Dark Metal

The best albums of 2022 so far – April to June

We’re halfway through 2022 already. How on Earth did that happen? It’s true what they say, that the older you get, the faster time seems to fly by.

However, the good news is that it gives me an excuse to bring you a round-up post of my favourite albums that have been released in the second quarter of the year, between April and June.

In the same way as my post for the first three months of the year (click here to read that), I have listed the releases chronologically. The task of ordering them will come at the end of the year with my mammoth ‘Album Of The Year’ countdown.

On that note, here goes…

Meshuggah

Immutable

Atomic Fire Records

Genre:

“…you hopefully get the idea just how varied and dynamic this record truly is, and why I like it more than any other Meshuggah record in their now nine-deep discography. It may be a little too long but that’s literally the only gripe I have. In every other way, it’s Meshuggah. But more than that, it’s Meshuggah at their glorious best. And that means that with ‘Immutable’, we’re in the presence of heavy metal greatness.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Treat

Endgame

Frontiers Music

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock

“It’ll be interesting to see what others come up with over the next few months but, as it currently stands, ‘The Endgame’ is far and away the best melodic hard rock album of 2022 so far. And it’ll take an awful lot for it to be beaten, that’s for sure.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Soledad

XIII

Independent Release

Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal

“I’m so glad I was introduced to Soledad, because the French quartet have impressed me immensely with their ambitious, bold, eclectic, and slightly eccentric musical vision…listen to ‘XIII’ and, I hope, prepare to be entertained and captivated like I have been. This is easily one of the best progressive records of 2022 so far.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

I Am The Night

While The Gods Are Sleeping

Svart Records

Genre: Melodic Black Metal

“…the album takes me back in time and fills me with an infectious nostalgia, and for all the right reasons. This album reminds me in glorious technicolour exactly why I fell for this kind of music in the first place. And it does this because it is lovingly crafted and is of an incredibly high standard throughout.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Evergrey

A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)

Napalm Records

Genre: Progressive Metal

“‘A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)’ is anything but Evergrey’s unlucky thirteenth record. Instead, it only helps to further underline their utter dominance and superiority in my mind, and hopefully in the minds of other fans too. A companion of mine for the last few months, the music on this album has given me strength, support, and the knowledge that I am not alone on this tumultuous journey called ‘life’.”

Check out the full review here.

–MoMM–

Zero Hour

Agenda 21

Frontiers Music

Genre: Progressive Metal

“…the six songs are chock full of exemplary musicianship from guitar, bass, drums, and vocals alike, just as we would all hope and expect from a band with the reputation that they historically have. To be honest, I’m just delighted that Zero Hour are back. The fact that they bring with them such an enjoyable feast for the ears is just the icing on the cake. Welcome back gents…”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Decapitated

Cancer Culture

Nuclear Blast

Genre: Death Metal

“As extreme metal albums go, ‘Cancer Culture’ has to be up there with the very best that 2022 has had to offer so far. Everything from the slightly disturbing cover artwork to the performances, and from the production to the songs themselves, Decapitated have returned with one hell of a bang. But crucially, the bang is not only thunderous, but it is intelligent, varied, and completely engaging from start to finish.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Lord Belial

Rapture

Hammerheart Records

Genre: Black Metal

“It may have taken 14 years to see the light of day but as far as I’m concerned, it has been more than worth the wait. I absolutely love this album and, if quality black metal is a favourite of yours, then you will too. Without doubt, with ‘Rapture’, Lord Belial have released my favourite out-and-out black metal record of the year so far.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Kreator

Hate Über Alles

Nuclear Blast

Genre: Thrash Metal

“It really is hard to fault ‘Hate Über Alles’ when all is said and done, because Kreator have well and truly delivered the goods once again. Power, aggression, venom, and spite collide superbly with expert songwriting, memorable melody, and irresistible catchiness to produce easily one of my favourite thrash records of the past couple of years.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Seventh Wonder

The Testament

Frontiers Music

Genre: Progressive Metal

“Ultimately, I’m just delighted that Seventh Wonder continue to write new music. The fact that they have created another excellent body of music is the icing on the cake…it is so refreshing to hear Tommy Karevik once again unshackled and able to put his own unique talent to full use. When he is in full flow, there are few better vocalists out there…But alongside him are four more supremely talented individuals…As a result, ‘The Testament’ is, quite simply, a joy to listen to from start to finish.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Kardashev

Liminal Rite

Metal Blade Records

Genre: Deathgaze

“With ‘Liminal Rite’, American quartet Kardashev have pulled the rug out from under me and sent me reeling. I said earlier that I feel like this record is a game changer for me, and I truly mean it. I love heavy music and I also adore strong melody; Kardashev have managed to combine the two in a way that I’ve never really heard before and I am left stunned and in awe of this album.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Charlie Griffiths

Tiktaalika

InsideOut Music

Genre: Progressive Metal

“I had a feeling that ‘Tiktaalika’ would be good, but I wasn’t banking on it being quite this good if I’m being brutally honest. There is much to enjoy about Charlie Griffith’s debut solo effort, and I keep discovering new things with each passing listen too. No doubt it’ll appeal first and foremost to lovers of the guitar and the almighty riff, but given the diversity of the material and the quality of the songs themselves, I’m certain that the appeal of ‘Tiktaalika’ will be much wider, and rightly so.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Exocrine

The Hybrid Suns

Unique Leader Records

Genre: Technical Progressive Death Metal

“Add to the package some seriously cool cover artwork, and a production that is crystal clear without detracting from the sheer power and technicality of the music, and you’re staring at one hell of an album. I love the way that bands like Exocrine have managed to open my mind fully to the magnificence of technical and progressive extreme metal, because it is a genuine thrill ride when you get to listen to music that’s this intense, this intricate, and this memorable.”

Check out the full review here.

— MoMM —

Darkane

Inhuman Spirits

Massacre Records

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal

“…I am delighted to be able to say that ‘Inhuman Spirits’ shows that this quintet have lost none of their ability, hunger, or bite. All that remains is my now heightened ambition to see the Swedes on a stage as I’ve never had the pleasure to date. In the meantime, won’t you all please stop what you are doing and wrap your ears around ‘Inhuman Spirits’, as Darkane are well and truly back.”

Check out the full review here.

I hope you enjoyed my choices…cheers!

Deathwhite – Grey Everlasting – Album Review

Artist: Deathwhite

Album Title: Grey Everlasting

Label: Season Of Mist

Date of Release: 10 June 2022

Released nearly two weeks ago, I am really tardy with this review, and for that I apologise to all those who are bitterly disappointed by my ineptitude. The thing is, I just missed it. And were it not for a nudge from outside sources, this album might have escaped me altogether. And, as it turns out, that would have been a real shame. ‘Grey Everlasting’ is the third full-length release from Deathwhite, a band that steadfastly refuses to uncover their identity, preferring to let the music do the talking. For a decade this has been the case and once again, their music has seen another shift as the enigmatic band continue their anonymous evolution towards whatever vision they have.

Written a couple of years ago at the very beginning of the global pandemic, when the world’s inhabitants locked themselves away in an effort to stay alive and protect loved ones, it will come as no surprise to learn that ‘Grey Everlasting’ is a bleak and maudlin affair. Never ones to jump for joy and express their exuberance via the medium of song, it is nevertheless immediately noticeable that the tone and feeling of Deathwhite’s latest creation is different. This may not be a bad thing though, because although I found much to like about their sophomore release, 2020’s ‘Grave Image’, I was far less a fan of their debut of 2018 entitled ‘For A Black Tomorrow’.

That said, I am firmly of the opinion that the band have never reached their full potential. Even within the debut, there were flashes of brilliance, albeit cloaked too heavily by material I referred to as ‘average’. The balance was better struck within ‘Grave Image’, but still, it wasn’t the home run that it might have been. But does the trend continue here with ‘Grey Everlasting’?

