The Top 5 Metal Albums of 2013

It's official.  The scourge that was 2013 is behind us.  Maybe the number 13 is really unlucky.  It was a bad year for a lot of reasons, both personally and politically.  And I don't follow politics.  At all.  It's pretty bad when political stuff gets me down.  Fortunately, the year 2013 gave us a lot of great music.

Metal music as a genre had a very strong 2013.  There were some surprises, some jaw-droppers, and yes, some snoozers.  Picking the very best metal albums of the year and limiting the list to only 5 was a chore.  The last thing I wanted to do was leave a great band who released a great album off the list, even though that's what honorable mentions are for. 

1. In Vain-Aenigma
Norwegian metallers In Vain released their third full-length album in 2013.  Following their excellent album Mantra with anything resembling greatness was going to be a tall order.  No only did they pull it off, they did so with such gusto and flair that it was surprising.  Whereas Manta as an expressive journey through progressive soundscapes and song structures, Aenigma is a heavy dosage of progressive metal tendencies, but with simpler structures and more straight-ahead undertones.  Little of the blackness that marked Mantra feels retained.  If it were even possible to improve on that last album as a whole, the vocals could have been left behind.  But the vocals are even better here than on this album's predecessor.  Listen here.

2. Leprous-Coal
Some bands do progressive Avant-Garde metal better than others.  I was not high on this Norwegian band's music before.  It came across as so proggy that it was not fun to listen to.  So with trepidation I listened to the band's new release, Coal. My initial reaction was some combination of a curse word and a smile.  It was much better than past Leprous albums, and darker.  Despite the somewhat cheesy album cover, I felt compelled to listen.  It was much, much better than I expected.  Listen to one of the fantastic tracks here.


3. Omnium Gatherum-Beyond
I have always enjoyed Finnish band Omnium Gatherum's atmospheric keyboard melodies played against chunky melodeath.  As a result, the new disc, Beyond was highly anticipated.  How would the band follow up the mesmerizing New World Shadows? They did it by making a record just as majestic and crushingly heavy.  They don't use many clean vocals on this release, but when they do, they are very good.  I knew after listening to that album that it would make some year-end lists.  And mine is not the only list it appeared on.  Listen to a track below.



4. Amorphis-Circle
In recent years, Finnish metal band Amorphis have floundered in relatively uninspiring albums.  While Eclipse, The Beginning of Times, and Skyforger were not bad albums, they generally failed to live up to the fans' lofty expectations.  Their sound was becoming less and less heavy and more experimental.  With the notion that Amorphis was a band on a downward trend, I listened to Circle anyway.  My opinion is that this album is the band's best since their early career.  On this album they successfully marry the heavy that had been missing with the melody that has defined Amorphis' career.  Listen here.


5. Fleshgod Apocalypse-Labyrinth
The heaviest music in our lists this year comes from Italian symphonic metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse.  I have been a fan since the EP Mafia was released.  Since then, the bend have incorporated an increased symphonic presence in the madness of ultra-heavy music.  This album is complete with technical guitar wizardry and inhumanly fast blasting drums.  The symphonic keyboards are not overdone and, even when choral sections emerge, they do not overstay their welcome.  If you are not familiar with this band, you might want to wear a neck brace while listening to this track.


As usual, I have quite a few honorable mentions to share.  I highly recommend checking out the music below.  Here are the honorable mentions in no particular order:
Mechina-Empyrean
Vallendusk-Black Clouds Gathering
Amaranthe-The Nexus
Dark Tranquillity-Construct
Deadlock-The Arsonist
Erimha-Reign Through Immortality
In Quest-The Odyssey of Eternity
Man Must Die-Peace was Never an Option
The Monolith Deathcult-Tetragrammaton
MyGrain-Planetary Breathing
Neaera-Ours is the Storm
Noumena-Death Walks with Me
Persefone-Spiritual Migration
ReVamp-Wild Card
Soilwork-The Living Infinite
Sulphur Aeon-Swallowed by the Ocean's Tide
Ulcerate-Vermis
Windhand-Soma
Wolfheart-Winterborn

As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

In Vain-Aenigma review

Metal has a strange trend going on right now in regards to album titles.  It has become baffling normal for a metal, especially one from overseas to use this Latin-themed character as the first letter of an album title: Æ.

