Ghost BC - Infestissumam (2013)

I realise that I should be moving right along onto N now - but the only band left I have is Nightwish, lots of Nightwish. I love Nightwish, but there's only so many times you can use the word "ethereal" in reviews. And  since I purchased this album, I 've become slightly obsessed with it.

Firstly, I would like to thank my brother - who is possibly the only person reading this blog (if anyone else is, please make yourself known to me). He suggested I might like the band, shared with me their cover of an Abba song and that lead me to watching them endlessly on youtube until I finally decided to buy one of their albums. And oh, it's been playing on and off in my stereo ever since.

Ghost hail from Sweden and they are a band cloaked in secrecy. They formed in 2008, making them younger than most of my albums (let alone the bands) and perform on stage in robes. The vocalist is known as Papa Emeritus II, and he resembles a Satanic pope. The other band members are all merely Nameless Ghouls. This is their second album (I'm getting the first for my birthday) and it is an attractive affair. My brother recommended I acquire the NZ/Aus edition, which I purchased via the newly discovered WowHd whom with their free shipping and prompt delivery will probably now consume a generous portion of my expendible income. Either that or encourage me to participate in more online surveys, since I earn points that can be spent on $10 vouchers. Anyhow, I'm pretty sure mine is that edition as it cost somewhat more than the other versions and does indeed seem to contain artwork that some might percivably consider to be Heretical.

The cover pays homage to the movie Amadeus, with his anti-lordship, Pope Emeritus II, hands upraised above an infant in a manger. Behind him, the sun illuminates all in orange and sepia tones. Lucifer was, after all, the Light Bringer.

The BC was added for legal reasons (there's another band called Ghost) and according to the band, it's silent. It also contains a "Parental Advisory" sticker, although I do not recall anything in the lyrics. Maybe that is a warning against the artwork? Most of the lyrics seem to be either Latin or somewhat Satanic. Apart from the somewhat heretical nature of the art, the colour - oranges and browns, really appeals to me - and I must admit it, I'm not perturbed or offended by sepia images of orgies and of a more ghoulish nature. In fact, the surreal nature of some of them is excellent, and makes me want to stare at them again and again to take in all the details. I think my favourite is the giant cat,  surrounded by three headed dogs, that seem to be choking a rather cadaverous man whilst being whipped by tiny men.

This album is about the antichrist. According to wikipedia, "Opus Eponymous" concluded with the birth of the anti-christ, and this is his rising.

The album opens with the chanted title track "Infestissumam": Imagine a choir of faceless monks, looming out of the darkness, revealed in jagged sepia-tinged light. Powerful and ever so slightly ominous. The music soars with their voices, overwhelming it and sweeping it away on an epic tide.

It links into the powerful opening rifts of "Per Aspera Ad Inferi" (through hardship to Hell) in which Papa Emeritus II's strong and melodious, almost sweet, vocals rise and soar. Heavy rhythms and the occasional snarled growl of a savage beast, the stirring melodies of keyboards, build to a beautiful symphony.

Papa Emeritus II has the sort of voice I would attribute to Lucifer, the Lightbringer, shortly after he fell. Glorious, melodious, but ultimately sinister.

Crazed out carnival rhythms lead us into "Secular Haze", an appealing progressively orientated number with jerky, staccato rhythms intermingling with the soar and melody of Emeritus's voice.

"Jigolo Har Megiddo" has a poppy, lively melody, with a late 70s, (perhaps, or maybe earlier, it makes me think a little of an evil Abba) vibe to it. It's quite heavy on the synth-pop feel with an added hint of menace. It is exceptionally playful and bouncy, sure to be a hit at parties and probably quite acceptable in the retail workplace, if one does not pay too much attention to the lyrics...

"I am the one who preys on weak - I offer everything they seek..."

This band just screams to be played as loudly as possible. I hope my neighbours like Ghost too!
(and if they don't, tough!)

Sinister, dreamy, languid and soothing are all words to describe "Ghulel/Zombie Queen". Nobody can sing such macabre lyrics with such romantic beauty:

"Putrefaction - a scent that cursed be, undercoat of dust..."

Then follow it up with delicate piano and soft guitars. It is nothing short of an oxymoron. There's  the deep throated voice of an organ, then all turns faster, determined, sinister, enraged, surging into a melodious, triumphant chorus. The Zombie Queen has risen! There's even a bit of surf guitar in this track.

The menacing "Year Zero" (uncensored video, viewer discretion advised) is set to engulf you. It starts steady, pounding, with a looming undertone of threat. And, of course, there's the chants of:

 "Hell Satan - Archangelo..."

Modern in sound, melodious in verses, ominous in chorus. The looming menace is like an atom bomb mushrooming and heralding the apocalypse.

Tinkly, discordant, disconcerting, then Emeritus swoops in like a hawk on its prey, pinning the weak beneath his mighty "Body and Blood".  With its keyboards and regular rhythms, it is rather reminiscent of something from a bygone era. Maybe the 70s.

"Idolatrine" has a haunting melody, it begins with a confused whirlwind of sound that sorts itself out into a straight forward, fast paced rhythm. Insanely catchy.

"Suffer little children to come unto me..."

There are elements of Voivod's "Angel Rat" in the "Depth of Satan's Eyes". Slower and steady, with the cruising, soaring vocals and a somewhat mellow feel.

Low and menacing, we are treated to the steady tones of the "Monstrance Clock" (brand new video!). Eerie, ominous; the worshippers gather, marching through the dark with their black candles blazing to pay tribute to the monstrance clock. This is an anthem, a hymn, a celebration. Reflected in the video, in which fans "confess" of their love of Ghost.
(A "monstance" is an object of piety, one cannot help but wonder what a monstrance clock measures - the days til doomsday? Quite possibly, lyrics seem to indicate it.)

"Come together... together as one. Come together, for Lucifer's son."

There's a lengthy pause after this track, before we are treated to the two bonus tracks. The first "La Mantra Mori" is slow and almost dreamlike, with a languid surreality. The lyrics are repetitive, simple:

"We focus on your death
We focus on your death
You share not the blood of ours
Thus we focus on your death" 

 This is the entire lyrical content of the song. It is haunting and also rather ominous.

Final track "I'm a Marionette" is the compulsory* Abba cover. And what a cover! The original is pretty nifty too, being darker than your typical Abba track. Performed by Ghost, it takes on a new level of mechnical ominisity (look, I invented a word!). The poppy beats of Abba are heavier, leaden, jerky and disconcerting. The chorus is sublime and creepy. I'm glad I purchased the Deluxe edition.


Words cannot describe how I feel about Ghost. They are intensely addictive, beautifully contradictory. Their sinister lyrics intermingle with their tongue-in-cheek appearance and gloriously inspiring and stirring combination of modern sounds and more classic (rock) stylisations. They are also instrinsically catchy. I actually stopped listening to this album for a week or two - scared that I was overdoing it and would make myself tired of it, but then I was struck by a deep and demanding desire to listen to it again. And again.

This is definitely my favourite album for 2013, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next (or came up with first, since I'm getting "Opus Eponymous" soon).

In terms of the satanism... I listen to Christian music, I listen to Satanic music. I'm an agnostic-with-a-touch-of-pagan myself** but I prefer bands like Ghost and Mercyful Fate to the entire Norwegian Black Metal scene, because they are musically superior (and melodiously superior). One cannot help but wonder if Ghost are entirely, instrinsically Satanic, however, or just setting their tongue firmly in cheek. As long as they're not burning down beautiful wooden Norwegian churches or brutally murdering members of other bands, they can believe whatever they like.

I'm going to have to rank this another impossible 11/10.
(Since the last time I did this was with Diabloswing Orchaestra, I think we all have to agree that my brother has an excellent idea of what sort of music flies my kite).

* It is requirement for all Swedish bands to cover at least one Abba track during their career. Ok, so I made that up. But metal Abba covers are the best!
** As in, I'll invent my own religious beliefs if I have to. 
 

Deliverance - Camelot-in-Smithereens (1995)

Deliverance formed in the 80s as a thrash band and gradually morphed their way into a more progressive, melodic sound, akin to Queensryche. Taking a decidedly Christian approach, they were generally overlooked in the metal circles, since most non-Christian metallers don't appreciate being preached to. And their lyrics are quite preachy, but they make up for it by being a jolly decent band. This was their poorest selling record at the time of release (or soon thereafter, obviously).

