A full moon hangs in the blackened sky, wisps of cloud partially obscuring the glowing orb for a brief moment as lupine howls drift across the empty, shadowy streets below. Glowing eyes stare out from gloomy alleyways, the sound of heavy breathing and scraping of claws on concrete getting increasingly louder as they slowly emerge from the darkness…Continue reading
Tag Archives: power metal album reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Rhapsody of Fire – Challenge The Wind
If the quickest way to get from Point A to Point B is a straight line then clearly nobody thought to mention that to Italian Power Metal kings Rhapsody of Fire who to get where they are today obviously took the Enchanted Lands scenic route. This current incarnation of Rhapsody of Fire (version 666.0) might look very different to how it all began but as the fourteenth full-length studio release Challenge The Wind (AFM Records) proves in no uncertain terms, the music and the subject matter remain very much the same. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Witherfall – Sounds of the Forgotten
All too often bands falling under the “Power Metal” banner, lack power, diminishing many of the key elements, such as aggression, that are necessary for metal. On Sounds of the Forgotten (DeathWave Records) Witherfall take a heavier route, drawing from the mid-1980s. This tie to Thrash even led to singer Joseph Micheal taking the mantle from the late Warrel Dane to front Sanctuary for a reunion tour. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Marc Hudson – Starbound Stories
Marc Hudson, vocalist for DragonForce, has never done a solo album, until now. Napalm Records brings you the most awesome Starbound Stories. It is Super Saiyan AWESOME! I’m a huge lover of anime and video games. So, if you are a huge lover of power metal, anime, and video games, you will flat-out love this album. The second song ‘Freedom Heart’, sung by Ryoji Shinomoto, is epic. It’s the perfect start to a boss-level anime. It’s happy and uplifting and full of sweeping movement. Frédéric Leclercq (Sinsaenum, Kreator, and also formerly of DragonForce himself) unleashes some amazing guitar work.
ALBUM REVIEW: Jag Panzer – The Hallowed
Jag Panzer is a veteran (US style) Power Metal act from the icy and rocky mountains of Colorado who have been around through various lineups for a little over forty years. While I may not have been personally familiar with the group prior to this review, I was able to quickly feel how the band has been able to stay together for such a long time.
ALBUM REVIEW: Exelerate – Exelerate
I didn’t know what to expect when I found Exelerate’s self-titled (From The Vaults) debut album sitting in my inbox for review. I’m usually up past my eyeballs reviewing every filthy death metal and trashy thrash release I can get my grubby mitts on. Exelerate is a power metal band out of Europe and are a hard right turn from what I usually check out.
ALBUM REVIEW: Stratovarius – Survive
It’s been seven long years since Finnish power metal act Stratovarius released their previous studio album, Eternal. With so much happening in the world since then, it really does feel like an eternity. Although far from the Utopian dream, 2015 was just a much more pleasant place to live. Two hugely polarising world leaders/scandal enthusiasts were yet to come to power, pandemics only affected other people, and we still had David Bowie, Prince, and (for most of it anyway) Lemmy.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Three Tremors – Guardians Of The Void
Contentious or lazy pigeon-holing in the music press is a hazard many acts have to endure at some point in their careers. However, there are also a number of bands who happily avoid these types of perceived misrepresentations with ease. No need for the usual stock responses of “we’re not really that type of band” or “we’re so much more than that” here. The Three Tremors are Heavy. Fucking. Metal. Pure and simple.
ALBUM REVIEW: Helloween – Helloween
Sometimes, even for grumpy middle-aged metal fans, wishes can come true. So when it was announced in 2017 that former Helloween members Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen were to join the current incarnation of the band there was much, much rejoicing. The Pumpkins United (Nuclear Blast) single which followed swiftly dispelled any initial concerns about musical overcrowding, the band now consisting of seven members including three vocalists plus Hansen adding a third guitar, and the path to Helloween (Nuclear Blast) was clear.