Albert Truestone has become governor, and thus the vicious cycle begins all over again. I am thinking this may be some sort of allegory. Whatever the way "20th Century Crusade" is a racing, speed-esque number with melodic elements.

This Scanner album is an interesting one. It combines the melodic of the European Metal scene with the darker themes (post-apocalyptic social issues) and more aggressive sound and generally more technical, mechanical feel of American Metal. And it is a very good, complex and competent album with an interesting storyline and good contrasts between the heavier and more vicious, with the melodic and melancholic. It is just a shame that it was not, in fact, the comeback album they had hoped for. Also, the plot seems to jump about quite erratically and does not really make a great deal of sense. Still, it's a metal album, not a novel - so who cares?

I'm going to give it 8/10.

Aina - Days of Rising Doom (2003)

The early part of this century introduced a new trend in music - the Metal Opera. Avantasia were one of the first, but Aina came hot on their heels. Aina is the brainchild of Sascha Paeth, a German producer who produces such bands as Kamelot, Rhapsody and Epica, whilst also performing in Heaven's Gate. He called in some of his band mates and friends - Miro (keyboards/arrangements), Robrt Hunecke-Rizzo (drums, guitars, arrangements) and then contacted vocal coach and amazing voice, Amanda Somerville, to come up with a plot, lyrics and along the way she also invented her own language. Somerville is an American, but the "love of her life" is German, so she divides her time between both countries and coaches non-English vocalists. Teaching a new language phonetically to her choir was all in a days work for her, really. Not an epic undertaking, no, not at all. Not only did she come up with the plot, create the world, invent a language but also write a story in songs. What a woman!

Various guests were called in to play the various roles - including Michael Kiske and Tobias Sammet in the roles of Narrators (although they do sing, not talk). There's some good names in here - Simone Simons, Andre Matos, Glen Hughes and a goodly handful of ones I haven't heard of previously and also guest musicians - to play keyboards, guitars, bass or organ on particular tracks.  This undertaking took a mere 18 months of production and is a metal masterpiece.

The packaging is splendid. I have the limited edition version, which is a lovely hard back book the size and shape of a CD, with full colour illustrations, an outline of the world and introduction to the plot, the lyrics, photos of all the participants and the story of how it all came together. There are three card slots for the three cds, which does make extraction of them a little difficult, unfortunately. Still, as far as design goes, it's glorious.

"Aina Overture" is a stirring piece of classical inspiration, rising in power and force and taking on the distinctive "aina" rhythms before surging into the roar of guitars and other, more typical, metal instruments. Many of the rhythms here are repeated in later songs, making it tie together as a coherant whole.

"Revelations" is a slower song with choral accompaniment. It begins with light strumming and the Narrator, Michael Kiske, adds his lower and huskier voice to the mix. He should sing like this more often - it's rather sexy. The choir sing in the Ainian tongue. Then the prophets come swooping in, all drama and cautions:

"The Holy Voice calls down its warning, Don't turn your back on what he's warning!"

Alas, King Taetus (Damian Wilson) refuses to heed their words, and denies that the peaceful land of Aina is fated to change. He has a very fine, deep voice, well suited to his kingly role.

Now we are introduced to the beautiful Oria, in "Silver Maiden". The Storyteller bespokes her beauty and loveliness, waxing lyrical about her innocence whilst accompanied by flute and other classical arrangements, along with the Angelic Choir. Then the Narrator adds his own opinions in his sweet and longing voice. There is no question about it, she is perfection above all and everyone loves her.

Okay, so the plot is a bit cheesy. But it's an album, not a novel.

Now we rage into "Flight of Torek", a rabid contrast to the soothing, slow piece of its predecessing track. Pure power metal, rampaging drums, a hint of keyboards and Tobias Sammet's somewhat aggressive edged screaming. Two brothers, Torek (Thomas Rettke) and Talon (Glenn Hughes), both are in love with Oria (but who isn't, she's perfection, clearly) and when Talon announces his betrothal to her, Torek flies into a violent rage and storms off, putting himself into exile and plotting the destruction of Aina.

Heavy tribal beats, laden with menace usher us into "Naschtok is Born". Torek finds himself a barren wasteland and a vicious people (called Krakhon) that he can take control of and twist to his savage desires for vegencence, creating the kingdom of Naschtok. And all over one woman whose voice we haven't even heard yet. Aggressive and pounding, filled with rage and anger.

Seriously, I think I've heard this story before.

Finally, evil consumes Torek and he releases "The Beast Within" becoming Sorvahr. Given the references to "the night" and the illustration, some sort of beserker werewolf. Pounding rhythms again, powerful vocals - low (but not sexy-low) rising into shrill anger. Some pretty nice vocal changes between Torek and Sorvahr (both voiced by Rettke)

Now "The Siege of Aina" begins with slow and steady guitars and a touch of keyboards. The Krakhen army meets with the chants of the Angelic Aina Choir - the guttural grunts overwhelmed by the sweet, and innocent angelic voices. Baktuk (Olaf Hayer) has a surprisingly melodic voice for the character I take to be the leader of the Krakhen. Together he and Sorvahr plot their destruction of Aina, then take on the city.

"Your doom is nigh though you see it not. Our voices ride and your hopes will rot."

 He's a nasty, gloating bastard, don't you think? And all this because his brother stole the girl he fancied!
The keyboards and guitars duel. Talon surrenders almost immediately. What a wuss. Even Sorvhar is unimpressed.
Of course, there's only one thing that Sorvhar really wants...
And Oria (Candice Night) pretty much throws herself at him to save her beloved Talon.

