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Stratovarius – Polaris (Armoury Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Stratovarius – Polaris (Armoury Records)

A Tolkki-less Strato, eh? That’s like a Mustaine-less Megadeth or a Schaffer-less Iced Earth (which might be a good thing). Now finally beyond the soap opera that led to the axeman’s apparent dissolution of the band in early 2008 to its subsequent reformation with new guitarist Matias Kupianinen, Stratovarius returns with Polaris, a very safe and deliberate album that lacks the bombast and zeal that Tolkki so adorned the band with.

Songwriting duties are now splint amongst the remaining band members (who include singer Timo Kotipelto, drummer Jorg Michael, bassist Lauri Porra and keyboardist Jens Johansson) and while there’s slightly more variety this time out, there’s nothing on par with Visions and/or Infinite. Granted, “Falling Star” is a top-notch mid-tempo power metal rocker and the Johansson-led “King of Nothing” is a winner, but whereas Stratovarius used to dazzle and go over-the-top, they now appear to be willing to fall in line with the rest of the power metal world.

Johansson emerges with the best track on the album, the kinetic “Blind” which is right out of the band’s over-used, beaten to death sound of the late 90’s…and is awesome. Kotipelto should be given more material to belt like this, as opposed to the meandering, predictable “Forever Is Today” or “Higher We Go.” He does, however, work some magic during “Somehow Precious,” the first Strato-ballad in years that doesn’t come across as contrived drivel.

Considering this scribe torn on Polaris. On one hand, it’s cool to see the founding fathers of Finnish power metal carry on, seemingly at ease with one another, yet on the same token, it was Tolkki’s occasional moments of insanity-driven brilliance that propelled Strato to the top of the power metal heap. This isn’t 1997 anymore and Stratovarius realizes this, but one has to think this might be one of those rare instances where totally plagiarizing one’s previous work would do the trick.

www.myspace.com/officialstratovarius

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Trail of Tears – Bloodstained Endurance (Napalm Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Trail of Tears – Bloodstained Endurance (Napalm Records)

It’s not like we throw a 9/10 rating around here every day, but the unbridled vitriol and contrasts on Bloodstained Endurance practically begged for this mark. All this, after Trail of Tears nearly split up in late 2006 after the well-publicized departure of four out of six band members, including clean singerKjetil Nordhus. Yet mainman Ronny Thorsen has proven to be one resilient dude and the results on Bloodstained Endurance speaks for itself: this is the Goth metal album of 2009 to be reckoned with.

Returning to the band is female vocalist Catherine Paulsen, who was last heard on 2002’s A New Dimension of Might. Paulsen, a soprano, fits right into the band’s very-aggro, death metal-tinged approach. This is most notable on “Once Kissed By the Serpent (Twice Bitten By the Truth)” which might be the band’s most significant song to date, as Paulsen turns in a passionate, cut-throat performance during the chorus topped off by feverish melodies.

Paulsen’s mark is all over this thing, mainly during the chorus sections. She shines during “Bloodstained Endurance,” “Triumphant Gleam” and “A Storm At Will” and does a tremendous job of keeping this album out of typical Goth metal territory.

In terms of riffs and arrangements, Thorsen and co. have emerged with a litany of bone-jarring, subtlety melodic riffs, of which are in full force during “In the Valley of Ashes” and “Take. Aim. Reclaim. Prevail.” Combine that the vitriolic, vengeful nature of the lyrics (it’s not a stretch to say most, if not all of this are in direct response to the lineup debacle of ’06) and it’s just one seething album that – like we mentioned earlier – pulls away from typical Goth metal conventions.

Always thought of these Nords to be of the upper-echelon of Goth metal bands and the inherent strength of Bloodstained Endurance supplants, if not destroys that notion. A pure gem.

www.trailoftears.no

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Endstille – Verfuhrer (Regain Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Endstille – Verfuhrer (Regain Records)

Lots of blasting here, almost too much, even for an album with nine songs. Being one-dimensional is not necessarily a band thing in black metal, but with variety not being Endstille’s forte, Verfuhrer bogs down pretty quickly. The Germans did make some headway with last year’s mostly enjoyable Endstille’s Reich, yet it came almost as fast as it went. One has to think the same fate will befall Verfuhrer.

There’s a prominent Gorgoroth influence (think the more extreme moments onIncipit Satan) that gives Endstille a familiar touch. Just reference the whirling riffage on “…Of Disorder” and the idea is solidified. Some choppy, note-dense, standardized black metal riffage makes up the core of the album, set to the tune never-ending blast beats. One of the exceptions to this is “Hate Me…God?” which reeks of classic Gorgoroth and could be the best song here.

