Artist:  Children of Bodom
Album:  Halo of Blood
Genre:  Melodic Death/Power/Black Metal
Label:  Nuclear Blast
Release: June 11, 2013 (North America)

Click for dat high-res

There are many “what-if” questions in the timeline of heavy metal. What if Randy Rhoads never got on that plane? What if Metallica didn’t give Dave Mustaine the boot? What if Jari didn’t take 8 years to release half of Time? Probably asked frequently amongst half of the polarized CoB fanbase is what if Bodom didn’t jump on the commercial bandwagon after Hate Crew Deathroll? Well, the answer can be found on Halo of Blood, which effectively combines the heavier, power thrashing style they’ve become accustomed to, with their early black metal influence and sense of melody that made them so loved in the beginning. Die-hard fans will be teeming with excitement upon hearing the lead-off track, “Waste of Skin” (think “Hate Me!”), which kicks things off with one of their trademark catchy melodies and  is the first of many old school Bodom moments to come. Right away the listener is thrown into the comfort zone of the glory days, which is great considering the lack of those moments in the band’s recent work. “Bodom Blue Moon“, “All Twisted“, and “One Bottle” and a “Knee Deep” are all trademark Bodom tracks that will quickly become fan favorites.

Funny how they choose to release an album with a winter atmosphere in June, but it’s a presence most welcomed and gives Janne’s keys some meaning again. You can thank him for the black metal feeling, as its influence is definitely felt. Alexi’s guitar-work is ace as usual, and even makes some room for Roope, who is a brilliant guitarist himself, to throw in a solo or two. It would be a refreshing to see a little more of him though, perhaps in a more tag-team role as he and Alexi shared in Sinergy. Then again, Sinergy didn’t have Janne Warmen. It’s always great to hear him and Alexi going at it with the vigorous, yet friendly competition they have. Henkka’s bass is in the mix doing its thing, and ahhhh, blastbeats… Jaska serves them up for the first time in ages and is the typically excellent backbone of the music of Children of Bodom. The actual musicianship of these guys has never been questioned, and they continue to produce in peak form.

Halo of Blood is littered with pleasant surprises, using elements both familiar and new to the CoB style. First and foremost is the title track that is borderline black metal, and stands out as one of the heaviest Bodom tunes ever. Then there’s the dark ballad “Dead Man’s Hand on You,” the slow song that everyone has been talking about. Hearing Children of Bodom coming out with, I shit you not, a grand piano, clean guitars, and (what sound like) love lyrics should be flabbergasting. But like Chuck Schuldiner’s famous kitten shirt, it doesn’t feel one bit out of place and can even be considered a transcending point for the band. Given their typical aggressiveness, it’s great to hear them take a step outside their usual domain and take a risk.

Possibly the most diverse music in their catalogue, Halo of Blood is without a doubt, the most innovative and exciting record Children of Bodom has released in a decade. Sure, there’s still going to be those nose-picking naysayers who will bitch and moan that it isn’t Hatebreeder II. Indeed, it would be wrong to call Halo of Blood a full-on back to roots album that you would sell your soul for. What it is however, is the fine product of a band that has established growth in their sound righting the ship and resuming course. Safe sailing Alexi and Co. just stay afloat this time please…

Highlight Tracks: Waste of Skin, Halo of Blood, Dead Man’s Hand on You, All Twisted

The post Music Review | Children of Bodom’s Halo of Blood appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Artist:  Noisem
Album:  Agony Defined
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Label:  A389 Recordings
Release: June 15, 2013

Click for sexy full resolution

The album opens with an instant kick in the teeth with the blistering “Voices in the Morgue”, and keeps going for 25:47 of pure death/thrash aggression.  The dual guitar attack of Sebastian Phillips and Travis Stone harkens back to such classic bands as Demolition Hammer and Morbid Angel, while Yago Ventura’s bass playing on tracks like “Desire and Disgust” is definitely influenced heavily by Cannibal Corpse.  In fact, the entire album gives me a very “Eaten Back to Life” feel, which is an EXTREMELY good thing.

One of the most impressive things about the album, to me, is the drumming, especially when you take into consideration that they were recorded by a sixteen year old.  As a matter of fact, the oldest member of the band is bassist Ventura, at a fresh 20 years old.

