Album Review: Lindemann - Skills In Pills - 2015

Genre: Industrial Metal
Country: Germany
Year; 2015

Tracklist:

1. Skills In Pills
2. Ladyboy
3. Fat
4. Fish On
5. Children Of The Sun
6. Home Sweet Home
7. Cowboy
8. Golden Shower
9. Yukon
10. Praise Abort
11. That’s My Heart

And so… Rammstein releases a new album. Yes, it is, and don’t fuk with me telling it’s not. It sounds like Rammstein and the lyrics are the ones from Rammstein, so it must be it… Even if the band is called otherwise, even if it’s not composed by all Rammstein's members, even if all the songs are in English, it is fuking Rammstein!

So, how good is this new Rammstein album? Better than the previous four ones, no doubt. However, it's not as good as the three or maybe four firsts Rammstein's albums. So yes! Go and pick this one… if you can accept a work a bit more than mediocre. 

I've already talked about the single “Praise Abort”. I was quite disappointed at that time because of the lack of new or good ideas. I believed then, that the upcoming album was going to be shit. I was, however, wrong. The album is far superior than the load of crap I was expecting, but it’s not a gem neither. 

This work doesn’t bring anything truly innovative, nor in its composition, lyrics, nor in its structure. Maybe the only distinctive element is the relevance of synths and other industrial metal instruments (relevance that seemed a bit forgotten since Mutter), and the use of some vocal choruses (also synths). Just listen to the song “Cowboy” and hear it for yourself. The album structure is one proper of any pop song (AABA), so you won’t find anything that excels here, besides the sense progression that Rammstein always imprints on their songs . Of course, as it's usual to the band, the composition lacks any technical brilliance. 

The participation of Peter Tägtgren in this project isn’t shown very much. It really seems like this is a Lindemann's solo project, and not a band. That's a shame. One could think that the ex-Hypocrisy and Pain member would contribute with some element from those bands… but no.

Throughout the eleven full tracks that compose the album (no coda or outro here), through the lyrics, the band seems to try too hard to make a strong impression on the listener. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, that must be a common goal to all lyric writers. The bad and tiresome thing is the way Lindemann tries to achieve this goal. Graphically, it is like watching time and time again the video from the single “Praise Abort”. Thus, it tends to get disgusting. After hearing ten songs alike in both lyrics and rhythm, it can get boring. That’s why the change of pace marked by the tracks “Home Sweet Home” and “That’s My Heart” (the album’s best one) is more than welcome.

The sound is good enough for any respectable studio album, but it appears to be a bit over-saturated or near saturated always. Because of the extensive use of background synths, it’s almost “atmospheric”. The guitars, synths and drums sound like they should on an industrial metal album. It is not superb but more than OK.

This album shines thanks to its catchy tunes, which are present in every song. That’s fundamental to any song, and Rammstein achieves it very frequently through this work.

Paradoxically, Skills In Pills seems more faithful to Rammstein’s style than Rammstein itself, and better also. It’s a lengthy album, with a respectable quality, but that doesn’t worth the almost $15 that they are asking for.

Finally, the worst song: “Praise Abort”. Why they decided to make it a single? It’s a mystery. Maybe it was just because it resembles so much to “Pussy”, which was a big success as a single.

Rating: 7/10

Album review: Thornskill - Demo EP 2015

Genre: Nü Metal/Alternative Metal
Country: Spain
Year: 2015

Tracklist:

1. My Motivation
2. Sexy Erotic Karma
3. Crying Blood
4. Retiro
5. Hysteric Coprolalia
6. Surprise MF

A few days ago came to my knowledge the existence of “Thornskill”, a recently created Alternative Metal band from Spain. They released a six song Demo, free to listen and download for everyone… and free music is always welcome. As a thank you, I want to give my honest opinion (not that anyone should care about it anyway) about this work.

Thornskill recognizes itself as a Alternative/Nü Metal band. And that’s just right. I don’t know where the Alternative Metal ends and the Nü Metal begins, I don’t fuking know if it is the same thing, and I don’t care. But, what i know is that this style has many shades. So, what kind of “Alternative Metal” this band plays? The answer is: a complex one. Thornskill mixes many little bits of different styles over and over again in an almost progressive style, but maintaining every song as a coherent and original piece. Because of this, their music feels fresh and interesting at every time, even though the band uses a pop song structure. This work may remind the NüMetal's golden years, around the year 2000, but enriched with new ideas and complexity.

This complex mix brings an original composition most of the time, others not. For instance, some riffs present in the second song reminds me to System of a Down. (Maybe to the song "B.Y.O.B." or "Forest". In fact, up to a certain point, one could perfectly think it’s a System of a Down song. 

Melodic tunes and aggressive riffs are making love through all the demo and in every track. The result is more amusing than beautiful, and more than interesting enough to please anyone. Certainly the style is not a melodic one, but it's neither an aggressive one.

As a Death Metal fan, I welcome the use of harsh vocals and screams, so I’m glad to hear them in this Demo. Impressively, I think that, because of the special way they are used, and because of the lyrics, even listeners that are not used to listen this vocals, or are not fond of them, may welcome them as well. The occasional use of female vocals are also welcome. They add even more spice to the already tasty mix.

Finally, Thornskill is indeed a Nü Metal band, but its style reaches a lot more than this only genre. This Demo will be a good addition to my bulky music collection, and not just another work lost among many. I send my best wishes to this promising band, and I hope to hear some new songs soon.

Rating: 7/10

You can also listen to them through their Youtube channel and check their web page at www.thornskill.com

If you want to download their Demo EP, here is the link.

Single Review: Lindemann - Praise Abort - 2015

Genre: Industrial Metal

Country: Germany
Year: 2015

Tracklist:

1. Praise Abort

2. Praise Abort (Clemens Wijers Remix)
3. Praise Abort (Ostblockschlampen Remix)
4. Praise Abort (Hedberg & Larsson Remix)
5. Fat (Jonas Kjellgren Remix)
6. Fat (Oliver Huntemann Electronica Mix)

Till Lindemann and Peter Tägtgren (ex Hypocrisy singer), released the first single from their new Industrial Metal band “Lindemann”, titled “Praise Abort”. As a former Rammstein fan I can’t help to say a few words about this song.

To begin with, I want to point some similarities with Rammstein. First, and as you may have already noticed, the cover reminds to one of Rammstein’s albums, “Mutter”. Second, it sounds like a Rammstein’s song. Third, it replicates the same formula used in the single “Pussy”, in lyrics, composition and instruments. So, if you haven’t listened to Rammstein, this may be a good chance.

