As Above - So Below

Retroactive

Regrouped Christian Metal vets Deliverance have delivered (no pun intended) what may be their finest hour by way of their new offering As Above – So Below. For long time fans both early and latter this CD encompasses it all. While the band are now labeling themselves as Progressive Metal (which does fit to a certain degree) their trademark sound remains nevertheless intact just with a much needed facelift. Combining elements of their early Thrash days with the Bowie like alternative flair of their more recent releases fans both old and new will enjoy this set of new Deliverance tunes. Personally I pretty much wore out my copy within the first month of getting it. Band leader and vocalist/guitarist Jimmy P. Brown II is reunited on this album with guitarist Mike Phillips who laid down riffs on the much respected Stay Of Execution LP. Many fans have hoped for a new collaboration with former axe slinger George Ochoa who played on the bands first three releases including the landmark Weapons Of Our Warfare album, while there has been a lot of rumor, nothing concrete has been set and as it stands right now it is very unlikely to happen anytime soon. As Above – So Below is undoubtedly the next best thing though and I can hardly wait to hear these tunes performed live.

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Norwegian Prog-Metallers Circus Maximus have released their sophomore effort on Sensory Records titled Isolate and unfortunately it has gone virtually unnoticed since its release date but not because it isn’t a stellar sounding release, on the contrary it is probably one of the finest works of creative ingenuity to grace the genre in all of 2007. I think their label might need to pull their act together and give these guys a better publicity push. Talent such as this should not ever go unnoticed. This is the album that has every intention instilling within the listener exactly why it is we love metal so much. It is also the first release that just might make Dream Theater rethink their position as leaders in the Prog-Metal movement. Vocalist Michael Eriksen is one of the best in the business and can easily hold his ground with his contemporaries and guitarist Mats Hauugen is equally capable. Keep an eye on this band if given the right exposure they will likely become one of the industry leaders in the not too distant future.

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After more than a year of anticipation the extremely pricey new Nightwish masterpiece featuring the debut of new vocalist Annette Olzon finally hit stores and garnered critical acclaim upon its release. Dark Chest of Wonders continues to deliver the same high quality arrangements that have made Nightwish an international success but without the overuse of operatic vocals as was the focus of their preceding albums. While there are still segments of the classical vocal style present throughout the CD the overall premise is more accenting than dominating. All fears and criticisms aside Annette Olzon has a truly beautiful voice that is both alluring and sultry. She is perfectly at home in the newly revamped lead vocal position. The enticing performance displayed here can best be described as a sort of Celtic/Goth like approach. The progressive element of the band comes across during the first song that clocks in at over thirteen minutes. But it is tracks such as “Eva” and “Amaranth” that truly bring to light the bands trademark sound not to mention the brutally charged “Bye Bye Beautiful” which features the gruff vocal of bassist Marco Hietala. The band pulled no punches with this release and enlisted a massive orchestra to take their sound above and beyond. The deluxe addition of Dark Passion Play contains a second disc of all orchestral tracks. Final comment…I’ve not one disappointing or negative vibe to report. For all intents and purpose this is by far one of the best symphonic Metal releases ever. 

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Swedish Power Metallers Nocturnal Rites have revealed their latest work of musical initiative to the unsuspecting world and if one thing can be said about their artistic prowess it’s that they remain consistent. The 8^th Sin is Nocturnal Rites eighth studio release hence the name and they seem to have really come into their own with the last couple of releases gaining massive amounts of praise for their impressive musical abilities. However with this release they seem to have hit their first stagnate moment in recent years. The musicianship and overall production are still way above par and the compositions remain pretty convincing as well but there is a lack of passion on this album that allows it to sound more like left over scraps from the bands previous efforts than the fresh inspiration we were hoping for. In a nutshell there is more pop than power here. In comparison it comes across as something reminiscent of Bon Jovi only on steroids. But don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad album by any means but it is also not their greatest offering to date. There are however two or three stand out cuts that make it worth owning. “Never Again”, “Not The Only”, and “Strong Enough” are all killer tunes deserving of respect.