I started writing this review on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It has been a gloriously warm and sunny couple of days outside, so it feels utterly incongruous to the mood captured within ‘Grey Everlasting’. In trying to describe the music on this record, words such as ‘brooding’, ‘slow burn’, and ‘stark’ all come easily to mind, as the output here is carved more from the environs of dark metal than anything else.

The opening instrumental, ‘Nihil’ is a rich and powerful orchestrated piece that communicates a sense of the forlorn feelings and darkness that permeate this album. It is imbued with strong melodic traits and it has a sense of the cinematic, of a dystopian epic. But from there, ‘Earthtomb’ throws a curveball straight away thanks to a frenetic black metal assault, all cold and fast riffing alongside frenetic drumming. It doesn’t last long though, and whilst this element makes a return at points later in the song, the vast majority of the track inhabits a mid-to-slow-pace, where the rich Gothic tinged vocals duel with more orchestration, acoustic strumming, and heavier, churning riffs. Names like Swallow The Sun, Sentenced, Soen, My Dying Bride, and Katatonia are all relevant, despite none of them quite hitting the mark alone. It has taken several careful spins to get to this point but I’m entranced by the clever, subtle melodies that worm their way in to your brain cleverly and surreptitiously.

Frustratingly however, the album doesn’t always hit as hard as this opening duo do, with a few of the songs veering close to that ‘average’ description. For all of the chunky riffing, powerful atmospheres, and precise delivery, songs like ‘No Thought Or Memory’ don’t create the same impact for me. It is hard to explain, but the melodies feel a little underwhelming and one-dimensional.

As a result, ‘Grey Everlasting’ is not the killer third record that I was hoping for, but when they get it right, I do find myself wavering slightly. ‘Quietly, Suddenly’ is a beast that contains such emotion it’s impossible to ignore. Even the solo that emerges after the halfway point is laced with misery and torment. But it’s also the pronounced light and shade that stands it above other songs on this record, flitting from muscular to brittle in a heartbeat. Then there’s the beautiful title track itself which dials down the heaviness in favour of hushed vocals, quiet instrumentation, and a genuinely organic feel, particularly with the drums. It also demonstrates just how good the production is too, but with Shane Mayer (Cerebral Audio Productions) involved alongside Dan Swanö who mastered the album, and with vocals tracked at Mana Recording (Erik Rutan), it’s not surprising that ‘Grey Everlasting’ sounds so good.

The bass at the outset of ‘Immemorial’ is brilliant, as are the ensuing guitar notes that resonate and then disappear to be replaced by orchestration. The lead guitar melodies that bring ‘Formless’ to life, meanwhile, are stunning; they add a certain catchiness to the song overall, a description I wasn’t thinking of using in this review I must admit. But catchy and moving they are, inevitably leading to the conclusion that this is one of my favourite cuts on ‘Grey Everlasting’. And finally, a word for ‘Blood And Ruin’ which deals us a heavy, epic-sounding blow after a quiet and tentative opening.

It isn’t a particularly long album at 47 minutes, but the style of the music and the constant maudlin atmosphere makes it feel longer than it is. It does seem to drag a little towards the end, so perhaps a song or two of the eleven could have been cut entirely, but that’s me just thinking out loud. All-in-all, I have to admit that ‘Grey Everlasting’ is probably my favourite from Deathwhite so far, meaning that they continue their slow ascent in my estimations. I like this chosen path, and it really does tell us that the musicians involved here are highly accomplished. I just wanted a little more overall, be it more potent melodies, or a little greater variation. As always though, I will enjoy chunks of what I’ve been served here and wait patiently to see if I can be blown away by their next effort.

The Score of Much Metal: 84%

Check out my other 2022 reviews here:

Charlie Griffiths – Tiktaalika

Seven Kingdoms – Zenith

Brutta – Brutta

White Ward – False Light

Winds Of Tragedy – As Time Drifts Away

Tim Bowness – Butterfly Mind

Denouncement Pyre – Forever Burning

Truent – Through The Vale Of Earthly Torment

Wind Rose – Warfront

Kardashev – Liminal Rite

Artificial Brain -Artificial Brain

Seventh Wonder – The Testament

All Things Fallen – Shadow Way

Def Leppard – Diamond Star Halos

Lord Belial – Rapture

Buried Realm – Buried Realm

Stiriah – …Of Light

Remains Of Destruction – New Dawn

Crematory – Inglorious Darkness

IATT – Magnum Opus

Iris Divine – Mercurial

Decapitated – Cancer Culture

Bekmørk – The Path Nocturnal

Septic Flesh – Modern Primitive

Blut Aus Nord – Disharmonium – Undreamable Abysses

Drift Into Black – Earthtorn

Spheric Universe Experience – Back Home

Outshine – The Awakening

Cosmic Putrefaction – Crepuscular Dirge For The Blessed Ones

Zero Hour – Agenda 21

Scitalis – Doomed Before Time

Morgue Supplier – Inevitability

Visions Of Atlantis – Pirates

Evergrey – A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)

OU – One

Haunter – Discarnate Ails

Aara – Triade II: Hemera

Pure Reason Revolution – Above Cirrus

Demonical – Mass Destroyer

I Am The Night – While The Gods Are Sleeping

Haunted By Silhouettes – No Man Isle

Delvoid – Swarmlife

LionSoul – A Pledge To Darkness

Watain – The Agony And Ecstasy Of Watain

Dischordia – Triptych

Dragonbreed – Necrohedron

Audrey Horne – Devil’s Bell

Vanum – Legend

Stone Broken – Revelation

Radiant – Written By Life

Skull Fist – Paid In Full

Hurakan – Via Aeturna

Incandescence – Le Coeur De L’Homme

Imminent Sonic Destruction – The Sun Will Always Set

Monuments – In Stasis

Soledad – XIII

Viande – L’abime dévore les âmes

Credic – Vermillion Oceans

Postcards From New Zealand – Burn, Witch, Burn

Darkher – The Buried Storm

Treat – The Endgame

Bjørn Riis – Everything To Everyone

Destruction – Diabolical

Et Moriemur – Tamashii No Yama

Angel Nation – Antares

Wolf – Shadowland

Denali – Denali EP

Centinex – The Pestilence EP

Meshuggah – Immutable

Chapter Of Hate – Bloodsoaked Decadence EP

Ancient Settlers – Our Last Eclipse

Tranzat – Ouh La La

Playgrounded – The Death Of Death

Father Befouled – Crowned In Veneficum

Abbath – Dread Reaver

PreHistoric Animals – The Magical Mystery Machine (Chapter 2)

Kvaen – The Great Below

Michael Romeo – War Of The Worlds, Part 2

Dark Funeral – We Are The Apocalypse

Carmeria – Advenae

Agathodaimon – The Seven

Moonlight Haze – Animus

Hellbore – Panopticon

Konvent – Call Down The Sun

Idol Of Fear – Trespasser

The Midgard Project – The Great Divide

Threads Of Fate – The Cold Embrace Of The Light

Arkaik – Labyrinth Of Hungry Ghosts

New Horizon – Gate Of The Gods

Cailleach Calling – Dreams Of Fragmentation

Tundra – A Darkening Sky

Sylvaine – Nova

Hath – All That Was Promised

Sabaton – The War To End All Wars

Kuolemanlaakso – Kuusumu

Oh Hiroshima – Myriad

Godless Truth – Godless Truth

Shape Of Despair – Return To The Void

Eight Bells – Legacy Of Ruin

Embryonic Devourment – Heresy Of The Highest Order

Serious Black – Vengeance Is Mine

Allegaeon – Damnum

HammerFall – Hammer Of Dawn

Immolation – Acts Of God

Veonity – Elements Of Power

Nightrage – Abyss Rising

Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s Star One – Revel In Time

Pure Wrath – Hymn To The Woeful Hearts

Dagoba – By Night

The Last Of Lucy – Moksha

Arð – Take Up My Bones

Embryonic Autopsy – Prophecies Of The Conjoined

The Devils Of Loudun – Escaping Eternity

Cult Of Luna – The Long Road North

WAIT – The End Of Noise

Abysmal Dawn – Nightmare Frontier

Amorphis – Halo

Nordic Giants – Sybiosis

Persefone – Metanoia

Vorga – Striving Toward Oblivion

Mystic Circle – Mystic Circle

Nasson – Scars

Burned In Effigy – Rex Mortem

Silent Skies – Nectar

Celeste – Assassine(s)