My exposure to Christian Metal was through a local radio station in Golden Bay. I later found one on another station in Christchurch, one week before it disbanded forever. This introduced me to bands like Sacred Warrior, Crystavox, Virgin Black, Seventh Angel* and possibly some others. I swear I've heard Vengence Rising too, but they obviously didn't leave a lasting impression because I cannot remember their song!

 This is one of two Deliverance albums I own. It is their seventh full length album. I should have listened to the other one first (it's an earlier release) but this one hasn't had so much "ear play".

As packaging goes, it's pretty dull. Designed to look Arthurian I think, in that it's all sepia tones and parchment patterned, with the writing and cross/circle designed to look like embossing on leather.  Lyrics inside and no band photo, although the back cover features a photograph of one of those narrow castle windows.

The album opens with the appropriately entitled "Somber Theme (where are you)". Vocalist Jimmy P Brown has a low voice, a high baritone (at my guess) with good strength to it. He sounds rather like Geoff Tate doing the low notes, but does not do the operatic tenor of Tate. Somewhat repetitive but with a strong somber and sonerous sound.

Second track "Lindsay" begins with heavy rifts and eerie distortion, like the climactic build up during a horror movie. Then the drums and bass guitar kicks in.The vocals are low and smooth, edged with honey. I think this may be a song about unwanted pregnancy - at least a spoken bit (half drowned by bass) indicates this. Apparently those between the ages of 15 and 21 make up 42% of unwanetd pregnancies.

"Not Too Good For Me" has a distinctly Queensryche vibe - albeit from their less interesting days. Brown's voice has a good strong vibe to it, and I want to say "cadence" but I'm not 100% sure if I'd be using the term accurately. Wikipedia isn't too helpful on describing how things sound. Much like this blog really. The beginning is slightly echoey and eerie, before a more typical rock vibe steps in.

The moody "Anymore" beings with slow, entwiningly melancholic guitar. The vocals are, once again, mid-low and smooth and rich, like milk chocolate. Funnily enough, I was just discussing the use of the word "anymore" in writing and whether or not it was appropriate to use it. In this case, definitely. The low sound creates a wall of emotional pain and loss, the strumming bass accentuating this, punctuated by sharp percusson.

Picking up the pace, but not the mood we shift into "Book Ends". The vocals are pitched higher, proving that Brown can manage a passable tenor (albeit not for long) - and does sound quite surprisingly like Geoff Tate (in more recent days when his vocal range has shifted down an octave). Songs filled with reading puns are all good by me!

"...I'm on the shelf..."

Even if it is a "finding God" song and the lyrics print the word "two" as the number "2" which I  do not like. But it is better than in the previous track, where they substituted the word "for" for "4". Ick *shudders*.

The tempo picks up and into the rockin' "Beauty and the Beast". Good rhythms and catchy rhymes. Sound kinda familiar? It's a Bowie song. Brown's voice is not entirely disimilar to Bowie, although not quite as low and sehxy. My favourite so far.

"Make my Bed in Hell" begins with low, distorted vocals, moving faster until the words trip over themselves.

By "The Red Roof" I'm starting to zone out a bit. The songs are good - pleasant to listen to and the vocals are appealing. But they're not particularly inspiring and are beginning to blur together. Perhaps this is why it has taken me almost a week to get around to reviewing this album (I keep starting it then getting distracted from dissecting and having to backtrack a track). It ends with evil and meancing distortion, like mists raising from the gates of Hell.

We then move into another low and moody song - "In-U". Again with the horrible text speak. This was published in 1995. Was text speak even really used then? Anyhow, this is the song that kept playing on my ishuffle when I had this album loaded onto it. It's good, strong, with some very powerful and quite stirring moments. Good bit of emotional overload in the chorus. He seems very passionate in his faith:

"Just when I thought my life was through, it was then that I found my faith in the fact that I believe... in U."

How does this album rate? Well, individually the tracks are pleasing to listen to. The vocals are low and smooth, occasionally low enough to be considered properly sexy, but generally a sort of halfway between tenor and baritone that is not variable enough to sustain the interest for an entire album. The pacing of the songs seems to be consistently slow and a little depressive. Lyrics don't seem to be too much preaching or God bothering. Not as dull as the more recent Queensryche, but not nearly as interesting as the older.

I'd give it 7/10 but the use of single letters or numbers instead of words bugs me too much. So I'll dock them half a point  and rate it 6.5/10.

* Although I believe that was actually through Speed Kills 6 and "Falling away from reality" a song about suicide, actually, the whole album ("Lament for the Weary") is about abuse leading to suicidal thoughts and presumerably eventually the finding of God. Pretty depressing for a concept album.

Warlord - Best of (1989)

I was going to listen to Within Temptation, or maybe Wolfspider for W this time through - then I saw the Warlord CD in my collection and I could not resist.

This band formed in San Jose, California  in the 80s, as sorta a low-key Manowar, although according to Wikipedia their influences were actually Rainbow, Angel Witch and Jethro Tull. The band take amusing pseudonyms - Destroyer, Thunderchild, Damien King and Sentinel. They have never performed live, not wishing to be considered part of the LA live scene. Although they did hire a theatre to record their first full length release, and performed to an empty hall.  This possibly explains why they never attained much in the way of notoriety or recognition, but do retain a cult following to this day. They ran through three vocalists: Damien King I, II or III and released a couple of albums, then some compilation and best of albums, basically reusing the same tracks, because they only had one full length album and one EP up their sleeves. They split up without really achieving much of anything, then reformed in 2002 with Hammerfall's Joacim Cans their vocalist. They seem to be the band that other bands like - Hammerfall are named after lyrics in the song "Lucifer's Hammer" and Yngwie Malmsteen cited them as his favourite band in the 80s.

I own two Warlord albums - their original EP release, 1983's "Deliver Us" EP on vinyl (stored in my cupboard, since I can't play records) and the 1993 "Best of" which is the entire Deliver Us EP pls 7 more tracks (two of them new versions of older tracks), probably almost their entirely collection. Since the vinyl is buried, I'll be doing this review of  "Best of". This was their first release on CD. I picked it up because it was cheap and had twice as many songs as a record that I really liked but couldn't play!

The cover is black. With red writing. It is a single fold, and inside declares that if you send $32.95 to an address in CA you can receive a VHS video with live footage, interviews and documentary. Live footage is from their audience-less concert. There's a photo of three members of the band, performing not-live. I doubt I could still get it today, some 20+ years late. <- now available on DVD, apparently.

Anyhow, after that eccentric intro, I bet you're wondering what they sound like - right?

The album opens with "Deliver Us From Evil". Eerie wind, light guitar, building into something dramatic. Definite folk inspirations.  Twiddly guitar, low, wistful vocals "Deliver us from evil". Then.... a pause... and BAM the drums start in a rhythmic, somewhat tinny (this was the early 80s) beat. Like soldiers marching into war. Vocals are a soft tenor. The beat of the song is great - it totally seems like the pounding of a mighty army and could well be their battle song. Except for the fact that vocals are not particualrly aggressive, even if they do get somewhat shrill at times.

Haunting, melancholic melodies and almost feminine vocals usher us into "Winter Tears". Damien King's voice could almost be a lower pitched woman. It certainly has a wistful, ethereal quality. Because this is an 80s recording, it has that almost more fragile edge to it. The song itself is delicate, but has solid beats and a quirky edge to the guitar.

Now we rampage in to "Child of the Damned", a raucous and fast piece with the vocalist almost tripping over his tongue. HammerFall do a pretty good rendtion of this song.

"Penny for a Poor Man" is another somewhat folk-esque piece, with a strong fantasy feel to it, evoking feelings of high stone walls and a man in rags, shuffling his way along the dark, litter infected streets.

An ominous opening leads us to the "Black Mass". Sludgy, primeval. Vocals wispy and ethereal. Has a feeling of early Candlemass about it.

"Lucifer's Hammer" introduces the first synth sounds, swirling and whirling over the heavy bass beat as the:

"... hammer will fall on you..."

Primeval, tribal and dramatic. This track was also on Metal Massacre II.

