Reviews

Review: AVANTASIA – “Moonglow” (2019)

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 11, 2019
Posted in: Int. News, News, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

avantasia_moonglow

Review by David Araneda

Artist: AVANTASIA
Album: “Moonglow”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release date: 15th February 2019

Tracklist:
01. Ghost In The Moon
02. Book Of Shallows
03. Moonglow
04. The Raven Child
05. Starlight
06. Invincible
07. Alchemy
08. The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
09. Lavender
10. Requiem For A Dream
11. Maniac
12. Heart (Bonus track, only limited edition)

At this point in time AVANTASIA doesn’t need major introductions. This rock and metal opera commanded by mastermind Tobias Sammet has been catching a lot of attention from the metal world for over twenty years now, creating a lot of expectation with each release due to the amount of musicians involved. With time the style of the band has evolved from traditional power metal into something way more miscellaneous. In this occasion we had the joy to analyze “Moonglow”, their eight full-length studio release, which will be soon available via Nuclear Blast. For this new album the main line-up of the band remained unchanged compared to their latest releases, with Sascha Paeth in charge of the strings, Michael Rodenberg aka “Miro” on keyboards and orchestrations, plus Felix Bohnke on drums.

After a short break following AVANTASIA’s “Ghostlights Tour” and EDGUY’s compilation “Monuments”, Sammet faced no contractual obligations for the first time in many years, with complete freedom to plan the future of these two projects. This freedom allowed Tobias to get inspired in a natural way and without time restrains, taking creative breaks in England. This is very relevant when we examine the themes of “Moonglow”, a conceptual album which tells the story of a misfit creature who searches for shelter in the darkness. Both the lyrics and the fabulous cover (a brilliant illustration created by Alexander Jansson) were influenced by Victorian novels written by the likes of Arthur Machen and Algernon Blackwood.

Going straight to the music, the album opens with ‘Ghost in the Moon’, a ten-minute epic track. The soft piano introduction and melodic tone of the song remind us of some of the latest releases from AVANTASIA, with a sound that gets close to the eighties-inspired AOR à la Meat Loaf. Sammet’s self-references to his previous work become evident with phrases such as “mystery of a blood red rose”, which make us feel like we’re inside an Avatasian universe with a life of its own. Toby takes over the main vocals and shines with a dramatic performance. As usual, the vocal arrangements and orchestrations are top-notch, making this track a promising beginning to this musical journey.

Without a break they put all the meat on the grill (as we say in Spanish) with ‘Book of Shallows’, a powerful and straight forward song, with a mind-blowing list of singers. We hear for the first time the unique voice of Hansi Kürsch, together with some old fellows such as Jørn Lande and Ronnie Atkins. But maybe the most unexpected apparition is that of Mille Petrozza, taking AVANTASIA to previously unknown levels of aggressiveness, though keeping its pomposity untouched. ‘Moonglow’ was the second single, making some people doubt about the musical direction of the album due to its Disney Channel-inspired melody and structure. Personally, I like it more with every listen, especially the lovely contribution of Candice Night, who adds a dream-like feeling to the song.

‘The Raven Child’ is one of the highlights of the album, with eleven minutes filled with magic and fantasy that delighted us already last December. From its subtle introduction with medieval atmosphere and the voice of Hansi the Bard, it takes us to ancient times, evolving into segments with higher intensity and the apparition of mastermind Toby and Viking Lande, a true King Midas of rock and roll. I think Jørn could sing reggaeton and make it sound classy, what a voice for the love of Jebus! It is worth mentioning that this song is not exempt of references to earlier AVANTASIA works, and that no one would have been surprised if this track was entitled “The Scarecrow Part II”.

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They continue with ‘Stralight’, a mid-tempo track with a sound of traditional heavy/power melodic metal. The Danish gentleman Ronnie Atkins shines once more in an outstanding duet with Sammet. The vocal line is very catchy and the song is full of energy and groove, with lots of positive vibes. Happy Metal at its best. ‘Invincible’ is the compulsory ballad, with the great Geoff Tate stealing the show and claiming back his reputation. The former Queensrÿche front man delivers a performance that justifies why he is considered one of the best voices in rock history. In a short duel full of sentiment with Toby, they build up the tension for the next epic moment of “Moonglow”.