I'm not sure why this is.  Maybe it makes the album title seem more metal.  I find it weird and difficult to type in using a normal keyboard without finding the character online, copying, and pasting.

In Vain is a lesser known metal band from Norway, whose music is really well-constructed.  In terms of metallic style, one could realistically categorize In Vain's music as progressive metal, black metal, or even melodeath.  I would call it a creative amalgam of all three styles.  This album contains sections of full-on thrashing shred, progressive guitar leads, and blackened viciousness.

Make no mistake that this album is extreme metal.  "Ænigma" shows the band taking their sound to a whole new level and improving on both technicality and production.  This is a heavy disc, but it still sounds very progressive.  Production values are very crisp, which allows the guitar leads and acoustic sections to shine. 

Vocals are even more chaotic than they were on the band's previous album, "Mantra."  However, there is a fair amount of clean singing on this album, which I find to be welcome.  In Vain used this vocal style on "Mantra," but more sparingly.  "Mantra" was a masterful record and incredibly well-written.  By contrast, "Ænigma" sounds more mature and more polished.  While few of the songs are instantly memorable, the album as a whole carries and unmistakable vibe.  After a couple of listens, I can attest that this album is every bit as good as "Mantra" was. 

If you have not heard any of this band's previous work, you definitely should check it out.  I have attached the whole album stream via YouTube below for your listening pleasure.  As always, thanks for listening and enjoy!

Leprous-Coal review

For the second straight day we have a new music review for you!  Today we're going to look at some music decidedly different than what we heard yesterday. 

Inside Out Music recently released the new album from Norwegian prog-rockers Leprous.  Inside Out is who brought us the latest Devin Townsend album, as well as Geoff Tate's latest, so they already had an impressive pedigree.

As the saying goes, this ain't Leprous' first rodeo.  "Coal" sees them improved dramatically over their last effort.  I'm not always a big fan of progressive rock and metal, so when I hear something I like it is notable.  Leprous is not your average, run-of-the-mill prog band.  As a matter of fact, they are described as Avant-Garde more often than pure prog.  While the two subgenres do have a lot in common, Avant-Garde metal uses more experimental sounds and song structures.  Leprous are quite adept at experimentation.  They use unconventional grooves and soundscapes in repetition with standard metallic riffs to create a very interesting sound.

"Coal" came completely out of left field this year, and many metal bloggers are already placing it in year-end lists.  That should say something about how impressive this music is.

Hooky rhythms combine here with somber melodies and grandiose flourishes of atmosphere.  Few bands manage to pull off this feat with such aplomb, which should earn Leprous more credit. 
If I were to compare Leprous to more-established bands, Queensryche and Dream Theater would be at the top of the list. 

In short, get this disc.  It is a very, very good listen.  Check out the lead single, Chronic, below.  As always, thanks and enjoy!

Persefone-Spiritual Migration review

Bands who name themselves after mythological gods can sometimes come off as pompous and a little bit insincere.  Several metal bands named for gods are out there today, and I only truly enjoy one of them.  Persefone is an Andorran progressive metal band that dares to dabble in many different styles.  Their approach to modern extreme metal is admirable.

If You don't know much about Andorra, who can blame you.  It is a small country located in the Pyrenees Mountains sandwiched between Spain and France.  The entire population of the country is 85,000.  For comparison's sake, Meridian, Idaho, the city in which we live, has 81,380 people.  Thus, it is interesting that any metal band comes from that nation.

As for style of music, the concept is almost purely metal.  The band's previous album, "Shin-Ken" had an oriental feel to it, where approximately half the album was raging extreme metal, while the other half was quiet, reflective ambient instrumental music.  This offered a bit of confusion, but after listening to the album several times over, I began to get a feel for the intended flow of the record and thus, appreciated it more. 

A few weeks ago I was listening to a song from "Shin-Ken" and found myself wondering if they had any new music coming out soon.  As it happened, the release of a brand new opus was taking shape.  "Spiritual Migration" takes off right where "Shin-Ken" left off, but added several refreshing new elements to the music. 