Abyssus – Death Revival

SOM – The Shape Of Everything

Ashes Of Ares – Emperors And Fools

Beriedir – AQVA

Lalu – Paint The Sky

Nocturna – Daughters Of The Night

Battle Beast – Circus Of Doom

Lee McKinney – In The Light Of Knowledge

Descent – Order Of Chaos

Aethereus – Leiden

Toundra – Hex

Ilium – Quantum Evolution Event EP

Power Paladin – With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel

Necrophagous – In Chaos Ascend

Infected Rain – Ecdysis

Wilderun – Epigone

You can also check out my other reviews from previous years right here:

2021 reviews

2020 reviews

2019 reviews
2018 reviews
2017 reviews
2016 reviews
2015 reviews

Evergrey – A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) – Album Review

Artist: Evergrey

Album Title: A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)

Label: Napalm Records

Date of Release: 20 May 2022

I have thought long and hard about how I should approach this review. I take pride in the fact that I give my reviews 100% honesty, and score albums accordingly. I would hope that everyone who reads my reviews will acknowledge this, because integrity is very important to me. Without integrity, we are nothing. Without honesty, we are nothing. And yet, my impartiality has been called into question when it comes to Evergrey. Most of it is lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek, but other readers have suggested that I am biased when it comes to my reviews for Evergrey, because I have given the band perfect 100% scores for their past few records. Well, you know what? Sod them. I rarely say things like this, but I feel that it is required on this occasion in order to get over to everyone the strength of my feeling on this matter.

Let me now explain in more measured terms why I feel so angry about these accusations. If you’ve read a number of my reviews at manofmuchmetal.com over the past few years, you’ll know that I have had a number of personal issues that have affected me. I’m no different to many of you reading this in that respect. I stress that I am clearly not the only person to suffer personal problems, and many of you will have suffered far worse. This is not a ‘woe is me’ moment; it is merely important context.

Since I started writing music reviews over 17 years ago, I have lost my younger brother, I have had to face not having my children with me in my home 100% of the time due to a relationship break-up. I have suffered further heartbreak since, by losing my ‘forever’ person, something that has pushed me very close to the edge. But I am still here. Why? Because I have wonderful family, and I have some good friends, even if I do my best to push them away all the time. And then, there’s music. Music provides me with strength, comfort, and company when I am alone. We all have our favourite bands, and mine is Evergrey.

The Swedish band have been an integral part of my life for over two decades, providing the soundtrack to accompany many of my best and worst moments in life. I owe this band a debt bigger than they’ll ever know, because I always turn to their music when I’m at my worst and need to be reminded of the beauty in life, and when I need to be reminded of the strength of the human spirit. Many of Evergrey’s songs touch on matters so close to my heart, and they explore these subjects in a way that no other band does. The power, the melodies, the darkness, the light, the honesty; they touch me like no other band does, allowing me to tap deep into my own feelings in a truly cathartic manner.

So, naturally, when I am presented with new material by this band, I listen. I listen carefully, closely, and with an open mind and heart. Over their career, I’ve not loved everything blindly. There are songs that I like better than others, and there are albums that I like better than others. That’s to be entirely expected. The problem for me though, as a reviewer, is that Evergrey have been on one of the longest purple patches ever. Every one of their albums since the release of ‘Hymns For The Broken’ in 2014 has brought with it, in my opinion, a touch of magic. I can honestly say that there is not one single song that they have recorded since the release of that album that I have disliked. Not one. And when the subject matter has spoken so eloquently to me throughout this period, and accompanied various significant highs and lows in my life, it makes the experience all the more powerful.

And that’s why I’m angry. Because Evergrey NEVER let me down and given the enjoyment, strength and sheer joy their music provides, how could I possibly give them a score of less than 100%? It’s not because I have blinkers on, it isn’t because of a misplaced loyalty. It is because, as far as my subjective opinion is concerned, their music deserves it. Simple. Of course, you may disagree, but hey, music is subjective, and we’re all allowed to have different opinions. But don’t you dare tell me that I’m being biased, because if they were to release another ‘Monday Morning Apocalypse’ or their own equivalent of ‘St. Anger’, I’d call them out. But they haven’t, and with ‘The Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)’, the thirteenth full-length album of their career, they’ve done it again and released another masterpiece.

For once in my life, I’m not going to go into a blow-by-blow, song-by-song description of the album, because I want to focus on a handful of the songs in a little more detail. But suffice to say that from the opening moments of the call-to-arms, anthemic ‘Save Us’, complete with the inclusion of fans voices for extra gravitas, to the final gentle acoustic guitar and bass notes of ‘Wildfires’, there is not one single thing I would want to change on ‘A Heartless Portrait’; to me, it is another slice of dark, melodic, progressive metal perfection.

However, the only place to start for me, is the gargantuan ‘Ominous’, which sits at position number three on this album. It starts slowly, with muffled guitars getting louder in the mix, eventually joined by Tom Englund’s instantly recognisable voice. And if you thought the guy couldn’t get any better with his vocal delivery, just take a listen to the first minute or so of this monster. The emotion, the control, the purity, the resonance; it sends shivers down my spine every single time I hear it. As he rings out, in come the ubiquitous heavy guitar notes, made all the more muscular by Johan Neimann’s magnificent bass and some deft, masterful drumming from Jonas Ekdahl. You want epic wailing guitars? Well, you get them also in what is one of the most dramatic, and dark intros from Evergrey in a while. I have goosebumps on goosebumps as the guitars cry to the heavens.

As the song continues, in come some interesting and prominent synth tones from Rikard Zander that continue into the gargantuan, emotional, and scintillating chorus. What I also love about this song is the way that it feels more overtly progressive; I’m sure that the expert musicians in the room may say it’s deceptively straightforward, but to me, a layman, it shifts about so much both in terms of pace and intensity, that it just feels wonderfully progressive. Extended guitar solos, moments of quieter synth-led darkness, and yet more insanely evocative and poignant lyrical content and vocal delivery from Mr Englund – it all culminates in one of Evergrey’s greatest ever songs, rubbing shoulders easily with the likes of ‘Mark Of The Triangle’, ‘Recreation Day’, ‘King Of Errors’, and ‘All I Have’.

A delicate synth intro that has a children’s lullaby quality to it ushers in ‘Call Out The Dark’, another killer composition. The intro is obliterated by a huge explosion of sound, albeit continuing the melody brilliantly. The verse quietens things down well, with Niemann’s bass rumbling at its heart, but the intensity grows into a lively bridge, before the initial melody returns to sit at the heart of an utterly monstrous chorus. This is the kind of chorus that Evergrey can deliver, the sing-along anthem that would get an entire festival crowd joining in with full gusto. I love the way the second verse is heavier, with irresistible dampened chugging guitar notes, just to add to the strength of the song. As always, you can count on Tom Englund and his six-string partner-in-crime Henrik Danhage for some brilliant lead solos, something I’ll never tire of quite frankly. It might only last a little over four minutes, but in that time, it creates a massive impact.