Okay, that's a bit nauseating... Still, completely understandable.

Now we go into "Talon's Last Hope", all proggy and keyboardy. Now, we learn that in the interim, Talon and Oria had a daughter - Oriana. Whilst Talon mourns his lost love and curses himself for giving in so easily (duh), his head of the guard/chief advisor/whatever, Tyran (Andre Matos, our sweet Avantasian elf), reassures him that all is not lost. Talon declares that Oriana must be taken somewhere safe to grow and learn for the day when she is old enough to return and fight by her father's side.

Starting with horrible noises, screams and  keyboard, the "Rape of Oria" leads into a surprisingly soft and haunting piece, where Oria sings reassurance to distract herself from the torment she must be facing.

From this vicious act comes Syrius, the "Son of Sorvahr". Sorvahr sings forth his triumph at fathering a child and his army of vicious brutal monsters add their shouted. The illustrations here are really neat, showing these evil horn-helmeted creatures holding up this tiny wrapped bundle. Whilst induitably heavy and these being the bad guys, the spirited, celebratory nature of the music cannot help you feel some pride for the new father. Even if he raped his brother's wife to beget the child...

 "All beheld, my masterpiece shines!"

For a time, things seem pretty peaceful. Sorvahr's got what he wants. "Serendipity" brings back our beloved Narrator, Kiske. The lyrics are beautifully poetic and somewhat vague:

"Then the Son came to the one who'd made it come all but undone..."

"Lolae Amer" is a largely instrumental and choral piece. Beautiful, haunting. Inspires imagery of a peaceful forest glade and a pond. Where two young lovers come together. It is sweet and romantic, but there is a darker edge to it. Oriana, in her peaceful exile, has found love:

"Perfect, yet so completely strange at the same time. I've never met you, the name Syrius says nothing to me..."

Yes, that's right - Oriana and Syrius fall in love.
Now, not only are the half siblings, but their fathers were brothers, so they're about as close to full siblings as you can get without actually being born to the exact same parents.
Little bit of ick here?

In "Rebellion", Talon resolves to take back Aina and gathers together his army, calling his daughter to his side, unaware that her loyalties are now somewhat twisted and divided... As befits a call to war, this is a raging, pounding song filled with inspirational guitar rifts and keyboards.

So, the battle begins and it is time to face "Oriana's Wrath". Her warriors ride to meet Syrius's, neither realising that they actually know each other. As soon as they recognise each other, they draw to a halt. Needless to say, Sorvahr is not too happy of his son's betrayal. Pretty nifty keyboard solo, and lots of aggressive, pounding guitar. Oriana is voiced by Sass Jordan, whose voice may be strong but is not particularly feminine. She's a true blooded warrior woman even if she is also known to bed strangers in the woods. Given the sorrowful ending of this song, I'm going to hazard a guess that Sorvahr killed his own son after casting him down and renouncing his name, and then in retalliation, Oriana killed Sorvahr, before rushing to cradle the head of her beloved more-than-half brother.

The war is over, but there are many dead and Oriana must have a very muddled heart. Things are at peace again, but it is time for rebuilding, repairing, patching the wounds. Here Kiske and Simone Simmons duet together, their glorious voices weaving a spell of "Restoration".

For those who have found the plot somewhat confusing, the second cd is "The Story of Aina". Largely instrumentals and re-recordings of the songs on the album, it ends with a 15 minute telling of the entire storyline, with musical accompaniment,as told by our Storyteller, Sebastian Thomson. He has a fine story telling voice, not too heavily accented but enough for my aural pleasure.
I love this line:

"There had only been an echo of a rumour of a legend..."

The story is richer in detail than the lyrics indicated and casts Sorvahr as a monstrous god-like being who reaches down and crushes the life from his son when he is betrayed.
The rest of this CD is much like what we've already heard, with single and alternate versions of selected songs, including "Rape of Oria" in Ainian (I'm guessing) and "Silver Maiden" with Amanda Somerville singing instead of Kiske.

There is also a DVD, containing a documentary on the making of Aina, which is interesting, but mostly in German with subtitles.

Overall, Aina: "Days of Rising Doom" is quite an achievement. It switches from neo-classical to power metal, to folk and the music is richly composed to heighten the experience. The cast of vocalists is impressive. Beautifully realised and very nicely done, a superb metal opera (even if the plot is cheesy).

10/10

Iced Earth - The Dark Saga (1996)

As you may know, I live in New Zealand. And New Zealand is pretty far from anywhere else, and our musical diversity/availability is not great. Nowadays the internet has basically superceded the need for music stores at all - with a combination of Amazon and Itunes putting many of them out of business or at least making them struggle for profits. Even before then, if you wanted the more obscure acts (which includes most European heavy metal) you had to either go to specialist stores or order them in specially. Becoming a true metal head became a dedicated feat. Since you could not discover new bands via the touch of a button, I instead resorted to good, old fashioned penfriends. At one point I had around six penfriends - there was Mikael in Sweden; Nathan in Wisconsin; Carl in Florida and Jeffrey in Washington state; also Howell in Utah and Tim in Auckland, NZ. Jeffrey is the only one I still have contact with - he now owns a fish store in Seattle and we have met up on two occasions - one being when he came to New Zealand, bringing with him a suitcase full of cds for me to listen to and the second being when, some ten years later, I finally made it to Seattle.