Thus ends the "Deliver Us" EP and we are now into the slightly later music:

"Mrs Victoria" was a track featured on Metal Massacre III. It has a greater clarity of sound than the early tracks, and haunting synth music that reminds me of King Diamond. Although the vocals are of decidedly lower pitch than Mr Diamond's! The lyrics are vicious and the music manically furious and agitated. It sounds decidedly different from the "Deliver Us" days.

Following up is "Aliens" - starting with a quick drum solo before the guitar overwhelms them with a sludgy garage sound, overlaid with synth. Has a good pace, quite jaunty.

I suppose "Lost and Lonely Days" would be considered a love song. It marks a return to the earlier sound, with tinny drum beats and guitars - but is that a touch of the synth I hear?

Now, something we've already heartd - "Beginning" with a declaration about 1984 and then a repeat of "Lucifer's Hammer". Further research - Google plus Wikipedia, shows that this song is based on a Larry Niven novel by the same name. A comet is crashing to earth. It is called HammerFall. This version has more keyboard (ie: some) in it than the earlier version.

"Solilquy" starts with fleeting guitar, joined shortly by thrumming drums. Vocals are thin and spidery, a little bit lost. As be fits the lyrics which are along the lines of:

"I'm alone, I'm alone again and that's how I'll always be, until the end..."

 The next track is "MCMLXXXIV". It is an instrumental. It appears that Warlord considered 1984 a Very Important Year. Or perhaps that's just because these are taken from their "And the Cannons of Destruction have Begun..." As far as instrumentals go,  it's not particularly memorable.

Now we have "Child of the Damned" again. Slightly less ominous than the former version, and starting with a higher-pitched falsetto scream. I would hazard a guess that this is Damien King II or maybe III. His voice is thin, almost reedy.

And of coures, the immortal line:

"Better to rule in Hell than it is to serve in Heaven..."

Which is from Paradise Lost (the book, not the band that, presumerably, named themselves after the book).

So, that's Warlord. Slightly eccentric, somewhat forgotten, except perhaps in the heart and soul of the actual musicians that they inspired. I'm curious to hear their work with Joacim, and might have to track down some of their more recent stuff. Their sound is pure 80s fantasy metal with folk influences, and like a toned down Manowar with weaker vocals.

But they're pretty nifty, and deserve 7/10.

Here's their newer stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leWVxtcDP7o
They've got Damien King III back, but he's going by Rick Anderson now.

And here the are with Joacim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqA2sOHtdYg
Sounds rather like Hammerfall, not surprisingly. I really should listen to my HammerFall album but, alas, I have so much Helloween they tend to take H priority. Maybe next time through I'll do two.

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...

Queensryche - The Warning (1984)

This is Queensryche's very first full length album, following on from their "Queen of the Reich" EP. It in inspired by world events of the time and also by the George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

On a random aside - Geoff Tate was fired from Queensryche in 2012 - but due to legal issues both the line-up he left behind, now with the ex-vocalist  of Crimson Glory, and he with a "new" line-up including another ex-member, are both legally allowed to use the name "Queensryche". If both manage to get an album out in that time, it could make for an interesting aural battle.

But, in 1984 the wide world of progressive rock stood before Queensryche  - this album achieved modest success but never charted in the US of A, although "Take hold of the flame" became popular in Japan. The Japanese are known for having excellent taste in melodic metal (although I have only one Japanese metal band's album in my collection).

The cover is simple but makes a statement. It depicts a card - like a tarot card, inscribed with the words "The Warning" held in a gloved, and frankly rather unhealthy looking, hand, whilst green lasers shoot from the card like eyes or headlights, behind it is Earth. The message is clear - things are going wrong with our planet.

Here in his younger days (he's 24/25), Geoff Tate has a high and clear voice that rings out strong and clear with an almost bell-like clarity. The album opens with "The Warning", a song of simple structure with rhythmic guitar and drums. It is Tate's voice that gives it the power and emotional impact it implores - powerful, with a hint of desperation. He sure can hold his notes well!
"En Force" gets into a somewhat more dramatic start with tolling bells (their voices relatively high and drum-like) and surging into the vocals. Again, Tate's voice is a fine force and it is easy to see why his is considered one of the best in the genre. The higher notes are sweet and pure, but with the occasional harsher, raw edge. There is an innocence in it as well. The lyrics have a definite dystopia/sci fi edge:

"Light tracers follow me farther into the depths of unknown. The blackness surrounding the borders of hope. We're alone"

  The ghostly drumming and spectral and ethereal vocals give the final verse an eerie and unnerving edge. It feels lost, and haunted.

Before we soar into "Deliverance" a rather faster paced and energetic piece, similar to what we consider the classic Queensryche sound.

Ghostly and slow, feeling distant and haunted, "No Sanctuary" follows. This is not precisely a ballad, but definitely a slower, and softer song - again with an edge of desperation.

Following on from this is another dystopia-inspired song, "NM 156", this one possibly more inspired by the book. The vocals start with computer voices, then Tate's desperate high notes soar over them.

"Microchip logic, have we no more thought?
"Is this wrong" I enter, answers sought"

 The future is  before us, and it is not a pleasant place. Decent and somewhat complex guitar solo, soaring vocals compete with faster, harder, rawer and desperate. Tate can certainly wail.

Now, I believe it is time for a Power Ballad. And "Take Hold of the Flame" certainly fits the bill. The vocals are as bright and clear as the fire themselves, flickering into a gloriously high howl. The chorus is delightfully anthemic:

"So take hold of the flame. Don't you see life's a game?"

 I can almost see those lighters held high! (Of course, nowadays everyone uses cellphones instead - far less likely to cause accidents or fire alarms anyway).

The somewhat heavier "Before the Storm" follows this up with its echoed chorus and more involved guitar structures, the whirling guitar solo imitating a grey sky broiling with clouds.

"Child of Fire" is another song of loss and desolation, heavy with desperation as Tate wails:

"Look around. Is this the end you've foreseen?
The pain? The misery in us all?
What was it that you knew?
Will we someday learn it too?"

 Finally we conclude with "Road to Madness" in which Tate drops half an octave, or maybe a wee bit more and forlorn strings echo his words. His words are tinged with hints of loss and desolation. Like the soundtrack to a lost man, walking forlorn along an endless highway. It turns faster and more urgent as it marches towards its conclusion.

A very fine debut album, with hints at what Queensryche will become. The songs are nicely variable, contrasting with one another to take on personalities of their own. Haunting and memorable but possibly a bit dark and serious to earn it much acclaim at the time of its release - a time when Iron Maiden ("Powerslave") and Judas Priest ("Defenders of the Faith") were having their day and glam metal had laid its roots.  It had a lot of steep competition.

I'm going to give it 7.5/10.

(Note: Yes I posted R and Q around the wrong way, I DO know which way the alphabet works, that was just the way I happened to listen to them, okay?)

Dream Theather - Images and Words (1992)

Whilst talking to my brother the other day, we were discussing the difference between American and European metal, and I realised there were very few USA metal bands that I really, really liked. At that point, the only one I could think of were Queensryche and White Lion/Freak of Nature but now after some more thought, I would like to add Dream Theater and Savatage to that list. I was first introduced to Dream Theater in the early 90s, when we stayed in someone's house in Nelson. There had been a Japanese student boarding there, and he had left some of his albums. Most were Japanese pop/rock (which was rather pleasant, even with the lyrics all being foreign) and this album. Well, not this actual cd, as I did not steal it! After hearing them, I was hooked and one day came upon the record (vinyl) in our local store-of-goodness, Echo. As this predated eftpos cards, I had to run to the bank to withdrawal the cash. I returned just in time to see someone else buying it. Yes, I know, I should have asked the shop assistant to hold it under the counter for me. Anyhow, I eventually purchased it on cd from Borders, from the look of things, some many years later! And since I cannot currently play my vinyl collection, I suppose it is better that way.

Dream Theater began in 1985 under the name Majesty and hail from Massacusetts, America. They are still active today and have 11 albums under their belt - plus numerous bootlegs. They are one of the early progressive metal bands, similar in some stylings to Rush, but rather heavier. Their sound is rich and dramatic, soaring and proud, filled with complex stylings, keyboards and elaborate structures. The vocals are of the higher register, but vocalist James LeBrie has a crystaline and glorious voice, never shrieking, never screeching.

