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!

Mechina-Empyrean review

I had January 1, 2013 circled on my proverbial calender for the last four months of 2012.  Something significant was happening that day.  What was it?  The release of Mechina's new album "Empyrean", of course!

Now that I have finally had a chance to listen to and digest the album, I can offer my thoughts on it.  Thought #1: Holy moly!  Thought #2: Wow.  Thought #3: This is a great album.  All kidding aside, "Empyrean" is everything it has been hyped up to be and more.  Mechina is a criminally underrated band that doesn't get nearly the kind of publicity they deserve.  So I am here doing my part to get the word out about this fantastic album.

Mechina is a symphonic industrial metal band from Illinois.  By blending full orchestral music with loud industrial metal, they have created a unique sound.  The lead singer for Mechina has a strong melodic singing voice, but deep screams that are just as good.  The clean vocals sound a lot like Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory.  The band blends these two vocal styles just right on this album, which leads to an even fuller, more 'epic' listen. 

This band is easily more refined than Fear Factory through the use of keyboards and orchestras.  Instead of sounding mechanical or even institutional, they sound both genuine and spaced-out.  Every track on this disc leads into the next perfectly leading to no jarring surprises, though the soulful female vocals in the final track were a wonderful addition.

If you are a fan of Fear Factory, give this album a listen.  You will like it.  Sorry this review has been so brief, but when I find an album this great, I find that mere words do not give the album the justice it deserves.  This album should be an early contender for the top 13 albums of 2013. 

I have found only one track to share with you, unfortunately.  Below is the title track from "Empyrean".  They did release an orchestral version of this track, which we mentioned a few months ago, but that track did not appear on the album.  Perhaps soon there will be a deluxe pack or a b-side release that features that amazing adaptation.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Griseus-Aquilus reveiw

Rarely do I find music I find interesting enough to share at No Clean Singing.  I still like that website for the off chance that I will find some entertaining metal, but those moments are growing fewer and further between.  Those of you who know me (or if you haven't guessed yet) know that I'm not fond of 'generic' music at all.  By 'generic' I do not mean that it sounds just like someone else or even dozens of other acts.  What I mean by 'generic' is that it simply conforms too much to the standards of the genre which they choose to perform.  These guidelines get to be much too rigid for too many bands.  And while NCS does cover a wide range of metal, most of it of the extreme category, too much of it is dull and uninteresting in my opinion.

Griseus is a one-man Aussie alternative metal act by Howard "Waldorf" Rosenqvist.  The genre they most associate with is darkened neoclassical folk, whatever that is. 

When I first saw the album cover for "Aquilus", I shrugged, thinking that this was just another black metal band.  Still, I read the review.  And when I did, I was interested enough to listen.  Dabbling equally in post-romanticism, folksy acoustical moments, and atmospheric extreme metal, Griseus manages to convey many different emotions in several styles of music that mesh surprisingly well.

This disc is not your standard fare for symphonic metal.  Most pieces are long, orchestral works with wailing electric guitars and loudly shrieked vocals, which creates a dark and unusually harmonic sound.  This is an album you must hear to believe.  There is no operatic singing, and the metal aspect is less pronounced than you might expect.  This is both a disturbing and memorably beautiful listening experience.  If you do not like extreme vocals at all, there is a chance you won't like this.  However, the vocals are mostly highlights rather than constant roars and shredding howls. 

This record is very unlike anything I have heard.  This project is nothing like SepticFlesh or Mechina or Epica.  It is a beautiful work that stands on its own.  Even if you do not normally listen to music you have never heard before, this might be worth your while. 

For your listening pleasure, the entire album stream, courtesy of Griseus' bandcame page, is below.  Enjoy and let us know what you think.  As always, thanks for reading!

Nemesea-The Quiet Resistance (2011)

As I have stated before, one of my main concerns about the genre of symphonic rock/metal is that the overpowering operatic vocals get to be too much, lending less creativity to the music.  Some bands sound better with operatic vocals, while some sound better without.  Nemesea is of the latter variety. 

