I have been a fan of the Grammy-nominated, UK based extreme melodic power metal band, Dragonforce ever since I was introduced to them in 2006. This was the year “Inhuman Rampage” was released and the album that catapulted them into the mainstream. Recently though, they have fallen off my radar slightly and when the chance to review their brand new album came up, I couldn’t say no.

Formed in 1999 by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, under the name Dragonheart, they had to change their name to Dragonforce in 2002 after they discovered another power metal band had the same name. Known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy themed lyrics and electronic sounds, the Dragonforce success and reputation is largely down to the guitar wizardry of both Li and Totman and they have a retro video game-influenced sound that is always paid homage to in their videos.

Dragonforce is power metal, played at ridiculously fast speeds with extended guitar solos and catchy, if somewhat cheesy, choruses and this can turn some people off them, so it was interesting to see if their new album “Reaching Into Infinity”, released on 19th May 2017, carried on in the same way.

“Reaching into Infinity” is the band’s seventh studio album, the third to feature ‘new’ singer Marc Hudson (who has actually been frontman for six years now after former singer ZP Theart’s departure in 2010!), and the first to feature new drummer, italian Gee Anzalone, and has been released by Metal Blade Records.

So, is this ‘just another’ Dragonforce album?

With the bulk of the album laid down at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden, with some additional parts cut in at studios around the UK and California while on the “Killer Elite” tour, the album was produced by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia and Soilwork) with most of the songs written by Frederic Leclerq and Sam Totman.

There are still the duelling guitar harmonies, drums that never take a break, orchestral synthesizers and epic lyrics that make up the Dragonforce trademark sound, but they have also undergone a bit of an evolution in the three years since their last album “Maximum Overload.” As per their PR notes, musically speaking “the band’s faster material is becoming even faster still, while the melodic parts head even further in that direction.” This could be the influence of vocalist Marc Hudson, who is a fan of progressive metal or the fact that keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov is a big Dream Theater fan, but either way I think it adds to their sound. Everything is not done at breakneck speed on this album, the listener is not whizzed on a hundred mile an hour journey through 45 minutes of metal that has been played as fast as Li and Totman’s fingers could possibly go! There are speed changes throughout the album, sometimes throughout a track and this is a welcome change. They have a more generic power metal sound but with the Dragonforce twist.

Says Herman Li, “in some ways this album is more epic than anything we’ve done before. With each album we make the band reveal more and more of its influences, constantly adding to what we do.”

And the band offer no apology for the inclusion of the 1980’s rock style ballad titled “Silence” either. And why should they? Some people would think that for a band with a sound like Dragonforce, a power ballad is just a waste of time, but personally I love a good power ballad and this one is done well. It has all the elements that make a good power ballad and being half way through it offers a few minutes solace from the speed and velocity of the rest of the album. So I say, well done Dragonforce, this song alone proves there is more to you than just breakneck speed guitar playing!

Another song to point out is “War!” a track that mixes thrash with power metal. Hudson has already proved he has the voice to be a power metal singer but with this track he has shown he has the thrash element too.

The last but one track “Edge of the World” is an 11-minute, multi-tempoed epic that features something Dragonforce have never done before…..growling vocals!! How about that for an evolution in their music?

And the last thing to mention, is the fantastic artwork on the sleeve of the album which depicts a dragon (yay!) bursting through a wormhole into a high tech, futuristic cityscape. Says Li: “the dragon represents us – Dragonforce – and a form of music that’s been around for a very long time, emerging into an outside world that’s infinitely more crazy and chaotic than it was 10 years ago.”

So, there you have it. The new album from Dragonforce is NOT “just another album” by them. It is an evolution, a progression in their musical journey and one I think they possibly needed to make.

Listening to the album took me back a decade, and although I was in a much different place then, it was nice to be reminded of the music I used to listen to.

I saw them at The Astoria in Dec 2006 and, after listening to this album, I am planning on seeing them this October at The Electric Ballroom!

Like them or not, Dragonforce are back!

TRACKLISTING:
01. Reaching into Infinity
02. Ashes of the Dawn
03. Judgement Day
04. Astral Empire
05. Curse of Darkness
06. Silence
07. Midnight Madness
08. WAR!
09. Land of Shattered Dreams
10. The Edge of the World
11. Our Final Stand

LINE-UP:
Herman Li – Guitars, Vocals (backing)
Sam Totman – Guitars, Vocals (backing)
Vadim Pruzhanov – Keyboards, Vocals (backing)
Frédéric Leclercq – Bass, Vocals (backing, choirs)
Marc Hudson – Vocals
Gee Anzalone – Drums, Vocals (backing)

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith, The Metal Asylum and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities

Originally posted on Ever Metal

One of the things that always astounds me about metal music is talent that usually stays hidden, lost in the underground scene and floating around in unsigned bands. I know of many bands, new and old, that have a lot more talent in their combined little fingers than some of the more popular, “bigger” bands who have “made it.” While this seems somewhat unfair, it is unfortunately a way of the business but doing what I do, it means I can find these hidden gems and try to get them out to as many as people as I can.

