myGRAIN: Orbit Dance (2006)

www.myspace.com/mygrain

www.mygrain1.com

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Track List

Plastic (3:43)

Cold Reflection (3:59)

W.I.F (3:51)

Pitch-Black (4:05)

Darkbound (3:59)

Humanimal (3:51)

Misery Assembly Line (4:11)

Downfall (4:06)

Orbit Dance (4:24)

Veil of Sun (4:08)

Hollowgram (4:20)

Overview

Having covered some of the larger acts in metal, I thought I’d now start taking the chance to introduce you to some of the lesser known names. As is often the case in metal sometimes it is the virtually unknown bands who turn out to be your favourites. Orbit Dance is the debut album from Finnish band myGRAIN, a band I am really fond of but don’t really get much recognition. I’ve always found that rather odd, as they really are very talented, and are even signed to a very large record label (Spinefarm). They are easily identified by their strong use of rhythm guitar and background synth, as well as Tommy’s use of clean and growled vocals. As a relatively new band with large potential this album provides a fantastic platform to build on, as well as the oppotunity to continuing developing their own sound (as can be seen with their second album Signs of Existence).

Highlights

The intro song – Plastic, is one I absolutely love.  I can remember when I first listened to this album as soon as the beginning of this song started I knew that I would love this band. It’s high tempo is offset by some typical mixed vocals and even a mini solo (something of a rarity for a myGRAIN song), laying down a fearsome pace and a big act for the other songs to follow. I find it quite hard to explain to explain why I like this song so much, as it has few qualities that you can easily point to and say ‘this is what makes this song great’, and yet what is there seems to work perfectly. My other favourite song on this album, Hollowgram, follows in a similar vein with high tempo and mostly growled vocals. The main difference with this one is a much more noticable role played by the synth, at first in the background before emerging to the front towards the end. As emo as this sounds, the end of this song makes me want to cry every time I hear it, and it’s the only song that has that effect on me, so it’s gotta get some credit for being able to evoke real emotion in the listener.

One feature of this album is that many of the songs that aren’t great are still strong by their own rights, including W.I.F, Darkbound, Misery Assembly Line, Downfall, Orbit Dance and Veil of Sun. W.I.F and Misery Assembly Line have some seriously heavy riffing, with W.I.F having probably the heaviest instrumental work on the album. Both make a good listen, with Misery Assembly Line throwing in some nice clean vocal sections. Veil of Sun is similar in it’s style to Misery Assembly Line, but also features a strong synth most notably at the beginning. Darkbound is another track that is driven by the synth, and is possibly one of the best tracks on the album for blending into all of the instruments into an enjoyable harmony.

Orbit Dance features an ear-catching beginning, with a great riff followed by some really atmospheric synth. The rest of the song is good, but doesn’t really live up to what the beginning promises. Downfall is the same but to a more extreme extent – the introduction is one of my favourites in any song ever, with the slow build up giving way to some blazing guitar and great vocals. However, the rest of the song, while not bad, feels a little poorly constructed with some big, sudden changes in guitar rhythm and vocals interrupting the flow significantly. Both of these songs are still strong, but could have been really something with a bit more thought.

Lowlights

Cold Reflection starts with a really promising drum section that is repeated at points throughout the song, and is the only part of the album where DJ Locomotive (drums) gets to show off some of his skills. The rest of the song is comprised of some heavy riffing and slower, cleanly sung sections, the rhythm guitar being by far the standout performer once the song gets going. What causes it to end up in the lowlights section is that I feel the vocals aren’t great on this song (notably the clean ones) which ultimately achieve something similar to what occurs in Downfall, interrupting the flow of the song. Unfortunately, Cold Reflection does not have Downfall’s brilliant opening to counter this.

The other two I’d like to mention are Pitch-Black and Humanimal.Pitch-Black is very different to the other songs, beginning with a slow and drawn out synth piece and using a very different style of rhythm guitar to the other tracks. It concentrates on what I believe are lots of middle frets, whereas the rest of the tracks are comprised almost entirely of the upper frets. It makes for a change, but looks quite out of place. Humanimal begins on a very heavy note but then very suddenly switches whenever the vocals are introduced, before going back whenever they stop. It’s just not very well put together, and is definately the weakest track on the album.

Conclusion

The word to sum up this album is atmosphere. It creates it brilliantly via the use of the synthesizer, and the rhythm guitar fits in with this perfectly. The blend they achieve is quite something, and Tommy’s vocals are strong as well, although more so on the growled ones than the clean ones. Nearly all the songs are really good, a couple are great and all of them are listenable. It is without a shadow of a doubt the best debut album I have ever heard and one of my personal favourite albums ever – very few albums out there have such consistent quality throughout. Unfortunately there are no video singles from this album, but that shouldn’t stop you giving them at least a quick look on youtube for some examples of their work. The band’s third album has been mooted by some of their members on their site’s forum as a 2010 release, and shall certainly be one of the things I look foward to most in the year to come.

