Album Review: Denigrate - Hollowpoint - 2015

Genre: Gothic Metal/Dark Metal

County: Finland

Year: 2015

Tracklist:

1. Engraved and Hellbound
2. Am I Facing Hell
3. Erased Pagesl
4. Death Reflection 

5. My Corrupted Sou
6. Liar 

7. Taken Away
8. Into Demise
9. Meitä ei enää ole

Twelve years have passed since Denigrate released its first and, up to now, only studio album. At the time when “Dismal Euphoria” was released, in 2003, bands like Sentence, HIM, Charon and To/Die/For were a lot more popular than they are today. They were part of a today decayed Gothic Metal subgenre, and of a special time in the music history. One of those bands was Denigrate, a Finnish musical group that managed to stand out briefly thanks to its first album. Their musical style was clearly influenced by those bands, mostly by Sentenced, but they also managed to innovate. “Dismal Euphoria” was, and still is, an outstanding work that every metal fan should listen to. That’s why, “Hollowpoint”, is surely one of the most expected albums for those who had the good luck to listen to that first album many years ago.

For those ones who were eager to listen to a new release from Denigrate, there is good and bad news. The good one is that this is a good album, with plenty of new and interesting ideas; the bad one is that, sometimes, it moves far away from that old Gothic Metal style we were talking about, what may be a serious letdown to some people. Either way, it's hard to say if this is, or is not, a better compilation than "Dismal Euphoria". Both albums differ in style, sometimes so substantially that it may be hard to see them as part of a same band's discography. It's safer to say that this is a unique release, and then it can't be successful compared with any other.

The occasional use of harsh vocals, Doom/Dark-Metal-like tunes, and different musical styles make of this release an entertaining, interesting and original one. Because of the many different styles it contains, this work can surely please a wide array of metal and pop listeners. The absence of heavy riffs may however be a serious drawback to some metal heads, specially for those who enjoyed songs like "Exit The Lake Suicide" or "The Romance". For the most part, the strength shown in the first album is gone but, in its place, Denigrate has put original melodies. For example, in songs like “Meitä Ei Enää Ole”, the band's link with Rapture (a Finnish Dark/Gothic Metal band) is obvious.

Throughout just nine songs Denigrate succeeds in delivering a nice amount of different and strong experiences. There is no need of 9+ pieces if they're shit. If you remember albums like "Ride The Lightning", you know that 8 songs may suffice if they are good enough. Still, the album length is acceptable, it plays for 47:05, which is in the average. It's composed only by full length songs (no intro or whatsoever) but serving some of them as pace changers. The opening, middle and closing tracks are the right ones to form what you may see as a sine wave.

We were quite impressed by the overall album structure since it delivers a great sense of progression. From the first to the last track, the band draws a path downwards a dark atmosphere, what one can easily perceive through the increasingly often use of darker tunes and harsh vocals. Within that path, every song feels different from the other, having each one distinctive elements like tempo, riffs, vocals and even musical style. It's refreshing to find this kind of release where one can actually identify each track not only by its lyrics. Every piece feels unique up to the point where one could think this is VA compilation. Let’s talk a little about them.

The first track is a good one but it also doesn't feel like a Denigrate's song. It retains most of the old gothic metal style we were talking about earlier, but it ditches most of the band own style. It was the only single release ahead of the album, and a good choice for that thanks to its neutral style (somewhere between the Pop and Metal worlds). Compared to the others, this is the album's most genetic track. The second song replicates those two styles but innovating at some point. It could have perfectly be part of "Dismal Euphoria". This is a great song that will surely please old fans and new comers alike.

The next song "Erased Pages", not only has a different vocalist but also it includes some harsh vocals for the first time in the band's history. We didn't like the guest singer clean vocals but the harsh vocals are awesome. The band's link with Rapture starts to show up.

The next track marks the end of the album's first part with one of the most boring composition the band has ever shown. It could be paralleled with "Guardian (Of The Bitter Sea)" from the previous album, as they share similar tunes, album place and rhythm. 

