Saturday, January 4, 2025
Days of Jupiter - three videos from melodic band's upcoming album "The World Was Never Enough"
Here are two videos from the Swedish melodic band Days of Jupiter, which is a new band to me (living under a rock, much?!), but in reality they have been active since 2010 and this will be their fifth album. The new album is called "The World Was Never Enough" and it is scheduled for the 7th of February, 2025. A word about the two videos. The first song "The Fix" is a good representation of their classic-style, melodic sound, what I sometimes call "adult contemporary metal," meaning that it sounds like parents or mature metal music or the opposite of low-IQ, gimmicky, fake-persona, shock-value and dumb-brain-lyrics metal music. This first song is a good representation of everything that you will get on the album. Now, about the second video. It is a ballad, which is not a good representation of their sound, but it is, as you already know, another aspect to their personality. Traditional classic-rock metal bands like to include a ballad or two, and Days of Jupiter follows such a tradition. Having said all that, I have a question for you: Are you interested in some sing-along music? Be careful, though, the lyrics to the second song, "Desolation," are not exactly cheerful. The music is soft, but the song is emotionally heavy.
The last video is for the song "Original Sin," another rather representative track from the band. This song will open the album. Check the music of Days of Jupiter, February 7th will be here in no time.
Days of Jupiter
The World Was Never Enough
Reigning Phoenix Music
7 February 2025
Original Sin 4:04
The World Was Never Enough 4:07
Machine 4:13
Desolation 3:52
The Fix 4:30
Parazite 5:07
My Heaven My Hell 4:32
Denial 4:34
Ignite 4:22
Invincible 4:57
BIO: "Hailing from Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, DAYS OF JUPITER formed in 2010 with a vision of creating modern metal with powerful melodies and meaningful lyrics. Over the years, they have released four critically acclaimed albums: Secrets Brought to Life (2012), Only Ashes Remain (2015), New Awakening (2017), and Panoptical (2018). With their distinctive sound and electrifying live performances, the band has toured extensively across Europe, captivating audiences in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Finland, and Estonia. Now, with The World Was Never Enough, DAYS OF JUPITER embarks on the next chapter of their remarkable journey."
DAYS OF JUPITER - The Fix (Official Music Video)
DAYS OF JUPITER - Desolation (Official Music Video)
DAYS OF JUPITER - Original Sin (Official Music Video)
https://www.facebook.com/DaysOfJupiterOfficial
Friday, January 3, 2025
Caressing Misery - Did someone finally do gothic metal right?!
I failed to tell you about this album that came out at the end of 2024. I meant to tell you about it, but I was hoping to write a real review. You know how it is, between work and family life, sometimes things don't get done.
Nevertheless, there is one particular reason why this album might be interesting to you: it is gothic metal. That genre is a bit like a porcupine. It's not always clear how to approach it. Often gothic metal vocalists sound so fake, with their exaggerated voices of Elvis-Don Juan that it seems just too much like a fake persona of a vampire. Or, sometimes the lyrics are just too plain stupid.
Well, I still don't have the lyrics for this album, so I have no idea if they are particularly low-IQ, but from what I can understand, the lyrics seem alright. Again, I cannot really confirm that statement, but I am not getting the feeling that the lyrics are awful, particularly immature or just too dumb to consider as a listening option.
There are some growling vocals, which I could do without because the hoarse screaming, in my worthless opinion, adds nothing to the music, as the gothic male singing sounds pretty good all by itself, and farm-animal noises are not necessary here. Good news: the screaming is used very little.
Despite my reservations because I do not have all the information that I need in order to make a real assessment, I think the album does sound good, it feels like a good listening experience. When gothic metal is done right, it is a fun listening experience and it is pleasant music, a nice change of pace compared to the usual barrage of noise and speed that lots of metal music is.
Check it out and see if you are ready for this gothic metal.
Caressing Misery
Lost and Serene
The Circle Music
12 December 2024
(gothic metal)
Pentacle - Vic Records reissue of "Archaic Undead" Fury EP
Pentacle (Holland) is a death metal band that began in 1989. They have an interesting discography, the vast majority of which I have on CDs and tapes. In terms of death metal, this is a sound that I like a lot. Fans of classic death metal might like to know that Vic Records in 2024 reissued the EP called Archaic Undead Fury from 2005. Below is the Vic Records link in case you would like learn more this reissue.