The Orchestral backing on several of the tracks was a welcome addition.  This is added to the fury of metallic riffing with ultra-quick, razor-sharp drumming, which creates an almost surreal effect, like glimmers of light pierced a darkened void.  The string sections then subsided for a few tracks, giving way to serpentine guitar leads and voracious grunted and howled vocals.  This sound is what Persefone has become known for. 

Later on the album, the orchestration returns.  Moody ambiance permeates a track or two, and some funky electronic concoction even shows up in one track.  My first impression was that this record was so incredibly varied that it could be seen as obtrusive and distracting.  I enjoyed everything I heard.  Since "Shin-Ken " Persefone have certainly honed their craft and tightened their sound.  "Spiritual Migration" is dazzling album.  There is something for every fan of metal music here.  The band has three main vocal styles, going between loud bellows to blackened shrieks to soulful, clean-sung melodies. 
We are streaming the album below, courtesy of Persefone's bandcamp page.  Be sure to listen beyond the first track to get a full taste of what this album has to offer.  As always, thanks for listening and enjoy!

If These Trees Could Talk-Red Forest review

Greetings, readers and listeners!  We hope you have enjoyed the holiday, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever other holiday you chose to commemorate.  If you don't celebrate any such holiday, then happy antipathy month!

Now that we're back from our mini vacation, it is time to review some more albums that I missed in 2012.  Today's color is from If These Trees Could Talk.  This is a newer Ohio band that is a promising talent in the post-rock genre.

"Red Forest" is in some ways a deviation on the standard post rock sound in that it fuses elements from both ambient and metal to create a unique sound that cannot be justly described by simply name-dropping other bands.  In some ways, "Red Forest" is similar to later works from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and in other ways comparable to Monochromie and Ana Never. 

With these release, ITTCT incorporate heavy low-end bass, off-kilter drum patters, and distorted, driving riffs into the usual looped and stretched guitar melodies and delicate atmospheric electronics.  This is a defining trait of this band.  Drawing influences from Pelican, ITTCT bring a brilliant wave of progressive metal riffing to the front of the mix.  This effect is neither drowned by nor overpowering to the post rock elements, which plays a fascinating role in defining the sound and emotion this band expresses. 

Throughout its nine tracks, "Red Forest" varies in both tempo and approach.  This content is what makes this album such a rewarding listen.  Don't ignore this album if you dislike metal, but also give it a listen if your musical tastes are not in tune with post rock.  This album is a non genre-specific listening experience and can be enjoyable to listeners who follow a variety of musical styles.  Check this album out via the full stream, courtesy of If These Trees Could Talk's bandcamp page.  Thanks for listening and enjoy!

Skyharbor-Blinding White Noise review

Anyone who reads our blog on a regular basis probably knows that as a general rule, I don't do djent metal.  This is much less a rule than a guideline, so there are bound to be some exceptions.  Skyharbor's latest album is such an exception.

Here is why I am making an exception for this album: This disc is less djenty and 'core' than 99% of the scene bands in existence.  If you are unsure what a 'scene band' is, let me try to explain it in layman's terms.  A 'scene band' is a band whose music conforms rigidly to a set of stylistic standards within a certain sub genre, or 'scene'. 

While this album is certainly a metal album, it does not fall back on the metalcore crutch that many djent bands do and in fact includes syncopated djent riffs as merely a backing to the rest of the music, which in retrospect hardly sounds metal at all. 

The full title of this album is "Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos".  It is essentially a two-part album where most of the tracks come with the Illusion prefix and the final three carrying the Chaos prefix.  The Illusion tracks are exceptional progressive-styled rock tunes that drift on auras of grandeur line thin, wispy clouds scooting across the sky.  Vocals on these tracks are surprisingly melodic, using vocal effects to stretch some notes.  These tracks are obviously meant to take on an illusory tone.

Conversely, the final three tracks, the Chaos tracks, are more up-front metal approaches, mixing in fewer of the stretched vocals and introducing screamed vocals for the first time.  These harsher vocals are carried out tastefully and do not invade the overall atmospheric content of the album as a whole, only further enhancing that atmospheric qualities. 