"My Corrupted Soul" is right at the middle of this compilation and marks a new peak in it. At this point, one can start to see the album structure as a sine wave where the opening, middle and closing tracks form peaks and, songs like the previous and the following one ("Liar"), valleys. This sine form works very well here, marking, along with the different composition styles, good pace changes and preventing the listener to get bored or lost while listening to the album.

"Taken Away" is one of our favorites pieces. It feels like a mix of Gothic, Doom and Dark Metal that will surely blow your mind away. With this song and the album's last one, "Meitä Ei Enää Ole", Denigrate gets very into Dark Metal. Yes, they are very different from the band's gothic metal style, but they are also some of the band's best songs ever released. "Meitä Ei Enää Ole" is a great closing-track.

The audio is maybe the lowest point in this album. It's not the worst we've heard, for sure, but it's not to be praised either. The loudness is ok, and there is a decent separation between instruments. However, there is almost no contrast, making the audio feel rather bland. It's a step down from the crispier and pounding sound of "Dismal Euphoria".

In sum, Denigrate's return is more than welcome. The band blends different musical styles throughout the album and into each song, resulting in a varied, consistent and appealing compilation. From the bright tunes of the first song, to the dark and melancholic melodies of the last one, this work is awesome. We truly hope this work reaches a lot of people and we would love to hear more from this reborn band. They have done an outstanding job this far, and it seems there is more to them to delight the world. These twelve years have not passed in vain.

Rating: 8/10

Album review: To/Die/For - Cult - 2015

Genre: Gothic Metal
Country: Finland
Year: 2015

1 - In black
2 - Screaming birds
3 - Unknown III
4 - Mere dream
5 - You
6 - Straight up
7 - Let it bleed
8 - End of tears
9 - Dying embers (Demo)

After 4 long years, the iconic Gothic Metal band To/Die/For releases its seventh studio album. It is one of the most anticipated works for this year 2015. Right up I want to say that this is a good album, and a lot better than the previous crapy one “Samsara”. So, if you haven’t already, give it a chance and listen to it.

Before going any further, let me get this clear, the style and brilliance from the first three albums is forever gone, and it won’t comeback. Those are the best albums in this band’s life and that’s how is going to forever be. It’s better to deal with this facts right away to not make too big expectations and to allow us to appreciate this new release by its own merits.

So, this new work comes after “Samsara”, which was just a mediocre album. The band has been struggling hard since their fourth album “IV” to achieve the high standards of the first ones, but they have not succeeded in that task. This time they might have got the closest possible. 

The albums has only 8 songs, plus a bonus track, making a total play time of 41:47. That’s a bit less that what one could expect from any LP album. This is a letdown, of course. But quality is what really matters… however this work is of a mediocre one. Strangely, the albums doesn’t pack the single “Dear Delirium”, released in 2014, which is a shame because it’s a good piece, even better than others included in this work. For the price of almost 15 euros, the content is too scarce and too mediocre. 

The version that I’m reviewing here comes with a bonus track. It’s “Dying Embers”, in its Demo 2001 version. It was a good choice for a bonus track. Even though it is a known song, this version is very different from the one released in Jaded. It is a different song, indeed, that everyone would be happy to have and listen. The remastering process was good enough to give an extra added value to the piece.

The album hasn’t any intro or coda, but what it has is a kind of interlude of about 2:35, titled “Mere Dream”. It’s hard to call it a song, not just because of its length, but also because of its lack of any depth and identity. It just serves as a kind of link between “Unknown III” and “You”.

The first two songs are the best ones. For sure, that’s why they were chosen by the band as singles. From there, it’s downwards. The third track, “Unknown III”, pretends to be a sequel of two excellent songs from the albums “Epilogue” and “Jaded”. However, besides the name (without “The”), it’s hard to link this new track with the previous ones, just because they are so different in both composition and quality. It’s almost a disrespect towards them. Surprisingly (in a bad way), this album version of “Unknown III” is much worse than the demo version released some years ago. By the way, you can listen to it for free here. 