By the way, the band is still active today and continues to make classic-style death metal. They are not a band that was active only in the 1980s or 1990s. To show you more about the band's motivation for their music, below is an excerpt from an old interview from 2015. I am not sure about the name of the person that interviewed them for a publication that seemed to be called Metal Warfare. It's not an interview that I did with them (although I have published a Metal Bulletin Zine interview that I did with them in the early days of this zine). However, I do like this excerpt because it explains their thinking and it may interest some readers that are supporters of death metal.
"When both Mike and I (Wannes Gubbels)formed the band in 1989 it was obvious we would appeal only to a selected audience. One of the reasons why Pentacle was formed/developed was to ‘counter’ the second wave of Death Metal in the sense we wanted to pay homage to the originators of the scene: Venom, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Possessed, Messiah, Slaughter (CAN), Necrophagia, Deathstrike/Master, Necrovore, Mantas/Death, Bathory, Poison (GER), Repulsion, Samhain/DesExult, Mefisto, Mutilated etc. We loved releases like ‘Consuming Impulse’, ‘Left Hand Path’, ‘Slowly We Rot’, ‘Severed Survival’, ‘Lost Paradise’, ‘Realm of Chaos’, ‘Soulside Journey’, ‘Altars of Madness’, ‘Dawn of Possession’ etc and still do, but we didn’t like the attitude of a big part of the scene which mocked the old bands, because they weren’t extreme enough (anymore) and only enjoyed the new ones. It felt like treachery to me and we weren’t interested to copy these new bands, so we decided to carry the spirit of the old guard with us. So, when the scene develops one way and you decide to go the other way... Well, it does has its consequences, yet I never felt any animosity because of our direction. People respected our sound because it was genuine from the heart and we weren’t trying to sound like the new Morbid Angel or Death, you know. They knew/felt Pentacle was an honest band and if they enjoyed it, that’s another case, but they couldn’t accuse us of follow the trend, right? Straight from the beginning we started playing cover tunes from bands like Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and Slaughter, so people knew what to expect from us. Our image made it clear we held the torch of the old bands high, so no shorts or sneakers on stage. Though the second wave of Black Metal was coming up as well, few Death Metal bands followed the path we did, so yes, we were an exception. But the choice was a very deliberate one and I still feel proud of it! Yes, our audience was different from the usual Death Metal crowd. I think we were still aggressive and intense to keep our ground related to more ‘common’ Death Metal bands, but when you start playing songs like ‘Messiah’ or ‘Tales of the Macabre’...not everyone will enjoy such primitive tracks. They are truly a blast from the past, eh? When I think of it, people who enjoyed Pentacle were often those who enjoyed the old bands as well. It was not the regular Morbid Angel crowd, but often old timers who thought it was great to see and hear a band somehow connected to their old faves and heroes or younger fans who developed a taste for the old ones as well."
BLOODLINES - "Psalm Of The Depths" official music video
If I had my act together, I should have shared this video months ago! Bloodlines is a metalcore band from Texas. They feature a pretty melodic and heavy style, with a Christian message, and they are part of Facedown Records. This EP apparently was out back on July 26th, 2024. Like I say, I am super late on this one, but if you like metalcore with a positive message, maybe this band is interesting to you. The EP is called Holiness Cries. YouTube seems to have just about all the information that you might need to grab a copy of this EP.
BLOODLINES - "Psalm Of The Depths" Official Music Video
DRAGONKNIGHT - The Legions Of Immortal Dragonlords (Official Video)
A new neosymphonic power metal entity has taken shape in Finland. At this moment the record company is not releasing too much information as to who the members of this project or band are, except that the vocals are by Mikael Salo, who Metal Archives shows having a few bands for which that website right now does not have too much information. Anyway, given that I barely know how to use this old computer from the previous century, I'm sure that you, with your knowledge of the computers and websites and such things, can probably find out more than I can-care to find out at this moment. I'm just giving you the informaiton that the record company has given me, which is not much. Be all that as it may, if you like neosymphonic, happy, feel-good rock music, then I think you might really enjoy this band. Sing along or tap your foot to the happy melodies, either way the band wants you to have a good time with their music. I have been listening to the entire album, and these songs are pretty good representations of what the album will be like: happy melodies and lots of singing.