The album cover is beautiful - a small girl with thick curly hair and a white nightdress standing in an elaborate bedroom - with four post bed, vase of flowers and, slightly offcentre, a floating heart wrapped about with barbed wire. Above, the ceiling changes from the decorative trim of the bedroom to a cloud-swept sky, as though the bed will snatch her away into another world of wonders. It folds out instead of being a booklet, and there is a panoramic photo of the band, standing before some sort of arch, all very purple. On the other side can be found the lyrics.

"Pull me Under" begins with the gentle guitar chords, giving way as the keyboards roll over them in glorious synthesized sound, rising in power. It is almost two minutes in before LeBrie's voice rises like a sunlit storm. A little repetitive, it draws to a very abrupt ending, cutting off mid word.

A slower and more melodic number, "Another Day" stirs the spirit and ignites within a small spark of bittersweet hope. The saxophone adds its melancholic voice to the melody.

The intro to "Take the Time" is rather more dramatic, as the keyboardist is given rein and the bass churns in. The vocal style is different: faster, lower whilst around it the keyboard swoops and soars, then the voice too soars reaching to the skies. The sheer diverseness of the music, the complex arrangements between keyboard and guitar, vocals and drums make you realise how truly difficult it must be to compose music and brings the piece into glorious life*.

Piano and keyboards dance together and we're "Surrounded" by their delicate sound. LeBrie's vocals are a gentle caress, building into something a little more lively and brimming with goodwill and positivity. This song, in particular, reminds me of Marillion. The rising keyboards, the celebratory rhythms.

"Metropolis pt 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper" is a spirited and energetic song, with complicated keyboard structures, creating an evocative and imaginative symphony. The lyrics are poetic and beautiful.

"Love is the Dance of Eternity"

Heavy bass brings us into "Under a Glass Moon", another complex and deftly weaven symphony of keyboards and guitar.

Another slower moment, "Wait for Sleep" is exquisite and gentle. The keyboards are vibrant and alive, their sound etheral.This continues on into "Learning to Live". It is quite a mellow, peaceful song, but an inner current of inspiration and the dramatic flairs through it.

In conclusion; a lovely, dynamic elaborate and beautifully woven album, definitely deserving of 7/10.

* If there is one thing I am learning from this listen-to-all-my-CDs project, it is how the combination of various instrumental "voices" and arrangements can truly create a mood - from the slightly discordant and unsettling (Confessor), to the tense and frustrated (Tad Morose), and also to the positive and uplifting (most of my other stuff). There is a lot more to music than I have really appreciated previously. It used to be that I concentrated mostly on the vocals, but there is so much more to music than the voice.

Watchtower - Control and Resistance (1989)

I began today on Operation: Preserve cassette tapes. A few months ago, I purchased this awesome stereo from Dick Smith: Philips AZ1852 (which I see are currently on special for $99, almost tempted to buy a second!). Now, the funky thing about this stereo - which is really rather similar to what they used to call a "Ghetto blaster" is that not only does it play cassette tapes, but it also has a slot to stick a USB stick in and records your cassettes as MP3s. Since I have approximately 3 times as many cassettes as I do CDs (and that's a LOT), this seemed an ideal way to salvage them before the rigours of time claimed them.

It was too late for some - a couple had already succumed to mould, including a Black Sabbath one I was looking forward to hearing again - and others - like my Non-Fiction album, are currently MIA. Luckily I already either own all the bands from that that I liked, or ripped them in a previous project involving headphone cables and Audible. I'm still using Audible, as it is easier to record the entire side of a tape and then divide it up rather then run back and forth hitting stop and record. Especially since there seems to be a delay, and if you push stop-then-record too close together it doesn't record. Also, if you let the cassette stop naturally, it doesn't seem to store it either. Nevermind, I didn't have the whole of "Sanity Assassin" on that cassette anyway - and I DO have it elsewhere.

Today, after several cassette rips, it claimed its first casualty:  Xentrix's "Dilute to Taste". Oh, it has been years since I've heard that horrible crackling and loss of sound that fortells the chewing of a cassette tape and makes you leap to the stereo and try to salvage it. I couldn't - I almost had to cut it to free it, but the stereo seems none the worst for wear and it's not like Xentrix are any good anyhow. I was only thinking of listening to it for "X". But it's not worth the pain that I will have to go through to listen through it!

Anyhow, ramblings aside:
Today's album is another that I first acquired on cassette tape but later purchased on CD for the kingly sum of $9.95 via Echo Records (RIP). It is, alledgely, a special import from Australia. But I guess noone wanted it, which is why it was so cheap. Good for me!

Watchtower are an 80s Thrash/Progressive Metal band from Texas. Their original vocalist, Jason McMaster, went off to join Dangerous Toys (a rather more glam act, alas, not sure what happened to our DT cassette) and they then obtained Alan Tecchio from Speed band, Hades (I have a Hades CD too, you'll eventually get it reviewed here). He later left to join Non Fiction (whose cassette I appear to have misplaced), was later replaced by McMaster, and then returned in 2010 before leaving again.
The cover is kinda nicely done - it's an illustration of a tower, and some arches, with a radiation sign upon them. Most of the cover is purplish-blue and scratched up, with the title being a stark red against it. The limited palatte is quice effective. It does, however, look very 80s. There's a rather cartoony, angry dog on the back. Lyrics inside, and a band illustration in which they all look very young and pretty, with their long, permed hair and posing. They look like they must be in their early 20s at most.

The comparison between American and European metal is quite interesting. Watchtower are loud and aggressive, with jarring, bold basslines, shrill-edged guitars and rapid pace. The vocals are high, a sort of shrieking-snarl*. Ultimately, Americans seems angrier. Their lyrics are more "real" too - dealing with real world social issues rather than the sword-and-sorcery approach of their European counterparts.

The album opens with the powerfully fast, "Instruments of Random Murder". It is based on the Tylenol Terrorist - in which batches of tylenol were laced with cyanide and caused the death of 7 people. Angry, aggressive and of rapid pace:

"We must question the motive of a killer
who kills without vengence, without apparent reason
and leaves death upon the innocent"

"The Eldritch" is epic and forboding. It was the first Watchtower song I ever heard - on the video compilation "Doomsday News". Intense vocals and possibly one of my favourite lines ever:

"Imagination overpowers reason."

Another hectic, frantic, angry song thrumming with tension is "Mayday in Kiev" which is about the Chernobyl Diaster of 1986. The lyrics are very mature with lines like:

"As deadly elemental isotopes spew into the biosphere"

I believe that is the only time I have ever heard "biosphere" in a song. I could be wrong on that though!

And what should we follow that up, but with a song about war and "The Fall of Reason". A slower more ominous start with some nice twiddly complicated guitar bits, adding to the disconcerting, slightly discordant feel. The structures are complex and intriguing.

"Control and Resistance" begins with irratic guitar intermingling with screaming-shrieking vocals. The tensions are high throughout this song, and it is very complex. Watchtower have achieved highily skillful, complicated progressive metal without the addition of keyboards, and without slowing the pace. I am impressed at the way they music weaves itself. I just wish the vocals were a little more variable.

Continuing with the serious themes, "Hidden Instincts" is about brutal crime.The song is equally relentless.

With an erratic beginning, "Life Cycles" settles into a rather smoother passages. I do like some of the messages of this:

"Like the lines on a biorhythmic chart, between the lows the beauty lies. Don't take your failures to heart."

Particularly appropriate since I've just suffered a (admittedly rather minor) blow to my artistic ego and am afraid I am soon to face a worse one.

The album concludes with "Dangerous Toy" a clamorous, cacophanous speed-infused song about not so much a toy as an electric chair. The music is almost like electricity, the guitars exploding up and down in their rifts, whilst Tecchio's shrill warble shrieks over them.

To conclude - a little too much in large doses. The music is complex, riotous and filled with interesting little "twiddly" bits and melodies. The vocals get on your nerves after a time, if only Tecchio could bring it down a pitch or two, perhaps more like he does nowadays. The lyrics are damned fine and quite intelligent, earning this a 6.5/10.

* Tracked down Alan Tecchio on MySpace - now he sings at a lower pitch and sounds more like Dio - great voice!