I’m talking about ‘Alchemy’, a song with a more intricate and progressive structure in which Tate delivers once more his immeasurable talent, giving a masterclass in vocal power. The chorus is one of the catchiest and more addictive within the album, together with exquisite orchestral arrangements courtesy of Miro. A killer track, no questions asked. The next in line is ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’, perhaps the most interesting song of the album in terms of the amount vocalists involved. In addition to Sammet, Atkins, Tate and Lande we have Eric Martin and Bob Catley, becoming an international dream team of rock and metal. Musically speaking this is a very effective melodic power metal track, one of those that feature plenty of bombastic double bass drum and that fans will always embrace.

With ‘Lavender’ they go back to the AOR sound that Toby usually chooses for Bob Catley’s apparitions. I appreciate the intention to keep the variety in the album but this effort lacks the necessary novelty and freshness to make it a memorable one. But since we’re speaking of memorable, ‘Requiem for a Dream’ is what we were waiting for since the beginning of the album, the starring contribution of Michael Kiske. Michi has been part of the AVANTASIA family since day one and “Moonglow” is no exception, adding his superb vocals, astonishing as usual. The bass arrangements à la Grosskopf give this song a taste of Helloween, while we wait for the upcoming album from the Pumpkins United.

The record closes with ‘Maniac’, a peculiar version of the eighties classic originally by Michael Sembello. In a curious decision, this track is part of the official album and not a bonus one. Despite of the good vocal work by Sammet and Martin, this cover version feels a little out of place, since it sounds more like a wedding band than a metal opera. Anyways, we all know Toby is a guy with a great sense of humor and also a musical chameleon who’s always trying to surprise us with his crazy ideas. The limited edition of the album includes a bonus track called ‘Heart’, which works as a personal tribute from Sammet to the legendary band Journey and his classic vocalist Steve Perry.

In a nutshell, “Moonglow” is a fine piece of work that brings together some of the best voices of nowadays melodic rock and metal. Sammet is without a question a creative genius whose ideas don’t seem to run out or lose its relevance. Even if this album doesn’t bring too many new elements to the table, the amount of references to the world of rock music elevate Toby to the category of the Tarantino of metal, mixing and reusing the right ingredients in the perfect amounts to create a unique and unforgettable music experience. Not every song in this album reaches the mark of masterpiece or instant classic, but there are no bad tracks either. The order of the tracklist makes the record flow naturally and gracefully.

Furthermore, “Moonglow” easily takes a high place in AVANTASIA’s discography, perhaps only behind “The Metal Opera”, “The Scarecrow” and “The Mystery of Time”. We appreciate the variety and energy in the compositions, in addition to the flawless production and beautiful artwork. The presence of singers with such iconic voices such as Hansi and Mille, together with Kiske’s commitments with Helloween, leaves us waiting for the confirmation of the live line-up that will hit the road in March. Regarding the “Moonglow World Tour”, Sammet has promised plenty of surprises and three hours of music, making it one of the most anticipated live shows of the year. ¡Avantasia is back, ladies and gentlemen!

Rating: 8/10.

AVANTASIA – “Moonglow” videos

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Review: WITHIN TEMPTATION – Resist (2019)

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 2, 2019
Posted in: Int. News, News, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

WithinTemptation-2018

Review by David Araneda

Artist: WITHIN TEMPTATION
Album: “Resist”
Label: Spinefarm Records
Release Date: 1st February 2019

Tracklist:
1. The Reckoning
2. Endless War
3. Raise Your Banner
4. Supernova
5. Holy Ground
6. In Vain
7. Firelight
8. Mad World
9. Mercy Mirror
10. Trophy Hunter

WithinTemptationResist

After a five-year hiatus, the Dutch masters of symphonic rock WITHIN TEMPTATION have released a new studio album entitled “Resist” via Spinefarm Records. During this long recess, the leader and vocalist Sharon den Adel had to struggle with a series of personal problems, in addition to a musical identity crisis that affected the whole band. Some fans even feared the worst with rumors of disbanding surrounding the birth of den Adel’s side project My Indigo and the release of their debut album last year. In her solo effort Sharon got a lot closer to electronic/alternative pop, very far from the symphonic influences of her main band, sowing doubt on the future of WITHIN TEMPTATION.