Rating: 10/10

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It’s Christmas time and it looks like Alexi Claus has come to fill your stockings! I’d just like to say personally merry christmas, I hope you all have a great time and thank you so much for reading my blog. On a side note, what on earth are you doing reading this today!?!? Go and open presents! Now! Before you do that though, lets have a quick recap of some of my favourite albums that 2009 brought us (of which I shall review all eventually).

Children of the Dark Waters – Eternal Tears of Sorrow

Dark Matter Dimensions – Scar Symmetry

Dead Harvest – This Ending

From Afar – Ensiferum

Hordes of Chaos – Kreator

Japanese Hospitality – Warmen

Out of Body Experience – Degradead

Skyforger – Amorphis

The Isolation Game – Disarmonia Mundi

The Restless Memoirs EP – Disarmonia Mundi

The Root of all Evil – Arch Enemy

Wearing a Martyr’s Crown – Nightrage

Not a bad haul eh? Lets hope next year proves just as fruitful! I may even sneak in a new review before the year is up, keep a look out! Until next time, have a great christmas and a rocking new year!

Arch Enemy: Rise of the Tyrant (2007)

www.archenemy.net

www.myspace.com/archenemy

Genre: Death Metal

Track List

Blood on your Hands (4:41)

The Last Enemy (4:15)

I Will Live Again (3:32)

In This Shallow Grave (4:54)

Revolution Begins (4:11)

Rise of the Tyrant (4:33)

The Day you Died (4:52)

Night Falls Fast (3:18)

The Great Darkness (4:46)

Vultures (6:35)

Overview

The latest piece of original work from Arch Enemy (with their newest album ‘The Root of all Evil’ comprising of previous works) had to live up to big expectations following the hugely popular album ‘Doomsday Machine’. The sound has changed quite a bit from then, replacing Doomsday Machine’s darker sound with one of real aggression and often very fast tempo. Angela Gossow (vocals) always seems to step up the intensity of her screaming with every new release, and this is no exception. Her ability at delivering maximum volume and yet keeping the lyrics audible is almost unparalleled. Backed up by the brilliant skills on the Amott brothers on guitar and it’s a recipe guaranteed for success.

Highlights

The  album gets off to a strong start with ‘Blood on your Hands’, with the rhythm guitar tearing out an intense tune comparable to many of the other songs. A song with lots of tempo changes with the real focus being on the guitar, a nice solo creeping in towards the end. It also gives us a taste of Angela’s vocals, which are powerful as usual, although they will become more so later in the album. The next song I’m going to mention is ‘In this Shallow Grave’, an extremely fast paced song and is one of Angela’s strongest vocal performances. The brutal riffing really is something to behold and it just seems to get heavier as the track goes on.

The video single from this album ‘Revolution Begins’ is an odd one. On paper it doesn’t really look that good, with the song focusing almost entirely around the chorus and one slightly changed verse. However, it really is good to listen to, and the guitars work well together to provide a melody that stays in your head for ages. It’s also a song where you can almost perfectly make out every word, which is unusual for a death metal track, especially as it doesn’t compromise on the growling. The only shame is that one of the two solos (the one towards the end) can go unnoticed if you don’t listen for it as it’s partly in the background.

The album’s namesake ‘Rise of the Tyrant’ begins with a 45 second clip from the 1979 film ‘Caligula’ which I tend to just skip over as it’s not really part of the song, so we’ll just ignore that for the purpose of this review. The song features some of the heaviest vocals on the entire album and these are very much the focus backed up with some heavy riffs. ‘The Day you Died’ is also an interesting one as it’s clearly inspired by a real life incident (in case you didn’t guess it’s about losing a loved one). It carries a poignant feel to it as well as being a good song, and one of the slower tempo ones to make for a change. Lastly, I have to mention ‘Vultures’, with the beginning being one of my favourite intros of any song. The lead guitar begins with a nice build up before the drums lead the way passing the buck onto the fantastic rhythm guitar and then Angela’s amazing vocals. It’s a long song, but one of the best on the album, with every member of the band contributing extremely well. The chorus in particular is very good.

Lowlights

Some of the songs are very forgettable, notably ‘The Great Darkness’ and ‘I Will Live Again’. The first just seems to completely disappear from your mind after listening to the album, although it’s not a bad song. The latter merely feels like a worse version of ‘The Day you Died’ and definately suffers from having this track overshadow it. ‘Night Falls Fast’ is an interesting one, as it’s a song the band themselves seem to like a lot using it on their tours often. It’s good, but for a song as heavy as it aspires to be, it feels like it should be a faster tempo. ‘The Last Enemy’ is the final track I will mention here, which is a good song apart from the chorus, which I really am not a fan of. It feels quite poorly constructed as it really doesn’t fit in with the extremely speedy guitar preceding it.