This is an album I somehow missed this year.  I certainly listened to fewer metal releases in 2012, and this one didn't even register until it showed up on a year-end best album list over at The NewReview.  The album cover alone convinced me to check it out, and I liked what I heard.  If you are into progressive metal and hard rock, you will enjoy this disc.  Listen to the full album stream from the Basick Records bandcamp page below.  This is a very good album.  To get a full taste of what this record has to offer, at least listen to one Illusion song and one Chaos song.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

The Top 12 albums of 2012 Numbers 3-1

The best three albums of the year.  We have made it, ladies and gentlemen.  The year 2012 in music has been a good one, jammed with great release after great release.  The last thing I want to do by picking favorites is to make some artists we have talked about here feel left out or inadequate.  It has been a difficult task to pick just 12 albums, so after the music, I'm going to write a special 'honorable mention' section to note all the artists who have crafted brilliant music that didn't quite make our top 12 list.  At any rate, these bands should feel honored.  So, without further ado, the top three albums released in 2012 are as follows:

3. Lacuna Coil-Dark Adrenaline.  We have raved about this band more than once here in the past.  This was a strong inclusion due to the impeccable vocal nature of this band.  Switching back and forth from male to female vocals like a duet can be difficult and most bands do not attempt this.  Lacuna Coil not only attempt, but deliver in spades.  The music is dark, but uplifting.  Most term them as a gothic metal group, but this band continuously pumps out high-voltage hard rock tunes that are remarkably well-produced.  Not many music embeds are available for this release, so we have included the band's official music video for Trip the Darkness.  It is incredibly catchy and has excellent riffs and keys that should make many metal fans feel right at home.  Even if you are not a metal lover, you might enjoy "Dark Adrenaline"


2. Hammock-Departure Songs.  Double albums for some reason rarely make end of year lists in general.  Hammock is a delightful exception to this unwritten rule.  This Nashville post-rock band has released several good albums, but "Departure Songs" is their best effort yet.  Stretched out melodies intertwine with atmospheric ambiance and warm textures of dreamy pop.  If you listen to only one post-rock album all year, make it "Departure Songs".  This album delivers tons of amazing melodies and even insert gorgeous pop-like vocals on some songs. Below is one such track.  If you like post-rock, you will certainly enjoy Hammock's best release to date.


1. [Insert drummroll here] Syqem-Reflections of Elephants.  No one saw this coming.  This album came as a surprise.  Progressive Metal may be hit-or-miss with many fans, but for me, this was a huge hit.  A blog I read posted about this amazing album, and from the first couple riffs and vocal lines I was hooked.  Mostly clean vocals are the highlight of this disc, but it includes so much more than good vocals.  Atmospheric harmonies sneak around behind a tapestry of humongous metal riffs and flourishes of electronic sounds that are not based on samples.  This band may be somewhat similar to Deadlock, but without the typical metal screaming.  "Reflections of Elephants" is an exceedingly fun listen and is definitely worthy of its number one ranking.  Check out the track below, which provides just a glimpse of the jaw-dropping music on display.

The year 2012 also marked plenty of other excellent albums and EPs by various artists.  In no particular order, here they are:
Be'lakor, Epica, Tamaryn, The Luna Sequence, I Will Never be the Same, Ulrich Schnauss & Mark Peters, Delain, 2:54, Monochromie, Bloody Knives, Barren Earth, Drowner, The Agonist, Devin Townsend Project, Joy Wants Eternity, Craft Spells, Inner Trip, Airiel, Gojira, Xandria, Abigail, Causemos, Arundel, Asidefromaday, Beliefs, Cloud, Decortica, Dysrhytmia, Endless Melancholy, FPRF, Glass Vaults, Handlingnoise, Hans Zimmer, Hazy Mountains, Helios, Insomnium, Jack Trammell, Kevin Hufnagel, the Mark Lanegan Band, Mile End, Black Marble, Matchbox Twenty, Mist Glider, Moonshine Blues, Nick Efremov, A Place of Owls, Pulsar Wind Nebula, SkyPilot, Spc-Eco, Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, & Reinhold Heil, the Townhouses.