This is true of this band, Exist, a thrash metal band hailing from Toruń, Poland. Formed in 2014 by two 13-year-old guitarists, Kacper and Felix and drummer Jochu, the oldest member of the band now is bassist Kamil, who is still just 18 years of age.

But what a band they are! Inspired mainly by the new wave of thrash metal but with the old school influences still apparent, they have been gigging since 2015 and this is their debut EP titled “Get Your Own”

On first play through I thought I had been given another instrumental band as the first track, also titled ‘Get Your Own’ had an intro of over 3 minutes, the length of the track being over 7! But it was a good track to start the ep off, showing influences of all the top thrash bands.

The second track is ‘Lawlessness’ and is the shortest track on the ep. It has an in your face attitude all the way through before dropping tempo ever so slightly at around three minutes only for it to gather memento again.

Third track ‘On Your Own Accord’, again at over 7 minutes in length, features the galloping riffs that I oh so adore and is my favourite on the ep while the final track ‘Exist’ opens up with a 2-and-a-half-minute duel between drums and guitars before it crashes into a full-on thrash assault.

This ep is fast-paced, groove infused thrash metal, full of galloping riffs, fast drums and classic thrash metal vocals. Listening through I can hear hints of Metallica, Slayer and even Iron Maiden at times. Ok, so these guys won’t win any awards for originality but we need to bear in mind this is played by a band who’s ELDEST member is 18 years old!! These guys can play and so what if they are “borrowing” a formula that has succeeded for so many bands before them? They are young and have so many years in front of them in which to grow.

I think “Exist” have a very bright future in front of them and I wait with baited breath for their next release.

They might not be able to drink beer but they sure can shred!!

TRACKLISTING:
01. Get Your Own
02. Lawlessness
03. On Your Own Accord
04. Exist

LINE-UP:
Kamil Mikołajczyk – Bass
Jan Szymeczko – Drums
Felix Jakubowski – Guitars (lead)
Kacper Tyloch – Vocals, Guitars (rhythm)

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith, The Metal Asylum and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities

Originally posted on Ever Metal

For fans of Delain, Lacuna Coil, Epica, Letters from The Fire and Nightwish, Insatia are a female fronted, melodic, symphonic, power metal band from Amercia and Canada and “Phoenix Aflame” is their sophomore recording.

Founded in 2009, they have previously released one self-produced album, their debut “Asylum Denied” and they have opened for multiple international acts, including Sonata Artica and Dark Tranquility.

Produced by Fabio D’Amore (Serenity), Ivan Moni Bidin (Starsick System, Pathosray, Late Warning) and Staffan Karlsson (Arch Enemy, Firewind and Roxette), “Phoenix Aflame” could be seen as a symbolism of the changes that have happened in the band since the first release. Almost all the previous members have been replaced, except for singer Zoé Federoff, and it is around her that the new band has been based. They are a band reborn and re-energised. They have been through tumultuous times but, like a phoenix that arises from its own ashes, so have they.

Recorded at St Cecilia Studios in Tuscon, Arizona (and then later in Italy) with engineers Steven Lee Tracy and Robbie Wiliamson, the album features a host of guest musicians from Apollo Papathanasio (ex-Firewind, Spiritual Beggar) and Chris Amott (ex-Arch Enemy, Armageddon) to Christian Hermsdörfer (ex-Visions of Atlantis, Serenity) and Erica James Foster (The Erica James Band) and the sleeve artwork is absolutely fantastic, fantasy driven as all symphonic power metal albums should be, a true work of art.

However, although the album is solid and consistent, it doesn’t measure up to the artwork. The guitars and vocals are the main aspects of this band, and although Kaelen Sarakinis is a fantastic guitar player who can produce great solos (especially on the title track), the remaining musicians almost blend into the background.

Zoé’s vocals are beautiful and captivating but I think at times she needs to be a bit more powerful. Thankfully, she doesn’t reach the screechy heights that some symphonic metal singers reach, and she does have a strong voice so I am by no means saying she cannot sing because she can, and very well too. I think with the emotion and feeling that comes with a lot of symphonic metal tracks, she should just let herself go a bit more and let the passion flow out of her in her singing.