Anyhow, through these penfriends (except Howell, who was in prison and made beautiful art) I traded mix tapes and was given a few originals - Carl gave me all his Iron Maiden cassettes when he acquired them on CD. And Nathan, I think it was, gave me a handful of samplers he had received whilst working on a fanzine. This was one of these samplers. As such, I just have a cardboard sleeve and information that it still technically belongs to Century Media. I don't think they'll be wanting it back anytime soon. Besides, Nate may have reviewed it, but now I finally shall.

Iced Earth hail from Tampa, Florida, which seems to be home to many pretty heavy acts. At the time this was released, the vocalist was Matt Barlow. After the September 11 attacks, Matt decided that he wanted to do something more meaningful with his life, and eventually became a police officer, also joining the First State Force Band (composed of law enforcement people) which performed to schools and gave kids a positive message. His brother-in-law, Jon Schaeffer, is the guitarist of this band, and also performs in Demons and Wizards with Hansi Kusch of Blind Guardian. I am not sure who is the demon and who is the wizard!

This album is based on the comic book Spawn. It is described as more simplified and melodic than their previous stuff so lets see if that's true - not that I have any previous stuff to compare it with, although I'm pretty sure I've heard the song "Burnt Offerings" at least. Just not sure where it is! The cover is very comic-book esque - a ghoulish, skeletal figure, wrapped with chains and with tattered wings - or maybe a cloak. Fire rages in the background, yellow and orange against the purple background.

It opens with the title track "The Dark Saga" - haunting guitar beating ominously, whilst vocals loom over it. This is not an introduction, but more a summary track, as the narrator - Al Simmons - mourns how everything, all his deeds, have more-or-less backfired and ended it tragedy. After his death on the battlefield (due to a betrayal), he makes a deal with the devil to see his wife one last time. However, things do not work according to plan... He is sent back, certainly, but as a decomposing corpse, with a living cloak.
 
Barlow has a fine voice - with some nice, deep, low and strong, switching within a few lines to a higher, somewhat menacing snarl.

 From some website somewhere:

Barlow is most known for his dark, verismo tone and powerful highs. A high baritone, he is often confused for a much lower voice type due to his hefty dramatic timbre and gravelly delivery.

I'm jolly well going to teach myself about octave ranges!

"I Died for You" is another haunting number, in which the narrator grieves the life he has left behind and how his wife, his love, has moved on without him (it has been several years). Barlow's low vocals are quite chilling, and powerful, enough to make hairs rise on the back of your neck, even as he screams over himself.

I saw the movie shortly after hearing this album, and I wish it had been the soundtrack - that would have kicked arse. I cannot even really remember the movie, but it was over ten years ago. And according to my husband, not very good. I believe I thought "Iced Earth did it better".

A rather more aggressive number, "Violate" has the pounding drums and racing guitars, whilst over them Barlow howls forth the anger and wrath of the terrible clown, the Violator:

I'll beat you with your spinal cord, split your skull in two. I'll feast on your intestines, there's nothing I can't do. I'll rip your heart out of your chest, watch it beat as you cry. I revel in your agony. I violate and make you die!

The menacing "The Hunter" follows it up; slow and ominous it begins, the instruments swelling and surging into a stampede. From what I can gather, the Hunter is an angel sent after Spawn.

"The Last Laugh" is another brutal track, with slamming verses and raging drums.

Slower but no less brutal and dramatic, "Depths of Hell" allows Barlow's highly diverse vocal talents to take hold once more - with the low baritone intertwining with the menacing screams and raw edged howls. His despair is easily apparent in the tension and frustration of the music.

 With its ominous and brooding opening rifts, "Vengence is Mine" threatens just that. Raw, wild aggression. Short and savage, it is followed by the even more brooding "The Suffering Scarred". Slower, steady with haunting echoes of guitar floating like a savage caress above the beat. Barlow's voice is low and rich, filled with power - like Geoff Tate in his finer moments,

Heavy on the angst and self-accusation, "Slave to the Dark" is heavy with tortured vocals and dark instruments. It merges into the haunting and beautiful, sorrow-filled "A Question of Heaven".

This is a fine album, heavy and slow, filled with brooding and a healthy dose of self-loathing. The lyrics are haunting and there are some beautiful melodies. The atmosphere is tense, but resigned and slightly lost.

I rank it 9/10.

Bathory - Blood on Ice (1996)

It seems fitting to follow Avantasia up with something equally atmospheric and epic - one of Bathory's earliest concept albums, "Blood on Ice". This tells the story of a boy, aged 10, whose village is destroyed by a terrible beast. He is the sole survivor, and makes his home in the forest, learning the language of the beasts. Until, one day, a one-eyed man comes upon him in the forest and informs him that he has been chosen as champion of the Gods and must fight their battle in the shadows beyond the world. To aid in this quest, he is given a sword (probably tyrfing) and an eight-legged steed, sleipnir and will be guided by two ravens (Huginn and Muninn). Before he can achieve this goal, he must gain some supernatural powers - which seem to be acquired by purposely maiming himself (losing his heart and his eyes). Then he is given wonderous powers, and heads to Hel to take on the two-headed beast that slaughtered his family.

This is a brilliant classic, which was recorded in 1989 but not released until 1996 because it was considered not quite appropriate for Bathory's sound. After the success of "Hammerheart", however, and pressure from the fans, it was finally remastered and released to reasonable acclaim.