And of course, what would this album be without the vocals?  Tyler Carnes’ vocals tear through you like a perfect mix between Repulsion’s Scott Carlson, Morbid Angel’s David Vincent (Before his Genitorturers ‘Evil-D’ days), and Obituary’s John Tardy.  Tracks like “Chronic Dementia” and “Severed” showcase his vocals perfectly, with the latter having some of the coolest lyrics I find myself singing along to when I blast this album down the street (The mortician is about to begin/to lay to waste the bodies he’s defiled/Raping the dead, the most unspeakable sin/Rotten stench of the bodies left piled/YAOOOOOGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!)

The production on the album is another high point for me.  It’s clear, but it doesn’t suffer from being TOO clear, like a lot of modern thrash albums seem to.  The album tears into you with visceral aggression and doesn’t let up until it’s over.

 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtZRu5cl060]

Overall, this is a seriously kickass album, from front to back.  Every single song is fast, aggressive, short and to the point.  Noisem doesn’t fuck around, and one look at some live footage of these kids shows that perfectly.  Catch them live this summer at Maryland Deathfest (I’ll see you fuckers there!), Scion Rock Fest, or on tour in the Midwest with Ringworm, Mutliation Rites and Encrust.

The post Music Review | Noisem’s “Agony Defined” is the Definition of Kick-Ass Death/Thrash appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Just when you thought singing about Satan was as redundant as kicking a dead horse, Ghost comes out of nowhere and makes it sound more mysterious and fresh than ever before. Part of that, is no doubt, because of their extraordinary use of imagery. Their choice of concealing their identities is what gives magic to the music, and for this reason, I hope they never do reveal themselves. Secondly, Papa Emeritus II’ voice is absolutely mesmerizing. It fits the music with such perfection, to the point where you question if any other vocalist is more important to their band than Papa is to Ghost. It wouldn’t matter if Freddie Mercury was behind the microphone at a Ghost show; it just wouldn’t have the same effect. The vocals are entrancing and irreplaceable the way they are. Then there are the lyrics, which have a really profound impact if you know them. They’re arguably the scariest and chilling satanic lyrics written since Mercyful Fate. The best part about this is that you actually take them seriously because like Mercyful Fate, they aren’t blatant, stereotypical devil worshipping. With many death and black metal bands, you just laugh at the lyrics because they’re so outlandishly evil and ridiculous that you can’t process them as anything more than a joke. But with lyrics like “Perverted are your wishes and dreams, tanning in Lucifer’s beams,” you actually go, “woah… these guys are really singing about the devil!”

The music itself is incredibly unique. It sounds like nothing that has ever been done before, yet it’s maddeningly addicting. Before I dabbled into Ghost, most people would explain them to me as a mesh between Mercyful Fate and Blue Oyster Cult, with a trace of the doomy sound of early Black Sabbath. This is true to some extent, but the emphasis is much more on the Sabbath sound than Fate. In fact, aside from the heavily borrowed satanic influence, Ghost doesn’t really resemble Mercyful Fate music-wise. The guitars are extremely old school. They don’t have that heavily distorted crunch that developed in the 80s; rather, they closely mirror Tony Iommi’s riffing on the first Black Sabbath record. The music is incredibly well written and shows lots of experimentation. “Secular Haze” for example, incorporates an eerie circus vibe, which translates into a chilling piece of music. Then there’s the “Ghuleh/Zombie Queen” that begins as a very slow ballad for about three minutes before breaking into a surf rock metal jam. These guys know how to write songs, they’re such fantastic musicians!

The only complaint I have is a slight gripe with the production. While the album is layered well, the guitars feel a bit weak overall. I mentioned already that they aren’t too heavily distorted, which is all well and good, but it seems like they’re kind of mudded out a bit. I didn’t really notice it until I watched some live videos of them and noticed that the guitars had a much more presiding effect. This made me question why it couldn’t have been the same on the album, but it’s only a minor point and by no means takes anything away from what a spectacular album Infestissumam is.