I have seen mixed reviews about this album, from the reviewer loving every aspect of it, to one who hated it and my honest reviewer’s opinion is that it is a good album!

Each song is solid and the songwriting is tight and concise, but nothing stands out to me as the “epic” piece on the album. Everything has been done before and although I have no problem with a band following a recipe that has been ‘safe’ for their predecessors, I do think they need to push their limits a bit, and maybe it will give them that little bit of edge over bands of the same genre.

With a little bit more magic this band could easily be an 8 or a 9!!

TRACKLISTING:
01. Land of the Living (Intro)
02. Act of Mercy
03. Memory of a Sapphire
04. Sacred
05. We are the Grey
06. Phoenix Aflame
07. Not My God
08. Captor and Captive
09. Velvet Road
10. Healer of Hatred

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith, The Metal Asylum and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities

Originally posted on Ever Metal

With one leg stuck in medieval times and the other in modern metal, Apocalypse Orchestra have produced a genre that could be almost entirely their own. Combining the tone of the hurdy-gurdy (a traditional violin-like stringed instrument) and bagpipes with heavy guitars, they have brought together music that had been separated for more than 800 years.

Hailing from Gävle in Sweden, Apocalypse Orchestra was formed in 2013 by musical partners in crime, Mikael Lindstrom and Erik Larsson, and inspired by their love of folk music and slow metal, they decided to combine the two. With a foundation of original music and lyrics, they have incorporated melodies from as far back as the 11th century with the band’s goal being to “create a musical homage to a bygone musical era.”

With a live show that features theatrical performances, fire and projected animation, the band have become one of the most talked about acts currently on the Swedish circuit, and lyrical themes range from the everyday toils of man in the dark ages, to art, science and literature to views of other world existence.

Recorded throughout the latter half of 2016, The End is Nigh is the band’s debut album and was released on Despotz Records on 12th May 2017. The drums were tracked at Studio Overlook by William Blackmon (Gadget, Beardfish, Isole) while the rest of the album was recorded at Studio Bordun by the band themselves. The album was mixed by Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry and Zierler at Studi Kabyss and focuses on tales of the plague, hell and the meaninglessness of war and suffering.

Bagpipes kick off the album with the first single, The Garden of Earthly Delights, after which the band then crash into Pyre, a song about witch trials, The Spanish Inquisition and wrongful accusations whereas Exhale thinks about mankind’s mortality and fear of death. The album’s crescendo, Here Be Monsters “gazes into the far distant, across the sea, and into the abyss.”

Each track is above average in length, usually 7-8 minutes in length and the whole album is 59 minutes of epic folk and doom metal. Folk metal has always been a genre I had shied away from whereas I love the slow pace of doom, and this album perfectly combines the two. There is a progressiveness to their sound and this is seen in the excellent song writing and musicianship of each member of the band.

The vocals are clean and dark, almost chanting, and with the choral backing vocals, the whole album has a very melancholic mood and tone. It kind of reminds me of the 90’s band Enigma, if it has been “metalled” up somewhat.

This album is a re-working of a previous EP released in 2015, with the first four tracks being re-recordings, plus a further four new songs and as a debut I am thoroughly impressed.

This is a must have album for both doom lovers and folk fans alike and I, for one, can’t wait to see what the future holds for these guys!

TRACKLISTING:
1. The Garden of Earthly Delights
2. Pyre
3. Flagellants’ Song
4. Exhale
5. Theatre of War
6. The Great Mortality
7. To Embark
8. Here Be Monsters

LINE-UP:
Jonas Lindh – Guitars, mandola, backing vocals
Jimmy Mattsson – Bass, backing vocals
Andreas Skoglund – Drums and percussion, backing vocals
Mikael Lindström – Hurdy gurdy, bagpipes, rauschpfeife, backing vocals
Erik Larsson – Guitars, mandola, cittern, lead vocals

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith, The Metal Asylum and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities

Seeing as my last couple of reviews have been power metal reviews (which I have NOT got a problem with. In fact, I love power metal) it was nice to review something of a different genre of rock, and Social Stain lived up to the challenge. For a start, I love the name of the band as it reminds me of many people I have met during my life who could be referred to as social stains but that’s another story! (and we don’t need to go into that here!)