Conclusion

A nice album capturing all of Arch Enemy’s strong points (vocals and guitar) very well. None of the songs are bad, but at the same time none of the songs are great, only varying levels of good. My personal favourite song is probably ‘Vultures’ although I only came to this realisation after a fair few listens. ‘Revolution Begins’ is certainly memorable and definately the right choice for the album’s single. The whole album has a distinct feel to it and thats always a good thing, although ‘Revolution Begins’ feels a little bit out of place compared to all the others which fit in very well with each other. Theres something for people who enjoy both slow and fast tempo, lead and rhythm guitar, but definately nothing for those who enjoy the lighter side of metal.

Rating: 8/10

The Root of all Evil on Special Offer at Amazon!

Arch Enemy’s new album ‘The Root of all Evil’ is available from amazon.com on special offer as an mp3 download for only $5! Just to make that clear for all us guys in the uk, you don’t have to order it and have it shipped to you, you just download the tracks, and $5 is just £3.12! The album is available here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002R6E92K/sr=8-2/qid=1261490766/ref=sr_digr_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1261490766&sr=8-2

Heres a little bit of background on the album for you just so you know what your getting in case your not a hardcore Arch Enemy fan. ‘The Root of all Evil’ is an album consisting of re-recorded tracks that Arch Enemy had originally produced prior to 2000 when  Johan Liiva was the band’s vocalist. These ones instead use Angela Gossow’s voice, and the rest of the instrumental work is redone as well! Theres a completely new bassline and some different solos snuck in there for your listening pleasure. The album contains 11 of the band’s favourite tracks from their first 3 albums, and is definately worth the small amount you’d have to fork out.

No doubt this is to support their up and coming Tyrants of Evil tour of North America. If your one of our American readers and interested in this tour, take a look at http://www.myspace.com/archenemy for tour dates. Arch Enemy have a reputation as being fantastic live and will make for guaranteed great viewing!

NEW LOOK REVIEW – Children of Bodom: Follow the Reaper (2000)

Following some initial feedback, I’ve decided to change the structure of my reviews from here on, starting with one of my favourite albums of all time, Children of Bodom’s Follow the Reaper.

www.myspace.com/childrenofbodom

www.cobhc.com

Genre: Melodic Death/Power Metal

Track List

Follow the Reaper (3:47)

Bodom After Midnight (3:44)

Children of Decadance (5:34)

Everytime I Die (4:03)

Mask of Sanity (3:58)

Taste of my Scythe (3:57)

Hate Me! (4:44)

Northern Comfort (3:47)

Kissing the Shadows (4:39)

Overview

Sequel to Children of Bodom’s Hatebreeder, one that remains ever popular amongst the fanbase, Follow the Reaper provides us with the classic sound that will always be associated with CoB. The boistrous vocals are there alongside the blistering solo duels of Laiho and Wirman (on guitar and keyboard respectively). Kuoppala features on rhythm guitar, often playing chords in rhythmic succession to create a heavy feel contrasted with Laiho’s power metal style fret blitzing. At this time we had a band who were still growing and the new ideas they brought to the metal scene would change the way most people thought about Scandinavian metal – at the time firmly associated with the gothenburg riffs of the period.

Highlights

First mention has to go to the song Mask of Sanity, possibly my favourite ever song. The pounding drums and rhythm guitar are accompanied by Wirman’s atmospheric keyboard. Laiho is quite subdued until the slowdown mid song, which is followed by a fantastic solo on the part of Laiho and then Wirman. A song that is a classic mix of the upper and lower frets.

We also get to see this in the song Kissing the Shadows, which is in similar style but with Laiho’s lead guitar featuring much more prominently throughout. This song however is all about the solo – the solo that is a full minute and a half long, comprising most of the second half. In my opinion, it is simply the best solo ever, I really can’t think of anything that comes close.

Other mention have to go to Hate Me!, Northern Comfort and Bodom After Midnight. Hate Me! because of the fastastic tempo and construction of the song, where the keyboard and rhythm guitar are the stars. Northern Comfort and Bodom After Midnight because for their aggressive styles. The drumming in Nothern Comfort adds real drive and direction to the song and Bodom After Midnight’s non vocal sections will really stay in your mind.

Lowlights

The songs Follow the Reaper, Children of Decadence and Taste of my Scythe are all good, but quite clearly the weaker tracks on the album. The first two feature in common a strong focus on the use of Laiho’s lower frets, which is not for everyone and more likely to appeal to the power metal fans out there. When I say strong I should say strong for this album, as every track has a lot of it in. I’ll also mention Everytime I Die – the sole video single from this album. It features some of the heaviest riffing on the album and is also one of the most slow paced. I’m putting it in here becuase it was an odd choice for the video single when there were stronger songs (although I will point out Hate Me! was actually the first single).