But luckily for their fans, the band announced last year that they were working on the long-awaited follow-up to “Hydra” (2014), starting also a European tour and confirming their presence in big summer festivals during 2019. Den Adel commented that for this new release the band would take influences from modern music but also incorporate darker elements to it. After the release of no less than four singles we would soon realize that this darkness would be reflected mainly in the themes and overall atmosphere of the music. Considering the commercial musical direction of their last couple of records, we were certainly not expecting them to make a U-turn and go back to their metal roots.

The album starts with ‘The Reckoning’, first single released last September with a futuristic videoclip. As it’s been the tendency of their last record, “Resist” also features some famous guest singers, and this time it was the turn of Jacoby Shaddix (PAPA ROACH). The sound of the song is dominated by heavy keyboard arrangements, giving it a modern touch. Sharon and Jacoby’s vocals merge nicely in a catchy, epic and melodic chorus. ‘Endless War’ is a bit of an odd-ball experiment, combining pop elements with operatic vocals, symphonic orchestrations and hip-hop vibes. It’s like NIGHTWISH and Rihanna had a kid.

‘Raise Your Banner’ comes back to the more traditional style of the band. The guest of honor is Anders Fridén, best known for his work as the frontman of Swedish band IN FLAMES. Anders’ mix of clean and harsh vocals adds more colors to the song and the chorus has a battle hymn feeling that sticks with you from the first listen. With ‘Supernova’ they get closer to a more electronic pop sound influenced by bands like MUSE. The keyboard work by Martijn Spierenburg keeps dominating the general atmosphere of the record, with playful rhythms and contagious melodies that contrast with gloomy lyrics.

In ‘Holy Ground’ they experiment again with electronic sounds and Sharon’s phrasing has a rap feeling to it at times. In this case the lyrics are a bit infantile, reminding a bit me the likes of Avril Lavigne. ‘In Vain’, another song released as a single, brings back the promised darkness into the album and is executed with mastery. The structure and melody of this song helps to make it stand out and become of the more addictive tunes in the record. In ‘Fireflight’ they make a turn towards R&B, with the contribution of Jasper Steverlinck’s guest vocals. This is one of the record’s finest duets, since their voices blend in perfectly.

‘Mad World’ is my personal favorite of the album, with an irresistible sound for someone nostalgic with 80’s pop. It is a song full of energy and even the toughest metalhead wouldn’t resist its groovy dance feeling. With ‘Mercy Mirror’ they go back to a modern radio-friendly pop sound, but which becomes a bit too predictable and repetitive. The album finishes in great style with ‘Trophy Hunter’, a heavier and more guitar-oriented song, putting the omnipresent keyboards aside for a while. Sharon’s work is impeccable here, with a catchy and effective vocal line, showing all her potential as one of the greatest female voices in rock nowadays.

To sum up, “Resist” is an entertaining and dynamic album, mixing in a superb way elements that range from symphonic rock to electronic pop. With this release, WITHIN TEMPTATION marks a complete transition from their early metal sound into one that is more accessible for a mainstream audience. Before the release of this album the band had performed half of the songs live, showing how confident they were on the quality of the material. Sharon’s voice and Spierenburg’s keyboard work remain as the most distinctive components of this unstoppable sound machine, which has managed to erase any possible questions regarding their continuity and relevance.