Thank you so much for reading and enjoy these wonderful selections!

Amorphis-The Beginning of Times (2011)

Today I am looking at an album that I gave a lukewarm reception to immediately upon its release.  This album is the latest by Finnish band Amorphis. 

Amorphis formed in 1990 and has since slowly changed sound style.  I was a big fan of the band from their previous releases, "Eclipse" and "Skyforger".  When I first heard back in 2011 that Amorphis would be releasing a new album, I was excited.  After I heard the first track released my excitement was dimmed.  I still have not purchased their latest record, "The Beginning of Times," but decided today that I would give it the closer look it deserves.

Often compared to Opeth, Amorphis plays strongly melodic metal leaning to the progressive end of the spectrum.  The sound is chunky and somewhat rooted in Finnish folklore, with driving lead guitars dueling ahead of the heavy riffing.  This style is indicative of much of Amorphis' latest work.  What really defines this band, however, is the vocal work of Tomi Joutsen.  Joutsen performs all of the band's vocals, flawlessly shifting from uplifting clean singing to guttural roars.  Few metal vocalists can pull off this feat as well as Joutsen. 

The two songs I have heard from "The Beginning of Times" contrast.  You I Need focuses on more somber, reflective material, whereas My Enemy starts off with deep growls before shifting into the glorious cleans.  Both songs are progressive and memorably melodic.  This is a disc I may add to my ever-growing list of albums to purchase.  It somehow slipped through the cracks in 2011, but Amorphis is still perhaps one of the best metal bands to ever originate from Finland, and this is a country that churns out high numbers of metal bands per capita. 

If you are into metal with progressive and melodic roots, you may want to check out Amorphis if you have not yet.  Here are the two tracks I have heard.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Isis-Pliable Foe

We have another random look at new music that is new to me today.  Scream all you want, but until now I had never paid much attention to Isis.  All I can say is two words: Perception. Changed.  Isis is an American post-metal band formed in 1997.  For some reason, I never really had much desire to look into their music.  I knew about them, sure, but I had just never listened to any of their music.  Isis disbanded in 2011, but is gearing up to release a new 'rarities' album called "Temporal." 

The style of music combines clean vocal singing with progressive, acoustic instrumentation with bouts of heavy guitar distortion and heavy drums.  If you like progressive metal, then there is a good chance you also like post-metal.  Post-metal is a sub genre that is not exactly loaded with great talent.  I know of Pelican and Isis so far.  As I have only heard one song from Isis, I can't positively say that I like Isis better, but the one song I have heard is very good. 

This rare track is called Pliable Foe. Check out the video here and let me know what you think.  Do you think I should look into to Isis' back catalog?  Enjoy!

Decortica-11811 review

I know I am not likely the first to review any album.  Invariably, there are numerous other blogs, some of which will get to it before I do, and some of those can review albums before they are released.  Since I do not have that luxury, I am forced to join the fray just a little late.  Thankfully, there is no such thing as too many reviews of any one album.  Everyone will have differing opinions naturally, and that is to the advantage of the average listener, who may need a second opinion.

The newest album by New Zealand's Decortica, "11811", was released last week to generally positive reviews.  Oddly enough, it was the album cover, depicted above, which prompted me to give this album a listen.  While true that as far as cover art goes this is about as bland as it gets, I found myself intrigued.  I had never heard of Decortica before, so a surprise was surely in store.

Decortica performs alternative and progressive-styled rock and metal similar in some respects to Deftones.  Progressive rock and metal riffage wraps around excellent rhythmic drum work and mostly clean-sung vocals, but with a few screams.  This also sounds similar to what older Chevelle provided, but more decisively in favor of metal riffing.  Keyboards are used sparingly to create astounding atmospheres played against both new and old school metal riffing and excellent guitar leads.  As I mentioned before, If you like Deftones, chances are you will dig Decortica.