Conclusion

A sensational album with Mask of Sanity, Hate Me! and Kissing the Shadows all being stunning songs. Throughout the album Laiho’s ability with the guitar is shown to an extent I don’t think any CoB album has demonstrated before or after and was also to prove Kuoppala’s masterpiece as he was to leave the band after one more album. Wirman’s keyboard is also prominant and a key part of the line up. The weaker tracks are still really good and suffer merely from how good the others are. If you want the pinnacle of instrumental ability, this album is really for you, especially if you like power metal mixed in with your death metal. However, if heavy riffs alone is what you want, then it might not be your thing.

Rating: 10/10

Amorphis: Skyforger (2009)

http://www.myspace.com/amorphis

http://www.amorphis.net/

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Overview

Amorphis is now a band that really has been around for a long time, with it’s first release having come out in 1993, but various line up changes have seen the band continue to come up with fresh ideas. Since 2005, when singer Tomi Joutsen joined the band they have enjoyed stability and a fair amount of success, releasing two albums (Eclipse and Silent Waters) before Skyforger in May 2009. Of late they certainly play the lighter side of metal and this helps create some variation in track lists loaded with the heavier stuff. It’s also a good place to start off getting into metal if your not particularly fond of screaming, with most songs being almost entirely cleanly sung (with a few exceptions). This album really isn’t for the headbangers, so bear that in mind.

Sampo

Length – 6:08

The introduction to the album begins with a nice mix of piano and guitar melody, and quickly sets into a tone that is both enjoyable and relaxing at the same time. The song has some lengthy guitar sections without any vocals, although just some relatively simple rhythms, although it picks up towards the second half. The vocals are strong throughout, more low pitched at the start, and theres a bit of growling in the second half, alongside a nice use of the keyboard. A solid start to the album. Rating: 6/10

Silver Bride

Length – 4:13

I really like this song, and it is the first single of the album. A fairly innocuous start is swiftly offset by a powerful yet gentle guitar melody, which continues throughout. The lyrics in this song are really interesting, retelling the story of the blacksmith Ilmarinen, a figure of Finnish mythology recorded in poem. After losing his first wife, he attempts to build a second from gold and silver, only to find her hard and cold. Perhaps a metaphor for trophy wives having little of worth on the inside? Some really strong vocals show through, particularly in the chorus which is guaranteed to stay in your head for a fair while. We see some change in the second half of the song, with a short section given over to the guitars before ending on a sort of second mini chorus that features a little bit of growling alongside choral-style singing. Give it a listen here (I should point out the video cuts off the intro). Rating: 8/10

From the Heaven of my Heart

Length – 5:20

Opens with a slow piano section before slowly shifting the weight of the rhythm onto the guitar and then picking up a lot of pace as both guitars come in fully, one doing the first bit of proper riffing on the album. The vocals throughout are similar to those at the start of Sampo, but the chorus is very light singing, interestingly contrasted with both guitars clearly audible in the background. Theres a nice guitar solo towards the end and overall the song is very comparable to Sampo, so another solid one. Rating: 6/10

Sky is Mine

Length – 4:20

A different start to those previous, straight away utilising the guitar which continues in the same way through the song. The points to pick up on this song are in the chorus which features both choral and deeper than usual vocals from Joutsen, who you can probably tell by now has a pretty large vocal range. Again we see the use of a keyboard if only for a very short while offset by the closest to a guitar solo as we have seen so far. Another solid song (if you don’t mind the spoiler, in case you hadn’t guessed by now the album continues in this general vein). Rating: 6/10

Majestic Beast

Length – 4:19

A very different song from the rest here, starting off on a heavier tone, with a slow beat and growled vocals. In fact, all the vocals are mostly growled aside from the chorus, and while I appreciate the fact that its different to the other songs, its pretty clear Joutsen’s strengths lie in clean vocals. The songs not bad but a bit boring and samey, picking up a little towards the end. Its probably one of the weakest tracks on the album, which considering its not bad I suppose you could say is a good thing. Rating: 5/10

My Sun

Length – 4:05

Back to the tried and tested guitar/piano combination for the intro here, and yet again it works pretty well setting a tone for the song. The rhythm guitar is a bit different through this song, with a slow, soft chug through the verses and picking up through the chorus whereupon the second guitar comes into the equation as well. The chorus is the most notable section of the song, with the vocals being good, and there a bit of decent lower fret work towards the end as well as some atmospheric backing growls. I’m getting bored of saying solid now, so I’m going to spend the rest of the review thinking up different ways of saying it. A song that I cannot directly critisize nor give overt praise to. Rating: 6/10

Highest Star

Length – 4:44

I like the start of this one, led by the drums and none other than a flute. The vocals that follow are very slow paced but both they and the instruments pick up a lot of tempo for the chorus which is actually really good, one of the best on the album, followed by a well placed section of growling. The continuing changes in tempo make this song one to watch out for in the album as they mark it out as being different to the others (although good different unlike Majestic Beast). The slight let down is the end of the song which I wasn’t particularly a fan of (another growl section). I really, really want to give this song a 7, if anything just to give my poor 6 button a rest, but I don’t feel it quite deserves it. So yet another….higher end of the average range song. Rating: 6/10