Rating 7.5/10

WITHIN TEMPTATION – “Resist” videos

Review: EVERGREY – “The Atlantic” (2019)

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 22, 2019
Posted in: Int. News, News, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

evergrey_2018_TheAtlantic

Review by David Araneda

Artist: EVERGREY
Album: “The Atlantic”
Release Date: 25th January 2019
Label: AFM Records

Tracklist:

01. A Silent Arc
02. Weightless
03. All I Have
04. A Secret Atlantis
05. The Tidal
06. End of Silence
07. Currents
08. Departure
09. The Beacon
10. This Ocean

Evergrey-cover

The Swedish progressive metal lords EVERGREY bring us their eleventh studio album, entitled “The Atlantic” and released via AFM Records. This record marks the final chapter of a trilogy about the adventure of life, which started in 2014 with “Hymns for The Broken” and continued in 2016 with “The Storm Within”. The lineup of the band has remained unchanged since the beginning of this trilogy, showing cohesion within the group. During this break Tom Englund, leader and vocalist of the band, joined their American pairs REDEMPTION to replace Ray Alder in their 2018 release “Long Night’s Journey into Day”.

Regarding the concept and themes of “The Atlantic”, Tom Englund commented: “It’s about relationships, beauty and darkness, about fortune and grief, about love, hate, despair, joy and everything connected with it. Life is like a journey across the ocean, on the way to distant shores”. “The Atlantic” was produced by Englund himself together with drummer Jonas Ekdahl and was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen. Artist Giannis Nakos was in charge of the interesting cover, dominated by shades of yellow, portraying a small boat sailing in a reckless storm, trying not to succumb to the fury of the sea.

The album begins with ‘A Silent Arc’, released already last December. The song starts suddenly with one of the heaviest riffs in EVERGREY‘s history, and as soon as the vocals come out we pay attention to the fierce vocal style of Tom. This is a very aggressive opening for the standards of the band, but after the storm comes the calm and towards the chorus this early rage dissolves into very melodic passages. It soon becomes evident that we are dealing with a band with masterful ability to control the intensity, the contrasts and the atmosphere in their music. With almost eight minutes of length, the band displays all its majesty and class in this song.

They continue with ‘Weightless’, another single for which they recorded a video clip with Jonas Ekdahl’s drums burning in flames, achieving an astonishing visual effect. The song opens with a mid-tempo hard-rock riff, progressing into a melodic and catchy vocal line, with the kind of chorus that sticks to your head from the first listen. ‘All I Have’ also starts powerfully, developing into a melancholic verse and then a chorus with almost romantic pop tones. The subtle changes of intensity and the elegance of EVERGREY‘s style prevent them from fall into clichés, keeping their musical integrity. The guitar work of Henrik Danhage and Tom Englund stands out towards the end of this track.

‘A Secret Atlantis’ sticks to the previous formula, starting in a furious and unstoppable fashion, but little by little they slow down as the song progresses. Tom Englund uses the chance to explore other areas of his register, swimming into deeper waters, but also hitting some high notes. The lyrics reflect the pain and desperation of being lost out in the ocean with the uncertainty of not knowing what the future holds. ‘The Tidal’ is a keyboard-based short instrumental where Rikard Zander shows all his skills, working as an interlude before fully entering into the second half of the album.

‘End of Silence’ is a song with a solemn mood, mixing a very nostalgic melody with sublime piano arrangements. The pace remains quite calm for most of the track, getting some momentum towards the end with an instrumental section in which the two guitars and the keyboard merge, giving birth to mesmerizing harmonies. ‘Currents’ was the third single of “The Atlantic” and works as a synthesis of the concept of the album, summarizing the comparison between life in the ocean and existence itself, with all its difficulties and sudden changes. Although lacking the charm of the other two singles, this song contains interesting keyboard arrangements, vocal harmonies and guitar solos.

‘Departure’ is one of the songs that stands out for its structure, breaking the formula to which we were getting used to. The beginning is slow, progressing little by little into more complex rhythm signatures, bursting with instrumental virtuosity. The work of bassist Johan Niemann is a highlight of this track, adding heaviness to its multiple intensity changes. Approaching the end of this trip, the album closes with a couple of songs that in my opinion do not reach the level of the previous ones. The first of them, ‘This Beacon’, in spite of its dramatic start and metaphorical lyrics, does not bring anything new to the table. To conclude, ‘This Ocean’ is a more energetic effort, but it also leaves us wanting more.