The cover is stunning, and very blue - depicting many things - the eight-legged horse, a swordsman with no eyes (and oddly pointed ears) which I assume is the hero, a snake, an old wise man with a cauldron, an army riding black horses, wild Nordic scenary, a hooded figure with four wolves and in the centre - a sword, wrapped in orange flames - the only other colour on the page. Inside we have a lengthy explaination behind this album and many other things that were going on in Quorthon's life (including the release of his solo album, helpfully entitled "Album"). Then the whole thing again in a language that is possible Norwegian, but could also be German. Then, the lyrics - also in both languages.

"Intro" opens the CD with a herd of sheep and a great menace looming on the horizon, narling and the solemn beat of drums indicating impending doom and tragedy. Then, stampeding hooves, something wicked this way comes. The sheeps bleating becomes more desperate, the ominous beats continue... Shouting voices and we crash into the epic but ominous "Blood on Ice". Choirs and doom-laden drums add to the menace. For a band with so few members, Bathory certainly manage to create a solid wall of sound - it's like a great rolling avalanche moving with slow but steady desolation.

A beautiful and acoustic number, "Man of Iron" (which he prounces i-Ron) brings forth the spirit of the forest and the trees. Our hero grows older, learning the language of the animals and never giving up his desire to seek revenge for his peopl. Quorthon has a truly lovely voice when he sings.

A rather more sinister and rapid "One Eyed Old Man" enters the forest, and tracks down our hero in this tumultuous, wild and frantic piece.The rhythm is surprisingly melodious. Production seems a little "gluggy", however. It ends with a prophecy and a promise.

"The Sword" is a wild and raucous ride, more reminscent of Bathory-of-old. It seems our hero has received a particularly important weapon - one forged in fire and ice. Now is the first stage to his vengence and his future as the Chosen One.

His second "gift" is "The Stallion" and this track is heavy ubt flowing, like the immense and powerful horse, white as snow, with eight legs that can "run as if you carried wings".

His journey begins with a visit to "The Woodwoman" a strange being that:

"...she leaves no footprints in the snow..."

I love this song. It's haunting, and eerie, with beautiful vocalisations (with a touch of the raw and rough) and a good narrative. The production seems clearer here too,  a clarity lacking on some of the earlier tracks. Another almost-ballad where the guitar and the background noises speak of icy mountain peaks, and forests buried in snow. Here he exchanges his heart (has it placed in the pit of a snake) for the ability to take a mortal wound.

But the self-dismemberment does not stop here, for now he continues on to "The Lake". Another immense, heavy, multi-laden track with great heaving waves and turbulent waters. Into this lake, he throws his eyes which grants him the ability to see from within.

Now that he has no eyes and no heart, it is time to call upon the "Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain" to aid him in his task. This is another steamroller of sound, with epic structure and again totally makes you feel like you're out there in the glaciers,standing with your arms outspread and staring with empty eyes up at the raging, tumultuous clouds.

"The Ravens" is a slow, short number, hauntingly beautiful and oh my, Quorthon can actually sing pretty jolly well. Huginn and Muninn are his eyes in the sky, guiding him to Hel to face his destiny.

And finally he has his "Revenge of the Blood on Ice" - an immense and impressive thunderous epic that runs for almost ten minutes, and ends with the lost spirits finding their way to Valhalla.

Overall, I do not like this album as much as "Twilight of the Gods" or "Hammerheart" but it is still an epic venture. The sound is a little rough and raw, despite being remastered and re-edited and it feels somewhat to me as though he would be more befitting of being on vinyl rather than CD. It is powerful and intense and deserves a rating of 8/10.

I have just found out/been reminded that Quorthon was found dead in his apartment on June 7th (he had died 4 days previously),  2004, of suspected heart failure. He was only 38. RIP Quorthon, one of the most noteable men on the black metal scene.

Avantasia - the Metal Opera pt II (2002)

The story of Gabriel Laymann, the Druid Vandruiy and all the others continues in "part two".
The cast is also much the same, except this one also involves Bob Catley of Magnum as the "voice of the tree".

This one has a much more amusing cover - as it features the cast. Although I do rather wish that they had chosen to base the characters off their vocalists, because seeing Michael Kiske as the bearded, helmetted druid would have been hilarious. Maybe I shall have to do that myself. The figure at the back - Gabriel - could look a little like Tobias - from behind. The dwarf could be Kai I suppose. The others are all pointy-eared and therefore probably not part of the main cast (although I'm guessing the fellow at the front is Elderane).

Here's a picture someone did of Vandroiy.

"Seven Angels" opens with the haunting choirs of the Believers (not the band). The three "bad guys" are disbelieving of their failure, whilst the hero - Gabriel Laymann, is whisked away to the beautiful city of Sesidhbana. This song is epic, as we have come to know and love with Avantasia - some slow and mellow bits, monumental builds, great guitaring and sophisticated drumming.
And very long (fourteen minutes).
But you hardly notice, cos it changes styling and vocalist so many times you start wondering if its changed tracks and you've not noticed.

In "No Return" Vandroiy and Gabriel sing in harmony again, celebrating the beauty of the city in which Gabriel now finds himself. To add to the awesome male vocals, we have Matos adding his touch as well. Three of my favourite vocalists in one song... oooh, it's enough to give me chills! Anyhow, Gabriel decides he wishes to laern more about this spiritual world in which he has found himself.

Elderane is prepared to help and sends Gabriel to find the Tree of Knowledge. So, in "The Looking Glass" Gabriel makes the journey to the tree that speaks with Bob Catley's voice, and gets somewhat more confused, because the tree is rather cryptic... (and has somewhat broken grammar too)

"As long as you long for the whole, you can't get a part of at all
How proud would the buildings of Rome look without all single stones"

This is a faster paced, catchy song - rather reminscent of Edguy, actually.