Skyforger

Length – 5:15

As the slow acoustic melody swept over me when this song began, you know what I thought? I thought oh bloody hell, this has a 6 written all over it. However, this extended intro causes me to become complacent and it very suddenly changes to an ominous rhythm guitar that causes me to prick up my ears, slowly picking up alongside the vocals and exploding into life under the chorus in a full blown guitar riff. How about that. The song actually continues to gather tempo before slowing down in the second half to a really great break involving a piano and a violin, and then slowly picking up again back to the chorus. It ends in the fashion of which it first came to life, with a steady rhythm guitar and also some growling. Rating: 7/10

Course of Fate

Length – 4:15

A lead guitar section backed by an acoustic guitar followed by some powerful rhythm guitar. Thank you Course of Fate for keeping this momentum going. Sadly I’m not that much of a fan of the chorus, but I do like all the instruments in the song, and I can almost, almost grasp a word I want to use to describe it….I wonder what it could be…It’s actually quite slow for a song that keeps up the slightly heavier guitar use, although the lead again pops up just after the middle with a nice distorted section backed up with a good keyboard melody. It’s getting better by this point, but not enough to avoid the inevitable fate I can see it hurtling towards. This song is just…er…well if you punched it it would hurt….because its not a liquid….or a gas… Rating: 6/10

From Earth I Rose

Length – 5:04

More guitar momentum! Great! Just make it good enough for a 7 damn you! Screaming section? Ok it didn’t work with Majestic Beast but now I’m feeling more open minded having dished out so many 6s. Whats that? You want to kill the momentum and then proceed to a bad chorus? FINE! You stupid song. I’ll give you a 5 becuase your actually worse than the others. That’ll teach you to avoid a 7. To be fair it gets better with the clean vocals, but I’m not changing my mind, even with you funky instrumental section towards the end. Actually your getting increasingly funky. I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!?!?!? Rating: 6/10

Godlike Machine

Length – 5:18

A steady backing guitar, good vocals and then some tempo changing (different from momentum killing). Pretty good so far, with a fair bit of growling in the first half as the lead happily blares alongside in a similar manner to Silver Bride. In fact it gets quite heavy at parts, probably one of the heaviest tracks on the album in these sections. An interesting vocal twist in the second half in what can only be described as powerful whispering is accompanied by some really nice guitar work and I think I like this song. More than a 6. I sense it. I’m going to do it. It’s your lucky day, and your the bonus track, well done you, try harder to get in the final album next time. Rating: 7/10

Conclusion

I have honestly never suffered more listening to an album that, to all intents and purposes, wasn’t bad. It’s just so infuriating that, apart from the genuinly good Silver Bride, not one of the songs really stands out and begs to be good or bad. The overall tone of the album certainly changes towards the end, focusing more on slightly higher tempo guitar rhythms than the slower first half notable for it’s (good) use of a piano. This is a welcome change, and this album makes for good listening if your sort of not paying attention, focusing on something else and it is there as a backing tune, blending melodiously into a pleasing pattern. It’s certainly easy listening, but god forbid the man who tries to pay close attention to each individual song. The rating I’m giving this album may be a little harsh considering all the songs are solid (FUCKING FUCKING FUCK) but it is this very factor why I’m giving it a 6.

Rating: 6/10

Scar Symmetry: Dark Matter Dimensions (2009)

http://www.myspace.com/scarsymmetry

http://www.scarsymmetry.com/

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Overview

One of the rising stars of the last decade, Scar Symmetry were very much a band gaining popularity when, in 2008, they parted ways with talented vocalist Christian Älvestam, with many doubting they could survive his departure. They then took the interesting step of replacing him with not one but two vocalists – Roberth Karlsson (growls) and Lars Palmqvist (clean vocals). This is the kind of unexpected step that can see a band completely fail, or become huge such as Arch Enemy when they appointed Angela Gossow as lead singer. Not only does this allow them to sing Älvestam’s sections, they can also overlap each other, something obviously impossible with one singer. Dark Matter Dimensions is their first attempt at an album with this new line up, having arrived in October of 2009, dealing with all sorts of abstract concepts such as unseen forces in the universe.