While “The Atlantic” is a record that goes from great to not so great, with a superb start but losing some gas towards the end, it’s also a release that shows EVERGREY at the top of their abilities and greatness for most of its length. There are at least four songs that are destined to become classics in their catalogue. This album will probably open their way to new horizons, as the band will soon embark on a tour that will take them through the main cities of Europe and some summer festivals, including the thirtieth anniversary of Wacken Open Air. Don’t miss them if you have the chance to catch them on the road. The Kings of Swedish progressive metal are here to stay.

Rating 7.8/10

EVERGREY – “The Atlantic” videos

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: SOILWORK – “Verkligheten” (2019)

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 18, 2019
Posted in: Int. News, News, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

soilwork2018c

Review by David Araneda

Artist: SOILWORK
Album: “Verkligheten”
Release Date: 11th January 2019
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Tracklist:
01. Verkligheten
02. Arrival
03. Bleeder Despoiler
04. Full Moon Shoals
05. The Nurturing Glance
06. When the Universe Spoke
07. Stålfågel
08. The Wolves Are Back in Town
09. Witan
10. The Ageless Whisper
11. Needles and Kin (feat. Tomi Joutsen)
12. You Aquiver

soilwork - verkligheten (lp- & cd-cover)_4000px

The Swedish melodeath masters SOILWORK has just released their eleventh studio album entitled “Verkligheten” (“The Reality” in Swedish) via Nuclear Blast Records. For the fans of this band it’s been almost three and a half years without hearing new material from the them since the release of “The Ride Majestic” in 2015, excluding the compilation album “Death Resonance” from 2016. During this time some of the members of the band have remained quite busy in other successful projects such as the melodic rock band THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, who have released two studio albums in this period and will be perform in the next version of Wacken Open Air.

In addition, during this recess the drummer Dirk Verbeuren left the band after twelve years to join MEGADETH, with his young twenty-six-year-old apprentice Bastian Thusgaard coming as his replacement. Another change in the line-up of SOILWORK was the departure of bassist Markus Wibom, replaced by Taylor Nordberg. The rest of the line-up remains unchanged with Björn “Speed” Strid on vocals, Sylvain Coudret and David Andersson on guitars, along with Sven Karlsson on the keyboards. Taking into account the long gap between albums, the growing popularity of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA and the changes in the line-up, the stakes on “Verkligheten” were quite high.

The album opens with a short but peculiar instrumental introduction called ‘Verkligheten’, marking a soft and subtle start for a record that will be full of surprises. The keyboard sound merges with the beginning of the first actual song. I’m talking about ‘Arrival’, the first single released last October as a lyric video. This track shows us SOILWORK in all its splendor, with a furious melodeath sound full of futuristic elements. The chorus is epic, mixing in an exceptional way the clean and harsh vocals of Speed. The guitar duo shreds at full speed and steals the show. A great start for this long-awaited album.

Then they strike again attack with ‘Bleeder Despoiler’, which begins in a promising way with an interesting guitar riff full of groove. However, by the time the chorus arrives the song becomes a bit too predictable and repetitive, making it one of the few tracks of the album that didn’t succeed to surprise me. ‘Full Moon Shoals’, on the other hand is a lot catchier, with an almost pop chorus in which Speed´s clean vocals predominate. The sound is closer to the metalcore, which is not my favorite metal subgenre, but in the case of SOILWORK sounds very authentic. Towards the end of the song they go nuts with a fast paced section and lots of growling.

‘The Nurturing Glance’ opens with clean guitars, developing into a melodic riff and then a hard rock bridge, culminating with a catchy trademark chorus. Both Coudret and Andersson are experts when it comes to mixing different styles of guitar playing in the same song. ‘When the Universe Spoke’ repeats the formula of intro with clean guitars, but in this case it explodes into an amazing blastbeast, full of melody but also very aggressive. It’s one of the best songs of the album in my opinion. Extra points to Bastian Thusgaard, who remains precise and synchronized with the rest of the band despite the great velocity.