Piano leads us "In Quest For". Here the Tree of Knowledge sings. He still has broken grammar "you're accused for heresy"? Hehe, you're singing a duet with a tree, Gabriel. Anyhow, he looks into the tumultuous waters of a lake and sees someone that resembles his aged mentor, Jakob. no wait, it is Jakob - but as a young man. It's a nicely mellow piece, and a good bit of a calm before the storm that is "The Final Sacrifice", in which we learn more about Jakob's past.Having heard this song an hour ago on the other album, I don't feel I need to say much mroe about it here.

Meanwhile, a bishop, a monk and a priest are lost in "Neverland".

Contains such awesome lines as:

"I know less than all but more than many who know less..."

It sounds a little like Gabriel is taunting them...

More piano leads us into the gentle "Anywhere" in which Gabriel finds himself thinking about Anna again, and also about how he wishes to free the part of Jakob's soul that was caught in the lake.Sammet is pretty good with the ballads, his voice isn't quite as sweet and pure as Kiske's, but it is definitely powerful and emotive. He doesn't share this song with anyone.

Taking his new goals to Elderane, he learns how to free Jakob's soul from being rtapped under Rome - where it is kept captive in "The Chalice of Agony" and guarded by a fearsome beast. Gabriel and Regrin set about this mission using the seals to open the gate. They release the souls and usher them in to Avantasia. The beast comes awake and ravages at them, Gabriel escapes but Regrin perishes.
(Poor Kai - why is it always the dwarf that is considered less important to the plot?).
As far as songs go, it's pretty catchy - nicely melodic and fast paced.

At this point, Gabriel is sent back to the real world. He's been away a while - I hope Vandroiy has been watching his body well. In "Memory", Vandroiy convinces Gabriel to head to safety, whilst he will rescue Anna. He hires some men and goes there to find that Jakob (soul restored) is waiting there to help him. Together they rescue Anna, but in the process Vandroiy is killed.
(And now Kiske - why are you killing your metal idols? Or their characters, anyway).
It's heavy and fast, and kinda dramatic in parts.

And Anna mourns Vandroiy in the next song - "Into the Unknown". She finally gets to sing again!
Now we get a lovely duet/ballad between Gabriel and Anna and a melodious conclusion to a magnificiant project and an epic album.

Brilliantly conceived and well organised. Sure, the plot is a bit crazy, but it's many steps better than Skylark's confusing concept album, and so masterfully cast that who cares if its a little bit cheesy.

I'm gonna give this 10/10 too, and then maybe listen to the first track again.

I think I feel some fanart coming on...

Avantasia - The Metal Opera (2001)

Tobias Sammet's Avantasia would have to be one of the most awesome projects this century. His idea - to get together a group of guest musicians - with many superstars of  the European Metal scene and produce an album. And oh, what an album it is!

I remember when I first heard about it. I don't think I have ever ordered a CD so fast, nor been so impatient waiting for it to arrive. Oh, the ripping off of the plastic, the laying it in the cd player (I'm not sure I even had a computer then), hearing it for the first time...

This album is, in one word, EPIC.

Here's the Cast:
Tobias Sammet (from Edguy) as Gabriel Laymann
"Ernie" as druid Lugaid Vandroiy*
Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray) as Regrin the Dwarf (a dwarf! Ha, go Kai!)
David DeFeis (Virgin Steele) as Jakob the Monk
Andre Matos (Angra) as Elderane the Elf (perfect, he does have the voice I would associate with the elven-kind)
Oliver Hartmann (At Vance) as Pop Clemes IIX
Sharon Del Adel (Within Temtpation) as Anna Held
Bob Rock as bishop Johann Adam von Bicken
Ralf Zdiarstek as bailiff Falk von Kronberg
Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) as the Voice in the Tower
And playing the instruments:
Henjo Richter - rhythm and lead guitars
Markus Grosskopf (Helloween) - bass guitar
Alex Holzworth - drums
Frank Tischer - piano on one track
Norman Meiritz - acoustic guitars on one track
Tobias Sammet - piano, keyboards and orchaestration - because he's THAT awesome
Jens Ludwif - lead guitars on a couple of tracks

Wow, quite a star-studded line-up! From what I understand, Markus and Kiske got on okay, despite Kiske's earlier "divorce" from Helloween. And he and Kai still get on well, and have banded together once more.

The cover is pretty awesome. There's witches and jesters and spooky woods and a very cool emblem in the centre. Very High Fantasy. Inside are the lyrics and a rather lengthy synopsis of the album's plot, which I should really read some day. Like Right Now would be good.

Okay - before the Metal Opera begins, Gabriel is working as an inquisitor with Friar Jakob. He has been commended for getting confessions and so forth, and has been summoned to see the latest suspect - which turns out to be his stepsister, Anna, who was more like a real sister to him.

Could she really be a witch?

He seeks advice from his mentor, Jakob, and finds Jakob in the library. Jakob is acting a bit suspiciously, and has acquired a new book. A sinister book. Troubled by this, Gabriel later sneaks in and sneaks a peek at it. It is Old. And potentially Evil. And has a message at the back from a druid called Lugaid, addressed to the witch, Else, whom has recently been condemed. Also, a cryptic message about Rome that he doesn't understand. However, after reading the book, Gabriel finds his fingers permanently marked - and it turns out that the Friar had booby-trapped the book. Thus has Gabriel broken his trust and thus is to be arrested.