The song itself isn’t bad, but it’s unremarkable despite of being catchy. The composition is the one of any pop song, and the instruments are the same ones of any mediocre industrial band. The participation of Tägtgren doesn’t bring anything new or good and the video sucks like the song does.

The Single comes with 5 more awful songs that happen to be remixes from “Praise Abort and Fat”, another piece (of crap surely) coming in the band’s next album.

Rammstein has lost its shine since their third album “Mutter” and it seems that this is NOT a comeback.

Rating: 4/10

Album review: Sirenia - The Seventh Life Path - 2015

Genre: Symphonic Gothic Metal
Counntry: Norway
Year: 2015

Tracklist:

1. Seti
2. Serpent
3. Once My Light
4. Elixir
5. Sons Of The North
6. Earendel
7. Concealed Disdain
8. Insania
9. Contemptuous Quitus
10. The Silver Eye
11. Tragedienne
12. Tragica" (Tragedienne Spanish Version- Bonus Track)

“The Seventh Life Path”, is, well… the seventh Sirenia’s studio album, and the one we are going to review right now, in its Limited Edition format. 

It is priced today at $11.99 at Amazon.com and at 13,99 € at Napalm Records. This seem to be a fair price for an album just released and more than ok if you consider its content. 

The compilation is extraordinary lengthy. It has twelve songs (included a bonus track), where one of them is an intro, but a total play time of more than one hour and ten minutes. That’s a big amount of content for any LP album. That would be great if it also were of acceptable quality or more than acceptable… And it is! Indeed, it is superb. Behold one of the best albums this band has ever conceived! 

For better or worse, the band’s style has changed, of course, since their debut album in 2002. Strangely (not really), the biggest change coincided with the same album which Sirenia debuted in Nuclear Blast Records. “Nine Destinies And A Downfall” is a good album but a very different one from its two predecessors. It has a closer approach to the pop genre and so it dropped most of the Death Metal elements. Strangely again (seriously, not really), with “The Seventh Life Path”, the band has returned to its birthplace, Napalm Records, and, at the same time, to its old style, at least partially. So, it’s great to have them back to where they can do what they like, the way they like. 

By listening to the album firsts minutes, this change I’m talking about, is perceived right away. Back are the Death Metal vocals, back are the heavy riffs, back is the dark atmosphere, and back is Sirenia. This release is very close to the Gothic Death Metal the band exhibited in their first albums, but it also retains some of the essence of the last ones. Thus, this work blends the best of two different styles. Being fair, we can say that this album has some of the best of Sirenia. 

As said before, the harsh vocals are back, and the riffs that come with them. It’s good to have them back with more relevance and not as a bridge-only-instrument. In a couple of songs they don’t appear at all, but in the others they have, more or less, the same importance as the female clean vocals. However, they are used in the riffs only, being the choruses reserved for Ailyn. 

The novelty is also a big positive part. The band has maintained its particular style almost intact. Since “Nine Destinies And A Downfall”, it has suffered some variation obviously, but not at its core. Fortunately for us, this work brings some original elements. Which ones? I won’t tell you! But, besides the inclusion for the first time of an intro piece, they seem obvious in songs like “Elixir”, “The Silver Eye”, and throughout the album. The composition now feels richer than ever and entertaining. 

About the audio, I have to say it’s a refined version of the one used in the previous release. Still it is flat enough to let every instrument be heard, but this time it gives also the right and due relevance to some instruments, at the right time. As a consequence, the drums now sound deeper and more defined, the guitars more powerful and the vocals clearer.

In sum, a great work. Let’s hope the group stays in this path.

Rating: 8/10

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.

Album review: Ideogram - Life Mimics Theatre - 2015

Genre: Gothic Death Metal

Country: Italy

Year: 2015

Tracklist:

1. Life Is Pregnant of Death
2. The Art of Bleeding
3. Evil (in Her Hands)
4. Falling Snow
5. Trembling Hands
6. Geisha for My Demons
7. Invisible Again
8. Reflections
9. Rain of Stars
10. I Am Candle
11. In a Cobalt Ocean
12. Death Is Pregnant of Life

The Gothic and Death Metal genres are some of the oldest Metal subgenres, and thus, they are very worn. In fact, it's hard to find something truly innovative in any composition, almost everything is already done and written. But what’s really disturbing is the lack of good ideas in new releases. That's why this debut work from ideogram deserves special mention. It’s not truly original, but it’s truly exceptional.

In this work, the melodic style, can be attributed to Gothic Metal rather than to Melodic Death Metal. It would be forced to say that there is a Melodic Death Metal here, at least in a predominant way. Just a few riffs can be attributed to that genre. Some riffs also are taken from the black genre. Above all, the title “Life Mimics Theatre” is just right to describe what to expect from Ideogram’s music style: a musical theatre play, by a metal band. The style deserves well the title of “Avant-Garde”.

The sound is above standards, without been superb. Sometimes the instruments tend to overleap each other but it’s nothing too significant. In general, every sound has its own band and the right volume, so it’s easy to hear every one separately paying at the same time. The kick sounds deep and defined enough, the voices always clear and guitars powerful when they must. The audio fits the musical style perfectly and that’s what matters.

The album has 12 tracks. One of them is a short intro and another a coda, so only 10 of those are full songs. It’s an ok length for a LP, but because of the superb song quality you will of course want more. The intro and outro tracks aren’t superfluous at all. They seem almost necessary for a work almost operatic and classic like this one.

The song structure is to be praised. There is no rigid AABA scheme and every song feels like a complete piece, with an intro, development and conclusion. The bridges are awesome most of the time. As said before, it's more like an opera than a pop music work. 

The composition is the best element present in this work. The number of voices is big. Just to make it easy, here is a list:

- Clean male vocals

- Clean female vocals

- High pitched harsh male vocals

- Low pitches harsh male vocals

Besides, every voice is used in different ways throughout the album. Sometimes singing, others talking, screaming or growling. It's just rich.

The use of different instruments makes everything even more interesting. Again, a small list: 

- Classic instruments, like piano, flutes, strings, harpsichord, accordion, etc.

- Modern instruments, like guitars, bass, etc.

- Electronic instruments or synths.

These elements alone are nothing if the composition itself isn't right, and, in this album, of course it is. As said before, the music style (Gothic Death Metal) isn't completely new but it seems very mature and solid. It's complex, varied, entertaining, original and beautiful, everything one may want from a musical piece. 

Some pieces are better than others, but the gap is not too big. Every song differentiates enough from the others and the whole album has a beginning and an end.

In sum, this debut album is a delight and only makes you want for more.

