Mindahead - Reflections (2016)

Formed from former members of Evergaze Eternity, Hellrage, Athena, Exsecror and more, Italy's Mindahead prove that they are a bit more than anyone ever expected. Mixing together seventies prog landscapes with pounding metal and the Lacuna Coil style gothic metal approach is something quite new, especially with the fact that these guys are also willing to experiment and incorporate bombastic solos in areas where acts like Lacuna Coil, Theatre of Tragedy and Theatres Des Vampires wouldn't have even given them a second thought. Now it does have some modern core elements within Francesco Novelli's harsh vocal approach which could be a turn-off to some, but shouldn't really be as the band can actually save face due to their incredible approach to musicality. If you were looking for an artier approach to the gothic metal/hard gothic rock style that we've hard so much of in these days, you might just find it here. Now they're no Ram-Zet, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. To be fair, Novelli also attempts some unusual vocal styles aside from his Trivium influenced crap, which also adds to the building blocks here. A female vocalist is also featured quite a bit through the album in the form of Kyo Calati, but she doesn't necessarily have the microphone ninety-percent of the time, which is refreshing. In other words, Mindahead aren't trying to sell this band on female vocals and attractive eye-candy like so many of their peers, but overall skill – which they have tenfold.

Some of these songs are quite long folks, even ranging into the seven, eight and ten minute marks. You're not getting a bunch of “quick to the chorus” numbers here, and instead are being challenged to listen to full-fledged music tracks with a great deal of depth and texture. This is definitely due to the Matteo Ferrigno's (any relation to Lou?) carefully calculated drumming as well as the dual-guitar tag team of Nicola D'Alessio and Guido Scibetta, which combined work to create a chemistry that listeners will notice right from the start. If the overall riff and lead structures (even though I'll admit that the band throw into down-tune probably more than they should) don't work for you, then the instrumental sections and solo moments will definitely sell you on this band. You're not getting Lacuna Coil, you're not getting Dream Theater and you're not getting Trivium either. It's something sort of halfway between all of those mainstay acts and it has the possibility of becoming even better in the future.

There's an hour of music to challenge your mind here, and it most certainly will. As I have stated, there's definitely room for improvement, but with such a tremendous leap at the debut level as I'm offered here, I can't honestly see much. I can almost say without being challenged that nearly eighty percent of bands in this industry do not offer this much at a debut level. Reflections is a record that certainly requires several listens to understand, just like I remember when I was a teenager enthralled by Ram-Zet's Escape. I didn't know a record like that could possibly exist and that's just one reason I'm really excited about this band as well. Even though the band are considered progressive, they definitely incorporate slight elements that I would almost consider avant-garde, and the electronic sections utilized within some of the pieces help just as much as those of a purely atmospheric nature. I haven't heard this kind of music done this well in quite a long time, so I certainly recommend checking out Mindahead. This is the kind of music that works it's way out of the box and goes every which way but loose in order to create something that is truly worthy of the term “art.”

(11 Tracks, 61:00)

8/10

Fliptop Box - Catch 22 (2016)

Recommended for fans of Alice In Chains, Danzig, Volbeat and Therapy? (Seriously? I'll provide some better influences later in the review) these Grecian metallers are about to release their sophomore disc sometime in late October. In all honesty, I would compare the sound of Fliptop Box to being a combination of Deftones as their lightest and The Cult at their most melodic. There are also some growls here and there, but they feel kind of forced. This band doesn't need growls, (but they appear on a track called “Sirens”) as there's no sense in it and it more or less weakens the performance. These guys don't have to growl to reach a metal audience, they seem to do a fine job playing their instruments as is. Maybe there's even a little bit of Sentenced's melancholy rock here, which isn't a problem either.

Frontman John P. handles the vocals here, sometimes going into a bit of a Danzig croon, but it's a bit lighter and somewhat a bit post-punk depending on the cut. Perhaps the accent is still a little bit rough, but the spirit is there. He also handles the guitars, where he composes a sort of airy, yet thunderous rock. Again, I'm thinking of the Deftones at their lightest, maybe Saturday Night Wrist or Koi No Yokan. There are also some rather notable solos on the record, but I can't tell if John or (secondary axe) Stavros is responsible for them. Additionally we'll also hear backups on the record, where drummer Captain Frikis and Christina accentuate the choruses. This is most notable on opener “Blast” even though John handles his own on “Borderline” quite well too. While the Volbeat influence may very well be there, I can say that John's vocal approach is far more spirited and much less obnoxious than that of Michael “liked you better in Dominus” Poulsen. He really knows how to bring it home and pile on the melody at the same time, which equals out to several memorable songs.

