Sonata Arctica, Stones Grow Her Name (2012)

Tracklist:

1. Only the Broken Hearts (Make you Beautiful)
2. Shitload O’ Money
3. Losing My Insanity
4. Somewhere Close to You
5. I Have a Right
6. Alone in Heaven
7. The Day
8. Cinderblox
9. Don’t Be Mean
10. Wildfire, Part II: One with the Mountain
11. Wildfire, Part III: Wildfire Town, Population: 0
12. Tonight I Dance Alone (Bonus Track)

Sonata Arctica are the sort of band that you might expect find making coffee in your kitchen the morning after a heavy night.  Since their formation in the mid-90s, they have released a hatful of albums, establishing their own distinct sound through a blend of power metal, operatic, and synth pop influences.  And, having grown into metal alongside their music, it’s fair to say that the band are one of the few whose next album I always eagerly await.  If you’re familiar with their work, you’ll know what to expect: rich synths, heavy guitars, constant interchanges between fast, intricate and slow, plodding harmonies, and, above all, wild melodies in all departments.

June 2012 – Preview

So much to hear, so little time!  Today is the release date for Australian death metallers, Be’lakor’s new album, Of Breath and Bone, while a few albums I had been planning to cover in May are still outstanding.  All this will be an ongoing project over the coming month.  In general, though, I’m planning to use June to explore some more obscure bands, signed and unsigned, across a range of genres.  Expect some new names and sounds!

Inner Fear, First Born Fear (2012)

Tracklist:

1. I.N.T.R.O
2. Fear Proclaimed
3. Imprisoned in Forgotten Dungeon
4. Lustmistress
5. I Watch the Blood Forever
6. Inner Fear
7. Love Is a Poisonous Cunt
8. Our Crimson Deeds
9. Akhu
10. Secrets Holders

 

A dingy band name, a suggestive album title, but, all in all, not your regular bundle of darkened thrash.  Inner Fear were first established by current Cradle of Filth drummer, Marthus Skaroupka, way back in 1997.  But, through one thing and another, they haven’t been able to produce much before now; this is the band’s full-length debut.  With a new cast accompanying Mathus’ drums and keys, including male and female vocalists, Sergey Baidikov and Viktorija Anselmo, Ashok Smerda and Khopek Fausek on guitars, and Sergey Karshev on bass, this Czech project seems finally have come to fruition.

Engel, Blood of Saints (2012)

Tracklist:

1. Question Your Place
2. Frontline
3. Feel Afraid
4. Numb
5. Cash King
6. One Good Thing
7. Blood of Saints
8. Down To Nothing
9. Drama Queen
10. In Darkness
11. Journeys End

Engel have been going some time, and, despite a pretty good reputation, they were a band I’d had little to do with before now.  A five-piece outfit from Sweden’s famed Gothenburg school of melodic extremes, Blood of Saints is their third studio album, and has already received some high-scoring reviews.  This is a 38-minute collection of 3- and 4-minute metal anthems, sporting an adventurous mix of death, modern, and electronic sounds, in a style which immediately had me thinking to Scar Symmetry.  Certainly, there are similarities: continuous interplay between death and clean – but very much heavy metal – vocals; driving riffs and beats; and pounding techno blasts.  Alongside some hurried youtube research into their past material, all this gave me high hopes.

Xandria, Neverworld’s End (2012)

Tracklist:

1. A Prophesy of Worlds to Fall
2. Valentine
3. Forevermore
4. Euphoria
5. Blood on my Hands
6. Soulcrusher
7. The Dream is Still Alive
8. The Lost Elysion
9. Call of the Wind
10. A Thousand Letters
11. Cursed
12. The Nomad’s Crown
13. When the Mirror Cracks (bonus track)

“Once there was a time of a never-ending dream”.  Sound familiar?*  This is Xandria’s first full-length release since 2007, and, sporting luxurious strings, moaning guitars, and a new frontwoman, Neverworld’s End sees the band reaching towards the pinnacle of the symphonic metal genre.  It shows, for better and for worse.

In Mourning, The Weight of Oceans (2012)

Tracklist:

1. Colossus
2. A Vow to Conquer the Ocean
3. From a Tidal Sleep
4. Celestial Tear
5. Convergence
6. Sirens
7. Isle of Solace
8. The Drowning Sun
9. Voyage of a Wavering Mind

The Weight of Oceans is the third full-length album of Swedish metalheads, In Mourning, and one which will undoubtedly maintain their reputation as one of the sharpest, technically gifted, and adept bands in the business.  The deep, tightly woven textures, cutting guitar melodies, and complex rhythms which brought their previous releases so much acclaim are ever-present. 

Riverain, Overstepping the Verge (2010)

Tracklist:

1. Falling Asleep (intro)
2. The Dream
3. Breaking Test
4. Heart of Steel
5. Wizard
6. Tears Shed in the Sand
7. Madman
8. K-129
9. Look Me in the Eyes
10. Spirits of the Forest
11. The Dream Ends (outro)

It’s not exactly new, but I won’t pretend its not a pleasure to have this album for my first review.  Little-known Russian band, Riverain, are a five-piece outfit, sporting the growling female vocals of founder-member Anastasia Ligotskaya alongside four guitar, bass, and drum playing men.  That’s where the certainties end.  Riverain are a group typically labelled melodic death metal, but they don’t seem to bothered with stuffing themselves into any pigeon holes.  “The band’s actual style”, reads their webpage, “can be described as varying from melodic death and modern metal to progressive metal with art rock touch.”