Ragestorm - The Thin Line Between Hope and Ruin (2016)

Italy's Ragestorm originally started out as a joke back in 2004, but the band have been going on for more than a decade now. In all that time, they've never released a major debut and we finally have that here in the raw, but meaningful The Thin Line Between Hope and Ruin. The lyrics are based on various conspiracies, some of which I believe are possible, while others are truly science fiction. (I believe that Reptilians are a joke that Icke personally uses to discredit and not draw too much attention to some of the other more considerable things he mentions, yes – regardless of the books he's written. You'll do a lot when you're trying to government agencies off your back.) In any case, we get a mixture of melodic death and groove metal, which still sounds at a bit of an infantile stage, yet still manages to make a dent. “Acid Tears” sounds like one of the better mid-era Hypcorsy tracks, while closer “Reaching The Impossible” reminds me a little more of Insomnium. You'll also hear Dark Tranquillity, In Flames and At The Gates references here, there's no getting around that.

My only problem with the record is that there simply isn't enough here to really differentiate them from other melodic death metal acts of both the past and present. I'm hearing some nice leads here and there, some sweet guitar solos every once in a while and whatnot – but aside from a little electronic piece in “Hari Sheldon's Speech Feat. The Boylerz” there's not much here that really distinguishes these guys from other acts. They're just kind of run of the mill melodic death metal, and they'll need to really step it up a notch before I can really take notice of them. Granted, the record is a solid listen that has it's share of memorable bells and whistles, but I don't think it's anything to write home about yet.

That being said, these guys should definitely keep going and hopefully the next record will offer a little bit more or even a great deal more than this one. You know, it could be the fact that the vocals are so damn loud and the guitars are pushed so close to the back that the whole listen just rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps the frontman just needs to turn himself down a notch or two and see how it sounds. Go back and listen to some of those early melodic death records – I never remembered the vocals being that high in the mix. As a matter of fact, I'd rather it if I could barely hear the vocals among the instruments because that's how it used to be. The vocals were there, but they were just a different instrument. Think of In Flames Whoracle for example. That's a favorite of mine and I'm sure it's one of yours too. Never were Anders' vocals that loud in the mix. Let's even go to Japanese melodeath like Veiled In Scarlet. You can't really hear the vocals that much, but they're there. What you do notice is the melodies, the leads. I know it's too late to repress the record, but these vocals have just got to come down. I want to hear more of the guitars, more of the drums, more of the performance – not blaring vocals in my ear. If they'd fix this, maybe I could even come to give this record a better score. When one element is louder than the others, it kills the performance as a whole and I learned that while mixing our third album. Less is more.

All this being said and noted, The Thin Line Between Hope and Ruin is still just a first step for these guys, and it shows that they definitely want to be a serious melodic death metal act. They just need a little bit more work and we'll see where they go from there. It's a bit tough to recommend the disc, but I wouldn't shy you away from it if you were interested.

(11 Tracks, 52:00)

7/10

Efpix - Evil Sides (2016)

Evil Sides is the debut album from Russian industrial/melodic death metallers Efpix and if you're a fan of Russian electronic metal as well as acts like The Monolith Deathcult or doom/death like Swallow The Sun, then you're definitely going to find something here. Efpix aren't a band that like to beat around the bush, as bright synths and heavy riffs form the background instrumentation for harsh vocal choruses like “Now it's time to die, motherfucker!” in a song with virtually the same title. What's interesting about these guys (other than the obvious electro-death metal notions) is the fact that while they're basically a groovier form of death metal, the melodies in question seem to be emanating from the electronics rather than the guitars. It's sort of like Blood Stain Child in a way, but with much less of that In Flames/Dark Tranquillity influence. Admittedly, we will hear some melodic leads in places, but none more stronger than the album's strange closer “Above My Mind” which sounds more like something from Swallow The Sun or In Mourning than much of the previous work on the disc. While some of the compositions here can be seen as quite simplistic, the band are able to utilize them to the best of their ability and really create some powerhouse numbers like the more light hearted “Don't Try To Escape” and dark-tinged “Forget Me” which shines a little more than other tracks in that style due to it's use of starry electronics and a solo piece that I would love to hear a little bit better. Evil Sides does seem to suffer a bit from a very thick and hard to discern mix, as thick grooves and electronic elements all seem to sound like they've been mushed together. If they could get a bit more clarity with the next release, then I'm sure that they could really strike gold. Compared to other Russian electro-death acts of it's type, I find that I like the musicianship and the vocal performance especially, which usually is a make or break with a majority of these kinds of bands.