Nemesea is a Dutch band fronted by the extremely talented Manda Ophuis.  She started the band in 2002.  "The Quiet Resistance" fom 2011 is their best effort to date, and rumor has it that they are working on a yet-to-be-titled fourth studio album.  Based on what "The Quiet Resistance" offers, the new album will be at the top of my list in 2013. 

Nemesea has been compared to After Forever, but I find tht comparison to be shaky at best.  After Forever wrote some strong metallic riffs with rangy, operatic vocals, while Nemesea dwell on more of a rock-oriented sphere, preferring catchy rock tunes highlighted with grand keyboard orchestras.  Nemesea operates on the premise of hooky tunes inspired by mainstream hard rock with some punchy metal riffing fronting the extraordinary symphonic melody.

"The Quiet Resistance" was  one of the standout albums of 2011.  It is a fantastic record.  While listners at times will be reminded of After Forever, the album will also bring to mind late Within Temptation and Epica.  Not all symphonic metal bands are created equal, and thankfully, Nemesea is on the top shelf.  If you enjoy epic hard rock and metal music, you will love this release. 

For your listening pleasure, I have embedded the entire playlist from "The Quiet Resistance" below.  Be sure to check out High Enough and Stay With Me, as these are the best tracks in my opinion. Thanks so much for reading and as always, enjoy!

Lunatica-New Shores review

Happy Friday, everyone!

The album I am reviewing today is not patently new.  Released in 2011, Lunatica's "New Shores" is an album that has consistently impressed every time I have listened to it.

Lunatica is a Swiss symphonic rock band similar in style to Within Temptation or Epica.  Thier sound is less symphonic and less metal than that of their peers, and the vocal style is decidedly not operatic.  That said, I stepped into this album with a small amount of trepidation.  After all, with a name like Lunatica, you don't find yourself itching to pick up any of their material.

"New Shores" is a more polished, mainstream version of the sound Within Temptation produces.  The vocals are not the greatest but they are melodic enough to be beautiful. 

Mostly progressive-styled rock riffs and rythms temper the symphonic keyboard sounds throuout this album.  The drumming is chunky and precise.  As with most so-called symphonic metal bands, Lunatica's sound is nothing ground-breaking.  It is a slimmed-down and more accessible record from the start. 

I know this has been a somewhat brief review, but there isn't a great amount to say about this disc.  It is a good listen if you are in the mood for some rock music with symphonic elements, but does not break any new ground.  Thus, I wouldn't put this album in the 'great' category.  However it is definitely 'good' in my opinion.  Take a listen to Into the Dissonance below.  Enjoy!

Xandria-Neverworld's End

Symphonic Metal is a genre of music that has been toyed with for decades and to varied success.  Bands like Epica and Within Temptation made a big splash and for good reasons.  If you are a fan of Epica, chances are you will like Xandria.

Xandria is a German band who serve up generous heaps of symphonic 'epicness' and weave it with old school, thrashy metal riffs and operatic vocals.  Manuela Kraller does an excellent job providing the vocals, which mostly stay in a lower range.  She doesn't go too high or hold notes for too long, which makes for a rewarding listen.

I would almost consider Xandria to be rock.  They don't use harsh vocals, nor do they present a dark, somber, almost gothic atmosphere like Within Temptation.  What I like about this band is that they are neither over-the-top symphonic nor overwhelmingly metal.  They find the right balance between punchy, chugging metallic guitar riffs and soothing, atmospheric symphonic sweeps. 

When I first heard about Xandria, I was excited to hear an album by them.  I considered purchasing "Salome-The Seventh Veil," but decided to hold on for their new album, which was to come out within a few months.  A few months ago, "Neverworld's End" finally did come out.  I was once again pleasantly surprised, for the band had improved in both execution and production.  It was a good purchase, which may lead me back to purchasing "Salome." 

Take a listen to Soulcrusher below.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!