Tad Morose - Sender of Thoughts (1995)

Tad Morose are a Swedish progressive metal band that formed in the early 1990s. This is their second album. Their music blends Heavy Metal with keyboards and epic rhythms in a style reminscent of Rainbow and bearing some semblance to Power Metal - but not quite as fast paced as most of the other european stuff from this era (like Italian bands Rhapsody and Skylark). This is also one of the Black Mark cds that first started appearing in local stores and even in the libraries! So, I at first hired it from there  until I eventually picked up a copy for $14.95* - it still has the original label on it - it was from the CD Store in town - one of the many that have now been swallowed by the ravages of Itunes and earthquakes.

The vocalist for this album is Kristian "Krille" Andren. After this album he departed, doing some time with Memento Mori** (replacing god Messiah Marcolin )  and then spending some time with Wuthering Heights before joining Bloodbound.

It has an intriguing cover - almost all of it cast in shades of red - Egyptian style statues line the back, before them a levitating ornate picture frame, in which a blue face with bright red eyes gazes out. It looks as though liquid is leaking from the base of the frame, forming a droplet that has cascaded outwards, rippling to the edges of the cover.

I have no idea who designs these album covers, or where their inspiration lies, but I've seen some weird ones whilst writing this blog!

Inside, lyrics superimposed over grainy pharoah faces and other scenes taken from the cover and cast in monochrome. The band  do not look amused, as they gaze sideways out of the rear page, glaring at the fellow that dares to take their photo.

Now, onewards into the music.

Keyboard's delicate tinkling leads us into the heavy bass of "Fading Pictures". Kristian's voice soars across it, powerful and strong as it swoops into the chorus.

"Sender of Thoughts" opens with keyboards and pianos, before cascading into a sound not unlike early German speed metal (such as Paradox and Rage) and then swelling into the more progressive vibe again. After this for a short time, Kristian's voice breaks the keyboard with delicate, almost longing tones. Around the music soars and swarms.

Another epic and heavy song is "Morning Sun" with its bold guitar and sturdy rhythms, fading out into keyboards.

A somewhat mellower number (kind  of) is "Lost in Time" which starts with aching piano and then swells into melancholic guitar and bass. It is not a ballad - not even close, however, as the music continues its steady, strong progress.

Also throbbing with restless tension and hopeless emotions, is "Different Eyes". Which proclaims:

"I want to live again, trying to make things right...."

Not so much aggressive as laden with heavy frustration and thrumming with feelings of hopelessness. A desperate desire to change things, to fix the past, but a frustrating inability to achieve that goal.

"Time of Silence" is more of the familiar - heavy with restless desires and edged with tension and a little frustration. "Forever Gone" is likewise similar.

Neither "Circle of Souls" nor "Here After" offer anything new to the mix. They both begin with heavy bass (and a little keyboard), the guitars and more keyboard coming in and then, finally, the vocalist joining them.

It is "Gates of Babylon" that is probably my favourite of the album. Starting with high, echoing keyboard given it a haunting, magical feel. The guitars come chugging along in, and the vocals join them in this fine cover of a Rainbow classic. It just feels more lively, more alive, than the earlier albums. I think it is a slightly faster pace and the music less laden with tension and restlessness.

The chaotir, crashing piano of "Netherworld" is a discordantly wonderful instrumental to end the album. Very short, it is over within a heartbeat.

Tad Morose are a decent band  - their sound something like a combination between the progressive, keyboard-y power of Dream Theater and the heavier bass and solid rifts found in thrash metal, with a touch of speed. Kristian's voice is a powerful force - mostly of medium to relatively high pitch, but more operatic than a screaming howling banshee. Too slow and steady to qualify as speed, or even really power metal, and the basic structure and pace of all the songs is more-or-less the same, making this quite a repetitive album, especially when trying to break it down into tracks.

But overall, a pretty good album and definitely worth 7/10. I would like to see a bit of variety in other albums, however. I wonder how Memento Mori sounded with him***?

* This may not sound very cheap to you Americans, but in NZ most new cds are $29.99 and upwards, so it was a bit of a bargain. I consider anything under $25 to be a good deal. This has, alas, lead to most serious music buyers purchasing their discs from overseas - which is also helped by the strong NZ$, and means that the local stores lose sales, and thus have had to close down one-by-one-by-one. Now there are maybe five CD stores in the entire city - two Marbecks (used to be the CD Store) and three Pennylane Records (which sell second hand as well).

** Memento Mori and Hexenhaus are, as far as I'm concerned, the same band. They both changed the line-up so many times that the only anchoring feature was guitarist Mike Wead.

*** Damned good! They're a faster pace and his voice is a little more variable. I might have to listen to some more!

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.

Morgana Lefay - Past, Present, Future (1995)

You will probably notice I have a lot of 1995/96 albums. This was because I now had my own disposible income. Not much, for sure, but since I was still living at home and not paying board - it allowed me to expand my collection. It is also about the time when I started buying mainly cds instead of cassette tapes.

Morgana Lefay began in Sweden as "Damage" but renamed themselves after the sorceress from King Arthur. Their sound is thrash style music - heavy, slowish rifts, but the guitars and vocals are more power with Charles Rytkönen have quite a higher pitched voice, with a somewhat sinister edge. He screams rather well. After self producing their first album, they released four with Black Mark, before dumping Black Mark and the "Morgana" and switching to Noise under Lefay. Presumerably this change was to enable them to break the contract.

This is a very attractive album, and comes with a poster. Due to a rather significant design flaw - the poster will not fit inside the CD cover and has to be stored separately. It contains the cover illustration on one side - an hourglass crackling with electric energy and covered in either spiderwebs or a finely woven silk. This is actually a "zoomed in" image from the cover of "Secret Doctrine", plus the lyrics to two of the "brandnew" tracks, and on the reverse is a bunch of band photographs, and their previous CD covers. I have three of their previous albums, but these were acquired much, much later.

One of the brandnew tracks, "Sculptures of Pain" is a powerful piece with desperation in the vocals and heavy rhythms.

I love the opening to "Lost Reflections" which is eerie and sinister.

"Locked in the attic, been here so many years, Shanna won't set me free..."

I still wonder who Shanna is. The music playing counterpoint to the snarled vocals is thin, spooky. Until... BOOM, it roars into a dramatic explosion of a guitar solo almost 3/4s of the way into the piece. It appears, being trapped in the attic, has driven the narrator quite insane...
Shanna had better watch out!
This is a cover of a Crimson Glory song.

Another haunting number, "Rumours of Rain" starts slow and sinister. It is taken from the album "Knowing Just As I", becoming increasingly frantic as the song progresses, before fading out to melancholy.

Then we walk the "Alley of the Oaks", take from "The Secret Doctrine". It is a menacing place to meander, filled with dark shadows and sharp teeth hidden in the gloom:

"Was there something behind me? What did move over there?"

"Battle of Evermore" is a melancholic number, starting with aching guitar chords and solemn vocals. It is from "Knowing Just as I". Not to be confused with the Led Zep song by the same name. The angels are at war.

"Angels fighting angels, Heaven is painted red. Crimson rain is falling..."

Another brandnew track, is a fantastic cover of "Voulez Vous" as Morgana Lefay pay tribute to Sweden's most famous band, ABBA. It's a fast-paced number, filled with energy and also rather amusing. I love heavy metal covers of pop songs.

"The Mirror" holds darkness and fear, hidden in ominous lyrics and solid beats. Taken from "The Secret Doctrine".

Aniother slow. melancholic and achingly sorrow-filled song is "Last Rites" - a song about being sent to the gallows. Also from "The Secret Doctrine". Dying alone, his fate is to feed the crows. We never find out his crime, not on this album, anyhow.

A fitting follow up - "Sorrow Calls" or rather, screams. This one is from "Sanctified". It starts slowly - as many of these tracks do, then builds and swells in frenzied desperation.

"Why?" Asks Rytkönen  in this slow, bittersweet number. The vocals are achingly mournful, almost lost. I think this is a song about the dissolving of a relationship. His voice is a little softer here, less raw around the edges, melodic and melancholic. From "Sanctified".

We conclude with another brandnew track - "Symphony of the Damned" an extravagant almost 10-minute track tinted with a range of bitterness, anger, desperation and despair - all of which Rytkönen's voice does very well. I cannot imagine him ever sounding truly happy.