Album review: Diminished 7 - The Regal Chapters - 2014

Genre: Gothic Metal
Country: USA
Year: 2014


 Tracklist:

1. When the Heart Consumes the Soul
2. Love Erased
3. Malice Gloom
4. El Ayo Ri La
5. She Destroys
6. Demons of Cast
7. Into Dying Eyes
8. Stigmata Dolls
9. Where There Once Were Walls
10. Worm?
11. (S)unravelling
12. My Insatiable Heart

There are more Gothic Metal bands than mushrooms on a rainy forest. But, a few of those aren’t mushrooms, at all. Some of them are great bands with its own identity and particular style. Diminished 7 is one of those few bands, thanks mainly because of its last released album, “The Regal Chapters”.

The sound is average at most. The volume is below today standards, the mixing wasn’t very well done so some instruments overlap each other, and some decisions about how every instrument must sound like could be criticized. It would be unfair, however, to say the album sounds like shit, because it doesn't. 

The album structure doesn't bring anything new. It has a decent intro, an insignificant interlude, and an ugly coda. The number of songs gets then reduced to nine of the twelve tracks. That's not enough for any long play album. 

The song structure isn't to be praised neither. It's as rigid as it usually is in any pop piece, with an AABA order.

All that, summed with plain vocals and some lack of technical instrument play, should result in a bad musical product, right? But, what about the composition? It's the only star in this sea of darkness... and it shines bright.

Thanks to an almost progressive style, the band achieves to enrich largely the genre, and, while doing so, to drive far away from what may be otherwise a generic gothic metal. Every song -besides the three pieces already mentioned- is complex and entertaining in almost every segment while carrying attractive and interesting melodies. The result is then, above all, an amusing album filled with original and catchy tunes.

Harsh vocals are present in some songs (like in "Where There One Were Walls" and in "Demons of Cast”), just to add a bit more of spice to the already saucy composition.

About the audio, beyond all the flaws, the sound gives a special feel and atmosphere to the whole work that matches very well the band's particular heavy gothic metal style. 

Of course, this is an album filled with highs and lows. Some songs are better than most of the melogoth ones out there, but some others are inferior. Thus, the gap between them is huge. The best ones are “Love Erased” –the album’s first song and a good choice for it-, "El Ayo Ri La", “Demons of Cast” and "Where There Once Were Walls". The other ones aren't bad, but just not notables.

So, even though the package isn't the prettiest, the content is worthy of attention.

If you like the gothic metal style, you must be glad: the genre still lives and evolves, and some bands like Diminished 7 are the ones that make this possible.

Dowload pick - The Birthday Massacre - Superstition - 2014

Since its first album, released in 2002, this music group has been outlined as an original gothic rock band, full of distinctive melodies and a unique style. It’s a very good band but not without its issues

Their best work to date is the 2004' album, "Violet", which contains some re-recorded songs from the first album and new others.

After that, the forthcoming albums were lacking of new elements and the composition wasn't too bright. So, let’s hope this time it’s different.

http://mediaportal.ru/8241-the-birthday-massacre-superstition-2014.html

The best of: Helltrain

Genre: Death 'n' Roll

Country: Sweden

So… Death 'n' Roll? Entombed, Carcass and The Cumshots are said to be bands of this genre. However, the name fits better Helltrain’s special style, the same that matches perfectly the very band’s name. Songs like “Jisei”, “Mr. Cooger”, “Route 666”, and of course, “Helltrain” make you feel really inside a “Death 'n' Roll helltrain”.

The influence of The Duskfall is evident, and it’s not a surprise. Three of the four band’s members participated in The Duskfall project, and as a result, the vocals, sound and composition are quite similar. This is not a Melodic Death Metal band, but it has for sure some elements of it. After the death of The Duskfall, Helltrain seems to fill up some of the void left behind, and it does so by mixing hard rock riffs, rock 'n' roll rhythms and lots of metal.

Helltrain’s albums aren’t what you may call “expectacular”. The sound isn't top notch, there are lots of highs and lows, and the simplistic style can get a bit boring. But, more than a few jewels are to be found in every one of them. 

"Rat Pack", and "Rot 'n' Roll" are maybe most catchy pieces of all the discography, and every metal fan should listen to them. Also, the bridge from "You Are The Man" is something worthy of attention, as well as the chorus and lyrics from "My Little Stars".

A few great songs are missing from this tight best-of list. So, there is more to enjoy from this awesome band.

You can go to vk.com/metalwithin to listen this songs, or follow us through Spotify.

01 - Rot'n'roll (Route 666 - 2004)

02 - Ratpack (Route 666 - 2004)

03 - Helltrain (Route 666 - 2004)

04 - Rock 'n' Roll Devil (Rock 'n' Roll Devil - 2008)

05 - My Little Stars (Rock 'n' Roll Devil - 2008)

06 - You're The Man (Rock 'n' Roll Devil - 2008)

07 - Burning... (Rock 'n' Roll Devil - 2008)

08 - Mr. Cooger (Death Is Coming - 2012)

09 - Slay The Beast (Death Is Coming - 2012)

10 - Jisei (Death Is Coming - 2012)

Download pick: Soilwork - Beyond The Infinite - 2014

After a nice comeback in 2013, Soilwork releases this 5 song EP. It follows their previous work very closely.


http://mediaportal.ru/7768-soilwork-beyond-the-infinite-ep-2014.html


It's not yet on Spotify but you can go to our vk.com group to check it out.

Album review: Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase I - Neohumanity) - 2014

Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Country: Sweden
Year: 2014


Tracklist:
1. The Shape of Things to Come
2. Neohuman
3. Limits to Infinity
4. Cryonic Harvest
5. The Spiral Timeshift
6. Children of the Integrated Circuit
7. Neuromancers
8. Technocalyptic Cybergeddon


...And so, after the longest pause this band has ever taken, Scar Symmetry releases another album on its way down to an unattractive progressive and melodic style.

There's no doubt about the quality loss the band's
last disks have suffered. It's been a non-stop fall from the awesomeness of Symmetric In Design, and it seems that there's no way to stop it.

But, don’t be mistaken. This new album, as well as all the last previous ones, isn't an awful work; however, this is not one more mediocre piece of crap. Despite a few sweet spots, there’s nothing really mind blowing, no landmark or inflection point, but the quality and variety in composition have improved greatly, as well as the audio and technical complexity, even though it presents a modern song structure with little or no variation at all. The three years that the realization of this work took, were worth it… more or less. 