Beyond that, Endstille doesn’t go out of its way to separate any of its songs. Sure, there may be more than a few good ideas behind most of these jams, but in this day and age where we’ve heard every variation of blast-attack black metal, it’s just not going to cut it.

www.myspace.com/endstilleband

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky – The Grand Partition and the Abrogation of Idolatry (Nuclear Blast Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky – The Grand Partition and the Abrogation of Idolatry (Nuclear Blast Records)

It would be wise to keep SWAATS (sorry, we’re not spelling that name out again) away from the whole new-jack, deathcore nonsense. Clearly, they’re not playing that game, but when you have a moniker as such, wordy song titles  and a female sampler, it’s bound to happen. That’s just how it works.

The Grand Partition and the Abrogation of Idolatry (another mouthful) readsmore like an early ‘00’s death metal album, heck, let’s go back a few years to when Olympic Records was housed under Mercury Records. There’s total death metal sensibility to this album, which is great, especially when the back-to-back bang/whallop of “10,000 Sermons, One Solution” and “The Realization That Mankind Is Viral In Its Nature” gets going. SWAATS roles out some quality, Suffocation-esque riffage, only aided by a stellar James Murphy production job.

Past that, it all levels off. There’s some mondo-brutal moments on “Despot” and “Automated Oration and the Abolition of Silence” but it’s nothing worth really getting off the couch for. We’re already hearing this stuff with the vintage death metal bands and what SWAATS is doing isn’t terribly removed from it. It’s more a matter of being served what has been served, methinks.

That being said, SWAATS is clearly a notch above the crop of new, American death metal bands popping up. Plus, they have a nifty lyrical agenda and the artwork for this thing is totally rad. SWAATS is just missing a few spots here and there. Next time out, we’ll see how this unfolds.

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Ministry – Adios DVD/CD (Thirteenth Planet/Megaforce Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Ministry – Adios DVD/CD (Thirteenth Planet/Megaforce Records)

The final salvo from Al Jourgensen and co., Adios celebrates the self-imposed end of Ministry, whose long-running career has endured tremendous highs and multiple lows. A CD/DVD (there are two) of various live performances shot during the band’s 2008 “C U LaTour,” Adios is of high quality, putting the final nail in Ministry’s coffin in a rightful and just manner.

Live, the band sounds raw and animated, the result of hours upon hours of rehearsal (as documented during DVD #2, Fuchi Requiem). With Prong mainman Tommy Victor holding down guitar duties alongside Sin Quirin, Jourgensen’s troops give volatile numbers like “Let’s Go, “Waiting” and “No W” that extra industrial adrenal boost they need.

Visually, the use of the band’s famed fence from the mid-90’s (think Psalm 69-era) allows for theatrics to enter the fray. Jourgensen rarely strays from his mic stand, which is fine, as the use of video footage and samples give the Ministry live performance a different feel altogether. Rounding set highlights include “So What,” “Thieves,” “Life Is Good” and “Just One Fix,” arguably the band’s best song.

The Fuchi Requiem is the centerpiece of this set, with exclusive interviews with all band members, as well as on-tour and rehearsal footage. Jourgensen proves to be ever the wise man at his old age (he’s over 50), while Victor and Static-X bassist Tony Campos provide more than a few worthy soundbites.

Jourgensen put Ministry to rest to “avoid making an ass out of himself” and he has succeed with Adios. The band went out with a bang, not a whimper, burned out, rather than faded away. Ok, enough with the clichés – totally mandatory for industrial metal enthusiasts and those who still find the Jourgensen’s maniacal genius of value.

www.ministrymusic.org

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Nahemah – A New Constellation (Lifeforce Records)

David E. Gehlke
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Nahemah – A New Constellation (Lifeforce Records)

Falling in line with the numerous Opeth-infused/inspired bands, Spain’s Nahemah have quite the quirky, but charming creation on their hands with A New Constellation. It’s not direct Opeth worship (hey, Farmakon), but just like the Swede’s, there’s this winding ebb and flow to this thing that makes it very difficult to look past.

It’s hard not to be worked over by the band’s sideways, but ethereal melodies, ones that are of major focus during “Absynthe” and “Reaching the Stars.” There’s a little Opeth draw to most of their ideas, which is fine. They’re light years better than Farmakon and just a slight, slight notch below Novembre. Then again, A New Constellation is far more enjoyable than Novembre’s latest,The Blue, so maybe we’ll call it a toss-up.

Anyway, singer Pablo Egido does an admirable job of varying his vocals, especially during “Follow Me” and “Air.” Egido has that furrowed, grizzly rasp that is a pre-req for prog death of any form, and he uses it well and to his advantage.