The Iconoclast

Length – 5:07

The Iconoclast begins with an interesting lower fret melody reminiscient of more old school metal, before seamlessly transforming into heavy guitar riffs. We get a first taste of Karlsson’s singing which is certainly strong, before Palmqvist takes over. This track probably isn’t the best for clean vocals, but nevertheless they are pretty good. Overall this track features a stronger focus on growling than some of the others on the album. The first half is much of the same before we see a pretty big change second half (we will see this as a very common theme throughout) with a nice solo coming in supported by a similar rhythm guitar melody as the first half. It’s a good song, finishing on a calm note, and probably just about scrapes a 7. Rating: 7/10

The Consciousness Eaters

Length – 4:42

One of the heavier tracks of the album, with an emphasis on heavy guitar riffs. Its all growling until the chorus, which is the real strong point of this song, and is the first real taste we have of Palmqvist at his best. Interestingly, some of Palmqvists singing (the non chorus sections) sound like very old style rock vocals, and its clear that they have taken influences from many different areas both modern and old. We can already see by this track the new ideas the vocalists have brought to the band and they are brilliant. The song slows down towards the second half with the two guitars combining well throughout. Rating: 7/10

Noumenon and Phenomenon

Length – 4:13

The first single of the album starts on a really heavy note but swiftly cuts to Palmqvist, and this is probably the best track for vocals in the entire album. It’s about as sing-a-long as metal gets, and is really catchy. Originally I didn’t like some of the huge tempo changes as the clean vocals cut in, but I’ve grown to really enjoy them. In the second half the song really comes into it’s own with the lead guitar leading the way, first with a solo and then with some phenominal, pardon the pun, power metal style backing lower frets. It can take a few listens to like this song, but when you do grow to like it, it really is a blast to listen to. Rating: 8/10

Ascension Chamber

Length – 3:48

The second single, and one of the heavier songs, with a strong emphasis on the guitar riffs and the deeper growled vocals, although there is a lot of clean as well. Yet again the chorus takes centre stage, and by this point it is obvious that Palmqvist is really the central vocalist, ie the focus of the songs, while Karlsson provides that extra something outside of the choruses. He is far from a backing singer though, just does not steal centre stage. Theres a pretty dramatic slow down in the second half followed by some awesome chugging from the guitars, which is good and provides a change – overall a good song. Rating: 7/10

Mechanical Soul Cybernetics

Length – 3:26

Easily the shortest song in the album, and it is something of an interesting experiment. We hear some strange vocals in it that I believe are Palmqvist growling alongside Karlsson, with lots of tempo changing in the guitars. It’s actually not bad, although I definately prefer the clean vocals being there. The lead guitar continues in the same vain as it has in previous songs, with solos interspersed with rolling lower fret sections. It’s worth a listen, but probably not for everyone. Rating: 6/10

Nonhuman Era

Length – 4:45

This one starts very heavily with lots of pounding riffs and growled vocals before cutting to one of Palmqvist’s choruses. Its not a bad chorus, but not one of the better ones on the album. It sounds like there is a lot of palm muting going on with the rhythm guitar in a steady tune during these, which is interesting. The now standard solo in the middle isn’t one of the best on the album, but is still good. It’s a solid song, nothing more really. Rating: 6/10

Dark Matter Dimensions

Length – 4:11

One for the headbangers this, with a great tempo heavy start interspersed with quick pace slowdowns and Palmqvists vocals. Definately one of Karlsson’s more noticable efforts this one, as he does most of the singing. I particularly like the slower section at the middle, before Palmqvist seizes the song for a couple of verses and then back to how we started. I quite like this song, it’s in a bit of a different style to the others with the focus on growling, yet retains the clean vocals. Rating: 7/10

Sculptor Void

Length – 5:22

A fairly ordinary song by Scar Symmetry’s standards, it doesn’t really stand out much and is quite easily forgotten, however thats only due to the quality of the other tracks. It’s probably one of the lightest if not the lightest track on the album in terms of the guitar, but most of the singing again is done by Karlsson oddly enough. Palmqvist’s singing in this song is pretty boring really, but again thats only really when compared to his other stuff. Another solid but not great song, and you might think the album is starting to lull a bit…well wait till you see whats next. Rating: 6/10

A Parenthesis in Eternity

Length – 4:42

This track is simply awesome. Just. Awesome. The start is unlike anything they have done in previous tracks, with Palmqvist singing with little instrumental backing, before cutting to a great piece of fast tempo rhythm guitar and the lead featuring also. This song has many clearly defined sections that blend fantastically into each other, switching between heavy riffs and power metal as do they vocalists switch perfectly. Every time you think this song is about to slow down, it doesn’t, and just keeps cranking up the gears, eventually descending into a great solo before turning into the best guitar riff on the album, a headbangers dream. Interestingly, it’s also the only song on this album where the guitar is the thing you remember rather than the vocals. Eventually it slows down at the end, but you kind of need it at this point to marvel at what came before. Rating: 10/10

Frequencyshifter

Length – 3:15

This is another song that follows in the same vein as the other solid but not great songs on this album. Nothing particularly special stands out in the guitar, just a steady tune, the usual Karlsson vocals, and, like the other solid ones most noticably, average Palmqvist vocals. It has come to my attention by this point that when Palmqvist is not singing brilliantly the songs falter, he seems to be the key element as to whether the song is good or not, mostly due to the nature of the catchy choruses. Rating: 6/10