The record has enough going for it to stand on it's own, as this odd mix of death metal, gloom and electronica proved to be far more palatable than what you I expected. Evil Sides has a lot of substance and depth which is clearly the result of a band more apt to exploration and I very much champion that. The album's title track alone is well worth the purchase price, and even despite the mixing and clarity problems I've noted here, I still couldn't possibly turn down such a promising release. I definitely recommend you check out Evil Sides, though I'll add that it is important to give every track a chance. These guys didn't make an album where most of the songs sound the same, so keep flipping through until you find something you like. I have a feeling that you eventually will. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes on these guys. You should do the same.

(10 Tracks, 45:00)

8/10

Valyria - Steel Inquisition Single (2016)

Previously known as Winter's Legacy, this Canadian Melodic/Death Power Metal act released an EP back in '14 by the name of Collatus. Now they're releasing a short single to most likely promote their next offering which will be upon us soon enough. First of all, the track starts off rather heavy with absolutely blistering drums and melodies that remind me heavily of Ensiferum or Rhapsody of Fire. There's also a bit of Neoclassicism here, which makes for an elegant, yet surprisingly brutal and slightly modernized piece. Cam Dakus (Bass) is considered the band's lead vocalist, but both guitarists (Andrew Traynor and Jeremy Puffer) use more of a death core approach to vocals, which duels with the clean vocal approach and makes for a rather accessible sound. But where these guys really excel is in structure and atmosphere. As I said, this track reminds me of something like Rhapsody of Fire, Ensiferum or Wintersun, albeit an early approach that will get better with more time and experience. Even so, both the axemen show that they've got the style down and manage a pretty nice solo piece in lieu of all the pomp. It definitely has that “epic melodeath” style sound and you don't need me to tell you that. It's quite promising and much better than I would have expected at first. They've got the chops down and this track works for me – but let's see what else these guys can do. (The Grim Lord)

3/5

Demise Of The Crown - Self-Titled (2016)

Hailing from Quebec, this project mixes together progressive power metal with elements of melodic death and thrash, matching heavily the Nevermore comparison, but not so much the others I have listed on my on my press release. So I'm going to junk those and throw in one that really reminds me of the fucking band – Mercenary. No, I'm not talking about early Mercenary or their latter discs, I'm talking about the stuff in the middle, particularly 11 Dreams. We could also compare them to Sanctuary, especially the version of Sanctuary that Warrel Dane is fronting right now. Additionally, let's throw in some chorus heavy power metal, stuff like Brainstorm and Nocturnal Rites. Yet there's a bit more song structure to some of these pieces than I've heard on a few of their records as of late and I feel that's worth mentioning.

Unfortunately, the disc is only about thirty minutes and feels a little short for a debut (they could have added about three or four more songs) even though it definitely shows what this band is capable of. Their Bandcamp page is a bit vacant, so I'm assuming that one man by the name of Kevin Jardine (Slaves On Dope) is responsible for most of this record, and he certainly shows his strength with the use of such muscular guitar compositions that make this act a hell of a lot more interesting to me than Slaves On Dope ever were. Not only that, but he commands a powerful vocal approach that amounts to mesmerizing harmonies, as well as some falsettos that remind me heavily of Rob Halford, Tim Owens, Stu Block and many others. Because the record plays in the worlds of groove, death, progressive and classic heavy metal; it's very hard to actually pinpoint and that's what makes it exciting. Most notably, the Nevermore and Mercenary comparisons will be made and fans will grasp this disc with a fervor because of that. The band truly sounds larger than life on this debut and I really hope that maybe we'll get more information out of them later, because people need to hear this one to believe it.

Demise The Crown still feels like an EP release, but it shows me that the act has an awful lot of promise, beyond what I can describe here in a review. If you want catchy choruses, hard hitting solos, more melodies than you can shake a stick at, and melodic death metal/groove incursions (that normally wouldn't work well with this kind of material unless they were done properly, which is indeed the case) then you need to look no further than this disc which you can pick up for seven bucks. A dollar a track isn't a bad deal at all, especially when several of these pieces are worth far more than a dollar. Give it a listen, I think you'll enjoy it very much. I can't wait to see what is next for the act.