The record is extremely well written and feels like it has a bit more going for it than just some mainstream modern rock sound. There's definitely a slight feel of Goth here, but it's closer to early Goth rather than Dracula Goth. I take no preference with either, but hearing a little bit of The Sisters Of Mercy is not something I'm going to take an issue with. All in all, the Greeks have made a rather strong record and I'd certainly recommend giving it a listen. I'm a little torn between a decent seven and a solid eight, because some parts of the disc are rough while others are quite well produced. I will say that after the third time of listening to the disc, I still find it a very strong disc where anything could really be touched on and often is. The listener won't expect some of the territory that is traversed here, but it will all be worth an ear if you're willing to give these guys a shot.

Fliptop Box are a bit more inventive than what we might expect for alternative rock, and there are enough metallic elements here to interest those who might be on the fence. Even so, this is a rock band and they should be respected as such. I never claimed that Fliptop Box were one of the heaviest bands in the world, but they don't need to be either. They're doing their own thing and I think that given time, these guys will really start to grow on me. Quite refreshing.

(8 Tracks, 38:00)

7/10

In White - Heredity (2014)

I dug this one up from the grave, because there is next to no coverage on these Turkish melodic death metallers. In fact, when I googled the band's name and album title, I found all these bullshit news articles that had absolutely nothing to do with the band. It was showing me articles about “white heredity” in all actuality, which is certainly not what I was trying to ascertain information about.

So why doesn't anyone give a shit about these guys? Beats me, as they're pretty decent. Heredity is their debut album, released just a few years ago on a label called M2K Productions. Listeners are going to get a familiar dose of early In Flames/Dark Tranquillity style melodic death metal, but they're also getting a lot of crunchy grooves, perhaps something out of Chimaira or Heaven Shall Burn's playbook, which certainly isn't a problem for me. Problem is, we have another case of the vocals being raised too high in the mix, which can work to drown out the two guitarists in the band. There's also some downtune mixed in here and there, which can somewhat give off a bluesy nature to the material. The solo pieces are pretty decent though, but the songs themselves are pretty short with the longest cut (The Pier) being about five minutes. Most of these tracks are about three or four minutes long and seem kind of stripped down. In White are the kind of melodic death act that fans of groove metal would enjoy, which almost seems like an oxymoron.

Though there are clean backing vocals, these guys seem to be more interested in grit and grime, which is certainly going to drive away fans of much cleaner approaches to this genre. It's interesting to note that the band's demo was closer to alternative or modern metal, whereas this one added in more melodic death metal elements. We can hear the old sound of the band peeking in on awkward ballad “Unsaid” which at least has the right amount of passion behind it. Sure, it's not quite the most vocally tuned approach that I've ever heard and I wouldn't advise the guy to quite his day job, but you know – there's spirit behind it.

After that one, we have the acoustic “Colors” which sounds a little bit better. Following that, we actually get a track which originally appeared on said demo by the name of “A Scarlet Road” which shows a much different approach for the band as I mentioned. It's not bad – still out of key a bit, but there's at least a sense of emotion behind it. They tried, you know? That's really all I can say.

(11 Tracks, 41:00)

6/10

Holy Grail - Times Of Pride and Peril (2016)

I can't tell you how many times I had written these guys off, but Californian modern heavy/power metallers Holy Grail actually managed to catch my attention this time. People really seemed to enjoy the band's last one (2013's Ride The Void) quite a bit, but to me I still thought it had too much of a modern core feel and was not all that pleased with it. That being said, it's got a solid 90% over there at Metal Archives and all three reviews are relatively positive. Times Of Pride and Peril however, sees the band playing this kind of metal the way it's supposed to be, albeit with more of a classic heavy mentality. There was that huge Dragonforce surge along with Guitar Hero III back in the day, and this band really took off on the heels of it. It's just a good thing to hear that it's gone, because these guys really seemed to suffer from that “modern power metal” feel and seemed to be directly eating right off the table of that trend. It's also interesting to note that these guys are made up of several members of additionally popular act Huntress. In particular, they feature drummer Tyler Meahl, and guitarist Eli Santana, who also handles the vocals for this act. Though I should mention that he only appeared on the group's newest release, Static (2015) and has not been apart of the act since day one. The same can be said for Meahl, which makes current Huntress half of Holy Grail. This interests me quite a bit, as I always wondered why the power/thrash sound had dissipated in favor of a more traditional style. 

