Reviews
That’s exactly what I call an AWESOME release! Vicious Rumors are back from the dead with an album that’s far from any expectation! I don’t know what’s going on with the “old guard” lately but I think that they have conspired to blow our brains! “Razorback Killers” is simply their best release in the last 20 years since their last masterpiece was, in my opinion, “Welcome To The Ball” (1991) while after Carl Albert’s death in 1995 the band managed to release some average though slightly indifferent albums.
\r\nPagan’s Mind are back with their fifth studio album, “Heavenly Ecstasy”, a title which is very much related to the happy mood of the songs and the “paradise” aura that surrounds them. The band seems to keep a distance from the Progressive Power Metal style of their previous work; “Heavenly Ecstasy” is more straightforward Euro Power Metal, yet with strong Progressive Power Metal touches.
\r\nOTEP are back with a brand new album, which is entitled “Atavist”.
\r\nWOLF have never disappointed me in their releases, LEGIONS OF BASTARDS is no exception to this and in fact, I find myself extremely happy that my anticipation of their newest release fulfilled all my high expectations and surprised me in a very good way. No they haven’t shifted their style, o the contrary they remain true to their powerful heavy metal style with fully blown melodies and exploding riffs… These sorts of bands are the ones who can sustain the heavy metal sound and the heavy metal scene.
It is common knowledge that Scandinavia is one of the leading forces when it comes to the production of melodic power metal. Symfonia is not a new found band is more an all star project of some of the biggest names in Power Metal that join forces in order to record a power metal masterpiece. So here we have Timo Tolki (x-Stratovarius), Andre Matos (x-Angra), Uli Kusch (x-Helloween), Jari Kainulainen (x-Stratovarius) and Mikko Harkin (x-Sonata Arctica) composing and performing “In Paradisum”. The names alone guarantee a very promising album but is this so for Symfonia?
Four Years after the release of the awesome “Moons And Mushrooms” the Swedish act Lake Of Tears strike back with a stunning new album that nobody expected. Then again Lake Of Tears was always a band keen on experimenting with various sounds and music genres keeping the quality of their songs to the highest level. That’s the reason why is quite difficult to compare their albums since each of them has its unique character.
\r\nGood things take time; With their late Fates Warning-like sound as well as a Conception mood overall, Innosense is a breath of fresh air in the Melodic Progressive Power scene, having songs which are on the same level as the ones of the bands mentioned above. I put them in the same level, even though “Outcast” is their debut album, following the EP “Life”.
The Dutch legendary death metal outfit, Pestilence return with their second album after their many years long break! The successor of “Resurrection Macabre” is entitled “Doctrine” and according to the band on this album they are about to use all the great elements of their previous albums and try to make their best album ever!!!
Two years after their last album “Doom” the Swiss outfit Pylon returns with their brand new album “Armoury Of God”, that music wise sticks to their previous release, “Doom” an album that really changed Pylon music direction in comparison with their older releases.
Legends never Die, for sure, especially in this occasion of Italian outfit Graal, if by the word “Legends” they mean their musical influences, then for sure bands like Genesis, Camel, Kansas, Styx, Nektar, Caravan etc can never die, although many of them are no longer active, newer bands like Graal keep on spreading their unique music.