When they come to take him away, the old Friar says nothing just stares at the floor in silence.
And that is where the story begins:

Like all good Euro metal albums, we have an atmopsheric instrumental "Prelude" to welcome us in.

Then it rips into the inspiring "Reach Out for the Light".  Imprisoned in his dreary cell, Gabriel watches as his cell-mate paces, and together they share their stories. It turns out, his companion is one of the last Celt druids, no less than Lugaid Vandroiy. This is a duet between the two, aka Kiske and Sammet. Together their voices combined are a powerful force - especially with a chorus behind them. Noone has a voice like Kiske - it is quite unmistakable.

In the next track, "Serpents in Paradise", Gabriel begs forgiveness - from Else for her death  and worries about Anna. He pleads Vandroiy for help. This intersects with Jakob taking the stage, himself awash with  guilt over his betrayal of the novice, whom he loved like a son. This is a rather more aggressive song, filled with tortured anxieties.

In "Malleus Maleficarium" things take a turn for the sinister as Gabriel remembers Else's trial - of how she was threatened and killed. The music swells ominous and poisonous around the hiss/snarled vocals.

It splinters and unleashes "Breaking Away", which also brings Lugaid back on stage. Another epic and inspiring song. Realising that the only way to help Anna, and themselves, is to escape, Vandroiy and Gabriel stage a daring escape, the old druid knocking out the guard and the two of them fleeing the castle. However, Vandroiy urges him that they cannot rush straight to Anna's aid, and he must, for the time, bid her "Farewell" in a beautiful, and haunting, combining the three finest vocalists on the album -  Sammet's slightly raw edge lends itself well versus Den Adel's sweet tones, and Lugaid provides back-up vocals, softening Sammet's edges. Sadly, Den Adel is under-used and this is her only track on the album.

Meanwhile, in Rome.

Another heavier and nastier sounding number, "The Glory of Rome" brings the bailiff and the bishop together as they welcome the addition of Jakob and his book. Secret documents have been located - secrets revealed. By bringing seven seals together - the seals of Holy books, then ultimate wisdom, illumination and truth shall be revealed. The racing drums and snarled edge to the vocals suggest that it is not a kindly conversation.

The seals are brought together, and a new door opens, into the creepy and haunting little passage of "In Nomine Patris", over before it really begins.

For, Avantasia is, as you may have guessed, a spiritual world - not really Heaven, because it's a bit more fantasy-esque than that (although I suspect itmay be a kind of Heaven for Tobias) and it can be entered in two ways - spiriutally, by having your spirit transcend through a special place (and probably a ritual too) or physically - which is what happens should all seven seals be put together.

Therefore, many miles away from Rome, Gabriel and Vandroiy are in the forest. They have just been attacked by bandits and left for dead. The only way they can help Anna, Vandroiy declares, is if he sends Gabriel's spirit to Avantasia (a dangerous enough endeavour) and he'll stay behind and make sure nothing happens to Gabriel's body, which will be left in the forest glade.

And thus we enter into the most valiant song on the album - "Avantasia". Combining the master vocals of Kiske and Sammet once more. Yeh, I'm biased. I love Kiske. So what.

A short and haunting passage heralds Gabriel's journey into "A New Dimension".

Now that he's "Inside" we have elves. And dwarves. Regrin the dwarf finds Gabriel and takes him to visit with Elderane, prince of the elves and head of Avantasia. Matos has a beautiful clear voice, that rivals Kiske's for clarity and perfection.

Anyhow, something dark is brewing in the beautiful, once-peaceful kingdom of Aina** Avantasia - Ancient Evil forces have mobilised a large army and they are reaping Terror and Destruction. In "The Sign of the Cross", Gabriel is required to join the humans and take back the seal to prevent all the nice creatures from being forgotten and vanishing***. No word on rescuing Anna. I hope she's just been forgotten and isn't being tortured for witchery as we speak. No, wait, all the bad guys are already in Avantasia, so I guess she's safe for now. This is a song with FIVE vocalists - on one hand we have the three "good guys" - Regrin, Elderane and Gabriel, on the other side we have the bishop and the pope. It's a pretty epic song.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Vandroiy is pondering the purpose of "The Tower". If all the seals are taken to the tower, then Avantasia will be forever locked. He also has a mental connection with Gabriel and pushes the young man to follow the path as the Avantasians suggest and not run off after Anna. Gabriel is a bit perplexed about how helping Avantasia can help Anna. So, I think the bad guys (the pope and the bishop) are trying to seal Avantasia forever and the others are fighting to keep it "open".

This is another complicated song, where a great deal is made about "the voice" in the Tower. Is it the voice of God? No, it's Timmo Tolkki but as the main guitarist of Stratvarius, maybe Sammet considers him a god. No wait, it appears the voice in the tower is "their father, they had broken with, because he had wanted to bring chaos to earth." So he's a devil?

Multiple vocalists, epic scale song, complicated structures and ever changing rhythms weave a damned fine symphonic power metal song.

Anyhow, it appears that Gabriel steals the seals off the Pope and runs away, dodging and weaving until he gets snatched up in an elven flying machine and thus Avantasia is saved.

Jakob bemoans:

"How could the stranger steal the seal away? Was it my fault? OR was it noone's fault?"****

...but Anna is still captive, so I guess we'll have to buy part two as well...
Actually, sod it, I'm not going to go straight on to B, I'm going to listen and review it now, because I want to know if they rescue Anna and I can't wait another 20 or so cds to do so. Plus I wanna do Aina next time round. Or Ayreon. Why are all the metal operas starting with "A"?