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The third installment of VH1’s popular acoustic series Metal Mania Stripped arrived in stores with a few unforeseen surprises. The idea this time around I was told was that they wanted to focus on songs that were more rockin with far less syrupy ballads. Well it only delivers the rockers on about half the album but it is still cool to hear the majority of these songs on an un-plugged level. Out of the tender hearted tear jerkers found on the CD look for stellar cuts like such as Damn Yankees “High Enough” performed here by two of the bands founders in the form of their new outing Shaw/Blades (Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades) as well as “When I Look into Your Eyes” by Firehouse, “Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Kix and “Headed For A Heartbreak” by Winger. On the flip side the rockin portion of the CD there are cool renditions from Dokken - “In My Dreams”, Ratt - “Way Cool Jr.”, Autograph - “Turn Up The Radio”, Queensryche - “The Killing Words” and Slaughter doin “Up All Night”. Probably the most ridiculous inclusion however is the addition of Accept’s “Balls To The Walls” and believe it or not it’s actually pretty convincing.

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If you’re looking to recapture your youth and truly miss the bluesy hair Metal and classic rock of the 70’s and 80’s that tore up the Sunset strip more than a decade ago you need look no further than the debut release of Los Angeles based Poets & Pornstars. Drawing on an array of talents and influences the band can best be described as a combination of Aerosmith meets AC/DC with a strong nod to Tesla. With the success of bands like Buckcherry I wondered how long it would be before more bands with this type of old school frame of mind would emerge from the shadows. As if their name didn’t already give it away, sleazy, sexy, dirty, and decadent are all easy adjectives to attribute to this bands persona and I’m sure they will have no problem finding a like audience to embrace their perverse lifestyle. This is Rock and Roll 101 done the way the devil intended it to be a form and style somewhat amiss in today’s scene. Their self titled release is superbly put together and given he right amount of attention they are sure to be around for some time to come.

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Well I’m pretty sure that we didn’t need it but we got it anyways. That is another Best of collection from Seattle’s premiere Metal masters Queensryche. Sign of the Times: the Best of Queensryche unfortunately falls short of anything worth owning in my opinion as most of the credible tracks are already found on earlier collections such as the bands 2000 Greatest Hits release. As with most fans, I’m just not partial to much of the latter Queensryche material and there are a number of other songs that I’d rather see here than those that were chosen. In all honesty how can you have a collection of hits without “Empire” or “Warning” on the other hand “Another Rainy Night” appears here on the new album but not on the 2000 collection and neither album has “Is There Anybody Listening” or “The Best I Can” both of which were huge hits for Queensryche in the late 80’s - early 90’s. Ultimately they have yet to release a decent hits collection.

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German guitar god Axel Rudi Pell returns to the scene with Diamonds Unlocked a rather unlikely album of covers, unlikely because he chose to cover songs from outside his area of expertise. While there are a few cuts that don’t represent much of a stretch including “Warrior” (Riot), and a rendition of KISS’s “Love Gun” done as a ballad nonetheless…ok that is quite a stretch, the selections here are surprisingly not half bad. I especially like the cover of U2’s “Beautiful Day”, and Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight”. Other stand outs are “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who, “Heartbreaker” by Free, “Rock The Nation” by Montrose and “Stone” by Chris Rea/The Law. It should also be noted that vocalist Johnny Gideli nails every note with great conviction; most impressive.

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After much anticipation Sweden’s Hammerfall finally released their first ever greatest hits compilation in a fantastic double disc package titled Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years Of Glory. This is a great collection containing thirty of the bands most respected songs two of which are new to this release. Complete with a full color multi page booklet and magnificent artwork this is everything the Hammerfall fan could hope for and also serves as a great introduction to those who are just discovering the power that Hammerfall commands. Among the featured songs there are favorites such as “”Last Man standing”, “Glory To the Brave”, “Heeding The Call”, “Legacy Of Kings”, “Let The Hammer Fall”, “Templars Of Steel”, “Renegade”, “Always Will Be”, “Riders Of The Storm”, “Hearts On Fire”, “Crimson Thunder”, “Blood Bound”, “Natural High” and more. 

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Direct from the Netherlands come Holland’s leading Gothic Metal export Within Temptation who surprisingly have been in existence for more than a decade now having first established themselves in 1996. Their latest effort The Heart Of Everything marks the bands debut release here in the States. Due to the huge demand for this style of music (thanks to such acts as Evanescence and Lacuna Coil), Within Temptation are right in line to become one of the genre greats with their seductively dark candor. This CD has it all, emotion, passion, beauty, and outstanding musicianship. Vocalist Sharon Den Adel is as capable a singer as they come and fully able to hold her own against her contemporaries. Song favorites include “The Howling”, ”Frozen”, and “The Cross” although the chorus does get a little annoying with the staggered vocal structure underlying the operatic vocals which are absolutely superb.