Paradoxically, the choruses are the weakest point, and the riffs the strongest one, followed by some decent bridges. This has been recurrent and increasing in the last albums, but in “Cryonic Harvest”, it’s too much to bear, it’s just disgusting and ruins the whole song. If you like Melodic Death Metal, and you are listening to a Melodic Death Metal band -a bit progressive but not so much-, to hear that kind of awful shit AS A SONG CHORUS!!.. is like to be kicked on the balls (or tits)... by a racing horse! C'mon! That’s something that should never happen, there is a reason for the “chorus” to exist. Still, it occurs and more often with every new release. The other songs, but “Neohuman”, have the same issue of having no good refrain, so you’ll have to listen, at least three times per song, to a crappy melody

This band has always characterized because of the mix of heavy riffs with harsh vocals and melodic choruses with clean vocals, brought from the Nü Metal. That’s not necessarily compatible with a Melodic Death Metal style, it depends on how it’s executed. Bands like Deadlock and Crematory have done it flawlessly in many occasions, and so it did Scar Symmetry in its firsts two albums. But now, some of their melodies aren’t compatible anymore with the liking of a death metal (of any kind) fan, and the melodic or the progressive style aren’t the problem. Check out the bridge in the song “burn” of Septic Flesh; it’s very melodic and calm but also it fits perfectly with the dark and aggressive band’s style, breaking the song while doing so.


These childish tunes, used more and more often by Scar Symmetry, are incompatible with the Melodic Death Metal style and even with the same song in which they are. It goes something like this: you start listening to a decent melodeath song, nice riffs, nice vocals, and when the time for the chorus arrives… PAFF!! a slap in your face! you hear Kinder Garden music! It’s so joyful, so childish, so nice and tender, you don’t know what you are hearing anymore. A melodeath song? Or a kiddy song about fantasy, stars and other shiny things (lyrics's recurrent thematic).

The number of songs infected by this tenderness is too big, increases with every new album, and drives always anyone who listened in awesomeness to their first disk. “The Anomaly”, “Domination Agenda”, “Fear Catalyst”, “Cryonic Harvest”, “Sculptor Void” and “Frequencyshifter”, are just some of the most lovely (in the worst of ways) songs of this decaying music group.

This, in conjunction with the predominant use of the flat and untalented Lars Palmqvist’s voice (clean vocals), produces one of the worst human emotions ever.

Some bridges deserve also special attention. The one from “Neohuman”, is more than three minutes long, it’s awesome and justifies the whole song (more than the chorus does). It’s complex, varied, and at some point beautiful. It’s really the album's life saver. Other one is from “The Spiral Timeshift”; it’s not as good as the previous one, but still it has variety and contains a very nice guitar solo. At last, the one from “Neuromancers” also shines.

About the album structure, it’s nothing like what the band has shown before. It has an introductory track, as well as an instrumental interlude (which is strangely the second best song). In addition, the other tracks are very lengthy, two of them surpassing 8 minutes of playback time. It’s refreshing, of course, to have this kind of variation once in a while. However, the last song “Technocalyptic Cybergeddon”, could have been very easily divided in two different songs, with no musical link between those two parts.

Even though this work has just 8 tracks, of which one is a short intro, and another one is an interlude, this isn’t an EP, but a full-length album. In fact, it has an acceptable play time of a bit more than 43 minutes. For this amount of content and quality, the price of $10 bucks at amazon.com, is bearable.

What undoubtedly has been improved in this release is the audio. The results of the equalization and the mixing are far better than in the previous work, delivering a deep sound but also acoustic balance. The bass sounds powerful but clean, the guitars strong enough, and the drums always good enough (however, it’s obvious the decision of not make them a relevant instrument). Besides Symmetric In Design and Pitch Black Progress, this is work has, without any doubt, the better sound of all the discography.

In sum, the first album of the announced trilogy is far better than Dark Matter Dimensions and The Unseen Empire, maybe being close to Holographic Universe, but it’s also far from being this group’s best one. The ensemble has freshen up its music a bit, with a good audio, some awesome bridges, a different album structure and a more technical and complex composition.

Finally…
The best song: Neohuman
The worst song: Cryonic Harvest

Visit our vk.com comunity at http://vk.com/metalwithin to listen to this crap, and join us in Spotify.

Download pick: Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase I - Neohumanity) - 2014

Yep, another Scar Symmetry's álbum. While the review gets ready, here is a dowload link from Mediaportal.ru.

http://mediaportal.ru/7487-scar-symmetry-the-singularity-phase-i-neohumanity-2014.HTML

...Or you can listen to it through Spotify



Enjoy! (if you can)

Album review: Crematory - Antiserum - 2014

Genre: Gothic Metal/Industrial Metal
Country: Germany
Year: 2014


Tracklist:

1. Apocalyptic Vision
2. Until the End 
3. Shadowmaker
4. If You Believe
5. Inside Your Eyes
6. Kommt näher
7. Irony of Fate
8. Virus
9. Back from the Dead
10. Welcome
11. Antiserum

It has been more than 20 years since the release of Crematory's first album, being remarkable its slow but awesome evolution

Some elements have changed substantially, like the use of synths and the melodicity, which have both increased a lot, and the album structure. Others have endured, like the harsh vocals -which are exactly the same-, the German and English mix in the lyrics, and the style at its core. The progression has been slow, in general, but still each disk has its own feel, being easy to link any song to its album, only by listening to it.

Normally, this German band doesn't take more than two years to launch a new compilation. Indeed, the only exception to this has been, until now, because of the four years pause the band took on the year 2000, before releasing its best and more revolutionary album, "Revolution". This time, also four years have passed since the last compilation ("infinity"), and so, one may wonder if this time the revolution from "revolution" -so redundant- could happen again...

And yes. Antiserum innovates greatly respect to its predecessors. It's what a new Crematory album usually is, and more. It doesn't bring something significantly new, it maintains the band's essence intact, but refreshes it by the introduction of extra elements.

This time, the most obvious new element is the dissonance present in most of the tracks, except in "Irony Of Fate" and "Kommt Näher" -which has, by the way, the most catchy melody-. It kicks you in the ears from the very beginning of the album, till the end of it. It's present through all of it, in almost every song, and in almost every chorus. Most of the time it's ok, sometimes it's more than ok, but other times it's less than ok. In "Virus", the dissonance is unpleasant, in "Welcome" it just ruins the chorus, but in "Until The End" it makes the song interesting and attractive. It's clear the band's intention to make this element a distinctive one in this release, but it didn't work too well with a non-progressive style.

Another element added is the use of vocoder (as voice fx filter) in some songs, along with a more extensive use of trance music like instruments and effects. Sometimes, the band almost reaches an industrial metal style. This gives to the album a different and fresh vibe that separates it from its predecessors. However, this doesn't bring necessarily a good result.