Social Stain are a Finnish band, formed in Lahti in late 2014 by bassist Toni Broman (Damngod, ex-Before The Dawn) who needed an outlet for his hard rock songs and he soon hooked up with Teemu Kokkonen(vocals, ex-Disformed), Antti Kokkonen (guitar, Profane Omen) and Mika Tanttu (drums, Kill the Romance) to form the four-piece they are today.

Social Stain (the album) is their debut recording, released on the Social Stain label on 13th January 2017 and features a unique recipe of 90’s influenced hard rock with a touch of metal, a punky no-nonsense attitude and all-round solid musicianship.

Opening with a guitar solo on “Breakout” (showing this is a band who don’t conform to the normal rules!) the beginning of the album is pure old fashioned ballsy heavy rock and reminisces of the Load-era from Metallica and this carries onto the next track “Dead Man Talking”, while “Time to Bleed” and “Possessed” are very much influenced by Therapy?

But this doesn’t mean they are a two trick pony…oh no! With obvious influences including the likes of AC/DC, Alice in Chains and Guns n Roses as well as the aforementioned Metallica and Therapy? this band can seemingly change their sound with each and every track, proving just what a talented bunch these guys really are.

The best track on the album is “Walls” which was, funnily enough, the first track I heard (for some reason the stereo in my car decided to play that one first!) and what a track. If there was a song that had to sum this band up, then “Walls” would be the one to do it; punky, hard rock with oodles of attitude!

But what surprised me the most about this album was the track “At Peace”. With most of the album having a punchy, in your face attitude, five tracks from the end they decide to throw in a ballad! Yes, a ballad! This shocked me somewhat the first time I heard it as I wasn’t expecting anything like this to be on this album, some people might even think it doesn’t belong on there. BUT, they do it well, showing yet again, their diversity and talent.

With memorable hooks, heavy riffs and unforgettable choruses, this album is 12 tracks of pure, high-octane rock and roll. Social Stain have their roots firmly set in the 90’s era of hard rock and they don’t even try to deviate from this. They are not a revolutionary band, they will not try to steer you to a different genre of rock/metal you have never heard before and they certainly won’t be breaking any new ground with this album.

BUT, what you do get is 48-ish minutes of loud, old-fashioned rock and roll and I, for one, love it!!

When’s the next one out guys??

TRACKLISTING:
1. Breakout
2. Dead Man Talking
3. Red Star Rising
4. Good Old Days
5. Joke’s on You
6. (Ain’t Got) Time to Bleed
7. Possessed
8. At Peace
9. The Unknown
10. Walls
11. Social Stain
12. Backstabber

LINE-UP:
Toni Broman – Bass
Teemu Kokkonen – Vocals
Antti Kokkonen – Guitar
Mika Tanttu – Drums

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith, The Metal Asylum and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

The best thing about reviewing it the fact that we, as reviewers, need to step outside of our comfort zone every once in a while and review something we might not necessarily like. For me, that would be extreme death metal (which thankfully this album is not!) or an album full of instrumental tracks. This album is the latter.

I have never been a fan of instrumental songs, never really seeing much point in them really. In my experience, most people who listen to music want something to sing along to, something they can really get their mouth around, so to speak, and this is not something you can do with an instrumental. As a result I have never really been a fan of the greats such as Joe Satriani or Steve Vai (I know, I know, shoot me now!) BUT, as I said, I have to break my boundaries once in a while and so I thought why not give this one a go?

Northern Lines were officially formed at the end of 2012 although the three members have worked together in one form or another since 2008. Hailing from Rome, Italy they all had a “necessity to have free musical space, free from trending patterns, with their roots solidly anchored in the 1970’s.” They are probably best described as progressive rock, although personally I hate the way bands have to be pigeon-holed into one genre or another, and have cited their influences to include Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, The Aristocrats and Rush.

May/June 2016 saw the band enter the Music Up Recording Studio in Rome to begin recording their second album and “The Fearmonger” is the result, released under Metal Message Global PR in January 2017.

The album is a concept album where death is the leading theme – “a death seen through the eyes of fear, a paralysing emotion but of surprising effect nonetheless” – and is just over 48 minutes of completely instrumental music, interspersed with what sounds like Italian spoken word.

It encompasses classic patterns and riffs, albeit with odd time signatures at times, changes of tempo and style, all with a hard rock approach and incorporates sounds of classic metal and progressive rock but also with a bit of funk, blues and jazz thrown in for good measure. One minute you are listening to the full on riffs of the opening track “Mast Cell Disorder” and the next, the album is closing with the Floyd-esque “Most People are Dead” and there is everything in between.

No track sounds the same and this album really does feel like it is taking you on a journey, proving just how powerful instruments can be. Not only do words convey meaning and emotion, but music does too, and every one of these tracks is brimming with feeling and emotion.