Ghost is without a doubt the most exciting and interesting metal band on the scene right now. Instead of making carbon-copy mimicry of their influences, they instead draw from them and evolve them to another platform. The aura of mystique shrouding this band only fuels the hype, and is the closest thing many of us will ever have to compare with the old-timers who grew up in the glory days of metal. So go out to see them on their North American tour, and experience their mesmerizing musical black mass firsthand. The nameless ghouls in the cloaks will blow your minds and leave you wondering if there are actual ghouls beneath the hoods. It’s not such a crazy thought.

The post Music Review | Ghost’s Infestissumam is Upon Us! appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Artist:  Amorphis
Album:  Circle
Genre:  Progressive Metal
Label:  Nuclear Blast
Release: April 19, 2013

Click for Full-Resolution

The last Amorphis album I have listened to chronologically was Silent Waters. What is found on Circle is basically the same concept, but they manage to keep things fresh. There is  no bad song on the album, though not every track might grasp your attention immediately. That being said, some of their finest and prettiest melodies ever are on here. It seems that several melodic metal bands have been exploring Japanese  melodies these days; think Wintersun’s Time. Amorphis follows suit, with the beautiful “Narrowpath” being one of the highlight tracks. A lovely flute intro that could easily be the voice of a nightingale is followed by crushing guitars that take it from there and develop it into one of their best songs ever. “A New Day” is another example, which serves as an excellent closing track. The band’s folk influence continues to show, and they continue to find new methods in doing so.

Songwriting should universally be considered the most important aspect of musicianship. Whether or not one can rightfully be called a musician should be based on their actual ability to make music. In this context, the guys in Amorphis are excellent musicians; they are ace songwriters, something that cannot be questioned. Their diverse musical background is constantly on display in their material, as they do a lot of stuff! They play their instruments very well, and utilize them in fun and creative ways. It’s always a real treat listening to an Amorphis album, because you never know what you’re going to get with each track. They take a song-by-song approach, execute it well, and don’t allow labels to limit their writing. One song might be composed of soothing piano melodies, while the track after could be popping out heavy riffs and vocalist Tomi Joutsen’s powerful death growls. Circle is like a box of chocolates; you never really know what you’re going to get but chances are it’s going to be sweet and savory.

Melody has always been the concept to Amorphis, so this is basically the same story, but a different version. That’s the keyphase: a different version. Amorphis always brings something special to the table, and they constantly push themselves to achieve excellence. The band is composed of a great group of songwriters who work with a very unique formula. They continue to exploit it well, and while the songs may be something in vein of their earlier work, Circle proves to be an additional solid effort to add to their extensive catalog, which goes to demonstrate that Amorphis is great at what they do. If the shoe fits wear it, and few can fill Amorphis’ big footsteps.

Highlight Tracks: Mission, Narrowpath, Enchanted by the Moon, A New Day

The post Music Review | Amorphis’ Circle appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Artist:  Thy Art is Murder
Album:  Hate
Genre:  Deathcore
Label:  Nuclear Blast
Release: April 2, 2013 (North America)

Click for Full-Resolution

While I already sound pessimistic, I come to you with good tidings, Thy Art is Murder is more than your average Deathcore band. With bands like Whitechapel and Winds of Plague making some of the largest influences on the scene, and not to mention the gravity that the passing of Mitch Lucker (Suicide Silence) has had on people across the spectrum, it often becomes difficult to stand out.  After playing Hate a few times, I see that TAIM combines technicality with melody much like that of a talented Melodic Death Metal band.  But this is far from Melodeath, so before the elitist begin to rant, just know that you can expect something more than just breakdowns, repetitive down-tuned riffs, and generic gutturals. 

Personally I got some grindcore vibes throughout the album, which reminded me of the newer style of Cattle Decapitation.  The open track “Reign of Darkness” is approachable and interesting, with fast and brutal drums provided by Lee Stanton.  The guitar work is technical, with some sweeps and scales thrown in to add melody to the “in your face” approach to opening up the album.  “Shadows of Eternal Sins” has subtle hints of black metal thrown in which is a bit refreshing, since songs like these really begin to merge together is played consecutively.  “Defective Breed” sounds more like a Death Metal song, a bit reminiscent of Decrepit Birth, if there wasn’t already enough pulsating metal in Hate. 

The boys in Thy Art is Murder have brought us something a bit off the beaten path for those who followed the footsteps of Suicide Silence.  They turned back the clocks and brought out the original influences from Suffocation, and making their breakdowns more than just a change in time signature that sounds hardly more interesting than a lawn mower.  It could be something in the water, over there in the Southern Hemisphere, or it could be an understanding that music is only music if it has substance.  And substance shouldn’t just be borrowed, it should be made.  That’s what Thy Art is Murder has done, they’ve created Hate, a great attempt at refreshing a rapidly staling genre.  Expect these Aussies to bring forth hatred in a venue near you with the Nuclear Blast team behind them every step of the way.  Crack open a Foster’s and begin the Hate!

 Check out our interview with THY ART IS MURDER 

The band has a request for you!

Vote for us to open the Summer Slaughter tour 2013! If we win, it will be our first US tour which means we can all hang out and go fucking mental! Vote here: http://bit.ly/taim-summerslaughter

The post Music Review | Thy Art is Murder brings us Hate! appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

This is the first album to feature new guitarist Brandon Ellis, and what a debut he makes! It’s worth pointing out that he’s only 20 years old, and he’s scarily good for his age; his phrasing is excellent and his technique is definitely right up there with the masters. Playing in a band with James Malone, who of course is a phenomenal player himself, will only benefit him; who knows how good he’ll be ten years down the road!  Case in point, the guitar-work on Unwelcome is absolutely brilliant. The leads on this album are simply killer, with tasty arpeggios being sweep-picked and tapped with squeaky clean efficiency. They even manage to slow it down at times, with some mighty-fine melancholic melodies on display. The riffs are a relentless onslaught of melodic technicality that you never get bored with. Guitar-wise, this album is definitely one of metal’s recent highlights, and is quickly becoming one of my personal favorites.

James Malone doesn’t give himself enough credit as a vocalist. In one of his online guitar lessons regarding his multitasking, he proclaims himself a felon at singing but he’s overlooking one important point: this is freaking death metal. Who the hell wants to sing? His harsh vocals are vicious and the fact that he can sing while playing guitar at the level that he does is monumental in itself. The drumming is predictably excellent, as it would have to be to suffice for a tech death band. It’s worth pointing out that the technicality lies more in the guitars than complex time signatures though.

There’s a good blend of juicy flavors to be found on Unwelcome.  King Diamond and Mercyful Fate have repeatedly been cited as a major influence to Arsis, and it rubs off on this release to a shocking degree. Many of the riffs are extremely reminiscent of King’s bands (on Sunglasses at Night especially), and it certainly adds to the overall darkness of the album. If King Diamond was trying to make a death metal album back in 1984, it might not have sounded far off from this. The level of atmosphere is surprising. Instead of sounding completely polished, Arsis retains a degree of old school death metal atmosphere, an element that is largely forgotten about by bands of this day and age. Needless to say, Unwelcome is surprisingly diverse for a technical death metal album.

relentless onslaught of melodic technicality that you never get bored with

Front to back, this is easily Arsis’ finest album. Everything about it is just so well done; the balance of songwriting and technicality, the excellent production, and perhaps most importantly, the guitar playing. Everyone in the band is excellent at their respective instruments of course, but it is really the tag-team of Malone and Ellis who steal the show here. Here’s to hoping this is the beginning of a long and shredtastic partnership. Arguably, the best heavy metal album released thus far in 2013, it should be picked up and enjoyed by any fan of extreme metal. And also by all those cookie cutter tech death bands on the scene right now (you know who you are). Take a leaf out of these guys’ book. This is how it’s done.

Highlight Tracks: Unwelcome, Choking on Sand, Sunglasses at Night, Martyred or Mourning

The post Music Review | Unwelcome by Arsis appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Attic’s debut album, The Invocation, is an album that King Diamond could listen to, think he himself had written and then also performed on.  The songs presented here are filled with horror/occult inspired lyrics, a singer that sounds as every bit as strong or stronger than King Diamond, has well written songs and excellent guitar work.