DRAGONKNIGHT
Legions
Scarlet Records
17 January 2025
Through Sea And Fire 2:34
The Legions Of Immortal Dragonlords 4:58
The Imperator 4:41
Pirates Bloody Pirates! 4:22
Defender Of Dragons 5:30
Storm Bringer 5:00
Astarte Rise 4:57
Dead Kings In The Grave 4:23
Sword Of The Northern Lights 4:18
The Revelation 3:17
Return To Atlantis 6:54
DRAGONKNIGHT - The Legions Of Immortal Dragonlords (Official Video)
DRAGONKNIGHT - The Imperator (Lyric Video)
Frostnatt - the Ural Mountains are alive with the sound of music
Frostnatt
Den Evige Vinters Rike
December 25th, 2024
Here, when you drive around this area, from Everett to Arlington, the winter has brought the usual rain, winds and storms, and lots of tree branches, some small and some bigger, on the wet ground. The labor of clearing the branches takes some time, and while I was doing that work I was listening, thinking about the most recent recording by this project right here, Frostnatt (Russia), and how different it sounds from the eight previous releases (6 EPs and 2 albums) of winter-obsessed instrumental black metal since 2019. The most recent is this seventh EP, which carries out a major turn towards a new direction. Whereas before, speaking in general terms, I would write that the music is melodic, memorable and uptempo, and rather easy to enjoy for audiences that like much melodic guitar, and especially if instrumental music is appreciated. The new direction means melancholic melodies that are more pronounced and extended, and the pace of the music is midtempo cinematic. The drumming, which used to be, broadly speaking, fast, is now, as Frostnatt calls it, orchestral. Consequently, the music has transformed into an epic sound, where black metal, folk, films core and melancholy have been subsumed into a renewed Frostnatt.
This all got me thinking, what has happened with Frostnatt and the change in musical direction? First of all, let's tackle the issue of the drumming style. Previously, the music featured programmed prototypical black metal drumming, and now that style is gone. It has been replaced by what Frostnatt called "orchestral" drumming: big, epic, midtempo drum patterns. I asked Alex Evensen, the man behind, Frostnatt, "Do you use only real percussions on the new recording? I saw the pictures on Facebook, pictures of the drums." He is in the process of reimagining the drumming. So far, at this point, he explains, "This is the first recording where real/live instruments are more than VST (virtual studio technology) ones. Kick/bass drum, tambourine, and shaker were recorded by me. Also, I wanted to record toms and some kind of frame drums, but I'm still looking for good ones to buy that will fit my music. Besides drums, of course I recorded guitars and bass, but the most important and really new instrument for me was the tagelharpa. I was planning to buy it even in 2022, but some world events changed my plans. And the last instrument I want to say is the ocarina, which was VST, but I already found a real analog and am going to buy it. I think you will hear it on my next release."
While he makes the new music, does he still depend on programmed drumming? "Yes, I do. Those were toms, frame drums, and some percussion elements like a triangle that you can hear at the beginning of each tune/riff’s repeats. But as I said before, I have plans to ‘fix’ it and record real instruments that I am looking for at this moment. I hope I will do it on my next release." The new style of drumming had me wondering as to where the ideas for change came from. Was there some specific inspiration? "To be honest, there was no inspiration. Just in one moment I got a thought: 'What if I play my riffs with orchestral percussion?'. After that I made a track, 'Overvintre', from the EP 'Den Russiske Tomheten' which I released in 2020. Currently, this EP is one of Frostnatt's most listened-to releases or even the first. At least the track 'Dødelig Frost' has more plays on Spotify than other tracks."
I wondered what role folk has played in this vision. I also wonder how it all fits with black metal. There have been hints of this change in previous recordings, but it was not as developed as it is at this point. Does folk have any bearing on the musical changes taking place? Alex is not sure that such an explanation is accurate, though. "Of course, I listen to folk music. Heilung, for example. But the first time, as I said, it was just an idea without any inspiration or something like that. But there was a next step that I did. At 'Den Russiske Tomheten' and 'Det Kommer Til Å Bli Kaldt' I used mostly orchestral instruments, but starting from 'I Det Høye Nord» I used more folk percussion than orchestral. And maybe at this step there was some influence on me from folk music, but I can't say that for sure. When I did it the first time, yes, it was difficult, but I quickly understood what I had to do. So I did it as I could. It was not perfect, but not bad. Let's imagine that I am going to rerecord 'Den Russiske Tomheten'. I think I would redo most of the percussion using my new experience and skills."