This was the first Morgana Lefay album I owned, and in all honesty, probably the only one I really needed. The songs follow a similar structure - slow beginnings, bitter but sweet vocals, building into a heavier eruption of sound and with a strong atmosphere of the slightly sinister, slightly macabre. The lyics are also really interesting and, for the most part, completely audible. It contains two or three tracks from each of their previous albums and four that have not been on anything else, and is a rather nice "snapshot" of their career up to (and including) 1995.

I rate it 7.5/10.

Diablo Swing Orchaestra - Pandora's Pinata (2012)

Thank you to my brother for this delightful CD. It is truly a gorgeous little package and definitely quirky and weird - the kind of music I love (along with Heavy Metal, that is). This is going to be a hard album to categorise and will be a fun one to review. No two tracks are alike!

The Diablo Swing Orchaestra are a Swedish Octet. According to wikipedia (and their website) - Ancestors of their band performed in historic Sweden in defiance of the ruling religious beliefs of the time, forcing them to go into hiding. They would put on clandestine performances to the peasants and eventually had a bounty put on their heads and decided to put on a spectacular final show before being matyred by the church.

The packaging is beautiful - it's a digipack, which always look neat but never fit in my CD rack, and thus must languish in an unsteady pile beside it, on the coffee table. However, instead of being a flimsy cardboard affair, this is a solid little hardback book, with pages and all. The cover is whimsical and colourful, reminiscent of childhood and innocence - two children in a forest - a pinata, from which a snake has emerged, seizing the stick from the girl's hand. The inside is filled with psychadelic treats of dice and candy, the font playful and bright.

Truly a delight.

The music is similarly playfully eclectic, with the musical styles switching and the rhythms changing and evoking a wild and crazy carnival feeling.

The album opens with "Voodoo Mon Amour" with its trumpets and chugging bass. Swing or jazz? I'm not really up with my non-metal classifications. Anyhow, the vocals match, this is crazy stuff. Crazy but awesome. The lyrics are equally crazed:

"...we reek as mammals do..."

 "Guerilla Laments" starts with a percussion and a triumphant cascade of horns. I also detect something of a latin feel in their music.

We begin "Kevlar Sweethearts" with cellos. The vocals are gentler, soft and sweet. However, like kevlar, there is a harder edge as well. It is quite a haunting song.

The cellos lead us in to "How to Organise a Lynch Mob" too with their slow and longing voice. Then, it is consumed by "Black Box Messiah" as the synths and a far more modern sound takes over, reminsicent of the 80s pop explosion and peppered with strange vocals. Okay, so I have no idea how to classify this, but the vocals are a little Muse-ish, along with their rising power and striking the inner core of the soul in a slightly chaotic manner.

A rather heavier number, "Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball" has the force of the great ball itself, swinging in ponderous and threatening arches, getting closer and closer to contact. The chugging bass intermingled with twanging cellos. More synthesizer. Vocals quite Muse-esque, but with more horns and trumpets, and violin or cello,  and therefore superior. The intermingling of thrash, synth and classical instruments is masterful.

Not that I don't love Muse.

 "I have come to erase you, I'm here to replace you..."

There are also some aggressive numetal vibes here too, which are made more impressive with the addition of cello. I do not like numetal, but I REALLY like this!

"Aurora" starts like a starburst. Little percussive lights flickering over the horizon, exploding into fire. The vocals are almost-opera but more reminiscent of a musical. There are also some soothing folk vibes. Beautiful, transcendent and brought to life by the orchaestral melodies.

They're back into the cellos with "Mass Rapture", building into something epic, with a chugging more modern metal sound, but jerky rhythms from another era. The melodic, chanted choruses are haunted, beautiful, with a hint of opera.

We're back into the musical-meets-Muse vibes with a "Honey Trap Aftermath". The lyrics are staccato, punctuated by horns and with a distinctly jazz (?) vibe.

Dramatic staccato and horns deliver us into the mighty "Of Kali Ma Calibre".  The rum-tum-tum-tum of the drums leads us into the operatic vocals.  This is pure, symphonic Power and Might. Swelling from the speakers, pounding us with its majesty, before falling into chaotic rhythms, and then descending into a few brief chords of grindcore, swelling and slowing into the purity of violins. This is insane and wonderful.

The final track, "Justice for Saint Mary" has rather slower vibes and is also pure symphonic metal - violins and cellos weaving a fine web of power. Slow, melodic; haunting and rich. The drama builds, the tension mounts... the music becomes more frantic, the violins desperately against the deep howls of the cello, the drums, and other instruments rising, rising into an almighty storm, intense in its power and fury. Rising... Rising... Rising... And then it quiets and comes crashing down into....

... okay, I'm not going to tell you how this piece ends. Listen to it instead!

Pure majesty, power and originality - such an eclectic blend of metal, symphony, swing, jazz, latin and, well, everything else, can create only two things - a confused cornucopia of noise or this - something that truly needs to be listened to - and listened to LOUD - something that will reach deep within the core of your being, spark all the synapses in your brain that relate to auditory delight and invigorate you with boundless energy and positive vibes.

This is one album that you will play, and play again, and again, just to experience the full blend of emotions and sheer epicness of this album. It is extraordinary.

Yeh, you understand it - I really, really, really like this album. In fact, I'm going to rate it 11/10.
That's to say, it's currently the most interesting and intense album in my collection, and I feel a little sorry to listen to something else, as I suspect after this one it will be rather an anticlimax.

So in advance, I apologise to you, Eluveitie, for Diablo Swing Orchaestra are a hard act to follow.

And special thanks to my awesome brother for finding me another new favourite band - first he introduced me to Mercury Rev, now Diablo Swing Orchaestra. He is truly the Best Brother Ever.
(His blog is: Dances for Architecture and he writes better about music than I do. Check him out).

Heavy Metal Genres (in brief)

I thought I would take this opportunity to actually offer some "education" in the various genres of Heavy Metal. You see, when I inform people that I listen to Heavy Metal, they immediately develop some rather biast pre-conceptions - that metal is not music, that the singers can't sing and that it is really just a whole lot of noise and no rhythm.

They are, of course, naive and ignorant of the great scale of the metal genre.

Heavy Metal is, as a genre, as encomposing as "Rock Music" or "Classical". And indeed probably has more sub-genres than both combined. Now, I am sure there are many hidden nuances and subgenres to Rap and House music as well, but as they have never proven to be of any interest to me whatsoever, I think it is in my best interests to just ignore them and leave them to their experts.

Not that I'm a metal expert, but I have had over 20 years auditory experience.

And my mother said it was "just a phase".

Firstly, when I say I listen to Heavy Metal - I do not mean all the subgenres. I do not like hardcore, or grindcore or anything that is too aggressive or sounds like the vocalist is trying to cough up their oesphagus or that the guitarists each have six arms and cannot hear what each other is playing. Despite the fact that their vocalist is a bird (literally, he's a parrot - and no, they don't perform live, he's recorded separately and then added into the music) I do not like Hatebeak. I do not like death metal either. Black metal amuses me in small doses and if it is not too serious (Cradle of Filth and Ancient are acceptable, and I rather like Sadness, for example).

But:

My interest mainly lies in the other half of the spectrum. The melodic stuff.

Now, there is quite a wide diversity amongst the melodic stuff too. Let me discuss the various SubGenres that you are likely to see referenced in my labels:

Note: These are my own interpretations, and may not quite be the same as those found on, say, wikipedia. This is because the metal genre is entirely too complicated and confusing and you need a degree in Heavy Metalogy to understand it properly. So consider this a summary.

Power Metal - This is the real creme de croppe - sophisticated guitars, occasional inclusion of classical instruments, usually the vocals have a slightly operatic edge. Themes are generally fantasy or historical or occasionally pseudo-religious. Bridges and choruses, often quite catchy, clever melodies. Generally feeling rather intense, powerful, almost like being caught in the middle of an epic scale D&D campaign battle. The sort of music that makes your heart swell fit to bursting and inspires you to run around your room, waving a ruler like it's a sword and putting the light fixtures at risk*.

Bands of that ilk:
Helloween (esp the "Keeper" years), Stratovarius, Edguy, Blind Guardian, Dragonforce, PowerQuest, Gamma Ray, Avantasia, a large proportion of my collection.

~ * ~ 

Progressive Metal - Similar to Power Metal, but with more synthesizers, a generally more "modern" vibe and lyrics about more mature themes such as politics or love.