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Hungarian Black Metallers Sear Bliss return with their sixth studio release and first for Candlelight Records. The Arcane Odyssey is an interesting submission as it does not strictly follow the trend setting symphonic element made popular by the Norwegians but instead tries to create its own identity and while I respect their efforts I’m not sure if I completely get it. The absence of string and the addition of horns just doesn’t sit well with me. Truthfully I love the music, the production, and everything but they need to lose the horns. This is the one point of contention I have with this CD and the one factor that I believe sets them apart in a negative way. It comes down to the difference between a really good album and a really great album. With that said I do recommend it not only to the Black Metal fan but any fan of extreme Metal. The majority of the album is near perfect and it’s only in a few instances that their experimentation peeks through to unravel their true musical acuity.  

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Vintage rockers Lillian Axe have risen from the ashes to release their latest offering Waters Rising, a delightfully seasoned collection of songs that bring to mind the hey day of 80’s rock. Joining the band for this next chapter of the bands impressive repertoire is new vocalist Derrick Lefevre who bring to the table a definite flair to the bands sound. Solid and uncompromising rock these guys haven’t lost their touch one bit.

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Angra vocalist Edu Falaschi has pieced together an all star line up for his first solo effort in the form of Almah. Joining Edu to make this project a reality are non other than drummer Casey Grillo (Kamelot), guitarist Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish) and bassist Lauri Porra (Stratovarius). Mike stone of Queensryche also makes a guest appearance. Written arranged and produced by Falaschi, this first offering is similar to his work with Angra only in that it is of progressive Metal origins. Put together with the same well thought out convictions that he is known for with Angra this new chapter in his career is sure to gain the attention of fans everywhere. Its most difficult ambition will be to get fans to understand that it doesn’t sound like Angra because it is not.

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Los Angeles based thrashers Five Finger Death Punch who hold in their ranks former W.A.S.P. guitarist Darrell Roberts and ex-Motograter vocalist Ivan Moody are on a mission to destroy the Metal world as we know it and usher in a new revolution. Their debut release for Firm Music titled The Way Of The Fist is by far the strongest blending of the past and present that I’ve heard giving a solid nod to vintage Metal with precision riffing, shredding guitar solos and aggressive as hell vocals but holding a definite flair for the modern as well. This album has it all for a fan of Metal there’s just no denying that these guys have struck gold with their amazing focus and diversity.

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Dutch Metal Opera mastermind Arjen Lucassen has delivered his eighth full length production in the popular Ayreon series which once again gathers together a whirlwind of talent from the metal underground. On board this time around are Jonas P Renske (Katatonia), Hansi Kurch (Blind Guardian) Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering), Floor Jansen (After Forever), Tom Englund (Evergrey), Jorn Lande (ex-Masterplan) Bob Catley (Magnum), Steve Lee (Gotthard), Ty Tabor (Kings X), Simone Simons (Epica) and many more. Musically this CD is not really any different from previous Ayreon efforts other than the different contributions. So if you are a fan of the other albums you will love this one just as much. While I do enjoy the writing and overall textures that are explored here, the opera side that makes it so lengthy sometimes taxes me a bit much. I just can’t find time to actually listen to the double disc set in its entirety more than once. In addition some of the parts tend to be a little monotonous at times. There is however an abundance of really stand out cuts ranging from the ultra heavy to the intensely atmospheric which make this a worthy addition to my collection.

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If Depeche Mode were to somehow turn Metal???, what a sound that would instill in the hearts and minds of Metalheads around the world. Well, while that is about as likely as Slayer covering Depeche Mode, Italy’s The Foreshadowing have decided to capitalize on the sound nevertheless and have subsequently released their debut CD to a Goth Metallers dream come true. Days Of Nothing embarks on a dark, brooding world of atmospheric euphoria that is sure to stir emotions in the deepest reaches of the human soul. For those who love to soak in depressing expressions of this dismal life this is a CD that will have you on your face and feeling the weight of the world within seconds of the first song. I think the bands slogan sums this CD up better than anything I could say. “Sing The Sorrow, enjoy the end”.

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Norway’s Octavia Sperati managed to hit their sophomore release head on with no known worries at all. Complete confidence and determination seem to be the pinnacle of success for this predominately female Goth Metal outfit. Their new album Grace Submerged is extremely well executed and will undoubtedly serve as a big stepping stone for them in their newfound career. I do think the production was a bit on the raw side and could use some sprucing up.