Maybe making so much black metal with the traditional drumming patterns, in quick succession since 2019, has begun to make him feel like he has been visiting that well too much. It could be some type of black metal fatigue, like being tired of black metal? "No, I am not tired, but I play instrumental music, and I think if I delete something, I mean vocals, that I have to bring something, and this something is not usual drums for this genre. My old works sound like 'Someone deleted vocals from black metal', and it’s ok that someone can think so, but my fresh works with new drums I think are original and just do not need any vocals."
To me, the new music sounds more cinematic, and to some extent, Alex agrees, "I think I can say yes, I am moving in that direction. I mean, I don’t want to make music for a movie; I mean, I want to take some elements from it and bring it to my music." On the other hand, it's not logical to think that one knows beforehand what roads Frostnatt music will take between now and another five years. If 2024 found Frostnatt ready to take the music towards different horizons within the first five years, who knows what the music will sound five or ten years from now? At any rate, I have been listening to the most recent EP 'Den Evige Vinters Rike' that came out at the end of 2024 and have taken an interest in the new sound.
Alright, well, I think I better get back to clearing those tree branches. It's another cold, wet day here and those branches will not clear themselves. I just need to find my headphones and put some Frostnatt on and get back to work.
https://frostnatt.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/frostnattofficial/
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Exiled Hope and Steel Forge - alchemy from coast to coast
Exiled Hope/Steel Forge
Realm of the Exiled
10 January 2025
In melding the identities of both Exiled Hope (U.S.) and Steel Forge (U.K.), the two entities converge into a new neosymphonic heaviness on this collaboration. This is not a split recording. While the music of Exiled Hope, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Sofía Lee Frasz (Maryland, U.S.), tends to lean in the direction of melodic and atmospheric gothic, Steel Forge (Liverpool, Merseyside, England) at this point in their career, up until this point has gone for a do-it-yourself raw, horror heaviness. The first thing that struck me about the recording was the production. The production is the best one yet from both bands. They have been laboring in the underground making DIY recordings, but this one right here, in my view, is a solid step up in sound quality. It immediately felt better to my ears when I first heard it.
What is the result of the alchemy of Exiled Hope and Steel Forge? Besides the clearer production, the new creation, I would say, is a melodic heaviness with extreme vocals, generally speaking. While the midtempo and Sofía’s melodic singing in "Beyond the Veil" is on the more mellow, atmospheric side, there is lots of the heavier side achieved through the other songs' more uptempo feel and the use of extreme vocals. The results speak for themselves, Exiled Hope in general is not this heavy, does not use this much guitar melodies and does not use growling vocals as its main voice, and Steel Forge by itself has not achieved this level of elegance in its sound, has not used keyboards for a gothic or atmospheric identity, and does not use singing. While Exiled Hope wrote the majority of the music and Steel Forge wrote the majority of the lyrics, it took both of their efforts in order to execute. According to Metal Archives, Exiled Hope has been active only since 2019, and Steel Forge since 2015; therefore, we are really in the early stages of seeing what both of these bands will be achieving in the future.
In my opinion, Exiled Hope's singing and growling on this collaboration is the best so far, and the production for Steel Forge here is the best so far, and the guitar melodies is also a nice improvement. For all these reasons, fans looking for up-and-coming, newer music, set your compass for this collaboration.
Realm Of The Exiled
by Steel Forge/Exiled Hope
https://exiledhope.bandcamp.com
https://steelforge1.bandcamp.com
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Fleshbore - three songs available now from technical extreme band
Feast your eyes on the sheer lunacy of Fleshbore, friend! Remember to bring your abacus to this barbecue, because the blasting speeds, complexity, time changes and dexterity are enough to make a calculus professor boogie up and down the line. Actually, grab a cup of coffee, no, make that three cups, one for you and two for me because I need to wake up for this music. Besides the guitar pyrotechnics, and technical-progressive craftmanship, the vocals are both a lower growling and raspy screeching, perfect for that double-personality feeling at the therapist’s office. According to Metal Archives, the band has been active since 2017 and this will be their second album. I think I'm going to show this album to the calculus professor from Azkaban that I met at the dungeons and dragons dinner party last week. Thank you, Fleshbore, the calculus professor will be pleased to know that you exist, in Indiana, of all places. Who would have thought that Indiana and Azkaban could be so close and united!
Listen to three songs from the album Painted Paradise coming out on January 24th, 2025.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)