The songs have a stiff modern structure, thus there is no novelty here. The album structure however is another matter. The band keeps changing it from time to time, sometimes just once after various albums. This time they've put once again an intro piece, and for the first time, as last track, the album title song. These changes may not seem too much, but they mark the band’s special vision of a particular composition style, in a particular epoch of its history. You can check through the discography the obvious similarities between a certain album structure -shared by various compilations- and a certain style in composition.

That first intro track matches the next one ("Until The End") more than it matches the whole album, feeling like part of that song. That takes away most of the relevance that an intro song must have in a compilation.

The first real song is, then, Until The End. It's a good song, one of the album's best ones. It has nice catchy tune in the riff, but it's weak at the chorus. In fact, the riff is better than the chorus, and the bridge has nothing to remember.

"Shadowmaker", the second song, suffers from the same disease, and the following pieces aren't better neither, till "Kommt Näher", which marks the album's climax. After that, again, the power and the composition quality descends up to "Welcome", which is a not-so-good song, ruined at some level by the dissonance present in the last chorus's segment.

Generally, in every release, Crematory puts as last track a melodic song. This time it's not the exception, however now this is the homonymous song album, and a bit heavy too. It's one of the best pieces in this work and a great way to end it.

About the price, we have to say it seems a little high for an eleven song compilation. Even more when one of them is just an unremarkable intro, none plays for more than five minutes -and for more than 4:30, in average-, and this is no way the best full-length release we've heard from this band. It's at $15.89 at amazon.com and at €15.99 at nuclearblast.de.

The Digipack version, as well as the Boxset edition, comes with two remixes of "Shadowmaker". If you have already listened to any Crematory's remixed song, released in the past, you may not be surprised by the poor quality of these new ones. So, don't get over excited about them and rush to get the more pricy album versions just because of these. It's better to just listen to them through a music stream service and save some bucks, because these don't worth the money they are asking for. The other goodies included in those sets, like posters and other shits, may be more interesting for a fan, though.

The audio isn't the best ever displayed by Crematory. It isn't superb but it's good enough to enjoy the powerful guitars and bass. It's a little tweaked with respect to the previous work, noticeable mostly in a deeper bass, even though it's hard to say it's superior. Here, the guitar has lost some relevance and the kick's bass seems too loud and overcharged, producing an unbalanced sound.

Overall, this band made another good but not excellent release. The album and every of its songs are lacking the consistency shown in disks like Revolution or Infinity . Even though some of them, like "Until The End", "Kommt Näher" and "Antiserum", are good ones, none will be remembered as one of the band's best ones. Some other tracks, like "Inside Your Eyes" are mediocre, at best.

As final comment, Crematory has always been a great and talented band, despite some unfortunate songs and Pray (2008' album). From its first album the band has improved in every aspect of its music, managing to leave its essence mostly intact. That's something pretty unique for a music group with more than twenty years of life. Of course, this can be attributed to the almost no line-up variation that the band has experimented through its history, but it's still something worthy of attention.

Retrospective: Killswitch Engage - Alive Or Just Breathing - 2002

Genre: Metalcore
Country: USA
Year: 2002

Tracklist:

1. Numbered Days
2. Self Revolution
3. Fixation On The Darkness
4. My Last Serenade
5. Life To Lifeless
6. Just Barely Breathing
7. To The Sons Of Man
8. Temple From The Within
9. Element Of One
10. Vide Infra
11. Without A Name
12. Rise Inside
13. In The Unblind

Every music style or genre has a complex and slow genesis. It takes more than a few steps to form a new and distinguishable one, steps made through years, songs, albums, and different bands. Because of this, it's impossible to award to just one band or album the creation of an entire style. However, what can be done is to identify some milestones in its generation. For example, the Trash Metal wasn't invented out of the blue by Anthrax or Metallica, but they perfected and made it known to the masses. 

The "Metalcore" isn't the exception to this rule. It wasn't made from one day to another, but its success and most of its core can be attributed to a single band, and to a single album: In 2002, Killswitch Engage released its second and greatest work, titled "Alive Or Just Breathing". 

At that time, more than ten years ago, MTV wasn't full of stupid teen shows like it is today, and you could actually watch... guess what... yea! MUSIC VIDEOS! (it's not too freakin crazy for a so called "Music Television" channel, or is it?). It was there where I discovered this band, in a late-night program, by its first album single and video, "My Last Serenade". I was astonished right away by the never before seen aggressive but melodic style, by mix of the singing, screaming and growling, by the exquisite composition, the catchy melody, and by the outstanding sound, all together in a thrilling and accord music video. It was like the waking of a new part of the brain... It was one of the biggest musical discoveries in my life. 

I put my hands on the album the very next day, and fell in love with it the same day, as I realized that My Last Serenade was only the tip of an enormous iceberg of amazing songs. However, some of those tracks weren't completely originals, but re-recorded songs from the previous work. 

Killswitch Engage made its first full-length release two years before, in the year 2000, self titled "Killswitch Engage". The album didn't produce too much hype at that time, even though the composition was great and unique. The band however made the right decision of salvaging some tracks, re-record them and improved every aspect but the composition. In opportunities like this, it's easy to see the relevance of every element that composes a music piece. The first album had great songs, but they sounded like shit. So, the composition isn't all; the audio and the instrument and interpretation quality are equally indispensable to deliver a good musical product. All the potential within the first album was enclosed in an ugly package, but within Alive Or Just Breathing it was finally brought to life. 

So, Alive Or just Breathing wasn't groundbreaking by itself, but it was good enough to bring Killswitch Engage to the fame, along with the genre. It's thanks to that album -not completely but largely- the fame that today the Metalcore has, and yes.. that the Metalcore bands are spreading everywhere like mushrooms in a rainy forest (which isn't very good). 

Even though no music prodigy is to be found behind the instruments, the creativity in the composition makes every song different, and hard to identify identical choruses or riffs, moving away from those tracks that seem to be actually played by only one minute, while the other four are filled by a "copy-paste" procedure. 

The audio is another strong point. Years had to pass before I had the chance to listen to another album - Satariel's "Hydra", released 2005 - with a sound close to be as powerful and clean. Even for today standards, the sound is top notch, only beat a few times. 

There is much more to say about this band, maybe another time.

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The best of: Scar Symmetry

Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Power Metal

Country: Sweden

"Symmetric In Design" is an excellent work, all the way. It's complex but digestible, aggressive but melodic, technical but simple, making use of new and known elements. It's one of the most outstanding albums in the Melodic Death Metal world. It brims with new and good ideas and, each one of its songs, get stamped in the listener, thanks to very catchy riffs and choruses, which in turn distinguish those songs from each other. The audio is very good, and it's easy to note the great job made in the mixing and mastering, that helps to achieve that air of novelty that the composition itself has already made evident.