Radiant Strain

Length – 4:15

The last impressive song on the album, it gets off to a slow start before picking up at a nice pace, with Palmqvist reinforcing my earlier theory about the importance of his choruses. There are some nice fast tempo rhythm guitar sections in this song, but it really slows down towards the end. Thats not bad however, as this section is pretty good as well, and an impressive exit to the album. This is not the exit though, as there is also the bonus track to deal with. Rating: 7/10

Pariah

Length – 5:23

It gets off to a good start, but really is a classic bonus track. Pretty average really, nothing spectacular, although it stands alongside Mechanical Soul Cybernetics as one of the tracks where Palmqvist growls (although he sings cleanly as well). It’s fairly long as well, so you may lose interest, but some passages of it are good. There is also a part in the middle where it slows down unlike any other track has done on this album mid song, similar to the beginning of A Parenthesis in Eternity. Nevertheless, worth a listen. Rating: 6/10

Conclusion

Overall a really great album, solid throughout and brilliant in parts. The two new vocalists really add something to the band, and, in my opinion, together are better than Christian Älvestam. I wasn’t that big a fan of Scar Symmetry before, but this album is really something. I can’t give it top marks for two reasons. Firstly, because A Parenthesis in Eternity is the only truely sensational song on it, and I’d really like to see at least 2 for a 10/10. Secondly, the tracks do sound quite similar, you will find that the main way you are able to distuingish the songs when you think of them is by remembering their choruses by thats about it. They tend to follow the same theme of starting off with heavy guitar riffs then picking up around the middle with solos and such. However, while it does sound similar, what we are given is very good, so lots of similar very good things isn’t so bad.

Rating: 9/10

Children of Bodom to Start Work on Seventh Album

Children of Bodom have revealed that they are now taking a break after having finished their 1.5 year Blooddrunk tour and are focusing on writing new material. Recording is to begin next summer, and the only shows before that will be 3 to the home crowd in Finland.

After having grown to like Blooddrunk I for one cannot wait for the next outing, and it will be very interesting to see whether they continue the much heavier theme emphasised by the latest two albums (excluding Skeletons in the Closet) – Blooddrunk and Are You Dead Yet? or if they focus more on the earlier power metal-esque type of Follow the Reaper. Whichever way they decide to go, generally anything Laiho touches turns to gold and I’ll be over the moon with any new Bodom stuff…..well…..unless it sucks obviously.

Disarmonia Mundi: The Isolation Game (2009)

http://www.myspace.com/disarmoniamundi

http://www.disarmoniamundi.com/

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Overview

Hi, welcome to my first review, and I’d like to start with the newest work by one of my favourite bands. The Isolation Game is the latest outing of Italian melodic death metal group Disarmonia Mundi, released in December of 2009. The group is noted for it’s heavy riffs, catchy choruses and bizarre line up. Ettore Rigotti, swiftly emerging as one of the foremost geniuses of the metal scene plays every instrument as well as performing the clean vocals. Claudio Ravinale features as the growling vocalist, and these two consist of the only solid members of the band. As usual, this album features Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid as a guest vocalist, and new guest Olof Morck chips in with some solo appearances. The band cites the meaning of the album, saying that we all play ‘an isolation game’, and in order to survive have to shut ourselves off from outside influence and discover our true selves. This is a general reflection on the lyrics throughout. The album features 14 tracks beginning with Cypher Drone.

Cypher Drone

Length – 4:29

The beginning of this song is sensational, with an ominous introduction on the keys (which continue is the same fashion intermintantly throughout) swiftly followed by fast paced, heavy guitar riffs. These carry on at varying paces all through the song, and it is these changes of pace that really make the song stand out. The vocals are mostly screamed, but the chorus is sung cleanly, with the lyrics covering the theme of breaking free. This is probably my favourite track on the album, and is great if you just want to rock out and jump around your room like a crazed chimp on lsd. Rating: 8/10

Structual Wound

Length – 3:18

Quite a short song following very much in the theme of Cypher Drone, continuing the same type of guitar work (though we do see the first usage of the lower frets towards the second half of the song). Again, it is mostly screamed with the odd clean sections, and again, the lyrics are about breaking free. It wouldn’t be unfair to describe this song as a slightly worse Cypher Drone, as it doesn’t have the brilliant atmosphere, but keeps the headbanging goodness. Rating: 7/10

Perdition Haze

Length – 4:20

This song is the first single of The Isolation Game, and is slower than it’s predecessors, with steady, pounding riffs that I originally didn’t like but have warmed to after a few listens. This song is a great example of what Disarmonia Mundi are about, with the chorus following in their tradition of being very catchey, and there is more emphasis in clean vocals on this one. While it’s good, there is nothing phenominal about it, but the chorus certainly makes it the best choice for the single. Rating: 7/10

Building an Empire of Dust

Length – 4:23

This song is extremely fast paced for the first half, but to a frankly silly extent. The guitar work is ok but the drums power alongside them at an annoying rate, and when all the singing is thrown in it just feels like a mess. I really do not like the chorus in particular, which is the best example of this messiness. It’s listenable, but usually I expect a lot better from a band of this quality. Rating: 4/10