‘The Great Unwashed’ is another of my absolute favourites on ‘A Heartless Portrait’, beginning with a fantastically dramatic descanting intro led by the lead guitars, but ably assisted by all corners of the band. From there, the verses are a gloriously chugging, mid-tempo affair that then segue into yes, you’ve guessed it, another scintillating, spine-tingling chorus full of hooks and strong melody. The second verse features some bold synths from Zander that carry with them a slight 70s vibe, but again, when the chorus invades for a second time, I am a gibbering mess; music that speaks so strongly to my soul can have that effect and here, it’s like Englund and Co. have looked into my soul and created a chorus that fits perfectly. At the midway point, we get a reprise of the intro, followed by a quiet, introspective section featuring just Englund’s vocals and Zander’s synths, before a soulful and gorgeous lead guitar solo enters to provide further spine tingles. They’re not done though, because as the intensity grows, via the introduction of Ekdahl’s drums, the solo gets faster, leading to a stunning crescendo, accented by the synths. The guitar solos continue for a while more before we’re back into the chorus and I’m transported to God knows where. But my feet are not on the ground anymore, and for a few brief moments, the guys help me to forget all of my worries and fears. I’m getting emotional just writing this, but then I have the song in the background as I type, so I’m flooded with intense emotions of the very best kind. This music is just pure entertainment, pure genius, pure magic.

Even though I have focused on these songs, I’ll say again that there isn’t a weak track to be heard anywhere on ‘A Heartless Portrait’. You’ll no doubt have heard the bulldozing, muscular ‘Blindfolded’ by now, or the final advance single, ‘Midwinter Calls’ with its equally muscular riffs, choral vocals, great synth and vocal sections, and ridiculously catchy chorus. Naturally, I love both, but then you’d have to be dead not to. And I’m definitely not dead yet.

I also love the song ‘The Orphean Testament’. Beginning in classic ‘recent’ Evergrey style, it takes no prisoners, and Tom Englund sounds properly angry in the opening stages. The chorus is a brooding monster, with added synth embellishment, and within a couple of spins it’s lodged in there for keeps, with the vocal hooks hitting you when you least expect it. It’s another longer song, one of three that stretches over six minutes, meaning that Evergrey can take their time to explore avenues of their choosing. In this case, it is a cool synth solo from Rikard Zander, as well as slow, thunderous riffs that hit hard.

I really don’t know if I need to say any more at this point. ‘A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)’ is anything but Evergrey’s unlucky thirteenth record. Instead, it only helps to further underline their utter dominance and superiority in my mind, and hopefully in the minds of other fans too. A companion of mine for the last few months, the music on this album has given me strength, support, and the knowledge that I am not alone on this tumultuous journey called ‘life’. With Evergrey continually releasing music of this quality, not everything on Earth is bad, and the realisation that this is the case only further enhances my enjoyment of the album. For one final time, say what you want about the score I have given ‘A Heatless Portrait’, but say it in the knowledge that I simply don’t care, and I never will. Evergrey have delivered once again and delivered beyond my stratospheric expectations.

The Score of Much Metal: 100%

Check out my other 2022 reviews here:

OU – One

Haunter – Discarnate Ails

Aara – Triade II: Hemera

Pure Reason Revolution – Above Cirrus

Demonical – Mass Destroyer

I Am The Night – While The Gods Are Sleeping

Haunted By Silhouettes – No Man Isle

Delvoid – Swarmlife

LionSoul – A Pledge To Darkness

Watain – The Agony And Ecstasy Of Watain

Dischordia – Triptych

Dragonbreed – Necrohedron

Audrey Horne – Devil’s Bell

Vanum – Legend

Stone Broken – Revelation

Radiant – Written By Life

Skull Fist – Paid In Full

Hurakan – Via Aeturna

Incandescence – Le Coeur De L’Homme

Imminent Sonic Destruction – The Sun Will Always Set

Monuments – In Stasis

Soledad – XIII

Viande – L’abime dévore les âmes

Credic – Vermillion Oceans

Postcards From New Zealand – Burn, Witch, Burn

Darkher – The Buried Storm

Treat – The Endgame

Bjørn Riis – Everything To Everyone

Destruction – Diabolical

Et Moriemur – Tamashii No Yama

Angel Nation – Antares

Wolf – Shadowland

Denali – Denali EP

Centinex – The Pestilence EP

Meshuggah – Immutable

Chapter Of Hate – Bloodsoaked Decadence EP

Ancient Settlers – Our Last Eclipse

Tranzat – Ouh La La

Playgrounded – The Death Of Death

Father Befouled – Crowned In Veneficum

Abbath – Dread Reaver

PreHistoric Animals – The Magical Mystery Machine (Chapter 2)

Kvaen – The Great Below

Michael Romeo – War Of The Worlds, Part 2

Dark Funeral – We Are The Apocalypse

Carmeria – Advenae

Agathodaimon – The Seven

Moonlight Haze – Animus

Hellbore – Panopticon

Konvent – Call Down The Sun

Idol Of Fear – Trespasser

The Midgard Project – The Great Divide

Threads Of Fate – The Cold Embrace Of The Light

Arkaik – Labyrinth Of Hungry Ghosts

New Horizon – Gate Of The Gods

Cailleach Calling – Dreams Of Fragmentation

Tundra – A Darkening Sky

Sylvaine – Nova

Hath – All That Was Promised

Sabaton – The War To End All Wars

Kuolemanlaakso – Kuusumu

Oh Hiroshima – Myriad

Godless Truth – Godless Truth

Shape Of Despair – Return To The Void

Eight Bells – Legacy Of Ruin

Embryonic Devourment – Heresy Of The Highest Order

Serious Black – Vengeance Is Mine

Allegaeon – Damnum

HammerFall – Hammer Of Dawn

Immolation – Acts Of God

Veonity – Elements Of Power

Nightrage – Abyss Rising

Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s Star One – Revel In Time

Pure Wrath – Hymn To The Woeful Hearts

Dagoba – By Night

The Last Of Lucy – Moksha

Arð – Take Up My Bones

Embryonic Autopsy – Prophecies Of The Conjoined

The Devils Of Loudun – Escaping Eternity

Cult Of Luna – The Long Road North

WAIT – The End Of Noise

Abysmal Dawn – Nightmare Frontier

Amorphis – Halo

Nordic Giants – Sybiosis

Persefone – Metanoia

Vorga – Striving Toward Oblivion

Mystic Circle – Mystic Circle

Nasson – Scars

Burned In Effigy – Rex Mortem

Silent Skies – Nectar

Celeste – Assassine(s)

Abyssus – Death Revival

SOM – The Shape Of Everything

Ashes Of Ares – Emperors And Fools

Beriedir – AQVA

Lalu – Paint The Sky

Nocturna – Daughters Of The Night

Battle Beast – Circus Of Doom

Lee McKinney – In The Light Of Knowledge

Descent – Order Of Chaos

Aethereus – Leiden

Toundra – Hex

Ilium – Quantum Evolution Event EP

Power Paladin – With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel

Necrophagous – In Chaos Ascend

Infected Rain – Ecdysis

Wilderun – Epigone

You can also check out my other reviews from previous years right here:

2021 reviews

2020 reviews

2019 reviews
2018 reviews
2017 reviews
2016 reviews
2015 reviews

Live gig review – Ghosts Of Atlantis, Dispute, Existentialist – 8 January 2022, The John Peel Centre, Stowmarket, UK

Headliner: Ghost Of Atlantis

Support: Dispute, Existentialist

The John Peel Centre, Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK

8 January 2022

I hadn’t been to a gig since February 2020, when I was taken to Malmö to watch Evergrey in their home country. A lot has happened since then, both personally and in terms of the Covid 19 pandemic. It all meant that I had been forced to endure the longest live gig drought in my life since that fateful day that my best friend and I ventured to London as wide-eyed 16- year-olds to see Metallica at Earls Court on their ‘Load’ tour around the mid-90s.