Bands of that ilk:
Dream Theater, Queensryche, Angra, Rush.

~ * ~

Folk Metal - The addition of folk instruments such as fiddles, bagpipes, and things that I don't even know the names of. Songs that make you want to jump around and engage in various forms of, well, folk dance. Usually have fast, repetitive rhythms; catchy, repetitive lyrics and are overall pretty damned awesome. Topics generally about maidens of various humanesque species, rogues and vagabonds - or in Skyclad's case, serious political issues and far too many puns.

Bands of that ilk:
Skyclad, Elvenking, Phoenyx, Subway to Sally, Amorphis (some albums)

~ * ~ 

Doom Metal - Slow, heavy, ponderous - as though every beat is an effort. Vocals can be low and growling (doom-death) or almost operatci (awesome). Lyrics generally about death and dying - sometimes depressing, sometimes not as bad as you would expect. Sometimes violins and other maudlin classical instruments are incoporated to add to the general feelings of desolation.

Have the roots in early Black Sabbath.

Bands of that ilk:

Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Confessor, Anathema, My Dying Bride.

~ * ~

Symphonic Metal - Really complex structures, soaring instruments, intense emotions - basically, symphonic metal makes use of the many various "voices" of classical music to create not only a song, but a whole atmosphere. Not disimilar in some ways to Power Metal, but the lyrics are generally more sophisticated and they make more use of synthesizers. Often have female vocalists or female AND male vocalists.  Symphonic Metal bands are AMAZING live.

Bands of that ilk:

Nightwish, Alpine Fault, Epica, Therion, Rhapsody, Leaves Eyes.

Looking at Wiki, it appears that Symphonic and Power are VERY similar and many of the bands that I have rated as one, they have rated as the other. I believe trying to pigeonhole bands is probably a fool's game. But kinda a fun one. I'll just label things as both, okay?

~ * ~

Thrash Metal - characterized by heavy percussive beats and fast, hard riffs. Aggressive, churning music - often with intelligent and political lyrics.

Bands of that ilk:

Metallica, Megadeth, (early) Anthrax.

~ * ~

Speed Metal - heavy, fast and technically demanding metal - often with fairly complex guitar rifts and of a higher, faster pace than Thrash (above). Not usually as aggressive and can, in fact, be rather positive. European stuff tends to be "happier" than American, which still remains quite aggressive. Vocals generally higher pitched - sometimes screaming, shrieking or (my favourite) operatic. Later evolved into power and symphonic metal.

Bands of that ilk:

Paradox, (early) Rage, Running Wild. (oops, these are all German bands, heh), Toxik.

~ * ~ 

Polish Funk Metal - This genre never seems to feature on the more formal Metal Genealogy charts. Why, you might even think I just made it up! But, since I own a couple of CDs that cannot possibly be labelled as anything but PKM, here we go! This is a kinda funky  metal, undertaken by Polish bands with relatively broken english and off-beat attitures. A few years ago I got chatting to a Heavy Metal fan from Poland who was delighted that I actually knew something of the bands from his actual country. There are two other Polish metal bands that I know of - Turbo and Dragon, but neither of them are particularly funky.

Bands of that ilk:

Wolfspider, Acid Drinkers.

Okay, so mostly they're considered to be thrash bands. Spoil my fun *pouts*

But it's thrash with funk!

Okay, too tired to continue this for now - but stay tuned cos I will make updates as I add more genres in to my labels.

* But let us not speak of the "Manowar Incident"

Xandria - Ravenheart (2004)

Xandria fall into the category of folk-metal-with-female-vocals and as such are an amazing act. Nowadays, they sound a little more Nightwish, but at this stage in their career, they bore more in common with Within Temptation (of the same era, not their more modern stuff) and Leaves' Eyes.

This is one of those "enhanced CDs" which means when you insert it you can choose it to begin a program. This was all well and good, except once I had it on, I could not turn it off without going into my Program Manager and forcibly closing it down. Bit irritating. It did give me the opportunity to watch the video for Ravenheart however. It's a rather moody clip - with some colours exaggerated and saturdated to enhance the otherworld quality. Gosh, she really is a redhead! But I feel bad for the ravens - why are they branded messengers of evil? There are "little red riding hood" vibes in this too. Looks like it was done on a relatively low budget.

The packaging likewise seems a little cheap and self indulgent - the vocalist is rather pretty, but I'm not sure if her startlingly green eyes and the red feathers brushing her equally red hair were what drew me to this CD, although I suspect it did help - since I was going through a power metal/folk with female vocals phase (and I still am). I may also have had them recommended to me. She has gorgeous eyelashes too.

Inside, the lyric booklet uses dark reds and ochre yellows to create a somewhat melancholic mood.

The CD opens with the crashing symphony of "Ravenheart", which fades gently into hushed folk-inspired vocals. Lisa Schapaus has a sweet tinged, but powerful voice.Crashing chords increase the energy and it is almost as though she is flinging flocks of black birds into the sky, with them swirling and flapping through the storm-filled clouds above.

Haunting vibes and rhythms usher us into "The Lioness", until the symphonic sound crashes down, smothering them with their intensity, then fades again as the vocals take hold. Fragile vocals, ephemeral. Such a sweet voice, but predatory words:

"... feel her coming near, she smells the blood, her prey is near..."

Lisa is something of a lioness herself, her voice is like a gentle touch, a sweet caress, but one cannot help but feel there is power and danger behind it.

"Back to the River" starts with some awesome and haunting sitar, before moving into a more modern sound. It is a gentler song, lacking the symphonic power of its predecessors on this album, and for some reason is intermingled with sampled speech.

With flute and piano, "Eversleeping" matches its name with its haunting serenity.

"Fire of Universe" has a rather more modern vibes going on - more technical sounding.

"Some Like It Cold" is another dreamier number, the vocals dominating the song and evoking feelings of blue-tinged sadness and soliture.

"Answer" is another perfectly pleasant blend of female vocals and light background music, with the occasional hint of more modern sound.

The haunting, ghostly sounds that begin "My Scarlet Name" bring with them a touch of the winter chill, and the guitar speaks of loneliness and solitude.

"Snow White" begins with some vaguely familiar chords and a bit more promise. It does follow a similar structure to the rest of this album - bold start, music fading to highlight the vocals, then coming in with them again in a more subdued manner.

"Black Flame" brings with it a bit more energy, but is pretty light by metal standards.

More atmosphere and mood reigns in "Too Close to Breathe". Here the gentle, soft, sweet vocals intermingle with the occasional pounding bass, before the music is once again tamed.

The final track "Keep my Secret Well" is similarly polished and clean, with a somewhat modern edge to it and some fairly banal lyrics:

"...Keep my secret well like my eyes keep their tears...

Some sweet whispered moments and a fairly gentle, mild-natured song with some nicely soothing piano to conclude both the track and the album.

Whilst a perfectly pleasant album, with powerful, symphonic vocals and the occasional soaring guitar, there seems to be something lacking in Xandria. Almost as though they have tried so hard to be polished and pure that it has somehow sanitised the raw energy. The album starts strong, but fades into mediocrity, peeking out its head again with only a couple more stand-out tracks. These later songs - whilst pleasing to listen to, do not show any real creativity or distinction over what has come before. I think too much emphasis has been put on the vocals, and the music is somewhat subdued and tamed beside it. The two need to act in concert to create more energy and atmosphere.

Because I do really like the first two songs plus "Eversleeping" and "My Scarlet Name", I'm umming and hahhing with how to rate this album, trying to decide between a better-than-average but unremarkable six and a quite-good-but-not-excellent seven.

Rating = 6.5/10

Voivod - Angel Rat (1991)

French-Canadian band, Voivod, have been around for a while. This CD is probably one of their most mellow, their typical sound being a sort of technical thrash metal. Their music is complex and progressive, with dissonant chords and unexpected time signatures*, the vocals - on this album at least, are quite smooth.

I love the CD sleeve for this album - it's very old school, like those posters from the earlier years of the previous century - all ink and limited colour washes, with a swirling font reminiscent of old movie posters or carnival signs. It folds out into a semi-poster, with a photograph of the band. They're so young! Also there is  a very cool stylised crow in a tophat. The colour palette is limited to blue, purple and red, giving it a saturated and melancholic feel.