Once past the halfway mark of A New Constallation, matters tend to get a little bogged down, which tends to happen with music of this ilk. But the front portion of this album (see pretty much every song referenced in this review) are totally worth investigating. A great find for 2009. More, please.

www.myspace.com/nahemahband

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Hull – Sole Lord (The End Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Hull – Sole Lord (The End Records)

Despite getting off to a doomy start and progressing onto some definite Baroness-style southern-ish metal, this album by Brooklyn five-piece Hull fails to strike the mark on many levels. Despite drawing comparisons with Mastodon, occasionally calling to mind Cult Of Luna and drifting around the heavier, cerebral Neurosis end of the spectrum, they never reach the heights of those bands. And that’s simply where the problem lies. There’s a ready-made market for Hull out there, but the only thing is, after great recent albums from those aforementioned, mentioned acts standards are high. It’s possible that saturation point of the genre has been reached.

Songs like “Transition” open with soft passages and sounds flitter in the background. “Deliverance” has some lovely guitar interplay at the beginning too and it’s here they really do nod towards Baroness. Just not as good as that band, but also a little dirtier and with less groove. “Healer” has hints of Torche hanging of it and a brilliant middle eight. The use of multiple vocals is interesting, but again, has been done better elsewhere. The overall feeling when spending time with Sole Lord is that you’d unfortunately rather be listening to something better.

www.myspace.com/hull

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Sons of Seasons – Gods of Vermin (Napalm Records)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Sons of Seasons – Gods of Vermin (Napalm Records)

Mixing European prog-ish metal, big windswept symphonic songsand you’d imagine a top hat or pencil mustache at the very least Oliver Palotai (Doro, Kamelot) certainly hasn’t strayed too far from his comfort zone with Sons Of Seasons. Although it has to be said he takes a tried and familiar genre and, while not roughing it up and moving things around completely, manages to make it sound interesting to even the most jaded of ears. The strength this Gods Of Vermin boasts is that time and effort clearly went into the songwriting, with no one person allowed to run riot through the corridors claiming they know best.

Take “Wheel Of Guilt,” a pretty rocking tune, with some nice guitar work and a wide open space where the vocals survey the landscape, with keyboards tinkling gently in the background. Singer Henning Basse (Metalium) has the perfect voice for this, able to deliver lines in a powerful way without over-singing them and then switching to harsh, gruffer tones when the need arises, all without ever burying the songs in his performance. There’s always plenty of room for the instrumentalists too, with bass runs and boings filling out the background, proving that this is a band of equals with no one member running the show.

Sons Of Seasons may fit in perfectly on the European festival stages surrounded on either side by old-school thrash bands and female fronted symphonic metal acts, but it’s difficult to imagine how well their sound will travel. With guitarist/composer Oliver Palotai at the helm they’re going to get some attention from the old guard but with Simone Simons of Epica fame/infamy lending her howl to “Fallen Family” they should be able to entice some of the newer fans of the genre into the fold too.

That said, unless you’re a fan of the genre already then there’s going to be little here to woe you. This is not the great crossover record, more a new standard bearer that’ll hopefully help the likes of Blind Guardian down a peg or too and stop Power Quest shite from getting a hand hold.

www.myspace.com/sonsofseasons

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

Devin Townsend Project – Ki (Inside Out Music)

David E. Gehlke
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0
Devin Townsend Project – Ki (Inside Out Music)

Now fully relegated to being a studio musician (blame the burnout from Strapping Young Lad and this thing called “starting a family), Devin Townsend has shifted focus to building his solo name once again with the Devin Townsend Project.

Bear in mind that this is not the “Devin Townsend Band,” which produced the quite excellent Accelerated Evolution and Synchestra, it’s Devin going almost all-solo again, with the help of a select cast of characters from the man’s lengthy musical career. Ki is reserved and reflective, kinda like how 2001’sTerria was, with few metal moments, but a high amount of delicate songcraft, which is gradually becoming the Canuck’s modus operandi.

Ki drifts in and out, front-loaded with “Coast” and “Disruptor,” which has a Talking Heads-like squeeze to it. “Gato” runs the same way, albeit with less than-impressive results. “Terminal” pumps out a beautiful atmospheric runs that would make Anathema take notice from the pub, while “Heaven Send” is Townsend doing his take on simple, alternative pop…in his usual quirky fashion.

Past that, Ki loses its draw. The trippy “Ain’t Never Gonna Win…” fails to hit the mark, as does “Trainfire,” an ill-conceived homage to classic country musicabout a girl chasing a train. “Winter” is lush and gorgeous, though.

The first part of a proposed three-album series, Ki drifts by and leaves perhaps not the mark Townsend was expecting. Rarely does the madman leave us wanting more, but in this case, he has. Guess that’s what the next two albums are for, eh?

www.hevydevy.com

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

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