(7 Tracks, 30:00)

8/10

Demonstealer - This Burden Is Mine (2016)

I think it would be best to consider this one man Indian project with guest drumming by George Kollias of Nile as something of a modern/melodic progressive death metal. I'd say this, because the vocal approach utilized here reminds me very much of early Shadows Fall and later Jungle Rot – it is very lightened in the growls, which leaves frontman Demonstealer (Reptilian Death, Demonic Resurrection) with a very small amount of pebbles in his mouth. As far as the riffs are concerned, the work is heavily melodic and quite technical, but seems to offer much in the vein of clean vocal elements, which are delivered beautifully. The disc has a decidedly raw production value, but is audible enough that such a thing won't matter. The clean vocals really try for Garm/ICS Vortex territory, but seldom every reach that level of intrigue. But you'd better get used to the cleans, as you'll be hearing far more of them then you will the death metal sections. Even so, there's an obvious effort being put into practice here and a definite sign of passion.

Here, you get that kind of raw passion and energy that can't be filled with high quality gloss. There are no special effects here to aid the vocals, they come off just as realistically as you'd expect for a live performance, and much of it sounds like it's coming from a band whose members are all playing in the same room. Sometimes we have keyboard atmospheres, which help the performance just a little and would probably be a greater asset if they could be heard a little better. But the very fact that these guys are definitely taking cues from acts like Borknagar and Edge Of Sanity says something. Sure, there's a definite modernism to these cuts as I explained with the Shadows Fall earlier, but Demonstealer have a lot more to offer than that and I think we'll hear an even greater effort the next time around.

This Burden Is Mine is an awfully heavy record, but it's also a rather classy and clean one as well. You'll get a beating, but you're also going to get a slew of wonderful serenades. I don't think they're on the level as the (now defunct) Disillusion (GER) debut, Back To Times Of Splendour but this is definitely in the same vein I think and could become something just as great with time. I hear loads of promise from a young band like this, and I hope that I'm completely blown away the next time around. Even so, I'd still recommend that you give this one a listen, as you might really be able to get into it and there's a lot of meat to chew on here in lieu of song structure and length (in which these gentlemen truly excel). It's still good metal.

(9 Tracks, 57:00)

7.5/10

Omnium Gatherum - Grey Heavens (2016)

I thought the last disc from these Finnish melodic death metallers, Beyond; was rather boring to be honest. I couldn't really get into it at all. Maybe there was a song or two that popped out in the mix, but nothing more than that. In fact, that record was so bad that I was ready to consider the band all washed up. They had only really made waves with New World Shadows as far as I was concerned, and nothing else had been all that entertaining. I wasn't even all that fond of The Redshift nor debut Spirits and August Light, which are both heavily praised by fans. (Although I will say that I liked Spirits and August Light much more than the former.) That was, until I heard this unexpectedly brilliant album, which is what I would consider a return to form in the vein of true melodic death metal and quite possibly, one of the band's greatest efforts. It's safe to say that Grey Heavens surprised me and even though Autothrall's lone review on Metal Archives seems to state it as rather bland, I should mention that he appears rather biased towards anything from these guys that isn't Spirits and August Light, including their highest rated release, New World Shadows (of which I mentioned earlier.) Everything that one might expect from high water marks efforts from bands in the vein of In Flames, Dark Tranquility and Insomnium are here for your enjoyment, and this return to the roots performance is what I feel I needed after suffering through that previous effort.

On the second listen, I don't feel that “The Pit” is nearly as strong as it was the first time I heard it. It comes in and delivers a rather solid job of melodeath that sounds pretty much like virtually anyone, with a growled vocal approach that is also common. But the keyboard work seems to really shine here, as well as the clean vocals when they finally come into the mix and update the approach a little bit from melodeath's heyday. “Skyline” changes the tempo to welcome grooves, maybe reminding me a little bit of In Flames' “Only For The Weak” and it's very similar. Folk influenced melodies seem to compose most of the chorus line, albeit the chorus itself is quite strong on a vocal end. That's indeed where it hits, just as hard as anything that early In Flames did when they were engineering this style. It feels like a tribute, but it's a good one. “Frontiers” is the single, which caught my ear immediately. It's arguably one of the best songs I've heard from the genre in years. The mix of technicality and gravelly vocal grunts seems to really work well, but I think that chorus riff is pretty damn amazing. It's a pretty simplistic set of leads, but it really fucking hits – keeping in mind how well they expand upon it. The song is also a bit heavier than you might expect, with a lot of effort being placed in kit destruction, regardless of the fact that those leads can sound like a dream. There's a bit of a break here too, right before a rather awesome solo section that I sure as hell wasn't expecting. The song was already good enough because of that catchy chorus lead, but throwing a solo on the end of it really sold it to me. I also need to mention how well this song is broken down near the end, they really hammer it down as the solo comes into top it off. There's really no need in the clean vocal section at the end though, it seems overkill.

