Frontman for the dark rock/gothic act Lord of the Lost, Chris Harms has been riding high off some earned successes in recent years as his group has gained more attention at the global level. Thus laying some of the groundwork for his first solo effort, 1980. Given the title and artwork, it’s not too hard to see where Harms’ influences are showing into that decade’s synth pop and new wave experimentation. Something that’s a perfect fit for his quickly identifiable baritone vocals.
Those who have a soft spot for synthwave or ’80s new wave are going to have their day made when they hear 1980. Harms’ vocals are the centerpoint for each track, but the playful and/or dark and driving synths are bound to fight for your attention at every corner. There’s a touch of metallic and gothic influences only in the sometimes dark tone of the electronics, and his lower vocal register. It’s a fantastic throwback, and the way each track sets it up makes it fun to see where it will go. Opener and single “I Love You” entices the listener with it’s big synth and vocal hooks that sit on the danceable side of things, sure to bring a smile to ’80s nostalgia fans faces as they sing along. The same can be said for the rousing “She Called Me Diaval,” which offers driving synths that all but move in neon colors as Harms croons above it all.
But it’s not all bright, neon rainbows, and the album shifts into darker directions as well. “Past Pain” carries a distinctly goth-y flavor with it’s dark, striking synth beats and similarly gloomy approach by Harms. Closer “May This Be Your Last Battlefield” hits similar reflective notes, but in an even more ballad-y and pensive way. “Somewhere Between Heaven and Armageddon” offers something between the two extremes, with a combo of bigger hooks with a darker vibe overall. Something that “Madonna of the Night” seems to revel in, with it’s big pulsating synths and soaring chorus that also features Sven Friedrich in a great duet.
Big synth-driven and goth-y sounds await you on Chris Harms solo debut. Sure to appeal to ’80s synth fans as well as the Lord of the Lost crowd, it’s a surefire winner that gives Harms a different playground to sing through, and one that’s just as solid a fit as his main gig. 1980 is a fun, nostalgic trip with charismatic vocals that lead the way with plenty of dark charm.
Returning for their first new album since 2019’s Black Anima, Lacuna Coil are now on the doorstep of releasing follow-up Sleepless Empire. A long-standing act in the modern metal scene, and one that has made steps to grow along the way, coming from their more purely gothic roots and embracing new paths along the way without dissolving their identity, Lacuna Coil have kept their sound fresh. We caught up with vocalist Andrea Ferro to discuss the impacts from COVID-19, the influence of Comalies XX back in 2022, the core sound of Lacuna Coil, and even what he has gained as a member through the years.
Dead Rhetoric: Looking back at it, how did the COVID-19 pandemic impact Lacuna Coil?
Andrea Ferro: We never thought we would experience something like that. In the beginning it was obviously scary because, especially for older people that were dying, we were worrying about our dear family members who were older and more at risk. But we got lucky with that, and no one got really bad with it. For us, it was definitely weird to be home for 2 years. We have never been home for such a long time because of the touring schedule and recording cycle. So it wasn’t that bad, to be experiencing being at home and being able to play guitar and video games and watching TV shows. Financially, it wasn’t a disaster. Yes we did miss a lot of money from touring. But we got lucky with a couple of things, and with the support of the fans and merchandise. I worked hard on bureaucratic things in order to get money from institutions, and even some money from Facebook from the band.
So financially it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We made it through without too many problems. But it was definitely not a creative time for us. We did not feel any creativity. We felt blank. Normally, we collect a lot of experiences from touring around the world, exchanging cultures and seeing friends that you only see on tour, and spending time around and visiting new places. We didn’t feel ready to record a new album after the pandemic. It took us some time to focus and start feeling the right vibe. We toured a bit before and we rejoined a bit of what we had before.
Dead Rhetoric: So was there anything during that touring before the album that stuck with you and kind of helped with writing Sleepless Empire?
Ferro: Maybe the fact that before we started working on the new record, we worked on a remake of our classic record Comalies celebrating the 20th anniversary in 2022. So we went back and deconstructed the original to re-evaluate the arrangements. So listening to how we were doing things 20 years before, that helped and sort of unconsciously influenced some of the arrangements we have on the new record. So the record does sound different for sure. A lot of people who have heard it say that in some ways, it does resemble certain atmospheres from back in the day of Lacuna Coil. So maybe that influenced the process, but definitely the title and name of the record came from an observation of reality post-COVID.
It’s not specifically a critique, because we are living the same as the younger generation: always on the phone and always connected with the internet, social media, streaming services, etc. All of those things, we felt that society is a huge empire with all of these possibilities that you can reach very quickly. But on the other hand, it’s overwhelming for a lot of people. We are on the phone even at night, so we are sleepless in this huge empire right now. That was the main idea behind it. It’s not a concept album strictly, in that every song touches that topic, it’s more of an overall picture. When we normally start writing, we start with a title and an image. That really helps Marco [Coti Zelati], our bass player, who is our main songwriter, to start writing.
Dead Rhetoric: What else do you think defines Sleepless Empire as a Lacuna Coil album?
Ferro: I think there are mostly two kinds of bands, generally speaking. There are the types of bands that make their formula over and over, always great…like AC/DC, Iron Maiden, or even Disturbed. They have a formula that works really well and they make slight changes to it and it works great for them. There are other bands that need something a little bit different, to spice it up, or to contaminate somewhere else. We are more of that kind of band. Even though we don’t completely change every record. We change a little bit and introduce different influences we collect along the way, some are heavier and sometimes softer. We are open to be influenced by different things. This record is more dark because of those atmospheres from the past maybe. There’s a lot of raw energy I think, in some of the heaviest songs. We always have a couple of songs that are a little different, like “I Wish You Were Dead,” which is more melodic and easy going, with more sarcastic lyrics. Also songs like “Sleep Paralysis,” which is more of a slow burn and atmospheric song compared to the others. So I think that’s the main difference with previous records. It’s moving forward a little bit.
Dead Rhetoric: So what are the parts of Lacuna Coil that are going to come through, no matter the direction that inspiration comes from?
Ferro: I think there are three elements that describe our music. There’s the metal, for the heavy parts. There’s rock music for the big choruses and melodies. Then there is the dark. It’s more about the atmosphere and the way we make arrangements. I think those three elements play around in our music, no matter what. There’s also the duality of Cristina and my vocals. That’s part of the balance of the music, I think. So we have the two voices, Marco making the directions and the arrangements, it will always be Lacuna Coil. Sometimes it’s more heavy, sometimes it’s more rock, and sometimes more dark, but the same ingredients are there just balanced in a slightly different way. Those elements will always define us, and they have defined our last 10 albums.
It’s something we had the good fortune of being able to develop in the first three records, because we grew up in a world that was still giving bands the chance to do three records before they made some commercial success. You were not rushed to immediately release a record and become a big name. We were fortunate that in our era, you still had time to grow and develop, and to get away from your influences as a starting band – developing a more personal style.
Dead Rhetoric: I think the way that you summed up the parts that make up Lacuna Coil is very cool. Some bands are very specific, and I think your broader answer speaks to the fact that there are different elements in each album. You have wider parameters to play in.
Ferro: We try. We need to keep doing this, we need to be stimulated and to feel a certain freshness that sometimes we get from the younger bands. It’s true that they don’t have the same experiences that we have had, but they have an energy that we can’t have. That moment has passed for us, that we are the fresh new thing and very naive maybe, but we had the energy of people who are out to discover the world. It’s important for us to keep listening to the younger bands because we can take that energy from them, this freshness that we cannot have, because of time passing and collecting experiences and being more mature.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel that Lacuna Coil has allowed you to grow as a person?
Ferro: We have done a career that we never thought was possible when we first started, especially coming from Milan, Italy. It’s not really a rock and roll heaven [laughs]. There’s not much history with Italian rock or metal bands, singing in English, making international careers when we started in the ‘90s. There weren’t many examples to follow. In Germany, you have bands since the ‘80s that made rock history like Scorpions or Kreator or Rammstein. There are a lot of bands that made a name for themselves internationally. The same for Scandinavia, England, and America, obviously. Italy is more known for traditional/operatic singing or folkish stuff. So for us, to have a career like this has been beyond expectation.
For me personally, to get to travel the world and see places I only dreamed of. To see cultures, it allows you to grow as a person and understand that there are different traditions, ways of thinking, and philosophies. I still learn every time. Every time I go to Japan or China, for example, you see a very different culture than Italy. America is different but it is still sort of similar in a way. The same with South America, it’s mostly similar. Japan is an entirely different world. Especially the first time we went there in the early 2000s. There were very few people speaking in English, there were no signs in any Western traditional alphabet, only in traditional Japanese signs. So it was very different culturally. So you learn a lot. You learn your vision is very limited as you grow up, as much as it can be democratic and open, it’s different. So it’s great. I think the greatest gift is to know people around the world and to have friends all over the place.
There’s also the legacy you create with your songs. That’s more important than how many records you sell and how much money you make. Obviously everyone likes to make money, we aren’t against it [laughs]. But the legacy is more valuable after. When we are gone, the only thing left is our legacy and our exchange of energy with the people. That’s the greatest result and what fulfills you the most I think.
Dead Rhetoric: It’s almost 20 years since Karmacode. What do you remember about making that album?
Ferro: It was the first one after we really grew up as a band. Comalies was the one that really set the name of Lacuna Coil internationally, especially in North America. Radio and a lot of things came that we didn’t expect. That record went 100 bigger than any of the ones we had done before. It became the best selling record of the label at the time. It was a big change in our name and our possibilities for touring, recording, and budget. Karmacode was the first record after we achieved all of that step in our career. So there was a bit of pressure, especially from the outside, in order to go even further up the level with the singles and all that. So it was a lot of pressure, but we tried to not overthink the record too much.
On the other hand, it was also the first record where the digital was coming in. The digital world was coming. Napster was starting with downloads. Our first single from the record was “Our Truth,” and we released it in a ‘fake file’ online, where you would download it and it was actually white noise. It was an experiment we did to see how many people would download it, so we could understand how it was working. In one week we had like 3 million downloads. It was unbelievable. Then we really understood how the world was changing and how fast it could change. We were shifting into a new era of music business. So it was an important record for us. Not only did we become more aware of our possibilities as a band at that level, but we also understood where we were starting to go in the future.
Dead Rhetoric: You mentioned the time off touring during COVID. Then you jumped right back into it. How do you handle life on the road as you get older?
Ferro: We are still enjoying the touring side of things. But we try not to burn ourselves out. We have done 3-6 months on the road, touring America without going back to Europe. We have done that, because it was different times and we needed to build the name of the band. We don’t have to play every city in the world now. We have done that, so we try to have more of a balance with life at home versus life on the road. When albums come out, like now, we need to tour. It’s new. COVID made it even longer between tours, so we need to go to North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, so it’s going to be a lot of touring this year. It’s an album release year. But we try to not burn ourselves out. We want to be able to enjoy it.
I think nowadays we appreciate the fact that we can go to a city in the world and people go out and see us. We appreciate it even more. When you are younger, it’s just another show and tour. You don’t stop and think, “wow, people in LA came to check us out and we are from Milan.” Now we appreciate it more, we can understand we have been doing this for 20-25 years and we can still do it. We can still sell out in LA or New York or Tokyo, and that’s amazing! We enjoy it even more with the passing of time. But we try to schedule it more reasonably.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you see different generations of fans at shows at this point?
Ferro: We have a lot of different generations at the shows, and different types of people as well. One thing we noticed, especially after COVID, is that there are people older than us coming to the show. Like, 60 and older. I asked them, since it’s usually people our age and younger, but there are regularly people there older [than us]. They said, during COVID they were at home and searching Spotify and it suggested other bands they might like, so they found us and they have money, and they might not be working as much. So they come to the show, and once the lights have turned off, they are just a part of a crowd. They aren’t that 65 year old guy, they can just be part of the crowd and scream and sing and move. They normally wouldn’t go to a rock bar and be with people 30 years younger, but at the show, the distance gets erased – it doesn’t matter if you are old or young, male or female, or whatever. You are just part of the crowd, so why not? They can do something just like anyone else.
Dead Rhetoric: Finally, what’s planned for the rest of 2025?
Ferro: Mostly touring. We just shot a video a few days ago that will come out around the time of the release, probably around the 11th or 12th of February. We are going to do a lot of touring this year because we need to promote the album, and there will be a lot of press and signings, things like that. But we also don’t want to stop our other collaborations. We also very nerdy and we have a lot of stuff with comics and board/video games, and movies. So there are a lot of collaborations for that as well. There are more surprises to come!
Amongst the progressive death metal genre, there’s a lot of bland material going around. Much of it on the tech side of things, with bands deciding that the need to out-tech each other outweighs the need to write a brutal, heavy, and most importantly, memorable song. On a random look at some upcoming releases, the ominous and gory cover of Crowned in Corpses caught this scribe’s eye and gave it a closer look. Pathogenic’s first album in over five years, the reborn Boston act proved to be a surprisingly excellent one that demanded full attention for it’s expansive thoughts on death metal.
It’s hard to really give Pathogenic a straight ‘classification,’ and that’s fantastic news. There’s some modern sounding grooves and emphasis on massive riffs throughout, while still delivering absolutely punishing and devastating energy, nuanced musicianship and prowess, and just the right amount of melody. The opening cut and single, “Mass Grave Memory,” showcases much of the band’s good sides. Earworming grooves and melodies, a potent intensity, and some gentle bits of melody to generate a track that sucks the listener in, all without turning into a techy mess. “The New Rot” ups the proggy/tech factor a bit from the opener, but it’s done in a playful way that melds well with the modern groovy bits and gives them more diversity to play off of.
The middle of the album gives us the 7-minute “Fragments,” which proves to be a true gem in the band’s arsenal. It’s a tightly focused track despite the extended playtime, allowing some of the most progressive elements to be fleshed out without being excessive, with the sound going so far as to include some tasteful clean vocals without making it seemed forced or ‘trendy.’ Instead, some floaty, clean bits give it an almost psychedelic vibe, augmented by keys for added ethereal notes. All of this while still bringing a heavy backdrop at times that offers aggression without feeling jarring. Closer “Silicon Regime” also benefits from the extended runtime, though delivering a more visceral experience that feels layered and gripping. That said, they can also hone in on pure devastation, with the short title cut serving up urgent riffs upon urgent riffs in a tantalizing mix of heaviness and memorability.
Crowned in Corpses works because it has a firm grasp in creating an aggressive death metal album that’s enriched by progressive song structures and catchy melodies. It walks a tight balance that many seasoned acts just can’t seem to master. Those seeking death metal that is riff-forward without overdoing it, and tapering the melodies just right should have a killer time with Pathogenic’s latest.
Shingeki is a Japanese alt-idol group that formed back in 2017. Featuring no less than 6 vocalists: 3 clean singers, a rapper, a screamer, and a shouter, and 7 “manipulators” it’s a massive conglomeration. As it could be expected from just the vocal contributions alone, Shingeki has a unique sound, something they have striven for since their beginnings – with their own biography stating they wanted to sound different than other idols, bands, and DJs. RAGNARØCK2 is their second full-length album, and following RAGNARØCK before it in 2020, compiles the group’s singles into one release, making it a more friendly access point to newcomers.
Shingeki is nothing if not heavy. While some may not be as hip to the massive doses of rap, EDM, electronics, and even jazz that they add to their unique version of metalcore, there’s no denying how visceral the group can sound when they want to. “World Breaker” contains some devastating breakdowns and screams (augmented by electronics at times) that all but shake the ground, and the ability to stop on a dime, switch to a more hip hop moment and swing into more jpop flavored segments almost gives them a nod or two to Broken by the Scream in their transitions. “Bad Cake” takes some punk attitude, blastbeats, trip and hip hop, and swirls it into a chaotic and aggressive blender that’s as hook-y as it is heavy. “Shinsoukyoku:Inferno” delivers some of the most corrosive metallic content to be found, even elegantly ramping up to a catchy clean vocal chorus before returning to drum battery and caustic screams. A later melodic break only showcases a more striking diversity before diving into an electronically-driven breakdown.
The electronically laced “Noctiluca” serves as a more melodic number, even if it laces some sections with background screams and offers some guitar and keyboard melodies that wouldn’t sound out of place on a melodeath record. The basement jazz intro to “Shinsoukyoku:AbsoluteZero” brings some sonic vengeance later, but the shifts between these sections and the pummeling riffs and screams serve as a delight to see how things can move unpredictably ahead. While the unpredictability might pull some in, it’s not a distraction either – hearing how the group mergers the high number of different vocals and instruments into something that feels more than the sum of it’s varied parts.
Shingeki will likely not be a group for everyone. The sheer volume of different influences and sounds that they put into a single track is impressive and borders on the edge of controlled chaos. But for those seeking something that does venture outside of the norm in many ways, RAGNARØCK2 is an excellent place to discover this thrilling act.
Bursting upon the scene through their 2023 debut album The Conquest of Time, Swedish duo Century have a lot to live up to in their conventional heavy metal ways. Sign of the Storm as the follow-up features ten more energetic offerings that shine in classic glory – ideally putting forth the hooks, steel-eyed melodies, catchy riffs, and majestic vocals that we’ve all come to know and love about this genre. Staffan Tengnér and Leo Ekström Sollenmo as musicians cover all the bass, drums, guitars and vocals at high quality output levels – while also keeping the tones and production aspects self-contained as to deliver these tracks with the same might and spirit as their European/American brethren from those original days.
Opener “Sacrifice” starts things off with a bang – the first riff and drum rolls set to stun before the circular runs and pounding bass/drums captivate the aural landscape, Staffan’s mysterious vocal melodies mirror the fiery guitar lines. Wasting no time with superfluous parts to extend songs beyond necessary means, the occasional high pitch scream or US/NWOBHM-inspired lead break takes material like “Necromancer” or “No Time For Tomorrow” into that next level status, the feel of power/speed metal implicit in the intensity for the latter cut especially. Classical acoustic touches as well as a soothing, almost gothic-like voicing pushes the start of “The Chains of Hell” into a Manowar/Heavy Load direction once the electric instrumentation appears, the marching atmosphere at the forefront especially in terms of the rhythm section foundation.
Emphasis on the ideal riffs that just set your ears ablaze are paramount to the Century game plan. It’s hard to not be swept away by the mini-gallops next to fleet guitar runs that pop up throughout the title track – the shrieking, cultural textures, and calmer transition alluring to set up the next dynamic passage. On the second half of the record a bit of an adventurous tact comes up on “Possessed By the Night” – a steady double kick emphasis next to an uplifting riff attack reminds this scribe of those 1982-1985 US metal days where power, speed, and thrash collided into a traditional metal style that’s hard not to do neck damage long-term. The record closes on an exciting instrumental note for “Sorceress” – the layers of guitars and progressive rhythm section work a distant relative of what you may have heard from Iron Maiden when they released “Transylvania” or “Losfer Words”.
Century is one of those bands that understand the parameters of this style, execute their parts brilliantly, and get to the next song without the need for bombast or excess. Sign of the Storm keeps the excellence flowing, setting the stage for a fruitful, prosperous discography that any traditional metal follower needs in their collection.
Previously establishing themselves from 1994-2021 as Wolfen, the band would change names and styles a bit resurrecting as WarWolf. They’ve released two albums to date in Necropolis from 2022 and The Apocalyptic Waltz in 2023 – setting the stage for that all important third full-length for The Final Battle. The five-piece decided to record these ten tracks in more of an authentic manner, sans keyboards, samples, or auto-tuning to correct any mistakes. What you’ll hear is a mix of the group’s natural Teutonic traditional metal charm / finesse next to a bevy of soaring melodies and guitar work that rivals the classic Iron Maiden catalog, the collective sound primitive as if you were taking things in straight off the floor.
The guitar work from Frank J. Noras and Peter Müller sculpts itself in catchy riffs plus solid tradeoffs or harmony runs to capture a fist-waving, triumphant atmosphere. Check out the driving passages to “Burning Skies” or the acoustic to twin marching harmony possibilities that make “The Dark Emperor” standout cuts, expressing these axe players diverse skill sets – the latter featuring numerous instrumental sequences that will remind many of 1982-1984 era Iron Maiden. Thoughtful bass play courtesy of Florian Abegg amplifies the gallops or progressive nature to other songs – as “The Lycan Empire” illustrates early on. Occasionally the band sits in that mid-tempo anthem pocket that pushed Accept to major heights of popularity – “Blood & Ice” an ideal headbanger featuring those standard shout-a-long choruses that elevate audiences to their feet, screaming for more.
While the musical side of things contains plenty of might and muscle, where some people may be hit or miss in terms of really getting behind this material is in the vocal range of Andreas von Lipinski. It’s not that he lacks the pipes to hit some higher notes – there’s just a German-like personality aspect to specific melodies that he chooses that may be a touch more in the warble category (the lower register verses for the nine-minute plus title track the best example) than what one would expect from the Halford, Dickinson, or Dio class of singers. Thankfully the production values possess the right balance without pinning sounds to the grid or sounding too digital as to strip away the performances – which will make this record stand out in a modern scene where too many bands remain indistinguishable.
The Final Battle has a working-class approach that should allow WarWolf to garner some decent underground buzz – the upcoming European tour with Grave Digger and Victory a perfect chance to move more followers into their camp. An act to keep an eye on, especially if you miss 80’s-influenced heavy metal.
One of the original acts to play death metal in Denmark, Maceration evolved into more of a groove/hardcore-oriented act by the mid-90s before breaking up. They would return in 2021, releasing their second album It Never Ends… in 2022 as a glorious return to their death metal form. Guest vocalist Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Nightingale) has stepped down from that slot (still a part of the mixing / mastering process) leaving Jan Benjamin Jepsen to fill that void on this latest record Serpent Devourment. Continual emphasis on vicious riffs, primal musical interplay, and savage vocals means the band’s intensity for this genre has not waned.
Listeners can expect an equal amount of hard hitting, faster songs as well as those that are more controlled and groove-oriented yet not sacrificing one iota of primitive impact as if these gentlemen time travelled back to the burgeoning early 90’s death movement. Smooth lead breaks that contain the right spine-tingling aspects, drumming that punishes on all fronts, as well as these riffs which rival the best Scandinavian mentors – all topped off by Jan’s possessed growls / screams, where you sit up and take notice. The up and down tremolo parts next to mid-tempo double kick action within “Where Leeches Thrive” or circular divebomb riffs set to stun next to the speed to half-time musical transitions for “Revolt the Tyrant Dream” are two of the many highlights. Lower wind sound effects along with some horror-oriented keyboard work signal the start of the opening title track, taking old Slayer to a pummeling HM-2 driven deadly level, the guitar work of Jacob Schultz and Robert Tengs traversing aspects of thrash and blackened heights next to their steady death dealing ways. Amidst the brutal sections there’s always an underlying ability to inject key melodies or hooks – proving the band aims to create very memorable, distinct material track by track.
Ten songs delivered in a very tidy forty minutes, Serpent Devourment represents for Maceration another album that keeps the old school death platform solidly in place for multiple generations to enjoy. Ideal for those who love early Massacre, Obituary, Grave, and Dismember.
It’s been 4 years since we got The Night Flight Orchestra’s last album, Aeromantic II, which in terms of ‘Night Flight’ time, has been a while. But given COVID-19, not to mention the tragic loss of guitarist David Andersson in 2022, these sort of delays are inevitable. Thankfully the band is back, and this time with a new label in tow (Napalm Records), for their latest album. The question is certainly going to be raised to if Give Us the Moon sits at the same level as their previous material, and the answer is a rousing yes.
Give Us the Moon continues to strengthen The Night Flight Orchestra’s place as THE go-to band for the ’70s/’80s retro-inspired sounds. Part of this is due to the fact that they don’t use it as a crutch and don’t stick to the formula to provide an album’s worth of generic retro-revival worship. Night Flight has perpetually changed up the formula to include a wider variety, and that’s no different here. “Stewardess, Empress, Hot Mess (and the Captain of Pain)” sits as the epic-length prog-fest for this outing, and champions that same sort of ‘raise your fist’ energy and space-y synths to triumphant levels that they have done in the past to end things on a high note. “Paloma” acts as a synth-powered ballad with Bjorn Strid’s vocals driving things beautifully in the inspiring chorus. Then there’s the funky grooves of “A Paris Point of View,” which all but infectiously dances from beginning to end, a feeling that propels “Miraculous” but with more rock-ish elements to it.
Ultimately, The Night Flight Orcestra puts energy and fun above all else (sans musicianship of course). “Melbourne, May I?” leads with a bombastic one-two combination of intertwined synths and big arena rock riffing that all but explodes in the chorus. The emotive “Cosmic Tide” is another mover and shaker, with a delightful solo (in both guitar and keys), that is bound to please those seeking inspirational rock energy, capped off with some nice Strid falsettos. “Way to Spend the Night” is a joyous anthem that should cause some to questions whether to hit the dance floor or simply scream the chorus from the top of their lungs. Lastly to be mentioned but certainly not least, “Like the Beating of a Heart” captures that old school rock vibe, from it’s hook-y verses to the potent chorus that ear-worms its way into your head.
It’s hard to pick favorites on Give Us the Moon, and it stands to the album’s credit that the lengthy release never once loses it’s momentum. The Night Flight Orchestra champions a feeling that no other band can provide. Their vision of the ’70s and ’80s is one that is inspired by, instead of directly lifted from, and with it comes a sense of fun and joy in their playing that is consistently felt by whomever is listening. If you haven’t gotten onboard with their sound just yet, now is the perfect time to join the party.
Ubiquitous in his quest to continually churn out EP’s and full-lengths, one-man act Jo Capitalicide of Ice War arrives at this seventh album for Feel the Steel. When it comes to flying the flag for traditional heavy metal, that’s what you’ll hear pouring through these nine tracks in terms of the riffs, melodies, hooks, and overall atmosphere. Listeners will never question the man’s thorough understanding of the key elements that stand the test of time for this genre – so set expectations accordingly and most will be very satisfied.
Emphasis on more singalong or shouted in unison chorus work as well as synth-laden passages next to the guitar play allows certain songs to possess more standout qualities. Check out the latter aspect on the Black Sabbath meets Iron Maiden-esque opening title cut, while “Memories” leans heavily on some brighter, 80’s-like melodic metal mannerisms as far as the chord progressions and easy on the brain chorus. The semi-ballad “Lost to the Void” captures Jo’s effective lower to slightly mid-range register, more bard-like with soothing background vocals to match the fantasy-oriented feel, the keyboard solo bombastic in its 70s spirit next to a reflective guitar break which seems in line with Manilla Road. Manowar also plays a part in the Ice War influence bank – “Red Fire” easily containing those hail to kill-like moments beyond the quieter to heavier passages, although Jo would be the first to admit that his strained nature in the upper range will not be mistaken as an Eric Adams-ish delivery to the gods. The finale “Damnation” has an interesting semi-stunted main riff that plays off the main groove-like steady tempo – classic Ozzy Osbourne next to possibly the vast catalog of Haunt.
Exploring a bit more conventional metal terrain, Feel the Steel proves Ice War stay in their lane adequately, serving up more of what the underground expects from an act of this ilk. Will it be hitting the end of the year favorite lists of most critics? Probably not – but do not dismiss the passion and effort put forth, as there are diamonds to be polished if the old school, traditional style floats your boat.
