Post by Neko Bazu on Nov 17, 2008 22:08:10 GMT -1
Received my new issue of Metal Hammer today, containing a CD entitled 'Battle Metal VII'. Immediately, I had a mental image of songs designed to inspire ideas of vicious battles on the field of combat, barbarians slaughtering villagers, knights riding down their foes in a glorious swathe of carnage...
And that's what it looked like when I looked at the track list - in a very geek-tastic tabletop RPG kind of way. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against D&D etc (I even used to play it when I was younger), but this music would really fit the stereotype. Groups such as 'Ensiferum' 'Amon Amarth' 'Finntroll' and 'Evergrey' just give that impression, y'know? Song titles like 'The Magic of the Wizard's Dream' or 'Guardians of Asgard' don't help either.
On the upside, there's a Sonata Arctica track on it, and I love their Ecliptica album. There's also a track from Saxon's new album, but whether that's a blessing or a curse is debatable...
So, without further ado,through the fire and the flames, we carry on! let's start the reviews!
1. The Warlord's Sermon
...oh God, am I hearing this? A spoken intro 'rallying the troops'. "They come from the north to take that which is not theirs. Our women. Our pride. Our gold. Our culture." Oh dear God, I fear for the rest of the disc...
2. Rhapsody Of Fire - The Magic of the Wizard's Dream.
...okay, that's quite a pretty start. And then comes the overly-dramatic tenor-esque singing of angels of pride. The song's not as bad as I feared, the male voice aside - it's kind of soothing. The chorus is interesting too; it reminds me of the Azerbaijan entry for the Eurovision song contest this year. Make what you will of that. Not an album I'm gonna look further into, though.
3. Helloween - Paint a New World
Oh yeah, here we go! The bass and rhythm are reminsicent of something in between System of a Down and Kill 'em All-era Metallica, the lead something more akin to Dragonforce. Musically, I'm already hooked. The vocals are kind of disappointing, though - somewhat tame. I think they're trying too hard to be dramatic and inspirational; had they gone for something more metal, this could've been a really good song.
Might look into these guys a bit more.
4. Ensiferum - Deathbringer From The Sky.
...the intro reminds me of a weaker Dragonforce. The verses settle into more generic rock-metal-ish stuff, and the singer sounds like Kittie's - right down to me not initially being sure if it's male or female. And wtf - did someone start playing Zelda in the recording studio or something?!
"We're dead inside, just spread the wings of doom." No kidding, that's a real line from the song.
Decidedly average. If I was in the right mood, it might be better, but I'm not sold - and Zelda just came back...
5. Amon Amarth - Guardians of Asgard
Maybe I mocked these guys too quickly? Name and title are both very 'geek', but the music's alright... Nice heavy throbbing opening riff, leading into a pretty simple-but-catchy riff for the verses. The singer's trying too hard to be 'badass evil overlord' though. Liking the chorus too - very much basic heavy metal, but it's got my feet tapping.
"The giants look and await a chance/To bring down Asgard's mighty walls/No matter what they send at us/We will never let it fall." Nice to see the lyrics didn't let down my original impression...
I'll be fair, as cringeworthy as the lyrics are, the music's pretty good. Certainly a contender for my favourite so far.
6. Saxon - Live to Rock
Here we go. Have they lost it? Did they ever find it to begin with? On this showing, I can't say...
Interesting opening; builds suspense a bit, promises a launch into cheesy 80's-style rock... and doesn't lie. It's classic Saxon, really, albeit a bit simpler than the likes of Wheels of Steel or Strangers in the Night.
Not a lot else to say, actually. Pretty forgettable, but probably the most bearable words so far.
7. Satyricon - The Wolfpack
...not a bad opening. Reminds me of something between Tiamat and Coal Chamber, and the vocals are reminiscent of the latter in Fiend. Song pretty quickly becomes same-y though, and drifts through into repetitive not long after. Not impressed.
8. Angra - The Course of Nature
...the intro promises either a huge drop into something heavy, or the geekiest song on the album so far. 45 secs in, a riff starts up... and disappears into a strange synthy thing. The guitars eventually come back, albeit briefly, and very much old-school Saxon. Only this doesn't even have that element of fun that Saxon had.
...this song's all over the place. Synth, old-school metal, throbbing rock, a really weak attempt at a drop into death metal, and they haven't even worked out how to link sections. It's like they just got bored and did something else instead - I can appreciate the sentiment. It's the kind of song that'd appeal to the HxC crowd, which says enough.
*skips*
9. Finntroll - Korpens Saga
Just... uhm. The intro's like they've tried to mix old folk music with metal, but without actually thinking to adapt either style. It gets a bit better later in the song, but again, an average track. I don't mind listening to it, but I probably wouldn't even borrow the album, much less buy it.