Then we have "Avantasia" again because it's so awesome that you shouldn't even need to flip tracks to hear it again. It's the edit version - so it's one minute shorter, not sure if there are any other differences. They should have got every vocalist to do a verse.

It is followed up by "The Final Sacrifice". This is an angry duet between Gabriel and Jakob. From the lyrics, it sounds like Gabriel has cast Jakob into Hell. I'm not overly fond of it.

Get ready for the Brimstone, getting blisters on the eyes.
The power of the spirit was their final sacrifice.

Anyhow - a damned fine album, very complex and masterfully composed and arranged by young Tobias. It's kind of funny to psycho-analyse this actually - he has portrayed Kiske and Defeis as sort of "father figures" to his young novice, and Kiske in particular is probably one of the most admired voices of metal - even if he wants to break the ties with metal and become a Rock God instead. So, one cannot help but think that perhaps this was why he created the character of Vandroiy. It was a grandiose project, and one that came to valiant fruition - and he has gone on to create further Avantasia metal operas - not just the sequel to this one but many others. They even toured! I would dearly, dearly love to see Avantasia live (with Kiske, please with Kiske).

I couldn't possibly give this epic masterpiece anything less than 10/10.

* For reasons of his own, Michael Kiske did not wish for his name to appear on this album. Possibly because he did not want to be considered to be getting back into metal. Not that his voice isn't instantly recognisable anywhere.

** Whoops, wrong metal opera, we'll do that one next time.

*** Directly quoted from the booklet. I wish someone could have done that on Earth so that we could still have some of our lost "nice creatures".

**** "...Stranger steal the seal..." wonder how many times he tripped over those words. And how come he didn't recognise his own novice?

Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime (1988)

This is probably the most epic and well known of Queensryche's albums - the concept album "Operation Mindcrime". Some have suggested it was inspired by George Orwell's "1984" but the plot summary is quite different. A sequel was released in 2006, but I do not own it and have never heard it.

 The cover neatly portrays the dystopia theme - with a lot f angry looking people - fists raised, above them a woman with her mouth open in a silent scream. Across the middle, a skull superimposed over a heart graph. All in stark black, white, yellow or red, which gives it the look of an old paperback book. Inside, the lyris are all rammed together one song into another, in a nice black against white font that makes them easy to read, even though you do have to squint a little.

The album opens with "I Remember Now" in which our protagonist, whose name is Nikki, in hospital. The nurse gives him a cursory glance-over, berates him for being and declares that "perhaps you need another shot". In the background, the radio mutters something about how the police have a suspect in custody regarding something political.

"Sweet dreams, you bastard."

The nurse mutters, as she leaves him to his memories.

We then rip into the powerful "Revolution Calling".  Disappointed in the state of contemporary society, and all the corruption, riots are brewing.

In the middle of this, Nikki received a phonecall from the mysterious Doctor X:

"...the Man with the cure"

Addicted to drugs, and with nothing more to lose, Nikkie is lured in to joining "Operation: Mindcrime" as an assassin, a combination of mind control and his addiction transforming him into a puppet. This is a catchy and powerful track.

Outside, the riots continue and the people "Speak". A somewhat more progressive number, with a sinister edge.

We are introduced to Mary in "Spreading the Disease" - a prostitute who is saved from the street by a rather corrupt priest named Father William. There is an edge of anger to it.

"... take her every night... on the altar like a sacrifice.."

"The Mission" starts with Nikki seeking forgiveness for his crimes, and finding solace in friendship with Mary. With slow, haunting and maudlin desperation, then becomes fused with anger and determination. However, Dr X sees Mary as a threat to Nikki's continual obenience and thus he lays down a challenge:

"Kill her, that's all you've got to do."
"Kill Mary?"
"She's a risk. And get the priest as well."

Nikki sets out to complete his task in the haunted "Suite Sister Mary" - Beginning with ominous choirs and low, despairing vocals. Nikki does not wish to kill the only friend he has. He kills the priest easily enough, but Mary is another matter entirely. This is a song of desperate choices. It climaxes into a confrontation, a duet of two voices, entangled in a bitter, desperate debate. It is probably the most epic and complex song on the album, with choirs and drama.

Unable to kill her, the two conspire to depart the organisation.

But "The Needle Lies" and there can be no escape for Nikki. When he returns to Dr X, stating his decision, he is mocked and scorned,

"...the Needle keeps calling me back..."

In this fast paced, almost pure speed metal number. Solid riffs, straightforward structure.
Confused, conflicted and in a sense of frustrated rage (as reflected by the music), Nikki storms off to find Mary.

She is dead. He cradles her body in "Electric Requiem". Wonders - did he kill her?

His mind is a turmoil, confusion. He runs through the streets calling her name. "Breaking the Silence" with his screaming.

"...look for your face in the neon light, you never answer me...."

This song has an almost anthemic feel.

Alas, his rather public performance attracts the attention of the police, and he is caught, subdued, a gun discovered on his person. Immediately, blame for the death of Mary (and the priest) falls to him and he is thrust into jail, bemoaning "I Don't Believe in Love":

"...it's never worth the pain that you feel..."

 Another desperate, pleading song. I remember screaming along with this song in the more angst-ridden parts of my youth. The rapid tempo beat adds the frantic feel - like the soul is being ripped apart with your denial.

"Waiting for 22" is a mournful guitar instrument, a song of wanting, longing, and waiting, waiting for your fate to be decided. Waiting for all the blame to be laid upon your head. The guitar not-so-gently weeps.