When news reached me that Ghosts Of Atlantis were to play a venue literally ten minutes’ walk from my home in the sleepy Suffolk market town of Stowmarket, I felt a compulsion to go. I mean, how often does a metal gig take place so close to home for me, and with a stoking headliner to boot? Almost never. We’re talking ‘blue moon’ territory. And yet, in the weeks leading up to the date, I felt undecided. Should I go? What will it mean for my shielding family if I go? Will everyone in the venue be vaccinated? Do I feel comfortable being in a venue so close to other people again? Should I mask up all the while? A million and one questions swirled around my mind before I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a ticket, admittedly after chatting it through with the more vulnerable members of my family first. With their blessing, a ticket was purchased and before I knew it, I was walking down into the town centre to a venue I’d heard much about, but never been inside. The John Peel Centre.

As I walked to the gig, I felt tangible nerves in my stomach. Not only was I worried about the Covid aspect of the evening but, after nearly two years away from live music, my nerves were as much to do with social anxiety as anything else…it’s the great thing about having your own website, I can use it as a form of therapy and there’s no third-party editor to stop me, or water down my words. I also hope that by articulating these feelings, it might help others who are in a similar situation and don’t know what to do.

So, with social anxiety at it’s acutest, as well as the underlying pandemic concerns, I took a deep breath and entered, ensuring that my Bloodbath face mask was present and correct.

Ah, awful venue ink stamp, how I’ve missed thee…or not. After having the temporary tattoo applied, I walked into the main area to be met by around 30 or 40 other punters, mainly congregated around the bar area at the back. I can neither confirm nor deny that I may have imbibed in medicinal drink to calm the nerves before heading out, but it was straight to the bar for a pint for me regardless.

I have about a million band t-shirts already, but being at a gig, it’s the law, so a purchase was made, and I took position somewhere centrally within the 220-capacity hall to await the first band on tonight’s bill.

The wait wasn’t long before Existentialist took the stage. Describing themselves as a blackened deathcore band from Essex, I was interested to see what this quintet might bring to the bill. Unfortunately, the sound was muddier than a hike in North Wales in winter and for the majority of the set, I could hear very little other than an indecipherable cacophony. Lead guitars were non-existent in the mix, along with almost everything else, save the bass and some of the lower growls from the vocalist.

It was a shame because the band were clearly a tight-knit outfit and knew what they were doing, especially the drummer, who seemed to have some incredible skills. Despite the sound problems, I could discern that Existentialist were a well-honed outfit and full of energy and intent all round. The seriously intense vocalist jumped off the stage at points, joining in with a two-man mosh pit, to which I got way too close for comfort at times. After two or three tracks, the bassist then decided to sit down cross-legged at the edge of the stage and there he stayed until the end of the half-hour set. Despite a general allergy towards anything ‘core’, I’d like the opportunity to see Existentialist again in the live arena, as I’m sure they’d make a lot more sense with a better sound.

According to the venue’s website and the social media posts, I was not expecting to see a band called Dispute up next. I can only assume it was a last-minute change from the billed To The Nines, but Dispute it was who took the stage with their self-coined brand of ‘double hard bastard Core’.

Not normally my ‘thing’ at all, I will concede that Dispute got me banging my head thanks to some solid groove within their material which was delivered with the benefit of a much-improved sound. It was a short but sweet set that lasted maybe twenty minutes at the most, much to the relief of Nick Frost look-alike vocalist, who was heard to utter “three more songs…it’ll feel like a fucking eternity!” whilst looking visibly hot, sweaty, and exhausted. I grinned, many laughed, and I found myself enjoying what this local band had to offer.

However, for all that, it was Ghosts Of Atlantis that I had come to see. Perhaps 70-100 strong, much of the crowd were clearly of the same opinion, as many visibly stepped forward as the quintet strode onto the stage. Bedecked all in black and with painted faces, it didn’t take long for two thoughts to enter my mind: firstly, here was a band with real presence and who presented a genuine step up in terms of quality on the night. Secondly, the sound was infinitely better; not perfect, but much improved on both support acts.

Opening with my personal favourite, ‘Curse Of Man’, the guys couldn’t have made a stronger start if they had tried. For me, it was the perfect beginning and immediately washed away any concerns I may have had about attending tonight’s show, especially when guitarist and man-mountain Colin Parks joined Phil Primmer at the microphone to deliver his distinctive clean vocals to stunning effect. The storming introductory track was swiftly followed by ‘The Third Pillar’, another fantastic song from the band’s debut album, ‘3.6.2.4’. By the time ‘False Prophet’ began, I was acutely aware of just how good this band really are, and why their debut album finished well within my top 10 records for 2021; put simply, it’s an album made up of banger after banger as tonight ably testified. And crucially, the band delivered the music with energy, enthusiasm, and professionalism, leading to a great performance overall.

The mix allowed all the musicians a chance to command the spotlight, but a special mention should go to drummer Rob Garner, who blew me away with his effortless performance. So tight and powerful, there’s just something about a great drummer in the live arena. Mind you, the self-proclaimed ‘angry Smurf’ Phil Primmer gave a great performance too, his growls and screams adding a layer of aggressive intensity to the material that I really enjoy, as well as a real presence.

All to soon, the forty-minute set was over and so was my first taste of live heavy metal in the better part of two years. However, it was a resounding success in my eyes. I missed my beautiful partner-in-crime who, having attended a few gigs with me, decided that I was no longer the person for her. I tried to forget this heartbreaking reality, though, and focus on the music. On that score, near full marks have to go to Ghosts Of Atlantis tonight, as they managed to bring me out of my shell and, during the anthemic ‘When Tridents Fail’, actually sing out loud and with passion, the strength of the music washing over me in glorious fashion. It was at this point that I truly realised just how much I had missed the cathartic and therapeutic effects of live music. And what’s more, I only had a ten-minute walk home to negotiate. That sure beats the hell out of a two or three-hour commute to and around London!

Ghosts Of Atlantis set-list: Curse Of Man, The Third Pillar, False Prophet, Poseidon’s Bow, When Tridents Fail, Gardens Of Athena, Halls Of Lemuria

Infected Rain – Ecdysis – Album Review

Artist: Infected Rain

Album Title: Ecdysis

Label: Napalm Records

Date of Release: 7 January 2022

Coming into this review, I knew nothing about Infected Rain. It was during one of my late-night promo trawls that I came across their new album, ‘Ecdysis’ nestled neatly in my inbox. With a press release that referenced them as ‘modern progressive metal’, I shrugged my shoulders and took a listen. It transpires that the press release is just a little misleading because, within moments, it was clear that Infected Rain are not a prog metal band, certainly not in the traditional sense. The word ‘modern’ is a bit of a clue, but I wasn’t expecting to hear what I did.

I could have hit ‘stop’ and walked away at that point. But it’s 2022, a new year, and anyway, something stopped me from completely abandoning this album…

Before I explain my reasoning further, I ought to take a moment to take care of the housekeeping. For those who are as unfamiliar with Infected Rain as I am, they are a Moldovan metal band from Chișinău that formed back in 2008. They are spearheaded by the striking figure of Elena Cataraga, otherwise known as Lena Scissorhands. Ridiculous alter-ego moniker aside, it is fair to say that Lena is a rather formidable presence behind the miocrophone, delivering growls, shrieks, and clean vocals at will. Alongside her are founding member Vadim ‘Vidik’ Ojog who shares guitar duties with Sergey Babici, as well as bassist Vladimir Babici, and drummer Eugene Voluta.