For this album, Holy Grail really seemed to have dug into metal's ancient history, as influences from Judas Priest, and Helloween come into view. They still remind me of acts like Hybria and Skull Fist as well as radio rock acts like Avenged Sevenfold. Eli Santana definitely has that sort of youthful clean, which reminds me an awful lot of American radio 101 even though I'll definitely add that the record is constructed well enough that it comes across listenable to metal fans as much as it would for fans of professional wrestling. We get a number of singalongs here that would work well as the entrance theme for any wrestler or Pay Per View event, and that's where the real meat of the record lies. Times Of Pride and Peril is full of catchy, short and easy to digest pieces that ultimately make it an easy to digest and extremely accessible record. People who liked the last Avenged Sevenfold will actually find something to like here and it could be seen as a slightly harder gateway drug into the world of metal. If you don't expect any more out of this than what you should expect from such a band, you'll be pretty satisfied with it. As I said, I found it pretty catchy, and quite enjoyable. I wasn't going to review it all at first, but it's definitely worth mentioning. Your enjoyment of this record ultimately depends on what kind of person you are, and what you enjoy outside of less accessible heavy metal realms. Times of Pride and Peril straddles the lines between hard rock and classic heavy metal pretty well and there's most certainly an audience for it. It's worth a listen if you know what you're getting into, as it won't be everyone's cup of tea.

(10 Tracks, 48:00)

7/10

Khroma - Stasis (2016)

When I first heard this one from Finnish industrial metallers Khroma, I really wasn't all that interested in it. “Brace Yourself” was just a bunch of djent and harsh vocals with some shoegazy melodies thrown in. The same could have also been said for “A Simple Lie” with some exceptions. But as I listened, I noticed these guys slowly working themselves out of the “djent band” corner by changing their approach a bit more with each song. When I got to “Wrong” I wasn't even hearing quite as many djent grooves and when I was, they didn't sound quite so damn formulaic. There were even sections here where the atmosphere becomes a major listening point and even clean vocals came into play (which work to remind me a little of Sybreed's latter work. Unfortunately, this is the only time that we really hear clean vocals on the album.) Now I do realize that some people might have a problem with the rapping apparent on “The Push” but honestly, I'd prefer anything but standard djent. The band definitely have a modern sound, but they've also got a bite. “Hydra” changed things up a little as well, almost trading djent riffs completely for electronic atmospheres. If we can get more of that, and less of these djent riffs on the next record, I feel that I could really embrace these guys. I don't actually have that big of a problem with djent, it's just that many bands who consider themselves to be electronic, futurist or robotic seem to think that they have to use djent riffs in order to sound that way, and that is simply NOT TRUE. It has never been true, and never will be true. “Acid On Skin” also changes things on that level, showing great evolution from the band in this realm. Again, even if you don't like the overall vocal delivery and find a little bit too rambunctious for your tastes, you definitely have to admire the fact that these guys are at least trying to be an electronic act and not just another djent act. There are obvious core influences and it feels like less of a metal performance overall, but I can't say that I hate what's going on here and would actually recommend it – but only to the right listener. I see no need to take you through the entire disc as it all carries a similar feel, though I will reiterate that I do think that what I've heard here is in fact promising. Perhaps the vocals feel a little bit like a cross between Nu-Metal and post metal, but I think it's just good enough to get it's point across. I really hope that in the future these guys will do just a little more on the guitar than just the djent stuff though, because they have the potential to do so much more and stand out there as an electronic band who don't feel the need to have to force these nuanced djent riffs in order to sound electronic. We don't need more Meshuggah's, we need more innovators in this style of music. I really hope that Khroma can work their way out of this box, because they're nearly three-fourths of the way out as it is.

(9 Tracks, 37:00)

7/10

Haken - Affinity (2016)

I felt that London's Haken might have been wearing out their welcome a little after 2014's The Mountain and the Restoration EP that came after it. I know that some of you liked these discs because of the 89% and 90% I see from reviewers on Metal Archives, but for me these guys have been a hard sell after what I'd consider a landmark in Visions. There's no doubt about it that these guys play a very modern style of progressive metal for a new generation and I think that they're trying to go for Dream Theater's torch, (but why not? Someone's got to try for it eventually) yet there are some truly intriguing pieces on this record that I feel are more than worth their weight in gold. One of these in particular, might be one of the single best progressive metal tracks that I've heard in recent memory. But let's start off at the beginning. 