The CD opens with the staticky and disjointed "Shortwave Intro" which is reminscent of how we used to tune our radios, with little snippets of the ghosts along the airwaves. Then it rips into "Panorama". The song is erratic, with a cruisy chorus and rather strange lyrics:

"Somber drama, rolling down hill. Panorama, all is still. Anyway, anyhow; anyway, anyhow."

"Clouds in the House" is a somewhat more rhythmic number. Similarly jerky verses, smooth chorus and surreal, but poetic, lyrics.

The ocean beckons us into "The Prow" which is a pirate-esque style. From the cover, you're expecting it.

"Best Regards" is slightly rockier, but follows the same structure. It seems to be about waiting on the mail, for a letter to arrive. Ah, nostalgia. This reminds me of the days when I would wait on the mail. However, in this case it seems to concern a correspondent of a more personal nature.

Now we're into carnival theme - with "Twin Dummy" and reading the lyric sheet I now realise I've been hearing the words wrong all this time.

"The Circus left without me, and I'm alone with you now..."

I always thought it was "I'm in love with you now..." Hmmmm.

A somewhat cruisier number, "Angel Rat" is a haunting song which allows Snake better range with his vocals. He really has rather a nice voice - not very deep, but smooth and a little nutty. For some reason, the line: "Rat or Angel, does one really know?" really tickles my fancy, for some reason.

"Golem" is a slightly creepy little number - if you listen to the lyrics. It's another haunting and weird little song, with repeating vocals, erratic pacing and dissonant guitar chords.

We have a little harmonica in "The Outcast".

I like the chorus in "Nuage Fractal" which seems to have a slightly sci-fi-ish feel. I get the feeling that Voivod write their lyrics via stream of consciousness, because although they flow well and sound neat, they do not make a great deal of sense. I suppose that is poetry for you.

Starting off as more standard rock music, "Freedom". I suppose this is a ballad. It is very mellow and the music is melancholic and straightforward, instead of erratic and dissonant, although it does turn more typical-Voivod towards the end.

"None of the Above" concludes the album.

In summary - this is a somewhat more mainstream feel for Voivod - more rock than the thrash of their previous albums. It is somewhat soothing, despite the dissonant nature of the music. I enjoyed it as a whole, but I think the tracks are more effective individually, as they almost all feature a similar structure. It is quirky, and different, and I am pleased to see that the band are still releasing albums. I wonder what they sound like now?

My Rating = 7/10.

* From their wikipedia page. I don't actually know what a "time signature" is - but the music has a slightly jerky, discordant feel that is jarring yet not.

Orphaned Land - Mabool (2004)

Orphaned Land are certainly different - in a similar vein to bands like Paradise Lost - the later Doom Metal bands, the ones that were merging closer to Death Metal but without the horrible vocals. Orphaned Land have some guttural vocals, but also a number of melodic bits too, intermingled with the use of traditional, folk instruments to give them a Middle Eastern vibe. They are from Israel, which explains why their English seems to be pretty good.

This is a concept album - the story of the Flood, from the part of three sons (one for each religion) who tried to warn human kind of the encroaching flood. The packaging looks much as you would imagine such a CD - all sepia toned surging waves, rising up to engulf the rather decorative logo. A sticker proclaiming "Exotic mysticim meets Middle Eastern Metal" just begs for this CD to be picked up and listened to.

And it is well worth it, to immerse yourself in the primordial sound.

It begans with the "Birth of Three" and opens with chanting children before the heavy riffs charge in with a jolt, engulfing them. Low vocals, with a hint of menace and a lot of gravel, mystical music dancing alongside. The lyrics introduce us to the three sons - magic (Snake), strength (Eagle) and Lion wisdom - three human souls, merged, as in heaven. Interwoven with the low graveller roars and snarls are a rather sweeter, more welcoming voice.

We are ushered into "Ocean Land" with some kind of tambourine, a traditional "guitar", and a grunt. I regret not knowing the names of the instruments they are using, but I am certain they are traditional Middle Eastern instruments. The songs hold the desert in their notes, the voices alternately low and guttural, and higher and sweet. With its constant changing rhythms, it is like the sand itself, shaped with the wind. Or perhaps it is also like the waves, but there is something very golden and dry about this music.

"Here are we servants three, flesh and blood. Poor and weak hear thou speak of the flood."

 The three, speak forth their prophecies, but it appears that the greed and sin of man has grown too strong, and their pleas go unanswered.

"The Kiss of Babylon" is a song of wrath and betrayal, twisted vocals snarling forth the approaching fate. The songs are so multi-layered and rich that it is impossible for them to exist on their own, but more as part of a continual whole. The use of Hebrew (or Arabic, they use both and I don't know enough to tell the difference) in the lyrics (plus translations) and the singing, increase the power and mystical feel, combined with the sweet, waterdrop tones of some kind of instrument, concluding with the wailing of a woman. Her rich and mournful voice carries on into "A'salk" where it blends with tribal ryhthms.

A declaration in Hebrew sends a shiver down the spine. The voice is deep and strong, reverberating deep inside. "Halo Dies" is another aggressive song as:

"Hell hath no fury as a God scorned. Unleash his wrath he will let death be adorned..."

 Snake, Eagle and Lion go forth across the land with  "A Call to Awake". They urge people that "Gods rage is true. He urges you to awake..." To surrender their pagan gods and repent and be saved from the wrath of God. This is an angry song, ending in the three sons being warned away and their words discredited. The music speaks for the people, frenzied in anger, the synth soaring out their fury and their confusion.

Disappointed, the three sons return home. God, meanwhile, directs in "Building the Ark". Far more tribal feel here, the music doing inspirational little surges and the vocals are low, rich hymn, intermingled with a chorus of females and invoking direct quotes from the Bible (Genesis) in Latin.

It is time now for a hymn, a prayer to the God that will save the faithful from the coming tide. "Norra El Norra" is entirely in Hebrew, but has a convenient translation. It is very tribal and holds with it a promise of the future, and the strength of faith and power of hope, as those that are destined to survive enter into the Ark.

A soft and gentle instrumental gives us "The Calm before the Flood". A slow and gentle reprieve before we must weather the storm. Thunder rumbles, and the downpour begins.

"The Flood" is of course another aggressive song as the violence of the skies reverberates through the music  and the world is shattered:

"Oceans rise an rage as we watch the world powers fall, redeeming their sinful ways with their souls..."

Vocals are vicious and unforgiving, snarls and growls as the punishment is bestowed by the vengeful God.

"The Storm Still Rages Inside" returns from the lost to the saved, as they float:

 "Like Jonah in the belly of the beast. Inside the ark, the sound desist."

Whilst still a furious, aggressive song, there is the promise of peace here.

With "Rainbow" we see the resurrection, the promise of hope across the horizon, the waters receeding as the birds sing in the new dawn, the new world. A gentle, soothing piece, a piece that promises a bright future for those who have survived.

It kind of makes me feel like we could use another flood, right now - a chance to have the slate wiped clean and for us to start all over again.

There are more facets to the album than can  possibly be realised on one listening. I have spent the last two days listening to this album at least three times, before I even made an attempt at writing the review. It is rich and powerful, the mix of vocals superlative*. The combination of classical instruments, synthesizers and guitars seems to enhance the music, to lift it up onto another level of transcendence. It immerses you, shifting you back into another time and place - engulfing you in its midst. This is an album to be taken slowly and savoured, the lyrics to be read and pondered, their meaning portrayed not just in the lyrics, but in the deep core of the music itself.

I'm never sure how I feel about religious songs, or albums, I do resent being preached to and if I were any religion, I am closer to Pagan than Christian. I'm not even sure if this counts as religious, or if it is just a concept album based on a popular story. Mythology, if you like.

Here's an interesting article on the political and religious influence of this band:
Israeli band Orphaned Land unifying religious groups

Overall, this is a damned fine album and a beautifully structured masterpiece. It deserves one, two... ten listens and should be appreciated by anyone who enjoys a finely crafted concept albums. And metal, of course.

What the heck, let's give it 10/10**!

* The similarity of this word to "superfluous" or "superficial" always makes me feel a little reluctant to use it. But it means really, really good things about the music, okay?

** If I'd reviewed it yesterday after the first listen, I probably would have rated it an 8, after the second a 9 - I believe this album is too immense to truly appreciate with one listen. And I'm not usually a fan of guttural vocals, either.