Every song feels different from each other and distinguishable, contributing not only with new ideas -within the already original composition- but also with good ones. For example, "Detach From The Outcome" is a lot more aggressive than the other pieces -specially from "Dominion-, with a chaotic style guitar solo, for which it's, up to date, unique.

Unfortunately, release after release, the new and good ideas fade away, along with the good metal fusion, and becoming a sort of power metal band with harsh vocals. The mediocre and bad melodies of this style predominate, the harsh vocals have lost relevance -although they are always present-, and the choruses are a lot "happier".

Their second album titled "Pitch Black Progress", was released no more than one year after the previous one, period that appears to have been too short. Indeed, the second album was, without doubt, a disappointment.

In it, the new and good ideas scarce. Still, it's not a bad work and it's very easy to enjoy. "The Kaleidoscopic God" has a complex song structure, closer to one of an opera than to one of a pop song, while "Deviate From The Form" approaches to a progressive style. Both are great songs and clearly stand out from the other album tracks. The other pieces do not add anything significant. Anyway, the taste that leaves listening to Pitch Black Progress is far from being as good as the one that listening to Symmetric In Design, blissfully, leaves.

The sound got worse with the second album -not too much-, and continued in that path up to the fourth release, where the audio is the worst of all. Similarly, the composition lost its luster. Apparently, this and all the future albums were always doomed, from the start, to be under the large shadow of Symmetric In Design.

The great virtue of the first disc was the deep and almost imperceptible combination of different styles and genres, mixed up with original tunes. In their later albums, some elements were lacking depth in the combination and novelty. Thus, songs with dissonant choruses and riffs appeared, like "Three Dimensional Shadow" and "Noumenon and Phenomenon" -very far from a decent progressive metal- and others so boring and with too many bad ideas such as "Mechanical Soul". Of course, the fading of the death metal side in the style, in favor of the power metal one -it suffices to hear the intro from "The Iconoclast" and its chorus to see that-, is another element to regret.

"Holographic Universe", the third album, was another disappointment . The track of the same name is undoubtedly the great album jewel, but appears to have been hastily completed. Just comparing it with Kaleidoscopic God it's enough to realize that, in similar circumstances, the band delivered a much better product.

"Dark Matter Dimensions", it's a junk, a bigger one than the previous album. In this disk. all that was Scar Symmetry in 2005 is completely lost. Bad composition; repetitive riffs; discordant, unattractive and boring choruses; extensive use of unadmirable and mediocre clean vocals; never remarkable guitar solos; and a too flat sound...In sum, a bad album.

“The Unseen Empire”, the last album, in both the audio and the overall composition, tops its predecessor, but still it does not compare to Symmetric In Design .

Once again, in the history of a band, the first work is the best one, even though, in this case, there was no line-up change. Generally, the good ideas don't abound, and require of some time to mature and flourish. In six years, Scar Symmetry released five albums; a big quantity, but with a very low quality.

1. Chaosweaver (Symmetric In Design - 2005)
2. Reborn (Symmetric In Design - 2005)
3. Obscure Alliance (Symmetric In Design - 2005)
4. Hybrid Cult (Symmetric In Design - 2005)
5. Detach From The Outcome (Symmetric In Design - 2005)
6. The Kaleidoscopic God (Pitch Black Progress - 2006)
7. Deviate From The Form (Pitch Black Progress - 2006)
8. Holographic Universe (Holographic Universe - 2008)
9. The Consciousness Eaters (Dark Matter Dimensions - 2009)
10. Seers Of The Echaton (The Unseen Empire - 2011)



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Album review: Deadlock - The Re-Arrival (Extended)

Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Country: Germany
Year: 2014


Tracklist:

CD 1:

1. An Ocean’s Monument

2. Code Of Honor

3. Earthlings

4. The Brave / Agony Applause

5. Dark Cell

6. Virus Jones

7. A New Era

8. We Shall All Bleed

9. Renegade

10. Martyr To Science

11. Awakened By Sirens 2014

12. To Where The Skies Are Blue

13. Htrae

14. End Begins

15. The Arsenic River

CD 2:

1. Petition For Mercy – Insist Demo Tape (1998)

2. Broken Mirror – Insist Demo Tape (1998)

3. What´s The Use – Insist Demo Tape (1998)

4. Face To Face – Insist Demo Tape (1998)

5. Ignorance – Insist Demo Tape (1998)

6. Deprivation – Insist Demo Tape (1998)

7. The One Who’s Silent Seems To Consent – unreleased track from Deadlock 7″ (1999)

8. Picture – unreleased track from Deadlock 7″ (1999)

9. A Song Full of Abhorrence in a World Without Feelings… – I’ll Wake You When Spring Awakes (EP) (Winter Recordings 2000)

10. With a Smile on My Face – The Arrival (Winter Recordings 2002)

11. The End Of The World – Deadlock / Six Reasons to Kill Split (Winter Recordings 2003)

12. 10.000 Generations In Blood – Earth.Revolt (2005)

13. When Time Runs Out (Running Wild Cover) – ReUnation Sampler- A Tribute To Running Wild (Remedy Records 2009)

14. Awakened By Sirens – Unreleased Acoustic Version (2011)

15. Earthlings – Bizarro World, Japanese Edition (2011)

"DON'T BUY THIS ALBUM!" That's what this album should say on its cover, or even better, what it should be this album's name. Don't be wrong, this is not a bad release by itself, but for those who have bought already the previous albums, it's just a waste of money. Why is that? Lets see. 

Deadlock is a band of which you have heard, for sure, if death metal is of your liking. It has become one of the most famous Melodic Death Metal Bands, because of its very accessible music style. 

But not always Deadlock's music has been so accessible to the more common audience. Their two first albums, "The Arrival" and "Earth.Revolt", released in 2002 and 2005, respectively, are very different from the forthcoming ones. It's like they were albums of a different band. Indeed, there is very little resemblance between the styles displayed. The first disks were close to an atmospheric melodic death metal with little use of clean vocals, high pitched harsh vocals and an extensive use of reverb on the vocals and strings (synths). The style was less melodic as the very composition was different. The characteristic dichotomy between melodic choruses with clean vocals and aggressive riffs with harsh vocals, wasn't present either. 

Because of this, it's hard to say there has been an evolution between Earth.Revolt and the next release,"Wolves". The music is too different for doing that. 

After a disapointing last album, "The Arsonist", Deadlock presents "The Re-Arrival", an album filled with old songs, with no justified existence. 

This work is composed of two disks. One, is the main one, having 15 songs of which only 3 are new ones. The second one has also 15 songs, taken from the 1998 demo and other rare recordings. 