The fourth song is “Mere Dreams”. As said before, it’s just an interlude that doesn’t shine in any way, thus there is not more to say about it. The piano tune from the fifth Track, “You”, reminds maybe too much to a Crematory’s song titled “The Fallen”. Just listen to them both and surely you’ll see the resemblance. “You” is by far from being a great song but it’s good enough to listen to it a couple of times. The cover of the song “Straight Up”, from Paula Abdul, is not as good as the original one, and it feels like a big missed opportunity. The female vocals in this track add a little spice, but nothing too remarkable. The next song is “Let it Bleed”. It doesn’t bring anything new or especially memorable. Finally, the last song “End of Tears” is the weakest point in this compilation (besides the interlude) and really makes you wonder “what they were thinking”.

The sound is acceptable but nothing more than that. The drums are lacking presence and the guitars seem not powerful enough. It feels just bland and unimpressive, even though the mixing processes was good enough to reach the due volume level and sound separation. The audio quality shown in “Epilogue From The Past”, five years ago, is a lot better.

Even with its highs and lows, this work is a good one. Not brilliant, not superb, not bad, not shit.

Rating: 6/10

Album review: Apocalyptica - Shadowmaker - 2015

Genre: Metal?
Country: Finland
Year: 2015

Tracklist:

1. I-III-V Seed of Chaos
2. Cold Blood
3. Shadowmaker
4. Slow Burn
5. Reign of Fear
6. Hole in My Soul
7. House of Chains
8. Riot Lights
9. Come Back Down
10. Sea Song (You Waded Out)
11. 'Till Death Do Us Part
12. Dead Man's Eyes

It has been a long way for Apocalyptica. Several albums and almost 20 years have passed since "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos". A part of its style and even its genre has mutated into something completely different and, by doing so, the band has gained new fans but also lost some others. 

Oddly, that change, besides the inclusion of drums, doesn’t reflects itself in every song. In their last album, “Shadowmaker”, the one we are reviewing here in its Limited Edition, the band set only three songs that can be identified as an “old” Apocalyptica song, and all the other, as a “new” one. The difference between them is obvious and goes far beyond the use of vocals; it’s a change of genre, being the “new” ones of some kind of generic pop-rock or Nü Metal, and the “old” ones, of the band’s special mix between classic music and metal.

So, two different styles and songs coexist in a single album, like from two totally diverse bands. Just compare any song from their album Cult with any of Shadowmaker and you will see what I’m talking about. There is nothing wrong in such coexistence, the problem is the quality from the Popalyptica’s songs, let’s see why.

First, those pieces aren’t something that one may attribute to a particular band or style. They are too generic in its composition, and the only aspect that may differentiate them is the use of cellos instead of guitars. Indeed, the songs seem to be composed mostly to be played by an electric guitar, rather than by cellos. In other words, the cellos aren’t used as cellos, but as guitars, for most of the time. Even in their first album, the cellos shined more than here.

“Apocalytica started playing Metallica and now look at what it has become!”

Second, related to the above said, the song structure is a rigid AABA one. There is no variation at all. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but since the composition is too simple and uninteresting, it just adds more shit to the latrine. It’s just generic music for the masses, a simple and easy-listening style that may be of the liking of most of the people, but no to a metal fan.

Third, Franky Perez voice are nothing to be proud of, as a band. There is nothing bright about it, and nothing that may justify its inclusion besides the willing to include lyrics. Its vocals are ok, but nothing more than ok, thus they add not even a bit of spice to the music, and they don’t contribute to create a special band identity.

This crap isn’t new. It started, but not in full strength, with their homonymous album and it’s first song “Life Burns!” (a good one), and then it kept growing album by album till this shity pop... yes, Popalyptica. 

“Shadowmaker”, the album titled song and first single, is catchy at some point but it doesn’t excel in any way apart of its nice four minutes bridge. 

“You Waded Out” is one of the exception where the cellos are used as… cellos. It’s a simple but nice song. “Dead Man’s Eyes” is a similar piece but not as good. 

Three songs (only two if you buy the standard edition), are part of the second and old genre we have already mentioned, and they have no lyrics at all. They evoke the band’s best of, and are interesting pieces worthy of being appreciated by any music lover. Don’t miss them! (“Reign of Fear”, “Riot Lights” and “Till Death Do Us Part”)

The sound has improved since the previous release, being specially noticeable in the drums and plates.

Finally, this resulted in a disappointing album, where just a few songs are good enough to be willing to listen to them more than once.