DragonForce – Warp Speed Warriors


Before we start, go back and take another look at the cover art. 

Go on, I’ll wait. 

See, while some bands go for a subtle or even abstract “don’t judge a book by its cover” approach, other bands are Dragonforce. Everything emblazoned on the cover to ninth full length studio release Warp Speed Warriors (Napalm Records) is represented here through the medium of eardrum destroying sound. No room for understatement, metaphor or artifice – just a bold, blinding explosion of light, colour and comic book action.Continue reading


Apocalyptica Shares a New Single and Video “What We’re Up Against” ft. Amaranthe’s Elize Ryd


Internationally acclaimed Finnish symphonic metallers Apocalyptica have released their new single and music video for ‘What We’re Up Against’, which features guest vocals from Amaranthe’s Elize Ryd. The collaboration between these Nordic titans not only results in a dynamic musical fusion, but also boasts a visually mesmerising music video featuring both Apocalyptica and Elize. Watch the video and stream the track below. 

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Tarja Announces Reissue of “From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas)”


World-renowned singer Tarja will reissue a new version of her previous Christmas album From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas), due for release arrives On November 6 Via Earmusic. Tarja tours behind her Christmas album to sold-out audiences all over the world. The release also includes Christmas Together: Live At Olomouc And Hradec Králové 2019.  It will be available as a limited, 2CD digipak. Pre-order it here.

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PODCAST: Episode 119: Thomas Youngblood of Kamelot 


Ghost Cult caught up with Thomas Youngblood of Kamelot recently to discuss their brand new live album/concert DVD and Blu-ray Kamelot – I Am The Empire – Live From The 013,  out now via Napalm Records (review here). Thomas talked about the new live album, the production and planning that went into the concerts, the specialness of the 013 Poppodium venue in Tilburg, working with guests such as Elize Ryd of Amaranthe, Lauren Hart of Once HumNetheran, German string quartet Eklipse, Charlotte Wessels of Delain and Alissa White Gluz of Arch Enemy, Avantasia guitarist Sascha Paeth, writing materials with guests in mind, performing with a children’s choir, which included his son,  how he has been spending the pandemic, and plans for new Kamelot music. Purchase the live album set at this link and listen to our chat. Continue reading


REVIEW: Kamelot – I Am The Empire – Live From The 013


Ah, gigs. Remember them? Well,  I Am The Empire – Live From The 013 (Napalm Records), the new live release by veteran power metal act Kamelot is a welcome reminder of what live entertainment looked like in a pre-Covid world. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Beyond The Black – Hørizøns


Continuing to shrug off their symphonic metal tag, German five-piece Beyond the Black have stepped further into the realm of Europop based metal on their fourth full-length release, Hørizøns (Napalm Records). Continue reading


Amaranthe – Helix


“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever but to create something that will…” begins the fifth Amaranthe album, all proudly released by Spinefarm. And while this particular release may not be quite in and of itself destined to live indefinitely in our hearts and minds, as a collective, the band really must be given credit for carving a sound and style that is wholly and completely their own. Ten years deep into a healthy and prolific career, Helix not only shows no sign of letting up but feels like a second wind to launch the band into a second decade.Continue reading


Gus G Releasing Brand New Revolution On July 24th, Upcoming Tour Dates


gus g

Guitarist Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind, etc) is releasing his new solo album Brand New Revolution in the US on July 24, 2015 via Dismanic/eOne Music. The album was produced by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour) and mixed by Mike Fraser (Metallica, AC/DC). Joining Gus in the studio were drummer Jo Nunez (Firewind) and bassist Marty O’Brien (Lita Ford, ex-Methods Of Mayhem, etc).

gus g brand new revolution

01: The Quest
02: Brand New Revolution (feat. Jacob Bunton)
03: Burn (feat. Jacob Bunton)
04: We Are One (feat. Jacob Bunton)
05: What Lies Below (feat. Elize Ryd)
06: Behind Those Eyes (feat. Jacob Bunton)
07: Gone To Stay (feat. Jeff Scott Soto)
08: One More Try (feat. Jacob Bunton)
09: Come Hell Or High Water (feat. Mats Levén)
10: If It Ends Today (feat. Mats Levén)
11: Generation G (feat. Jeff Scott Soto)
12: The Demon Inside (feat. Mats Levén)

gus g greek tour 2015

He has upcoming live dates confirmed which are posted below.

Jun 09: Substage (with Hellyeah)– Karlsruhe (DE)
Jun 10: Logo (with Hellyeah)– Hamburg (DE)
Jun 11: Tivoli De HELLING (with Hellyeah) – Utrecht (NL)
Jul 10: Masters of Rock Festival – Vizovice (CZ)
Jul 12: Naturact Festival – Drama (GR)
Jul 14: Rockin Arta 2015 – Arta (GR)
Jul 18: Chania Rock Festival – Canea (GR)
Jul 22: Ardas Festival – Kastanies (GR)
Jul 24: Colorado Club – Rhodes (GR)
Jul 29: Fezen Festival – Székesfehérvár (HU)
Sep 19: Customer Festival – Alicante (ES)


Amaranthe – Massive Addictive


Massive Addictive Cover-1

 

I have two.

Guilty pleasures, that is. What else did you think I meant? Penises? Yes, I generally pull the “I don’t have guilty pleasures, I’m proud of everything I like” (both ironically and non-ironically) bullshit we all do. But I do have two. Amaranthe and Five Finger Death Punch are two bands I feel a bit embarrassed about admitting to liking. And I like Manowar. A lot. Unashamedly.

I’ll still profess a liking for the pair, but it does make me feel a bit squidgy in the stomach to do so.

Massive Addictive is the third explosion (all Spinefarm) from the Swedish Pop Metallers arsenal, and within 10 seconds of opener ‘Dynamite’ we’ve had a trademark dose of electro-synth and a chugging beatdown. By the chorus all elements of their trademark Cascada (yep) meets Within Temptation meets post-Reroute In Flames are out in the open and it’s clear that Amaranthe are running with the sound and style that was so successful on their previous releases. ‘Drop Dead Cynical’ bounces in and we’re off into Dance Metal territory with its euphoric chorus.

The basic premise of an Amaranthe song revolves around their clean male vocalist (Jake E.) trading off with their harsh male vocalist (Henrik Englund) to build up to Euro-Pop chorus delivered by Elize Ryd, or variations of the theme, and Massive Addictive adopts the “if it ain’t broke…” approach. What at first seemed a silly idea actually suits the infectious band.

And it is infectious, and all good fun, but there is no “Oops!” as, unlike Britney, Amaranthe didn’t do it again because Massive Addictive seems to be missing something that its predecessors brought to the table. Maybe it’s the novelty wearing off, maybe it’s that the metalcore has been toned down and there are fewer “colours” as the songs settle into a repeating mid-paced head-nod tempo with regularity, maybe it’s that once you’ve told a story – no matter how great a story, and let’s face it they weren’t orating the Ilyad the first two times around – it becomes less fascinating with each repetition, but the most pressing “maybe” belongs to the fact that the songs aren’t quite as good this time around. There’s no instant classic, like ‘Automatic’ was on the self-titled debut, or the “If Aqua did Metal…” ‘Electroheart’ from The Nexus, though ‘Digital World’ does its best.

Still, all said and done there’s no one out there quite like Amaranthe. I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or not…

 

6.5/10

Amaranthe on Facebook

 

STEVE TOVEY