Stepchild of Laceration

Length – 5:10

This interestingly named song deals with the issues of your true self, and is very comparable to Perdition Haze in the manner of the riffs. However, it contains a few more tempo changes, and a worse chorus (although not bad). I prefer the instruments on this song to Perdition Haze, but the worse vocals just make me not like it as much for some reason, even though they are probably about equal. Rating: 6/10

The Isolation Game

Length – 4:05

I have a habit of liking tracks named after the album title, not entirely sure why, they just always seem to be good. This one isn’t exactly an exception, but equally its not great. It starts with a nice synth in similar fashion to Cypher Drone, continuing in the manner of the previous two tracks in terms of the fashion of guitar. Theres some nice lower fretwork here too, but it’s Strid’s chorus that I’m not really a fan of. The pitch of his voice is at just the right level to be annoying, otherwise it might be a really good song. However, I do like the ending of the track. Rating: 6/10

Blacklight Rush

Length – 3:47

I feel that this song takes after Building an Empire of Dust. It’s very comparable in it’s messy style with loads of things chucked together somewhat unecessarily, once again this is most notable in the chorus. However, I don’t feel it is as bad as the previous song, there are some nice riffs and apart from the chorus the vocals are pretty good at points. Rating: 5/10

Glimmer

Length – 2:01

This is just a short break in the album, and actually is quite a good insertion if your listening to the album as a whole, as it serves to balance out all the heavy guitar riffs. The main problem is it’s somewhat unexpected and feels quite out of place. It consists of some light drumming with a Spanish style guitar melody that would usually be played on an acoustic but here is on electric. It’s not bad, but hardly anything to give special notice. Rating: 5/10

Ties That Bind

Length – 4:05

For me this is where the album starts picking up again, with slightly faster work on the guitar now changing the overall tempo of the album after slower tracks such as Stepchild of Laceration, Perdition Haze and The Isolation Game. This one is quite easy listening compared to some of the others, especially Blacklight Rush just before, but that doesn’t make it bad. The clean vocals in this song are very good, as well as a nice guitar solo. A solid song, but nothing that really stands out. Rating: 6/10

Losing Ground

Length – 4:14

This one continues where Ties That Bind leaves off very nicely, keeping up the new faster tempo and featuring a strong chorus that is a good combination of clean and growled vocals. The drums are particularly noticable in this song, standing out more than they usually do, and that makes for good listening. Around the middle of the track is a pretty good guitar solo that eventually descends into the background of the singing, and the accompanying rhythm guitar really fits in well with it. It’s this section that really elevates it above Ties That Bind. Rating: 7/10

Same Old Nails for a New Messiah

Length – 3:58

Yet another one featuring faster rhythm guitar, strong vocals throughout including another good, mixed growl/clean chorus. By this point in the album I was really enjoying myself again after being not really excited through the middle section. Some nice changes in tempo occur throughout this song, and I particularly like the lyrics, which revolve around the controlling nature of the Church. Rating: 7/10

Digging the Grave of Silence

Length – 4:18

Unfortunately, here they go and mess it up again with another song that feels as though too many different, fast variables have been thrown together. Very comparable to Blacklight Rush especially as some of it is not bad, in fact the majority of it isn’t really. However, enough of it is bad to not be able to consider it a good song. It certainly gets a lot better towards the end as the vocals feature less. Rating: 5/10

Beneath a Colder Sun

Length – 1:25

Just another short instrumental break in the same style of Glimmer that, without the bonus track, is supposed to be the exiting track, which I find a little confusing, as these things are usually intended for breaks. Its not really as good as Glimmer, a worse melody and no drums. Rating: 4/10

The Shape of Things to Come

Length 4:10

This one harks back to the much earlier, slower tracks, and frankly I’m surprised its only a bonus. Its really not bad, and certainly better than some of the other tracks on the album. As usual the vocals are growled apart from the chorus, which is a bit girly for my taste, but its certainly worth going the extra little bit to add this song to your collection. Rating: 6/10

Conclusion

Overall the album has a nice feel to it. At times it treads the dangerous line between having a theme and sounding the same, and it’s the changes in tempo throughout that stop this being the case. For me, where this really falls down is the fact it’s a long album, so could probably afford to shave a few tracks, and if it had of got rid of Building an Empire of Dust, Blackligh Rush and Digging the Grave of Silence then it still would have had 9 proper tracks, ala Children of Bodom, and its worked for them. Without these tracks holding it back it could have been a really good album. For me it starts off at blistering pace with Cypher Drone and Structural Wound followed by the good Perdition Haze, but after this it lulls a little with average or bad songs until it begins to pick up again starting with Ties That Bind. There are enough good tracks here to call it a good album, but it could have been better.

Rating: 7/10