‘Ecdysis’ is the quintet’s fifth album release over a near fourteen-year career and, despite feeling misled and hearing some things I’m not overly keen on here, as I alluded to earlier, I wasn’t able to walk away entirely. And that’s down to a combination of factors. Firstly, there are some really stunning melodies littered throughout the record that genuinely intrigue me and actually stop me in my tracks. I also really like the use of the synths that offer some of the songs the opportunity to breathe, provide respite, and assist with those excellent melodic sensibilities. And there’s the clean delivery of Lena. So smooth and soothing are her gentle tones, that they really captivate me and I sit, properly listening to her voice.

That said, there’s a lot that I really don’t like too. For a start, as good as her clean delivery is, I can’t really get to grips with Lena’s screams at all, because they are just so piercing and actually, for once, I think that they are not entirely necessary. Personally, I’d use the clean delivery an awful lot more.

I also don’t really warm to the all-too-modern chug, chug, chug of the down-tuned guitars. At times, they can provide some interesting moments, but for the most part, it feels a little too paint-by-numbers, just providing that dense, heavy backdrop upon which the magic happens elsewhere. It was always, for me, the curse of nu-metal and more ‘modern metal’ bands and it looms large here too unfortunately. The rhythm section is proficient and tight but again, lacks a little of the adventure that I prefer to hear. It’s all a bit too samey and slick, without truly wowing us with something genuinely interesting or unique. It makes me question the ‘progressive’ tag a little more closely as I listen.

But leaving those negatives to one side, let’s turn to those aforementioned positives in a little more detail. On that score, opener ‘Postmortem Pt 1’ provides an excellent example of just about everything that Infected Rain can do well. The intro is dark, moody, and atmospheric, the synths alone creating a beautifully melodic beginning to the album. Even the introduction of Lena’s harsh screams don’t fully kill the mood, as the melodies continue beneath and around her. And then, as the track develops, in come her lovely clean tones to accentuate another really catchy melody. Those chugging guitars do feature, but when juxtaposed with the more ethereal sounds, they work better, sounding less gratuitous in the process.

Initially less enamoured with the follow-up, ‘Fighter’, a lumbering, heavy affair, it suddenly introduces a more delicate melody as the guitar riffs die away in favour of a greater emphasis on the synths. The heaviness is reintroduced cleverly within the melody and it ensures that the song ends in a stronger, more interesting fashion than it began.

Other highlights on the album don’t include ‘The Realm Of Chaos’ which features a guest appearance from Heidi Shepherd from the Butcher Babies. I want more of Lena’s clean tones, not more growls and screams, and definitely not two together.

But ‘Everlasting Lethargy’ is a highlight. For once, I enjoy the thunderous guitars and rhythms as they offer a nice groove. And then it all gives way to a period of ethereal atmospheric excellence. Lena sounds simply angelic atop the spacey, minimalist soundscape that open up a little to provide a gorgeous melody. ‘Showers’ by contrast, is an electronic-heavy track with striking sounds permeating, but is a cracking heavy melodic track, a little melodeath in tone and delivery.

I should hate ‘November’, as it starts off like an 80s electronic, synthwave track, but it’s infectious nature and melodious intent means that I like it in spite of myself. I love it when a band forces me to re-evaluate and that’s what this track does. The chorus is truly excellent too, showing how Lena’s clean voice can be used alongside her harsher delivery for perfect results. The more I listen to this song, the more I like it.

And then there’s ‘Nine, Ten’ which is a full-on electronic affair. And it’s gorgeous, it really is. Bold electronic beats sit at the heart of the composition, with swathes of synths creating a rich and sumptuous soundscape. And then Lena comes into her own with the time and space to beguile with her words. She does dabble a little with some harsher sounds, but for the vast majority of the time, she simply gets me all hot and bothered with her delicate, angelic delivery.

When all is said and done, Infected Rain have created a really rather good record here, far better after repeated listens than I expected when I first pressed play. I really enjoy their choice of melodies, their use of synths and electronics is impressive for the most part, and I adore Lena Scissorhand’s softer, clean voice. If there was a bit more use of this, as well as greater invention with the guitars in particular, I could see Infected Rain becoming a real force to be reckoned with. But even as it is, ‘Ecdysis’ is an interesting and enjoyable experience. If you’ve not given Infected Rain your attention before, the time is now.

The Score of Much Metal: 80%

Check out my other 2022 reviews here:

Wilderun – Epigone

You can also check out my other reviews from previous years right here:

2021 reviews

2020 reviews

2019 reviews
2018 reviews
2017 reviews
2016 reviews
2015 reviews

Album Of The Year 2021 -Number 1

I’ve made it! Welcome to 30th and final instalment of my ‘Album Of The Year 2021 Top 30 Countdown’. Today, I will reveal the winner of this year’s accolade. In terms of prestige, this must surely rank with the Grammys or The Oscars, so it’s a big deal! If you believe that, you’ll believe anything. However, it has been a great deal of fun, and I’ve really enjoyed bringing it to you. I’ve also enjoyed all the comments and the interaction I’ve had with many of you.

It has been a tough year, much like 2020 was. But for me personally, 2021 has been worse. Thankfully my friends, family, and music have helped enormously – I couldn’t have done it without the support. And today’s pick at number 1 reflects that as I’ll explain in a moment.

But I want to thank all the musicians out there who have released new music this year – you’ve all helped many of us to get through some tough and uncertain times, even those of you who released utter dross, because it still made me smile regardless…albeit in a slightly different way.

I also want to thank all of you for visiting my website once, twice, or on a much more regular and loyal basis. As I type, I am nearing 1 million hits at manofmuchmetal.com, an achievement that I wouldn’t have reached without every last click – thank you & here’s to the next million!

Lastly, there’s just enough time for the usual reminder to anyone new to this series, to check out the links at the bottom of the post to find out who made the cut, from 30 down to 2, as well as my lists from previous years too – hopefully you’ll take a look and become a regular reader.

But on to the main event…here’s the gold medal winner, my personal Album of the Year for 2021…

…

Number 1

Evergrey

“Escape Of The Phoenix”

AFM Records

Release Date: 26 February 2021

Score Of Much Metal: 100%

The worst-kept secret of 2021!

Regardless of the score I gave it, when I was putting my end-of-year list together, I did think long and hard about whether this was actually my favourite album of 2021. Other albums made a big impact upon me throughout the year, that’s true, and there were times when I wondered about mixing things up a little. But then…I listened to ‘Escape Of The Phoenix’ again, and any doubt was quickly erased.

I will be the first to admit that I am a fanboy of this band, but there’s a reason for that. And that reason isn’t because they are the best looking band (sorry Gents), the trendiest band, the most technical band, or because their keyboardist is an enlightened Spurs fan. They are my favourite band because of the fact that they play the music that I want to hear, music that speaks to me, music that moves me. Listening to Evergrey brings back a thousand memories, both happy and not so happy. The last show I went to before the pandemic was in Malmo thanks to a special person. I met up with great friends, I got a shout-out from Tom and met the guys after the show. It was a great night. But now, as I am no longer with that special person, those memories are tinged with sadness.

For that very reason, 2021 has been a tough year and so I’ve needed Evergrey more than ever. And it’s entirely possible that my feelings towards this album have grown even stronger because of the emotional support that it has provided me.

Regardless of personal circumstances, I simply cannot speak highly enough of ‘Escape Of The Phoenix’. It is a monster of an album, from start to finish. It contains huge, hard-rocking numbers like ‘Eternal Noctural’, through to beautiful and emotional rollercoasters such as the magnificent ‘Stories’. It is also the album that made me re-evaluate my feelings towards Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie, as he delivers a devastating duet with Tom Englund on ‘The Beholder’.

Throughout the year, only Omnium Gatherum have come close to having the same effect on me from an emotional point of view. Alongside the Finns, it was Evergrey and this record that gave me the strength and the courage to make some tough decisions and to keep plodding on during such an horrendous time. And, when out on my bicycle in the wind and rain, this is the album I turned to most to motivate me and help me knock out those miles.