And then the clock ticking marks the hours. The hours spent waiting in "My Empty Room".

Finally, dragged away and convicted of murder and political insurgence, Nikki is thrown into prison, where

 "...every night my dreams return to haunt me..."

He has lost himself - and now he only sees the "Eyes of a Stranger". A melancholic, but powerful conclusion to this album.

So, who actually did kill Mary?
Well, a search on google revealed the probable answer to me. So, if you feel the urge to find out - you can do that too.

This is probably Queensryche's finest album - it's a rock opera, and one of similar grand style and plot to Savatage's many. Indeed, it may have inspired some of Savatage's (I'm not sure at which point they began doing concept albums, I guess I'll find out with my "research" here). The storyline is interesting, the songs dramatic and varying and overall it is an outstanding album.

So I shall rate it 9/10.

Savatage - Streets: A Rock Opera (1991)

Savatage formed in 1978 (under a different name), by Criss and Jon Olivia in Florida, USA. In 1983 they changed the name to Savatage and became one of the forerunners of US progressive metal. In the beginning, their sound was more pure, unadultered speed metal with rip-roaring guitars and screaming vocals. As they grew older, their music matured and this album, from around the midpoint of their career, has a polished vibe, whilst still rocking pretty damned hard. Later albums included the addition of orchaestra. They eventually dropped into a hiatus in 2002.

 The cover for this album is pretty bland - the band posing in some sort of ornate mansion, looking all tough and serious, not daring to even show the slightest hint of a smile. Black clothing certainly seems to be the fashion - all jeans and shirts unbuttoned to varying distances down the chest. Long haired pretty boys (some with perms), or at least, they think they are. But hey, this was the early 90s and glam was just giving way to grunge.

"Streets" is a concept album, and follows the career of D.T. Jesus - a burned out rockstar who falls off the rails, and then endeavours to pull his life together. The story is explained in detail at the beginning of the CD booklet.

"I used to come down here and look at all the characters, never thought I'd be one of them..."

Like all good musicals, it begins with an introductory song "Streets" begins with a children's choir and certainly sets the mood of the dark and grimy streets, where lights flicker and promise hope and salvation and opportunity.

"Jesus Saves" introduces us to D.T Jesus - starting with a vocal intro and breaking into a story about his fall from grace. It is a strong rock number.

As the drugs take hold of D.T's life and his world starts to crumble inside, we fall into "Tonight He Grins Again". A slower number, dripping with melancholy and longing.

"Strange Reality" sees him tumble further and further on the downward spiral. D.T. becomes aware of his plight. It is a fevered song, edged with desperation.

"Am I losing my way? This strange insanity. An illusion away. Is this reality?"

Having had this revelation, D.T sends out a call for help in the beautiful and pleading "A Little Too Far" with its gentle piano and desperate lyrics.

After that mellow moment, we rock into "You're Alive" and D.T.s triumphant return, with the help of his previous manager, Tex. But his triumph is short lived, as a dark shadow - Sammy - returns from his past and confronts him. In a tumultouos, fast and vicious fight, Manager Tex intervenes and there is a battle between "Sammy and Tex".

 "Seemed things were going right, till Sammy pulled a knife..."

Tex is slain, and seeing the rage in D.T.'s eyes, Sammy  flees  into the night.

Bereft, alone, D.T. roams the streets a haze of melancholic morbidity, finally finding his way to the doors of "St Patrick's" cathedral. Here he falls into desperate, pleading prayers.

But God does not listen, or at least, he makes no response. Lost, confused; his mind filled with dark desperate thoughts and seeking escape, D.T. pleads "Can you Hear Me Now?"

But all around him are the bitter and dark streets of New York. "New York City Don't Mean Nothing" is another song of despair and loss. It starts with raw, tortured vocals, filled with pain at this great city, where you are noone and nothing. The rhythm starts, fueding it with rage.

Everywhere he goes, he sees, haunted and broken people - a "Ghost in the Ruin". Anger, despair, deperation feed the song into a turmoil.

Perhaps it would be better "If I Go Away", D.T. ponders. If I give up on this life, just fade away. More desperation, but now fueling melancholy and sorrow, the desire only to be taken away from this life.

In the frenizied "Agony and Ectasy", D.T. prepared to give up on his despair, and his new life and reteat back into the comforting shell of drugs and the oblivion they bring. But it all changes as he comes upon a derelict man, dying in the gutter. So wretched is he, that noone dare approach him, except D.T., who holds his hand and comforts him as he dies.  Or at least this is how the narrative is explained in the beginning of the CD, however, it is not so clear from the lyrics. The song "Heal My Soul" is a beautiful piano/vocals piece haunting and strong contrast to the preceeding track.

A sense of triumph continues in "Somewhere in Time" and finally concludes in "Believe", a song of hope and faith as D.T. watches the spectral figure of a small child steps from the corpse of the dead man and up into the stars. This is the spirit of the man as he was once, until he threw his life away on lost dreams and now he seeks only forgiveness. He turns to D.T. smiles, and fades into a gentle flash of light. Up above, in the summer sky, a star burns brighter.

Finally, unexpectedly, D.T. feels at peace with himself, and returns home. The slower, more positive atmosphere in the final songs reflects this.

Ultimately, a fine concept album - although the lyrics do not fit the story at the front particularly closely. It's a good storyline for a rock opera though, albeit slightly preachy. The mix of fast-paced, angry songs and slower, mellower numbers enhances the mood and aids the narrative.

I rate this album 8/10.