Artist:  Attic
Album:  The Invocation
Genre:  Traditional Heavy Metal
Label:  Ván Records
Release: December 7, 2012

Click for Full-Resolution

I will be the first to admit I never was a very big fan of Mercyful Fate or King Diamond.  I was always attracted to the theme of the bands work and the great guitar work but it was the vocals, especially the ultra high pitch vocals, of King Diamond that always turned me off.  They never felt they fit in with the song or they just took me completely out of the mood that the song was striving for.  So with Attic I am actually surprised at myself that I enjoyed their debut so much.  Though Cagliostro’s vocals do hit the glass breaking levels that King Diamond does, they somehow seem to fit in better with the songs presented here, along with when he sings in a lower key.  Does this make me a hypocrite?  I’m not sure.  I have tried many times over the years to go back and listen to King Diamond and Mercyful Fate but just could not get into them.  Attic on the other hand, I found myself listening to multiple times, and though there are still times the high pitch vocals didn’t sit well with me I still enjoyed what I heard here. 

I think one of my favorite tracks on The Invocation is ‘Satan’s Bride’ where Cagliostro’s vocals hit all spectrums and really showcase his abilities.  The other tunes, ‘Funeral in the Woods’, ‘Join the Coven’ and ‘Ghost of the Orphanage’ all are strong tunes and boast the occult/ black magic themes fans of both Mercyful  Fate and King Diamond should instantly take to.

As for the music itself you will find The Invocation offers a classic Heavy Metal style that is straightforward, boasts talented guitar work, with an accessible sound, and catchy melodies/leads.  All packaged nicely together to make a nice metal record for all fans of the genre.

The post Music Review | The Invocation by Attic appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

The Mystery of Time boasts a large roster of heavy metal heroes that Tobias sought out to help bring it to life. You have Biff Byford (Saxon), Michael Kiske (Unisonic, ex-Helloween) and Joe Lynn Turner (Deep Purple, Rising force) among others. All of whom either co-sing with Tobias or you have tracks that you’ll have a full chorus of singers.

I found the additional singers a nice touch and several songs to be really strong on the album, such as the opening track, ‘Spectres’, which has a great catchy chorus. I found the songs featuring Byford and Kiske being the predominately stronger tunes with the exception of Turner singing in the opening track and Eric Martin’s ‘What’s Left of Me’ also being a highlight of the album.

What I found The Mystery of Time to be, is an album featuring many guest musicians weaving a fantasy tale, written by Sammet, that would be cool to see conceptualized live. I compare Avantasia to the likes of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra especially with the German Film Orchestra-Babelsberg performing on this album. I’m not sure as to the budget Avantasia would need to pull off a show that TSO could, but I think what would really bring The Msytery of Time all together would be a stage show that helped visually conceptualize the album. As it stands the album is a good listen featuring some great songwriting and talent. It didn’t grab me as much as I would have liked but I still enjoyed listening to the songs and the amazing voice of Tobias Sammet and the other singers.

Maybe one day we will get lucky and Avantasia will write a story about the movie Labyrinth.  Sammet will rake in millions, produce a stage show to visualize the concept, and David Bowie will reprise his role as the Goblin King singing ‘Magic Dance’ tossing around a baby.

The post Music Review | Avantasia’s Mystery of Time appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Artist:  Finntroll
Album:  Blodsvept
Genre:  Pagan/Folk Metal
Label:  Century Media
Release: April 2, 2013

Click for High-Resolution

Since their first release, Midnattens Widunder, in 1999, their black metal style has been incorporated in each album, but not always at the same density. That terminology implies a weight that black metal carries, and that’s exactly what it does.  It adds a certain atmosphere that can shroud and lead through a song.  This was very evident on Finntroll’s last release, Nifelvind, but it carries over into Blodsvept in a different fashion.  It’s less dense, allowing more room for the folk/humppa melodies to provide more than just a fun sound to troll-hop around to when no one is looking.  Now that troll-hop adds a groove that feels almost as natural as it is otherworldly.  

The title track “Blodsvept,” was made  streamable online last month on Valentine’s Day, which I’m sure we all used to woo our dates.  It opens up the album with  ominous sounds and encroaching footsteps that end with a sudden, crunchy, delicious growl to break into the beginning of the song.  It’s a bit different than one would expect, yet it has a familiar sound, if that makes sense.  It’s a combination of that layered repetition of dark sounds found in the song “Födosagan” from their second album, Jaktens Tid and the aggressive riffage in “Mot Skuggornas Värld” from 2010′s Nifelvind.  