So it’s now December, a few days before Christmas, and not only have I made it through to the end of 2021, I arrive in a stronger, fitter, and much more healthy state than I was in as 2021 began. Music can’t be the catalyst for all this can it? Well in my case, yes. Yes it can. Thank you Evergrey for once again being there for me when I needed you. The fact that the album kicks ass is just the icing on the cake.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you ‘Escape Of The Phoenix’, my Album Of The Year 2021!

What I wrote at the time:

“Evergrey is comprised of my favourite singer of all time. Tom Englund could sing the contents of an Ikea catalogue and I’d still listen. In Johan Niemann, Evergrey are blessed with one of the greatest bass players of this generation…Jonas Ekdahl is a monster behind the drumkit, offering dexterity, subtlety and power…Keyboardist Rikard Zander has grown over the years to become ever more integral to the band’s music, offering…depth and richness to the compositions. And finally, but by no means least, we have guitarist Henrik Danhage. His strapline ‘old shredders do it better’ could not be more apt and accurate…”

Taking all this into consideration, how could the quintet ever disappoint? The answer, having been blessed with the company of this record for a number of glorious months, is that they couldn’t. And they haven’t. Not even slightly. If anything, ‘Escape Of The Phoenix’ is better than I could have dared imagine…

I’m well aware of the scores I have given this band on manofmuchmetal.com over the years. And I’ll take whatever criticism that you wish to throw at me. However, I stand by my reviews because there is no other band on this planet that affects me so profoundly on so many levels. And, going back to the original point I made at the beginning of this review, since the current line-up have been together, I cannot fault a single second of the music these guys have created. To these ears, ‘Escape Of The Phoenix’ is damn-near flawless in every way. It is special. It is magic. And it contains the essence of what I love about heavy metal and what I love about this band in particular. There is no other possible conclusion – ‘Escape Of The Phoenix’ is a dark, melodic, emotional, and heavy slab of metal perfection.”

Read the full review here.

The list this year so far…

‘Honourable Mentions’

Also, if you’ve missed my lists from previous years, you can check them out here:

Album Of The Year 2021 – Number 2

Welcome to instalment number 29 of my 2021 ‘Album of the Year Top 30 countdown’. That means that I’m about to reveal the runner-up in this year’s list, the silver medallist.

Thank you all once again for sticking with me and supporting me over the past month. Without all the comments and banter, I don’t think I would have seen it through this year. I’ve enjoyed it and I’ll probably do it again next year…probably!

Before I reveal the runner-up, there’s just time for the usual reminder to anyone new to this series, to check out the links at the bottom of the post to find out who made the cut, from 30 down to 3, as well as my lists from previous years too.

Number 2

Soen

“Imperial”

Silver Lining Music

Release Date: 29 January 2021

Score Of Much Metal: 98%

As the closing line of my review suggests, I didn’t want to stop listening to ‘Imperial’ at the time of its release. So I didn’t. I bought it the minute it came out and I have listened to it throughout the year. As is my way, I am listening to it whilst I write this post, but I also listened to it back-to-back three times earlier today as well. Yup, it’s that good.

What I love about it is the way that it sounds so delicate one minute, and then explodes with fury the next. I also like the way that the music is incredibly complex at times, yet in a subtle way. You listen and it is only on the fifteenth or twentieth spin that you notice something very clever, very technical, or just plain beautiful that you’d not realised was there before.

Speaking of beauty, there is no doubt that ‘Imperial’ deserves this description too, for it is a real work of beauty. The melodies are unbelievably strong throughout, to the point where my favourite song changes each time I listen to the album. And they are not vacuous, cheesy melodies either, as they are imbued with real emotion, be it frustration, anger, or sadness. This adds another layer to the music, giving each composition a depth that other bands would kill for.

This album may have been released at the beginning of 2021, but for me, it has got stronger and stronger as the months have gone by. I stick with my original review completely and, if anything, would be tempted to bump up the score to the perfect 100%…Soen are special, and ‘Imperial’ proves this beyond any shadow of doubt.

What I wrote at the time:

“Without doubt, ‘Imperial’ is one of my most anticipated releases for 2021.

‘Imperial’ is just a further exploration of the sound that the quintet have created over their career. The key components of their music remain, but it’s more of a further refinement if you will. This record, as I’m sure we all want and expect, has some killer, angular riffs, thunderous drumming and clever, off-kilter ‘prog’ rhythms. But in spite of this, the album just feels smoother, even more ‘grown-up’ than their previous offerings.

Soen were always a band that understood inter-song dynamics, perfectly marrying together the heavy with the quiet and serene, taking us all on an aural journey to use that cliché. On ‘Imperial’, it feels like the peaks and troughs are more pronounced, with a slightly greater emphasis on the quieter passages this time around.

…a sub-45 minute masterclass in intelligent, beautiful heavy music.

The ebb and flow, the darkness and light, the peaks and troughs are a key component of Soen’s songwriting, and they help to create some wonderfully engaging dynamics, and convey a myriad of competing emotions throughout.

‘Imperial’ is a supreme collection of brilliant songs that together create an even better album. It is an elegant, passionate and intelligent affair, one that also adds plenty of human emotion, eloquently wrought through music and lyrics. Progressive, beautiful, and deep, it resonates powerfully with me, to the point where I just don’t want to stop listening. Please don’t make me.”

Read the full review here.

The list this year so far…

‘Honourable Mentions’

Also, if you’ve missed my lists from previous years, you can check them out here:

Album Of The Year 2021 – Number 3

Welcome to Day 28 of my 2021 Top 30 countdown of my favourite albums released this year. Some will write a simple list, others will offer a list with some explanation, and then there’s me. The idiot, the masochist. Every day, I put together a post that shines the spotlight one last time on one of the 30 best albums of the year as I see it. I try to explain my reasoning, offer quotes and a link to my original review, and embellish it all with artwork & an embedded track, different from the one chosen for the review. And so far, the feedback for this year’s list has been great – thank you all.

But now we’re into the final three; the bronze, silver, and gold medal places are revealed over the next three days. I’m excited and expecting to hear all sorts of views about my choices. But I can’t stress more strongly that this list has nothing to do with popularity; it’s a reflection of what I have enjoyed this year – simple as that. All hail the subjectivity of music!

As always, for any newcomers, there’s just time for the usual reminder to check out the links at the bottom of the post to find out who made the cut, from 30 down to 4, as well as my full lists from previous years too.

And now, to the bronze medal for 2021…

Number 3

Witherfall

“Curse Of Autumn”

Century Media Records

Release Date: 5 March 2021

Score Of Much Metal: 97%

I haven’t seen this record in as many lists as I was expecting, but the fact remains that ‘Curse Of Autumn’ from Witherfall is one hell of an album, deserving of many an accolade. Heavy, riff-hungry, melodic, emotional, and with a hint of a progressive edge…it is a powerful ride from start to finish, and one that I refuse to tire of. In fact, I connect with it more deeply now than I did back in February when I first started listening to it.

Growing up and getting into heavy metal for the first time, my immediate love was for big crunchy guitar riffs and solos. Yes, solos. Those things that the mainstream seems to have abandoned. Such heresy. But happily, Witherfall never got the memo and so ‘Curse Of Autumn’ is littered with sensational guitar work and loads of solos. It’s the kind of thing that I lap up, and have done over the past few months, returning to it on a very frequent basis. And moreover, this is an album that reminds me of why I developed a love for heavy metal in the first place.

Naturally, the emotional depth of this album also has an impact, and takes things to another level of intensity. There’s no doubt in my mind that these guys are living and breathing every moment. No-one is phoning this in from the back of the studio, and you can tell; it’s rather exhilarating actually, and has the effect of pulling me deeper into the music.

There isn’t much else to say at this point other than reiterate just what a worthy addition to my 2021 list ‘Curse Of Autumn’ is. I hope many of you will agree.

What I wrote at the time:

“…as much as I was looking forward to hearing new material from Witherfall, I did wonder slightly whether the band would produce something as powerful and emotional with the ghost of Sagan looming slightly less large over their collective shoulders.

…on the evidence presented within ‘Curse Of Autumn’, Witherfall will seemingly always be a band that refuses to shy away from confronting their emotions and lacing their songs with poignancy. On this album, there’s a strong thread of anger and frustration, two intertwining emotions that the band, particularly vocalist/keyboardist Joseph Michael and guitarist Jake Dreyer, have experienced over their careers…

…a 57 minute thrill ride into some of the best and darkest melodic heavy metal since…well, since ‘A Prelude To Sorrow’ if I’m honest.

…it is hard to argue against the suggestion that all members of Witherfall deliver their ‘A’ game on ‘Curse Of Autumn’, in many cases even pushing their abilities even further than before in the process.

Witherfall come out of the blocks all guns blazing. Michael sounds like a man possessed as he spits out his diatribes with urgency and unquestionable passion. And then, signalled by a gloriously dirty and heavy open guitar chord, the chorus bursts into life, delivering more disgustingly marvellous guitar notes and effortless-sounding high-pitched vocal melodies.

In a live setting, I bet these guys slay and I sincerely hope that I get to witness this sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, we have another masterpiece to enjoy, in the form of ‘Curse Of Autumn’ – dark and properly heavy melodic metal rarely sounds this passionate or brilliant.”

Read the full review here.

The list this year so far…

‘Honourable Mentions’

Also, if you’ve missed my lists from previous years, you can check them out here:

Album Of The Year 2021 – Number 20

Welcome to Day 11 of my Album of the Year 2021 Top 30 Countdown, the day where we break into the top 20 for the first time. It starts to get a bit more serious now, and I can feel the tension emanating from all the bands yet to be featured – I know they all tune in avidly every year – after all, is there a more prestigious accolade in the world of metal than this? OK, apart from the Grammys…& the Classic Rock Prog awards…& just about every other award for that matter…OK, so the tension is all mine, but at least I’m excited!

Anyhow, if you felt so inclined, feel free to check out the links at the bottom of the post to find out who made the cut, from 30 down to 21, the ‘honourable mentions’ of 2021, as well as my lists from previous years too. I hope you enjoy the experience.

And now, onwards into the top 20…

Number 20

Cradle Of Filth

“Existence Is Futile”

Nuclear Blast

Release Date: 22 October 2021

Score Of Much Metal: 94%

Over the last few years, Cradle Of Filth have been experiencing something of a renaissance, releasing a string of albums that have significantly upped the quality that was presented to us during the first decade or so of the 2000s. The latest is the positively titled ‘Existence Is Futile’. A few months ago, I fully agreed with this sentiment. However, perhaps ironically, it was albums like this one that proved to me that this sentiment might be entirely wrong.

It also helps that the music created within ‘Existence Is Futile’ is arguably the Suffolk-based Gothic extreme metal band’s best of the lot, certainly their best since ‘Midian’, possibly since ‘Cruelty And The Beast’ from the last Millennium.

What I love about this album in particular, is the way that they have gone back to what they do best, and that’s to create heavy and abrasive music, laced with over-the-top bombast and pomp, strong theatrics, and a bold nod to classic metal and NWOBHM too. The result is a record that’s aggressive yet catchy, multi-layered yet instantly memorable. It’s a powerful concoction, but one that can be rather irresistible when done properly. Moreover, it reminds me of why Cradle Of Filth used to be my favourite band as a teenager, and that kind of reminder is priceless.

What I wrote at the time:

“…album number thirteen, ‘Existence Is Futile’ is another cracking release, and one that makes it all the more difficult for the haters to maintain their stance.

…having given this record that extra time, I do not think any less of it, and I’m still spinning it regularly, enjoying the majority of what it has to deliver. It isn’t perfect and it doesn’t quite dethrone ‘Dusk…’ or ‘Cruelty…’, but by heavens is it a great album.

If you’re looking for something a little more extreme, then tracks like ‘Crawling King Chaos’ should quench your thirst…Cradle Of Filth have always been very adept at penning some glorious slower, more melodic pieces over their lengthening career, and this record is no different. The superbly-titled ‘Discourse Between A Man And His Soul’ is both elegant and catchy as hell, blessed with beautiful twin guitar work and rich synths, as well as maudlin tinkling piano notes.

For much of 2021, I have shared the sentiment of the album’s title, feeling that life indeed can be extremely futile. Thankfully, I have worked hard to change my mindset, and my efforts have been assisted by the music that I love and cherish. As it turns out, Cradle Of Filth are one of those bands that I still cherish, especially when they are in such glorious form. No longer do I think that my existence is futile – how could I with music like this to listen to? The band may proclaim that ‘Existence Is Futile’ but somewhat ironically, this album has helped prove to many of us that this is very much not the case at all.

Read the full review here.

The list this year so far…

‘Honourable Mentions’

Also, if you’ve missed my lists from previous years, you can check them out here:

Album Of The Year 2021 – Number 25

Welcome to day 6 of my Album of the Year 2021 Top 30 countdown. So far, so good I think, with all of my choices so far meeting with at least some positivity. And I’m really enjoying putting this series together because it gives me a chance to revisit some of the best music that 2021 has provided. And I hope you’ll agree, there has been a lot of it – just take a look at the ten albums within my ‘honourable mentions‘ post to see the calibre of album that missed out.

If you’re new to the series, please head to the bottom of the page for all the links that you’ll ever need, so that you can catch up!

But that’s it by way of an intro today – let’s get on to the main event…

Number 25

Wooden Veins

“In Finitude”

The Vinyl Division

Release Date: 4 June 2021

Score Of Much Metal: 93%

Another avant-garde album in my Top 30 this year? Has the world gone mad? Well, yes, it clearly has, but not because of this. It just so happens that this hitherto unknown Chilean band, Wooden Veins, has delivered a debut album that is very hard to ignore.

As I wrote in my review, I do really like the way in which the South American quartet have created something both interesting and incredibly listenable. I’m listening to it now as I type this post and that sense of effortless smoothness can be heard throughout the record, regardless of the fact that there are some demonstrably ‘odd’ ideas, and pronounced juxtapositions within it.

The album feels very mature, not something you can always say of debut efforts. And it still sounds wonderful; the production has not lost any of its magic, meaning that it remains fresh and inviting nearly six months on from it’s release. I still highly recommend this, particularly if you’re looking to get into prog/avant-garde music for the first time.

What I wrote at the time:

“‘In Finitude’ is definitely an intriguing record, chock full of different ideas, sounds, and textures. However, it is far more subtle in its delivery, preferring to work its way more insidiously into your affections, rather than act like a two-year-old hyped up on sugar…

…I prefer to describe ‘In Finitude’ as possessing a wonderfully smooth ebb and flow for much of the time, a flow that becomes mesmeric on occasion, almost hypnotic. In addition, whilst there are some slightly unexpected chord progressions or melodies, Wooden Veins do not fully alienate the listener in this regard; instead, the musicians are clever enough to imbue their compositions with some warm and inviting melodies to soften the edges nicely.

What screams to me by this point, is the fact that the quartet appear to be in complete unison; they are clearly very talented musicians, but they all keep things in check until the composition demands otherwise. As such, despite the avant-garde stylings, there’s a strong focus and attention to detail throughout…

…in Wooden Veins, lovers of progressive and avant-garde music have a new band in their midst that requires immediate and undivided attention. From the richness of the sound to the quality of musicianship, and from the beauty to the experimentation, ‘In Finitude’ is the real deal. “

Read the full review here.