As I mentioned at the start of this review, I was not altogether too keen on instrumentals so could this be the album that changes my opinion of them? I wouldn’t say I was a complete convert now but “The Fearmonger” is probably a good place to start. I did think when I first popped the usb into my car and listened to it for the first time that this would probably be the one and only time I played it. But after a few run throughs I’m not so sure. Sometimes no words are needed!

I hope to hear a lot more from this Roman trio and think they have a LOT to offer the world of progressive rock and metal.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Mast Cell Disorder
2. Session 1
3. Shockwave
4. Nightwalk
5. Session 2
6. Machine Man
7. Meteor
8. Jukurrpa
9. Towards The End
10. Apathy Fields
11. Most People Are Dead

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith, The Metal Asylum and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities

When I pick up a new album to review, especially one of a band I have never heard of, I don’t do tons of research about them, I don’t look on the internet to see how much I can find out about them. I simply load the album into my car and listen. I find this gives me no preconceptions about the band, or their music, and no factors that could influence what I think of the album.

Such was true of Burning Point. I had all the info I needed about them at the touch of a button but wanted to listen to the music before I thought about anything else.

The first thing that sprung to mind while on the first run through of the album was that it sounded very much like Battle Beast, so imagine my surprise when I finally did my research into the band and discovered that none other than Nitte Valo, former singer of aforementioned Battle Beast had been enlisted as vocalist to Burning Point in 2014 (showing that I am honing my skills at picking out such details and to have noticed this was something I was very proud of!)

Formed in the late 1990’s by mastermind Pete Ahonen, Burning Point are a power metal band hailing from Oulu, Finland and The Blaze is their seventh album to date, released on AFM Records on 20th January 2017. I am a bit late to the party where this album is concerned, but you know what they say…..better late than never!! And what an album it is!

The first album consisting of entirely new material, The Blaze concentrates on the bands strengths, being “European power metal of the melodic kind, spliced with bit of hard rock but also Judas Priest-like nuances which makes The Blaze a boiling, fiery mixture!” and is an absolute must for all fans of early 2000’s power metal.

Recorded at Helgat Studio, mixed by Jussi Ontero and mastered by Minerva Pappi, all music and lyrics have been written by the only surviving founding member, Pete Ahonen, the exception being the bonus track “Metal Queen” which is a cover of the Lee Aaron classic.

Another thing I learned about Burning Point during my research is that they are another band who have swapped from a male to female singer, Pete Ahonen passing on his microphone to concentrate more on his guitar playing and song writing. As I have no idea what they sounded like with Pete on the vocals I have nothing to compare this album to, but I had always liked Valo as the vocalist with Battle Beast, her aggressive, raw-edged singing style very distinctive and her unmistakable voice now adds that “something special” to an already established band. Making such a change in personnel is risky for any band but I think they have managed to pull it off here (I will, of course, go and check out a previous album just to be certain though!)

The album opens with the fast-paced “Master Them All” and is an instant winner, setting the tone for the rest of the album to come, and it followed up with the equally awesome “The Time Has Come.”

With hard, melodic guitar riffs and a groovy rhythm section from the drums and bass, along with some great keyboard work, most of the songs on here are mid to up-tempo, emulating typically fast European speed metal, but with a fantastic female voice thrown in.

But that doesn’t mean this band cannot do the slower tempo songs though. “My Spirit” and “Lost in your Thoughts,” are both slow, galloping songs with a more gentle tone but which that showcase Valo’s incredible vocals.

Being the power metal freak that I am, I love this album and think that anyone who had ever been a fan of the power metal era should go and give this a listen. I will certainly be checking out the band’s back catalogue and look forward to anything they do in the future.

Power metal may not be the genre of choice at the moment but with bands like this, it certainly could be soon!!

TRACKLISTING:
01. Master Them All
02. Time Has Come
03. Incarnation
04. My Spirit
05. The Lie
06. Dark Winged Angel
07. Chaos Rising
08. Lost In Your Thoughts
09. Things That Drag Me Down
10. The King Is Dead, Long Live the King
Bonus Track
11. Metal Queen (Lee Aaron cover)

LINE-UP:
Pete Ahonen – Guitars, Vocals (backing)
Jussi Ontero – Drums
Pekka Kolivuori – Guitars
Sami Nyman – Bass, Vocals (backing)
Jarkko Väisänen – Keyboards
Nitte Valo – Vocals

Originally posted on Ever Metal

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith, The Metal Asylum and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities