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Celesty – Vendetta (Spinefarm Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Celesty – Vendetta (Spinefarm Records)

It’s split down the middle: if you’re a Finnish power metal band, you’re going to sound like either Stratovarius or Sonata Arctica. Not like there’s anything inherently wrong with that (is Thunderstone still making albums?), it just puts a cap on creativity. For Celesty, they fall on the Sonata Arctica end and yeah, it doesn’t help that Tony Kakko does guest vocals on this thing. It was nice of him to drop by, actually.

Vendetta unfurls like a typical symphonic power metal album and is usually at its best when singer Antti Railio is given some muscular, yet melodic riffing in which to belt over. This is none more evident during “Greed & Vanity,” where the line of “Oh how I hate it when I’m right” has somehow left an indelible mark on this scribe’s brain. “Autumn Leaves” gets the Kakko treatment and is augmented by flowery keyboards and a momentous guitar solo, making it very much Sonata Artica-fied.

In true Finnish power metal fashion, there are lots of pop elements being tossed about. “Feared By Dawn” (which is the heaviest and best jam here) and “New Sin” hold up this end and while they are power metal to the core, they have enough sugary hooks and dramatic pauses to be warranted inclusion for a movie script. It’s Hollywood Metal, Finnish style.

Surprisingly, there’s not nearly the glut of pompous Finnish power metal as one would think, so it’s not like Celesty is piling things on. Instead, they’re doing an admirable job of holding up what the predecessors created…nothing new to see here; rather an album very reminiscent of the classic works of the bands we mentioned from the onset and as you know, you don’t mess with the classics…you merely try to re-create them.

www.myspace.com/celestymetal

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Fairyland – Score To A New Beginning (Napalm Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Fairyland – Score To A New Beginning (Napalm Records)

Fairyland, who without question have the worst name in all of power metal, won’t strike fear into anyone in the near future, but Score To A New Beginning has some legs to it. And since there are no new revelations in power metal (Lost Horizon was the last great, white, poorly-costumed hope), albums as well-constructed as this will always rank high in these parts.

Now consisting of one multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Phillipe Giordana, the band (or one man project) utilizes a revolving cast of vocalists to great effect. Marco Sandron of Pathosray handles the bulk of the duties, while Tony Kakko sound-alike Georg Neuhauser of Serenity does significant spot, giving Score… a thematic slant that might not had been achieved with just one singer.

Naturally, there’s little in terms of variety here; just Euro fluff, keyboard overload, maxed-out double-bass portions, and vocal pyro, yet there’s a handful of songs here that are near-worldbeaters. Case in point, “Assault On the Shore,” which opens with a fluid guitar/keyboard melody then drops into 70’s prog territory or “Master of the Waves” which is perhaps the best song Kamelot hasn’t written the past decade. “Godsent” and “Score To A New Beginning” also rank as top-notch, instantly memorable numbers.

Score To A New Beginning proves that for once, not deviating from the course nets results. Nothing heard on these 10 songs haven’t been beaten to death by every other Euro power metal band, but Giordana must have caught fire during the songwriting process, as this album has proven to be one of the few weighty, go-to power metal albums of 2009. Well done.

www.fairyland-metal.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Godflesh – Songs Of Love & Hate/Love & Hate In Dub/In All Languages DVD (Earache Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Godflesh – Songs Of Love & Hate/Love & Hate In Dub/In All Languages DVD (Earache Records)

Musically, you can’t fault this little box set at all. Originally released back in 1996 Songs Of Love And Hate was a bleak masterpiece that has stood the test of time thanks to it’s powerful product. Whereas previous Godflesh efforts have dated thanks to poor mixes, this record is still as harsh and bleak as when it was released. Big, meaty riffs abound over sparse industrial beats and thudding bass notes while Justin Broadrick’s vocals are simplistic in approach, raw and howled, being more rhythmic than anything previously.Songs Of Love And Hate is rarely broadcast as an essential Godflesh album, but it shows them the height of their industrial strength. Having gone for out and out noise in the past (Godflesh) and bringing in melodies (Pure), the blueprint this time was simple – battering, machine-like songs with massive, often Helmet-like, repeated riffs. The chugging thump of “Gift From Heaven” is a great place to start if you’re not familiar with this album.

Followed in 1997 by the remix album Love And Hate In Dub, the original songs were stripped down to their bare bones and in many cases, rendered much, more atmospheric. The industrial elements are carried across, especially in the bass sound and unlike most other remix albums, instead of just firing some pumping beats underneath, these songs have been fully deconstructed. “Almost Heaven (Closer Mix)” for example, shows a complete tear down, “Frail (Now Broken)” hints at the direction which would eventually be taken by Jesu, while “Gift From Heaven (Breakbeat)” is reworked into a darker, much more spacious piece. The groove of the original album remains intact and given a new twist here on a record that holds its own definitely against the source material.

Despite bringing together Songs Of Love And Hate and it’s follow-up remix album, Love And Hate In Dub this collection won’t offer up much to the hardcore Godflesh fans as there’s no bonus material whatsoever. The In All Languages DVD included here has also been released previously, although it’s notoriously difficult to get a hold of, so that’s a plus for anyone who doesn’t have it already.

For £10stg you can’t really give Earache grief about this but some linear notes, like from the Iron Monkey box, or a few unreleased/bonus tracks/mixes would have sweetened the deal for those who already own these albums.

www.godflesh.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Ava Inferi – Blood of Bacchus (Season of Mist Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Ava Inferi – Blood of Bacchus (Season of Mist Records)

Now having fully severed ties with Mayhem, guitarist Rune Eriksen (aka “Blasphemer”) can now turn his focus to Ava Inferi, a far less black metal-tinged outfit with two albums already under its belt in the form of 2006’s Burdens and ‘07’s The Silhouette. Avant-garde Goth appears to be the band’s forte, as Blood of Bacchus, like its predecessors, offers up some quirks – both good and ill-advised –that ultimately cause this effort to come up short.

Blood of Bacchus starts promising with the duo of “Last Sign of Summer” and album highlight “Colours of the Dark” emerging as the kind of emotive, lush numbers that would endear Ava Inferi to the pure Goth crowd (read: Bauhaus, Nosferatu, etc.). Singer Carmen Simoes (who also done work with Moonspell) alternates between a beefy operatic yelp and your standard Goth mistress on “Last Sign of Summer” while Eriksen cues in some well-placed guitar runs. This is where the album climaxes. The rest is forgettable.

The remainder of Blood of Bacchus is bogged down by the band’s inability to create dynamics with Simoes’ vocals. She’s oftentimes given a dull, drawn-out riff in which to sing over and since melody is not in the band’s repertoire, the results never take flight. Just reference “Be Damned” or “Memoirs,” two numbers that show a sharp drop-off from the opening brilliance of the album – it’s somewhat of a letdown, actually, considering how adept Eriksen became at painting bleak, complex pictures in Mayhem and on The Silhouette.

On one hand, you have to hand it to Ava Inferi for at least venturing outside of the very insular box that is modern Goth metal. It’s a little too easy to get this stuff carried across and since there are hardly any of those elements (read: voluptuous vixen in tow, big, booming pop songs), Ava Inferi find themselves swimming upstream. Eriksen has proven to be a force to be reckoned with, so write these guys off yet. Now, where’s that copy of Grand Declaration of Warfloating about…

www.myspace.com/avainferi

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Goatwhore – Carving Out the Eyes of God (Metal Blade Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Goatwhore – Carving Out the Eyes of God (Metal Blade Records)

God is the target this time out for Goatwhore. Not Hurricane Katrina or the painstaking healing process singer Ben Falgoust endured after a 2003 van accident. It’s a fitting approach for the New Orleans quartet and with Carving out the Eyes of God, this has translated into what could be their finest hour, outlasting the very solid A Haunting Curse and seminal breakthrough Funeral Dirge For the Rotting Sun.

Hats off to producer-in-demand Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Cannibal Corpse) for pushing the guitars right to the front of the mix. Sammy Duet’s guitars dominate the bulk of the album, allowing for his sub-Celtic Frost riffs to take hold. This is none more prominent on “The All-Destroying,” where Duet weaves punky, cross-over thrash with thick, muscular riffing.

In fact, there are multiple Grade-A riffs across the board. Check out the winding speed-picking of the title track, or the sludgified action of “Provoking the Rituals of Death” or the To Mega Therion-Southern-style romp of “Reckoning of the Soul Made Goddess.” Duet and co. taken primal, pre-90’s riffing to a new level and couple that with Falgoust’s all-out assault on organized religion (lots of insightful, quality lyrics here) and this amounts to what is the most varied Goatwhore album to date.

Already the subject to much buzz in the underground, Carving Out the Eyes of God could very well be the album that vaults Goatwhore to the next level. It’s good enough, that’s for sure.

www.myspace.com/goatwhore

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Doro – Fear No Evil (AFM Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Doro – Fear No Evil (AFM Records)

With 25 years in the business and God knows how many albums under her belt, the legendary Doro is always up to something. Whether it’s cutting the 2009 Wacken theme song, doing some symphony work or hooking up with her various gal pals for a duet, Doro is anything but static. In spite of its glaring production flaws, Fear No Evil is another respectable album to add to her canon, full of the atypical songs about perseverance, unity, and might.

Vocally, Doro sounds great and that’s largely because she’s never put herself in the position to overextend her voice. Her raspy, punkish cat call still packs a lot of punch on otherwise punchless numbers like “Running From the Devil” and “Caught In A Battle” which forces the aforementioned production faux paux’s (read: drum machine) to rear its ugly head.

The centerpiece of the album is “Celebrate,” which features nine, count ‘em –nine of Doro’s friends, most notably Biff Byford (Saxon), Floor Jansen (of the now-defunct After Forever), Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy) and Liv Kristine (Leaves Eyes), to name a few. The song itself is what you’d expect: a call to arms celebrating Doro’s dedication to rock/metal, backed by a massive chorus from the above parties. Frankly, you can’t make out any of the voices, so the impact is lessened.

Former Nightwish siren Tarja Turunen joins Doro on “Walking With the Angels,” which is probably the best song here. Turunen weaves her earthly magic and combines nicely with Doro for a soft, radio-friendly ballad that will most likely be pushed to the metal masses.

It’s hard to say if there’s a real need for new Doro material, as the clamor for her Warlock and early 00’s work will no doubt be deafening in the live setting. Still, she keeps on popping ‘em out and still looks as good as ever at 45. Doro just can’t lose.

www.myspace.com/doroband

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Killswitch Engage – Killswitch Engage (Roadrunner Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Killswitch Engage – Killswitch Engage (Roadrunner Records)

This one really could have gone either way. Having always managed to stay a few steps ahead of the rest of the melodic, metalcore crowd, Killswitch Engage seemed to slip a little with 2006’s As Daylight Dies. While still a strong album that birthed a few big songs, probably the thing they’re most famous for from that period is their sinful cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.” As an album it, just didn’t have the staying power of The End Of Heartache or Jesse Leach’s final album fronting KSE, Alive Or Just Breathing In the three years since …Daylight Dies the KSE sound has been continually raped and pillaged by lesser bands, nails have been driven into the coffin and the abominable core tag is now prefixed by death. In other words, it’s fair to question if the world is sick of this type of stuff and if KSE have any chance?

Well, on first impressions it certainly makes a positive impact, although on repeated listens it’s easy to hear how the generic tricks and sounds have seeped in. This is KSE’s third album with Howard Jones up front on vocals and it’s his voice that actually lends them most of their uniqueness. A lot of people mimic him but the passion and style he sings with shines right through. The slower paced and spacious “The Return” shows his voice off to the best effect, backed by slow moving, distorted guitars and simplistic drum patterns. “Save Me” is a pretty rocking tune where Adam Dutkiewicz throws in some nice lead lines among the chugging riffs.

The rampaging start of “A Light In A Darkened World” is interesting and should go down well live, but by the chorus it moves into familiar territory – ringing chords, squeals of leads and Jones reaching for the skies vocally. “I Would Do Anything” despite having a rocking beginning, is a very generic song that fails to impress – it’s been done countless times already. “Reckoning” falls back on tried and tested measures which means it could have been written by pretty much any band out there. That’s the general feeling – overall it’s a pretty good album, if far from essential.

If you’ve been crying out for new KSE material then you’ll be delighted. They’ve done what they do, with maybe a few heavier moments than previously, while Jones’ lyrics and vocals are as personal and meaningful/hopeful as always. This self-titled record could be a real grower, but it’s doubtful.

At this stage, it’s more a case of how many Killswitch Engage albums do you need to own? In a sense, they’re treading water and while it’s obvious they’ll survive the flood which will kill the copycats, what they really need to do is take a risk and mix things up a little. Even the artwork has lost its edge, so if you want to use that as an indicator, then work away.

www.myspace.com/killswitchengage

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Ektomorf – What Doesn’t Kill Me… (Regain Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Ektomorf – What Doesn’t Kill Me… (Regain Records)

These Hungarians usually take a beating from the metal press for obvious reasons. Seriously, who wants to hear a third (world)-rate version of latter-Max era Sepultura and Soulfly? Not very many, eh? Lampooning What Doesn’t Kill Me… would be just as easy, but it’s very difficult to dislike this album. It’s a guilty pleasure of sorts.

Singer/guitarist Zoltan Farkas does his best Max impersonation all over this 13-song affair, but how can you not resist the ultra-dumb groove of “Nothing Left?” It’s such a blatantly simple (like, nu metal simple) track that you’re practically thrust back to the stone age. And that’s how most of this album runs. You’ve got a handful of dingy, bouncy riffs that would have set the world afire in 1998 and yet they translate well in 2009. Maybe we’re so accustomed to over-the-top guitar antics that such bonehead approach to riff-writing can charm us.

The blissfully dumb songs we’re referencing? Those would be “Love and Live,” “I Got It All” (which might be the best song here), “New Life,” and “It’s Up To You.” All have one killer main riff that is lifted directly from the last three Soulfly albums and while there’s something inherently wrong with that statement, who cares?

Granted, Ektomorf may never be more than a first-rate imitation band, but one has to remember a great deal of metal is predicated on imitating things and imitating things well. May Ektomorf never come up with an idea of their own. Get this. Ye shall be surprised.

www.myspace.com/ektomorf

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Forest Stream – The Crown of Winter (Candlelight Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Forest Stream – The Crown of Winter (Candlelight Records)

Good enough to open for Katatonia during the Swedes 2007 run in Russia, Forest Stream could be the most visible Russian metal band since Mental Home, who came as fast as they went. While it’s unlikely the same fate will befall this long-running sextet (they’ve been active since 1995), they’ll need to conjure up a little more muster than what is shown on The Crown of Winter to catch the impatient ears of the international underground.

On paper, the band’s mix of symphonic and classic Goth is an appetizing one. Opener “The Crown of Winter” is a tell-tale sign of what the band is capable of, as it’s clearly the best number of this very much bloated 8-song offering. The melodies presented are of the sinewy variety, recalling mid-90’s Katatonia and early Paradise Lost, yet the keyboards play too heavy of a role, dominating “The Seventh Symphony of Satan” and “Autumn Dancers.”

With the exception of the very-Emperor “Bless You To Die,” Forest Stream’s laid-back, almost Tiamat-like approach starts to grate and that’s only because when there is a batch of goods (see the mournful melodies of “Mired”), the band decides to lay off the gas and drifts into more atmospheric nothingness. Sorta frustrating. And the volleying growled/clean vocals of Sonm the Darkest are an acquired taste, especially when the clean side takes prominence (see “The Beautiful Nature”).

The Crown of Winter, for all its awkward balance, would be a world-beater if not for the extraneous elements that bog it down to no end. We’ll stick with the album’s first three songs and ditch the rest.

www.myspace.com/foreststreamband

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

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