The problem with this album is that it is not widely available.  Neither Amazon nor iTunes has it.  So far the only reputable source from which to buy this is Decortica's bandcamp page at $17.99 in New Zealand dollars, which converts to about $14.50 in American cash.  This is a good album, but at some points sounds unsurprisingly familiar and even a little band.  While still certainly worth the purchase price, it is not the best alternative/progressive rock album out there. 

Take a listen to the album stream from bandcamp below.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Between the Buried and Me-The Parallax II review

There is something exhilarating about listening to music that's both unpredictable and comfortable.  You think you know what kind of music a band likes to perform and they add just enough style, flair, and substance to keep listeners entertained for hours.  Such is the experience I just on the maiden spin of Between the Buried and Me's brand new album "The Parallax II: Future Sequence."

This album has been highly anticipated since just after part I of "The Parallax" was released as an EP in 2010.  That disc hinted at what was to come and showed great progress from the band.  Its three tracks totaled more than 30 minutes of music. "The Parallax II" gives us nine tracks worth well over an hour of great tunes.

Nothing on this disc is your standard fare from melodic-tech-prog metal which is refreshing in many ways.  First, what I hinted about earlier is that the band string together complex melodies that do not rob the music of its soul, making for an unpredictable listening experience. Just when you think you have a track figured out as a laid-back melodic piece, or a neck-breaking shred metal song (or vice versa), the track reveals more of its true nature by introducing a different style.  This change of pace, which happens often throughout the album, is not so drastic that it snaps your neck and leaves you wondering what the heck just happened, because more or less, you knew it was coming.  The band hints at these moments just enough to warn you.  It takes real skill to pull off this kind of tech.  Luckily BTBAM have skill in spades.

Plentiful jazzy melodies are scattered throughout the album, along with clean, reflective vocals.  The vocal style moves back and forth from cleans to throat-shredding growls often. Once again, these guys deliver talent in the vocal department.  You know instantly who you are listening to because no other vocalist in metal sounds quite like Tommy Giles Rogers.

Another item of note about the music is that the keyboards bring spacey melodies to light just long enough to arouse interest, but not so long as to become overbearing. 

The bass on this album is well-played and easy to pick out from the metal carnage.  It often sounds like a fretless bass, though I could not find any information confirming this.  You have to hear it to understand its place in the music.

"The Parallax II: Future Sequence" was worth the wait.  This is a great album that is a must own for fans of progressive metal in general and for fans of BTBAM.  The track below is available for free download at Soundcloud.  Give it a listen and be impressed.  As always, thanks for reading!

Katatonia-Dead End Kings

There are a lot of bands which, though the music may be good, you can't take seriously based on the band name alone.  I'm not saying Katatonia is a bad name, just that there are one too many metal bands that choose to spell their names differently because a 'k' looks harsher than a 'c'.  That is, in my opinion, a shallow way of looking at it.  I'll admit it.  I never gave Katatonia a chance based on the fact that thier name starts with a 'k'.  I also admit this is not a great way to start a blog entry.  That's why I have moved it down further into the body of the text.  See, I can be sneaky, just like Katatonia, whom most still deem as a metal band.

Katatonia's roots are in progressive metal for sure.  This band sounds in some ways like newer-era Dream Theater, just a little harder, or newer-era Amorphis, just not as heavy--or somewhere in between.  The metal blogging universe has been talking about this album since news of its inception first hit.  This is because Katatonia is a long-tenured and well-respected band no matter which way you slice it.  I didn't realize that Niklas Sundin, from one of my favorite metal bands of all time, Dark Tranquillity, is part of Katatonia.

The best way to descibe this Swedish band's newest batch of music is as a blend of modern progressive rock with occasional metallic riffs, soaked with dark, atmospheric melodies.  Frontman Jonas Renkse lends plenty of fluid emotion to the mic, while beautifully strummed guitar melodies and an undercurrent of keyboard fill out the sound. 

Dead End Kings doesn't have a definite standout track, nor does it have any obvious filler material.  Instead, what we have is 11 delicious cuts of prime progressive rock.  This is yet another great album from a great band.  You don't have to be a fan of metal to enjoy Dead End Kings.  Bow to the majestic reign of Katatonia.  You will not be disappointed.  4.7/5 stars.  Lisen to First Prayer and Dead Letters below.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!