‘Stålfågel’ (“Bird of Steel” in Swedish) is one of the most interesting songs on the album, as it drifts away from the classic SOILWORK sound and gets closer to what we are used to with THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA. It’s a track with a retro-futuristic atmosphere, from the eighties-like keyboard sound to its striking animated video clip. Sven Karlsson’s work on keyboards is truly inspired, creating a unique, epic and apotheotic atmosphere. As a curiosity, in the background we can hear a female guttural voice, and everything suggests that it would be Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), but at the moment this can’t be reliably verified online.

‘The Wolves Are Back in Town’ is a correct track but it suffers for its position in the album among more outstanding songs, remaining a little unnoticed. ‘Witan’ is a song that injects some fresh air into the record, mainly thanks to its infectious chorus, one of the most effective of the album. And that is a lot to say, since these Swedes tend to put extra-cheese in their choruses. ‘The Ageless Whisper’ begins with the soft message from a girl and a relaxed pace, only to detonate into an intense display of riffs, with plenty of changes of intensity in addition to a playful chorus, full of drama. The brief instrumental interlude with jazz-fusion bits is priceless.

‘Needles and Kin’ is another fast song, full of adrenaline and with the collaboration of Tomi Joutsen from AMORPHIS. In the growling contest the Finn takes the advantage with a deeper and more powerful voice, but Speed ​​shines with his clean voices, an area that he has been able to explore without limitations in his parallel project. The regular version of the album ends with ‘You Aquiver’, a song with an almost danceable beat, very melodic and energetic. For those loyal, collector fans, the digipack and double vinyl versions also include the EP “Underworld”, which contains three unreleased songs (‘Summerburned and Winterblown’, ‘In This Master’s Tale’ and ‘The Undying Eye’), plus the original version of ‘Needles and Kin’.

In conclusion, “Verkligheten” is an extremely dynamic album, drifting naturally between countless musical genres. The variety of styles incorporated, the quality of the musicians involved, together with those catchy melodic choruses, make SOILWORK an extremely attractive band for those who keep their minds open to a musical experience beyond any expectations. Without reinventing the wheel, these Swedes have managed to mix the ingredients in the right way to come up with an entertaining album that will generate a lot of noise during this year. It probably will not be the favorite record for old-school or more traditional metal fans, but one would assume that they are not keeping track of this band anymore.

Rating: 8/10.

SOILWORK – “Verkligheten” videos:

ACCEPT: Wacken Performance Review From Fan Perspective

Posted by aliblackdiamond on August 18, 2017
Posted in: Live Report, Reviews. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Review By Martin Curtis
Arrangement By Alison Booth

Accept Wacken Crowd Shot 2

Heavy metal giants ACCEPT recently performed at Wacken Open Air’s “Night To Remember” in front of 85,000+ fans. One of the crowd was long time English ACCEPT fan Martin Curtis, who kindly reviewed the show for us at Metal Shock Finland:

As a festival, Wacken is second to none. One of the reasons for going is because the organisers have an innate ability to make shows special, so that you feel privileged to have been there. In recent years, I have seen them do this with Doro and with Saxon, but this year’s Accept show was arguably the best yet.

Accept Wacken Stage

Accept are a band that are on an absolute high at the moment – and I am old enough to remember the Udo years. Their song writing is first class, Mark Tornillo is a vocalist with a great sound and immense energy and Wolf Hoffmann is a legend who seems to be enjoying himself more than ever. It is true that you get that combination from any show, but throw in an orchestrated set and the pleasure of seeing Wolf playing stuff from his excellent classical albums and you get some thing to be relished, all made better by that very special Wacken crowd that were lapping up every minute.

Afterwards, there was talk that the classical set was too long, or that the orchestrated set lost a bit of excitement; I disagree but, anyway, who cares?

I could write a track by track, minute by minute analysis, but that is not my style. Anyway, that is not what I will remember. My lasting memory will be of seeing a unique set by a band that are on an absolute high and at one of the world’s great festivals.

Accept Wolf Wacken Stage Shot

Photos from the official ACCEPT YouTube footage.