About the first disk, do you know the said "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Well, it seems that Deadlock don't share this idea; "The Re-Arrival", is opposed to that idea. Only 3 songs are new ones, while all the others are old re-recorded ones with some new arrangements. As you may have already guessed, the result is not good, at all. 

There are a few reasons for that. First of all, as just said, there was no need to make such work. The original chosen songs aren't badly recorded, badly performed or sounding bad. It would have made more sense that the chosen songs were the oldest ones, of the first or second album, which have the worst sound and could have an update. If Killswitch Engage, did it (flawlessly) with their first album, why couldn't Deadlock do it too? Even more when this work is titled The "RE-Arrival"... So why the fuk this isn't an updated version of their first full work? It really makes no sense at all. Just one song from one of the first albums, Earth.Revolt, made it to this shit. The new version was made well enough and it's interesting enough to be recomended. 

Second, the invested work is almost worthless. Some new songs are worse than the old ones. Some decisions about the sound weren't the best ones, like the removal of some filters on Sabine's voice and other instruments. The sound is cleaner, of course, but at the cost of atmosphere. Also, the new harsh vocals aren't bad, but they are worse than the original ones. 

Third, the inclusion of new pieces in this release is just an effort to make it attractive to the public, as a whole. Therefore, the only good reason to buy the album are these songs. However, they aren't good enough for that. "A New Era" is one of those, and it's maybe this release best one, so be sure to don't miss it. The other two songs are nothing special. 

At least, the audio is great, as it has to be in a release of this kind. The recoding, mixing, mastering processes and even the instruments are better, overall, however some changes aren't very fortunate. As said before, there are original songs that sound or are performed better. 

The second disk is a bit more of what you may expect from a remastered old songs compilation. The sound was well tuned, and its always nice to hear the first songs ever released by your favorite band or to just complete your collection. 

Still, the Insist Demo Tape songs sound is horrible, but the unreleased version of "Awakened By Sirens", as well as the remastered versions of "10,000 Generations In Blood, of Earth.Revolt, and "With A Smile On My Face", of The Arrival, and other pieces, make this second disk a lot more interesting than the first one. 

So, is it worth buying these discs? All depends on the price. At bestbuy.com the Digipack version is priced at $12.99, with free shipping. It's a good deal, but if you value your money, it's better to go for the digital purchase of the three new songs, and of the good ones of the second disk.

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Album review: Five Finger Death Punch - The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell

Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: USA
Year: 2013

Tracklist:

Volume 1:

1. Lift Me Up (Feat.  Rob Halford) 2. Watch You Bleed 3. You 4. Wrong Side of Heaven 5. Burn MF 6. I.M.Sin 7. Anywhere But Here 8. Dot Your Eyes 9. M.I.N.E (End This Way) 10. Mama Said Knock You Out 11. Diary of a Deadman 12. I.M.Sin (Feat. Max Cavalera) 13. Anywhere But Here (Feat. Maria Brink) 14. Dot Your Eyes (Feat. Jamey Jasta) Volume 2: 1. Here to Die 2. Weight Beneath My Sin 3. Wrecking Ball 4. Battle Born 5. Cradle to the Grave 6. Matter of Time 7. The Agony of Regret 8. Cold 9. Let This Go 10. My Heart Lied 11. A Day in My Life 12. House of the Rising Sun

So old, so rusted, so boring... That's how the Heavy Metal should be? After more than 50 years after Led Zeppelin, it has to be, right? Well, maybe, but this is not the case, at all. Five Finger Death Punch (almost the Five-Point-Palm Exploding-Heart from Kill Bill), is a groovish avant-garde heavy metal band that, today, stands out, not only next to other heavy metal bands, but next to any one.

This release is composed of two new full length albums or volumes, released both through the year 2013. In turn, these have completely unreleased new songs, so this isn't a lengthy work of those full of crapy content (like live or instrumental versions) to justify its existence or price (deluxe editions).

But, how good is this big work? Very good indeed, but also it's one of highs and lows. Some songs are amazing and mind blowing -like "Anywhere But Here" or "Cradle To The Grave"- but others are less appealing -like "Let This Go" or "Dot Your Eyes", but, as always, is just a matter of taste.

In the first volume, Rob Halford, as guest vocalist, participates in the first piece, "Lift Me Up". It's a nice way to initiate an album, with a heavy catchy song, and with one of the most popular singers as a guest artist. Also, Maria Brink, vocalist of the metalcore band, In This Moment, participates in "Anywhere But Here". Tech N9ne, Max Cavalera and Jamey Jasta also act as guest singers. Even though these interventions are nice additions to the album, only the one of Tech N9ne is interesting enough, mainly because of the rap-metal mix.It has 14 songs, 3 of which are just repeated ones but with guest artist interventions. So, really there are just 11 songs, and that's ok for any album, and ok for the price of $11.89 at amazon.com. The 3 other pieces are like a gift, and gifts are always welcome. Hence, as a buyer, you will get a lot of bang for the buck, also because no song is an intro or anything like it.

The second disk has its own vibe, differentiating itself from the first one. Unlike its predecessor, there is no guest artist intervention, it has a more refined audio, and less but better songs overall. Therefore, each album seems unique and not parts of a single release, and that's why we can say that the Vol. 2 is superior, even with two or three less songs -one of them is an interlude of about two minutes- and with no famous friends to brag about.

As it has to be for a Heavy Metal band, the lyrics are mostly " I'm the shit", "I'm so cool and strong and cool and badass, and cool... and I'm so cool" and all that macho thematic. It's amusing sometimes, but gets a little repetitive after a while. There is some variation, though, but the songs are always self-referring.

The audio quality is just outstanding. Since their first album, the band knew exactly how they were supposed to sound, so it's has always been a pleasure listening to the beautiful audio of every released work of them. This time, however, they hit the nail on the head, or even more, on the middle of it. The mixing and mastering processes were finely made, making enough room for every instrument in the audio spectrum, giving at the same time the right relevance to the voice and drums. The band sounds powerful and beautifully like never before. The audio seem to be a little bit tweaked on the Vol.2, but overall it's the same in the two disks.

The vocalist's voice is another strong positive element in this work. On previous albums, it was also very remarkable, but not as much as it is at this time. The composition helped a lot, giving the chance to it to really shine thanks to the wide array of styles used. In songs like "Cold", for example, from soft clean to strong near harsh vocals are used, with big spikes in volume. By the way, the use of vibrato is wide. Everything is potentiated by the great audio, delivering a deep, clear and firm voice.

The Vol.2 is, no doubt at all, the best FFDP release, being closely followed by the Vol.1. Lets hope that the forthcoming album, in 2015, is going to be not just a superior one, but also an innovative one; that's something this band is needing after five albums with the same style at its core.