10. Kivimetsan Druidi - Verivala
Okay, this lot had the same idea for the intro as the above, but they've at least meshed them pretty well. It's not bad, actually - the vocals are a bit off-putting though. The background music on its own would make a good soundtrack for a computer game, actually - but how many of those instrumental pieces can you really add lyrics to successfully?
Nice solo 2+½ mins in, though, albeit brief.
11. Kiuas - The Decaying Doctrine
Oooh, this is a promising opening. Lots of energy, with a throbbing bass beat and really driving drums behind a simple-but-effective lead.
Ah, nuts. Drops into same old same-old in the verses, and we're back to cringeworthy lyrics. And a same-y feel.
*skips*
12. Evergrey - Broken Wings
Interesting opening - an almost harp-like lead piece, with jarring Metallica-esque chords. Are we gonna go heavy or pretentious?
Bit of both, with more same-old music. This could probably be played at a rock club without anyone even noticing. In the right mood, it could be a bit better, but after the last few songs, I need something special now.
13. Sonata Arctica - Black Sheep
Can Sonata Arctica provide me that 'something special'?
OH HELL YES!!! That's the SA I love! Kingdom For a Heart, Mary-Lou, Destruction Preventer, Black Sheep - all of the same family, albeit Black Sheep being a touch more aggressive. The Iron Maiden influence is a little stronger here, I think. This song's getting ripped, I'm looking into the album, and there may be money changing hands in the near future!
...and loving that keyboard solo, especially when the guitar starts joining in.
Best song on the album, definitely. And thank God - after the last six or so songs, I think I'd have cried if this had failed miserably.
14. Kalmah - Like a Slave
Promising opening; good heavy chords with driving drums again. The bridge is a lot lighter, but it's got my head nodding along; it's catchy and Dragonforce-esque. The verse is heavier again, and finally! Someone's used the right vocal style for the music! It's deep, it's aggressive, it's rough, it's heavy metal.
Liking this one too - may look into these guys a bit more
15. Gamma Ray - Into the Storm (live)
I like this intro... High-tempo and energetic; somewhat reminiscent of Iron Maiden, and the lead singer's much in the same vein too. The lyrics are back to being geeky, but these guys actually pull it off well. For a live recording, they're pretty damn crisp too; you could almost think it was a studio session, if you couldn't hear the crowd here and there.
Definitely liking this one - another one to look into some more!
Final conclusion: Sonata Arctica. Ohgodyes. I think I actually came a little. There's a few other groups that could be good, but a lot of dross too. At least I don't feel like Metal Hammer cheated me out of the last hour of my life, unlike the last CD I got from them
And that's what it looked like when I looked at the track list - in a very geek-tastic tabletop RPG kind of way. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against D&D etc (I even used to play it when I was younger), but this music would really fit the stereotype. Groups such as 'Ensiferum' 'Amon Amarth' 'Finntroll' and 'Evergrey' just give that impression, y'know? Song titles like 'The Magic of the Wizard's Dream' or 'Guardians of Asgard' don't help either.
On the upside, there's a Sonata Arctica track on it, and I love their Ecliptica album. There's also a track from Saxon's new album, but whether that's a blessing or a curse is debatable...
So, without further ado,
1. The Warlord's Sermon
...oh God, am I hearing this? A spoken intro 'rallying the troops'. "They come from the north to take that which is not theirs. Our women. Our pride. Our gold. Our culture." Oh dear God, I fear for the rest of the disc...
2. Rhapsody Of Fire - The Magic of the Wizard's Dream.
...okay, that's quite a pretty start. And then comes the overly-dramatic tenor-esque singing of angels of pride. The song's not as bad as I feared, the male voice aside - it's kind of soothing. The chorus is interesting too; it reminds me of the Azerbaijan entry for the Eurovision song contest this year. Make what you will of that. Not an album I'm gonna look further into, though.
3. Helloween - Paint a New World
Oh yeah, here we go! The bass and rhythm are reminsicent of something in between System of a Down and Kill 'em All-era Metallica, the lead something more akin to Dragonforce. Musically, I'm already hooked. The vocals are kind of disappointing, though - somewhat tame. I think they're trying too hard to be dramatic and inspirational; had they gone for something more metal, this could've been a really good song.
Might look into these guys a bit more.
4. Ensiferum - Deathbringer From The Sky.
...the intro reminds me of a weaker Dragonforce. The verses settle into more generic rock-metal-ish stuff, and the singer sounds like Kittie's - right down to me not initially being sure if it's male or female. And wtf - did someone start playing Zelda in the recording studio or something?!
"We're dead inside, just spread the wings of doom." No kidding, that's a real line from the song.
Decidedly average. If I was in the right mood, it might be better, but I'm not sold - and Zelda just came back...