Review: SCAR OF THE SUN “In Flood” (2016)

Posted by aliblackdiamond on July 28, 2017
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Review By Alison Booth

Artist: SCAR OF THE SUN
Album: “In Flood”
Label: Scarlet Records
Release Date: 20th May 2016

Tracklist:

1. Among Waters And Giants
2. An Ill-Fated Wonder
3. Versus The World
4. Sand
5. The Truth About The Lies
6. Enemies Of Reason
7. Walking In My Shoes
8. The Raid
9. In Flood
10. The Ghost Peril

Athens based modern metal band SCAR OF THE SUN formed in London back in 2005. Their first album “A Series Of Unfortunate Concurrencies” was released in 2011 under the production of Rhys Fulber (FEAR FACTORY, PARADISE LOST, MACHINE HEAD).

Even though the five-piece band’s second album “In Flood” was released last year, I only discovered it following their appearance as special guests on FIREWIND‘s UK “Immortals” tour, in February of this year. So impressed by SCAR OF THE SUN‘s performance in Sheffield, I contacted the band to find out more and here we are!

Recorded at the band’s own Zero Gravity Studios in Athens and engineered by vocalist Terry, “In Flood” kicks off its ten tracks with an enormous sense of atmosphere, followed by the hard hitting guitar riffs of ‘Among Waters And Giants’, setting the tone for the next 52 minutes. Terry‘s strong vocals are full of expression, altering between clean and more aggressive tones.

When it comes to the second track ‘An Ill-Fated Wonder’, I could literally listen to it time and again! From the stunning legato intro to the intensely catchy chorus along with the solid rhythm section, completed by so many different layers of sound, this is one of my favourites. Sensational!

The fast pace continues with ‘Versus The World’, not letting up for a second. SCAR OF THE SUN are hugely talented at composing the most soul grasping melodies and riffs, which flow so eloquently throughout the entire album. Slowing down a little with the thought-provoking ‘Sand’, bursting with ambience – another album highlight.

An aural shot of power takes the listener to the album’s shortest song at 3.26, ‘The Truth About The Lies’. This particularly showcases how tight and precise these musicians are, brilliant! FIREWIND‘s Bob Katsionis plays keyboards on ‘Enemies Of Reason’, enriching the flow of the song magnificently. The guitar outro is a perfect ending with a classic feel, that Schecter sings!

A surprise cover of English electronic pop giants DEPECHE MODE‘s ‘Walking In My Shoes’ works remarkably well. SCAR OF THE SUN have taken an enormously popular song and paid it the biggest compliment by retaining its essence, yet making it their own by giving it a complete metal makeover.

‘The Raid’ is quite a haunting track, the emotive music ebbs and flows throughout, leading on to the album title track ‘In Flood’. A true force of nature, this anthemic song is full of power but with a melancholic vibe. Yet it gives an overriding sense of hope and strength, especially with this part of the chorus: “Tear me down, my will you can’t subdue. I’ll survive and I’ll learn to pretend.” First-class and another favourite.

Bonus track ‘The Ghost Peril’ with more haunting melodies, completes “In Flood” perfectly. Under the band’s own and Rhys Fulber‘s production, “In Flood” is a splendid piece of work. SCAR OF THE SUN have developed and created their own totally unique sound in the world of metal, consisiting of complex modern elements which stand on their own, with no comparisons needed. The band impose no limits on their creativity and I love the fact that they are not afraid to experiment with ideas. They are currently working on album number three and I’m eager to experience the next chapter of SCAR OF THE SUN! Keep an eye on these guys, I’m looking forward to seeing them get the recognition they deserve and seeing them performing for fans around the world. I’ve listened to more bands than I can mention over the years and it takes a very special one to achieve the highest rating and be my top driving music!

Rating: 10/10

SCAR OF THE SUN are:

Terry Nikas – Vocals

Alexi Charalampous – Guitars

Greg Eleftheriou – Guitars

Panagiotis Gatsopoulos – Bass

Thanos Pappas – Drums

 

More information on SCAR OF THE SUN:

Official Website

Official Facebook Page

YouTube

Twitter