You can listen some of this tracks in our VK group at http://vk.com/metalwithin or follow us through Spotify.

The best of: The Kovenant

Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Industrial Metal

Country: Norway

This great Norwegian band has shined early in its life as a Death Metal band, and then as a avant-garde metal band, adding and multiplying instruments and effects of electronic and industrial music. It's almost obligatory to listen to this band albums to anyone who likes metal music, because of the big contribution to the genre in each album, thanks to the many new and amazing elements incorporated, especially in their album "Animatronic". Its lineup, as well as its style and name have changed through the years, having paraded members of Dimmu Borgir, Cradle Of Filth and Ram-Zet, among others. However, The Kovenant style has never reassembled to any of them or of any other band.

With their first album "In Times Before The Light", released in 1997, the group quickly gained fame in Norway and parts of Europe, presenting a style that would end up being the closest one to Black Metal in its discography; double pedal, high pitched harsh vocals, overcharged treble, and an overwhelming atmosphere. In 2002, it was released a remix edition, with songs re-recorded, and a new and better mixing and mastering process, that clearly approaches Nexus Polaris. Trying to earn some money, surely, in 2007 they released the original album, remastered, and with some bonus tracks from their early 90's demo.

In 1998 the second album, "Nexus Polaris", the group jumps into another style by leaving the Black, and approaching to a much more melodic sound and improving significantly. Only a year later, it was launched "Animatronic", which is maybe their best album, with an original avant-garde death metal, an enviable sound for any band, great variety within the songs themselves and throughout the album, great strength in riffs and choruses; from the beginning to the end, a beautiful work.

After a number of adjustments to its lineup, the band launches "S.E.T.I.", in 2003, almost completely forgetting what was before, leaping once again, this time, to a straight forward industrial metal... and betraying all his followers! Double pedal.. Goodbye! Harsh vocals... Goodbye! Two guitars play... Goodbye!! (wtf !!), goodbye to the guitar solos too! (wtf !!!!!!!) Goodbye to The Kovenant?

Many fans hated this work but, in fact, it's one of the best industrial metal albums ever made. The Kovenant remains today a spectacular band until the last of their albums; proof of this is that the band has been keeping all of their fans expectant, for more than seven years now, for their next album "Aria Galactica", that we may never see.

In sum, The Kovenant musical style has traveled a long way, and in every milestone, they have created a different masterpiece for every genre. From a melodic blackened death to a melodic industrial metal, every single disk stands out in its own ground.

There are quite different but excellent songs to choose from. We are not gonna try to choose the best ones for each style but the best ones overall.

1. Monarch Of The Mighty Darkness (In Time Before The Light - 1997)

2. Bringer Of The Sixth Sun (Nexus Polaris - 1998)

3. The Last Of Dragons (Nexus Polaris - 1998)

4. Chariots Of Thunder (Nexus Polaris - 1998)

5. Mirror’s Paradise (Animatronic - 1999)

6. Mannequin (Animatronic - 1999)

7. Jihad (Animatronic - 1999)

8. Star By Star (S.E.T.I. - 2003)

9. Still Born Universe (S.E.T.I. - 2003)

10. Hollow Earth (S.E.T.I. - 2003)

Retrospective: Nightrage - Sweet Vengeance (2003)

Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Country: Sweden

Year: 2003

Tracklist:

1. The Tremor
2. The Glow Of The Setting Sun
3. Hero
4. Elusive Emotion
5. Gloomy Daydreams
6. Macabre Apparition
7. In My Heart
8. Ethereal
9. Circle Of Pain
10. At The Ends Of The Earth
11. The Howls Of Wolves

In 2003, when the Melodic Death Metal wasn't yet so tired, as it is today, Nightrage makes its appearance bringing back the mid 90's "Gothenburg Death Metal". With a classic style approach, riffs mainly taken from Arch Enemy and At The Gates, almost total absence of blast beats, some synths to give atmosphere, a very special guitar sound in the melodic solos using reverb and other effects, clean male vocals on some songs, blues scales, and with the occasional use of acoustic guitar and other features, this group stood out very early as one full of talent, novelty and, apparently, future. 

This work reaches the peak of the Gothenburg style, bringing the best of it, but refreshing it with new ideas. It presents a is very melodic style, in both riffs and choruses, without stop being aggressive; it has beautiful guitar solos, and powerful riffs; everything, embellished with a good sound thanks to a great work in the mixing, and with a wrapping atmosphere.

This work, that seems to be a direct evolution of the classic Swedish melodic death metal, shines brighter next to the worn melodic death of today. Its uniqueness is more evident now than ever.

Something very particular about this album, beside its amazing composition, it's the guitar solo audio. Never before or after it has been heard a guitar like this. It is not because of the distortion, or because of the instrument quality, and neither because of the playing artist talent, it's just the sound of it. The overloaded reverb utilized during the solos, makes a very deep atmosphere, where the guitar takes up the front line, way above the other instruments.

Even though this band discography is far from good, their debut album, is one of the best metal pieces of all times. While it has a very classic style, seen in melodic death metal bands like Arch Enemy, At The Gates or Death, it's impossible to not get surprised by the special touch and novelty introduced by Nightrage. It's a unique album, worthy of attention and praise. Unfortunately, it's also an island in the middle of a mediocre discography, not lacking of technical attributes, but of new airs and talent in composition.

What happened in the next discs? Well, nothing good. Each one of the them is a disappointment. 

In their next work, "Descent Into Chaos" (2005), the complexity in composition decreased notoriously, even making the whole compilation very repetitive and boring; the outstanding guitar solo sound, disappeared and was replaced by a generic one; less blues and acoustic guitars; the vocalist voice got worse (line-up change), just like the audio. Truly, it's not a bad compilation, but far from being outstanding, and, at least, very far away from the greatness of the first one.

Things didn't get better with "A New Disease Is Born" (2007). In fact, they got even worse. It's a boring and disappointing disc. It brings few nice surprises, but nothing that stands out.

“Wearing A Martyr's Crown” (2009) was, no doubt, a step forward. It had a richer, varied and not so flat composition, as well as a closer approach to the band first album style. Its a good disk, but nothing more than average.

Finally, "Insidious" (2011), it's like shit to the ears... in short.

Today, more than ten years after, the melodic death metal bands are everywhere, fusing almost any style into one very different from the classical. Sadly, also, today it's hard to find, in that big pile of crap bands, another that brings something astonishing. The style is so worn off that, even the fusing of styles and genres, can't help it.


If you want to listen to this great album, go to our VK community at http://vk.com/melolagniamaldita