5. Amon Amarth - Guardians of Asgard
Maybe I mocked these guys too quickly? Name and title are both very 'geek', but the music's alright... Nice heavy throbbing opening riff, leading into a pretty simple-but-catchy riff for the verses. The singer's trying too hard to be 'badass evil overlord' though. Liking the chorus too - very much basic heavy metal, but it's got my feet tapping.
"The giants look and await a chance/To bring down Asgard's mighty walls/No matter what they send at us/We will never let it fall." Nice to see the lyrics didn't let down my original impression...
I'll be fair, as cringeworthy as the lyrics are, the music's pretty good. Certainly a contender for my favourite so far.
6. Saxon - Live to Rock
Here we go. Have they lost it? Did they ever find it to begin with? On this showing, I can't say...
Interesting opening; builds suspense a bit, promises a launch into cheesy 80's-style rock... and doesn't lie. It's classic Saxon, really, albeit a bit simpler than the likes of Wheels of Steel or Strangers in the Night.
Not a lot else to say, actually. Pretty forgettable, but probably the most bearable words so far.
7. Satyricon - The Wolfpack
...not a bad opening. Reminds me of something between Tiamat and Coal Chamber, and the vocals are reminiscent of the latter in Fiend. Song pretty quickly becomes same-y though, and drifts through into repetitive not long after. Not impressed.
8. Angra - The Course of Nature
...the intro promises either a huge drop into something heavy, or the geekiest song on the album so far. 45 secs in, a riff starts up... and disappears into a strange synthy thing. The guitars eventually come back, albeit briefly, and very much old-school Saxon. Only this doesn't even have that element of fun that Saxon had.
...this song's all over the place. Synth, old-school metal, throbbing rock, a really weak attempt at a drop into death metal, and they haven't even worked out how to link sections. It's like they just got bored and did something else instead - I can appreciate the sentiment. It's the kind of song that'd appeal to the HxC crowd, which says enough.
*skips*
9. Finntroll - Korpens Saga
Just... uhm. The intro's like they've tried to mix old folk music with metal, but without actually thinking to adapt either style. It gets a bit better later in the song, but again, an average track. I don't mind listening to it, but I probably wouldn't even borrow the album, much less buy it.
10. Kivimetsan Druidi - Verivala
Okay, this lot had the same idea for the intro as the above, but they've at least meshed them pretty well. It's not bad, actually - the vocals are a bit off-putting though. The background music on its own would make a good soundtrack for a computer game, actually - but how many of those instrumental pieces can you really add lyrics to successfully?
Nice solo 2+½ mins in, though, albeit brief.
11. Kiuas - The Decaying Doctrine
Oooh, this is a promising opening. Lots of energy, with a throbbing bass beat and really driving drums behind a simple-but-effective lead.
Ah, nuts. Drops into same old same-old in the verses, and we're back to cringeworthy lyrics. And a same-y feel.
*skips*
12. Evergrey - Broken Wings
Interesting opening - an almost harp-like lead piece, with jarring Metallica-esque chords. Are we gonna go heavy or pretentious?
Bit of both, with more same-old music. This could probably be played at a rock club without anyone even noticing. In the right mood, it could be a bit better, but after the last few songs, I need something special now.
13. Sonata Arctica - Black Sheep
Can Sonata Arctica provide me that 'something special'?
OH HELL YES!!! That's the SA I love! Kingdom For a Heart, Mary-Lou, Destruction Preventer, Black Sheep - all of the same family, albeit Black Sheep being a touch more aggressive. The Iron Maiden influence is a little stronger here, I think. This song's getting ripped, I'm looking into the album, and there may be money changing hands in the near future!
...and loving that keyboard solo, especially when the guitar starts joining in.
Best song on the album, definitely. And thank God - after the last six or so songs, I think I'd have cried if this had failed miserably.
14. Kalmah - Like a Slave
Promising opening; good heavy chords with driving drums again. The bridge is a lot lighter, but it's got my head nodding along; it's catchy and Dragonforce-esque. The verse is heavier again, and finally! Someone's used the right vocal style for the music! It's deep, it's aggressive, it's rough, it's heavy metal.
Liking this one too - may look into these guys a bit more
15. Gamma Ray - Into the Storm (live)
I like this intro... High-tempo and energetic; somewhat reminiscent of Iron Maiden, and the lead singer's much in the same vein too. The lyrics are back to being geeky, but these guys actually pull it off well. For a live recording, they're pretty damn crisp too; you could almost think it was a studio session, if you couldn't hear the crowd here and there.
Definitely liking this one - another one to look into some more!
Final conclusion: Sonata Arctica. Ohgodyes. I think I actually came a little. There's a few other groups that could be good, but a lot of dross too. At least I don't feel like Metal Hammer cheated me out of the last hour of my life, unlike the last CD I got from them