“Majesty and Silence” is nearly nine minutes in length, but such a measure is used so that the band can really spread their wings and utilize more atmosphere. It's a crunchy piece, but it gives way to more colorful leads and acoustic elements, a little bit like they did with Beyond, but not as overbearing. It was also nice to hear that some of those minutes were given to a flurry of solo efforts, which always seem to fill out such a lengthy piece quite well. For a number that feels so dark, evil, and dare I even say grim; there's something really mushy on the inside that doesn't come off quite so expectable. Don't forget about the clean vocals and the post riffs. The last one we're going to delve through is “Rejuvenate!” which comes off as an equally rather colorful slice of melodic death metal, possibly a bit more colorful than some of the previous efforts have been. It's decent, has a short solo and leaves it's mark, but doesn't really seem quite as potent as “Frontiers” or the lengthy piece I just heard.

As we go further into the album, we'll hear a couple of other memorable pieces like “The Great Liberation” and the instrumental “These Grey Heavens” but I will say that during the second time around, I don't nearly feel as strongly about this record as I did the first time through. It's incredibly melodic and captures much of what traditional death metal is, and is supposed to be – but it doesn't really innovate as much as I thought it would. Yet I look at the band's past catalog and think to myself, “Should it?” There's absolutely nothing wrong with melodic death metal, nor what these guys have done here, yet I don't think it will stand out as one of the greatest melodic death metal albums in the history of man. I think they already achieved their best years ago with New World Shadows and would place this just behind that one, which says quite a lot about how much I still value this performance. As a longtime lover of melodeath, I don't feel that any listener of my ilk would be upset or disappointed by this album. Simply put, Grey Heavens does what a melodic death metal record is supposed to do. You shouldn't want anything more than that, and I don't think that I would ever expect anything more from these guys either. If nothing else, I think that Grey Heavens is a sign that Omnium Gatherum aren't ready to throw in the towel just yet and still have some tricks up their sleeves.

(10 Tracks, 56:00)

8.5/10

Siegelord - Ascent Of The Fallen (2016)

Ohio's Siegelord, mostly made up of former members of Winterhymn, play a version of melodic death metal with a heavy dose of synths. It's Viking inspired, maybe a little like Amon Amarth though closer to their early era material. I also think it has a little more depth to it than some of Amon Amarth's recent material has had. These guys just don't jump to a chorus and reiterate it twenty times through, they actually give the music a chance to breathe and offer song structure, rather than pure filler. Let's face it, Johan Hegg can write lyrics about baking a cake, as long as he can cap it with a catchy chorus. Well, you don't find that with Siegelord. Sometimes these guys won't even utilize a chorus if they don't need to. Again, we get atmospheres and great vocal performances partnered with potent and memorable melodies. When I listen to Ascent Of The Fallen, I find that I enjoy certain sections of each piece rather than just a chorus number. I try to utilize the same thing in my own band and show that yes, you don't need a good chorus to sell a song.

One complaint that I have with Siegelord though, is that some of the keyboard sections are just a little too low in the mix. I can see that they're trying, but the guitars and vocals really drown those almost completely out. There also aren't a lot of solo sections here, sans maybe a couple of tracks. But that's a pretty minor complaint, especially when the band is opting for more structure and less choral filler. They also seem to prioritize spoken word sections quite a bit, which will either enhance or kill the performance, depending on the listener. Additionally, Ascent Of The Fallen also contains a few instrumental synth pieces, which add a bit more depth to the recording. Considering that this is the band's first release after only being together for three years, I'm quite impressed with the amount of skill and the level of musicianship put on display here. It's surprisingly well-crafted and caught my ear within the first listen. To say that there's promise here is a mere understatement. I have a feeling that only the best is yet to come from these guys, as they only get better with more time and exploration. Could we really be looking at the next Amon Amarth, Graveworm or Wintersun? Perhaps. But I'll leave that for you to decide.

(12 Tracks, 62:00)

8.5/10