I find that Finntroll has always had a bit of a mischievous sound infused with their music, like these trolls are up to no good! “Mordminnen” feels like there is an influence from American Big Band/Swing music with its fun jazz line, though the traditional jazz instruments sound like they’ve received some trollish modifications.  ”Häxbrygd“  is just one fantastically evil song about witches brewing a devilish broth.  If played live, the crowd should break into tribal dancing moshes filled with mass hysteria as Vreth commands his menacing growls over all in sight.  

The rest of the album follows a similar suit, jazz-influenced with hints of punk rock, and of course the ever-so welcoming folk metal assault that this band so graciously provides.  ”Ett Folk Förbannat“ paints an atmosphere of insanity, full of dynamics, and the impending urge to dance lurking its head around every beat.  The death march of “När Jättar Marschera” merges Beast Dominator’s hard-hitting drum beats with Trollhorn’s catchy troll synths.  

Blodsvept closes with a peculiar track “Midvinterdraken” and by peculiar I don’t mean that the song does not belong, rather, that is is a bit off the beaten path for Finntroll.  It’s a longer track that is very dense in atmosphere, extremely dark, but very grand.  It has such a large sound that it is almost like a Finntroll Epic, if only it was longer.  

What does it take to enjoy this album? Not much.  While there is definitely room for scrutiny in the more distinct change of sound from previous efforts, it should be embraced and understood.  Even though their instrumentals have pickpocketed from other less relative genres, the same Finntroll spirit of debauchery, bloodshed, and mischief runs through the veins of Blodsvept.  You can be assured that the Rivfader lore, masterfully crafted into their music by the original vocalist Jan “Katla” Jämsen, is still present in this release.  Should you get this album? Yes you should.  Whether or not the album meets your expectations is up to you, but you cannot go wrong in owning a copy of Blodsvept.  It’s familiar, fun, and fresh all in one.  And how often are you able to let out your inner troll? So go now and get blood swept!

The post Music Review | Finntroll’s Bloody Bloody Blodsvept appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.

Band: Hypocrisy
Album: End of Disclosure
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release: March 22, 2013

The title/intro track to this album was released early, only giving a taste of what the album has in store. It’s a simple track that’s reminiscent of The Arrival, with its haunting intro that breaks out into full, rich, chords. Though many tracks off of End of Disclosure exhibit a similar mood to the self titled track, there is another side to this album. Intense and powerful songs are peppered throughout, bringing you from atmospheric heights to crushing riffs that really make you bang your head. This is apparent on the sixth track, “Hell is Where I Stay”. In my opinion, this is the heaviest song on the album and Pete’s deep, guttural growls bring it to another level. This track has such a powerful buildup paired with chunky grooves and classic Swedish death metal riffs, a song every Hypocrisy fan is sure to love.

One of my other personal favorites would be the eighth track of the album, “When Death Calls”. It starts off with furious blasts from drummer Horgh, followed by a double-bass groove, which fused with ferocious guitar playing creates a balance of pure aggression and strong melody. As the intensity builds about two and a half minutes in, the intro is revisited, making for a great transition into the final song, “The Return”. In contrast to the previous track, “The Return” is a lot calmer and atmospheric, referencing the intro track of the album by its use of keys.

Overall the album has a good flow by utilizing a variety of mid-paced and fast tempos, while maintaining signature melodies and heavy riffing. Though a couple tracks were a bit lack luster, the album as a whole offers a lot to the listener.

Rating

Track Listing

1. End of Disclosure
2. Tales of Thy Spineless
3. The Eye
4. United We Fall
5. 44 Double Zero
6. Hell is Where I Stay
7. Soldier of Fortune
8. When Death Calls
9. The Return

Personnel

Peter Tägtgren – Vocals, Guitar
Mikael Hedlund – Bass
Reidar “Horgh” Horghagen – Drums

Pre-Order Here:

Currently only available as an EU Mailorder via Nuclear Blast

The post Review | Hypocrisy’s End of Disclosure appeared first on Der Metal Krieger.