“Initiate” didn't really hit me as anything really special, and other than a bloated sort of Karnivool feeling, I didn't really catch it. However, that's where the silly “buy me” stuff ends and the real meat of this monster begins. Now I know that someone might use the hipster tag when I talk about how much I love this throwback to the glory days of progressive rock music, but surely “1985” is something of a masterpiece to me. When I listen to this track, I can't even believe that it's fucking Haken. These guys could literally do an entire record like this if they wanted to, and prove that they have the classic formula down. Not only does frontman Ross Jennings have an incredibly crystalline vocal falsetto, but Richard Henshall's keyboard work really helps to make this track the kind of time-traveling experience that it needs to be. For an act like this to even attempt to delve into this kind of territory might at first seem like they're biting off a bit more than they can chew, especially with the thumping modern grooves that separate the track from a completely eighties feeling – but when you look at it through my eyes, I see this is a re-imagination of that classic age through the minds of a much different generation. If you want, you can even throw Haken the “hipster” tag, but there's no doubt that the feel of this piece brings me back to the days of Hulk Hogan, The A-Team and Miami Vice. Also Rush, because, of course! During the instrumental freakout section, there are also a lot of parts that remind me of Dream Theater's legendary instrumental experiences (yes, they really are experiences) that definitely perk my ears up a bit. Saying little more about this one, “1985” definitely put them back on the map for me. That being said, this isn't even the song I'm talking about. Yes, for there is even a much grander track on the record right after “Lapse” that literally blew my fucking mind to the point where I couldn't discern fantasy from reality. Fitting of it's over fifteen-minute mark, I'm still a bit shocked as to why “The Architect” is not the disc's closer and merely it's fifth track. I feel that such an invigorating moment placed at the end of the disc would be a perfect finale, leaving it's awesomeness sketched firmly upon the minds of all who've experienced it in it's entirety. The band instead opt for a relatively decent piece called “Bound By Gravity” that comes off as something altogether different, and certainly not as pulse-pounding. Between these moments, we do have other tracks which deliver in a more commercial prog standpoint, something that the radio would play (and why doesn't it?) due to their short track lengths, but feature a bit more exploration than much of the catchy bubble-gum rock acts that you hear churned out by multi-million dollar labels on a day to day basis. Even if the same very well may be true of giants Century Media who released the album, I can say that they seem to give a little bit more a damn and would rather give us quality material like this, rather than signing a band like Nickelback (looking at you, Roadrunner.)

Now that my yammering has ended, let's get right down to it. “The Architect” begins by allowing the band to immediately show off what they can do on an instrumental front. We already know that this is going to be a colossal masterpiece of musical might from the very start of the piece. The song quickly throws Jennings headfirst into a quick set of lyrics and a familiar chorus, much like some of the shorter numbers. Yet that's not the part I'm getting off about. While it's definitely a noteworthy chorus line that you'll end up mouthing along to after awhile, it just adds commercial viability to a piece that soon goes outward into infinity, and this my friends, this is what we want. After the Maynard worship has ended, the piece goes into a brilliant atmosphere of sorts, where Chris Griffith and Richard Henshall can truly show their skills on the guitars and keyboards. We enter into a sort of technological cyberpunk world that these guys might have seen while either being absurdly high or playing an installment of Shadowrun Returns, but in any case, this is where Jennings performs a level of almost unintelligible vocalizing that brings an almost ethereal quality to the performance as a whole. I don't care what he's singing about, just the feeling behind it. Then without warning, an Opeth inspired guitar solo just appears out of nowhere (reminding me much of personal favorite, “The Drapery Falls”) along with some harsh vocals that I don't recall ever having heard from this act. That doesn't mean that you can just throw the progressive death tag on them now, because they're still just what they always were – a couple of growls don't change anything. The odd mixture of djent and keyboard sections actually make me take notice of a style of riff I had come to hate due to it's overuse. Then I'm then thrown into familiar Dream Theater instrumentation, which features one more utterance of the chorus before the track slows to offer some shredding. These guys are really piling it on thick with this one, and Jennings is doing his best to really top such a piece (which is by now in realms of complete grandiosity) with a memorable refrain that should easily cement the final thoughts of such a piece right into your cranium.

After that one, they sort of take the gears down a little and go back into something a little more down to earth, fittingly called “Earthrise” (I'm not going to lie to you, it starts out just like a alternative rock song) and then a little meditative piece called “Red Giant.” It might sound like they've run out of awesomeness by this point, and as the rest of the disc goes on, that seems to be the case. But what can you really do after putting everything you have into “The Architect?” Not that the other songs are completely forgettable as they do feature some memorable atmospheres (more than the others though, oddly enough – these could almost be seen as a type of filler for songs that in essence might only be about three or four minutes without this type of excursion) as well as some really nice keyboard solo efforts, particularly on “The Endless Knot.” They're definitely listenable pieces, but they don't carry as much weight as some of the earlier numbers. As I said, the disc's closer “Bound By Gravity” goes for something much different than you'll hear on the rest of the album, which is an extravagantly extended ballad of sorts. It culminates into a jauntier piece where Jennings is now in full-focus, ending the record right there. Admittedly there are some beeps and bloops at the end of the record, but that's all unnecessary filler for what could have been a far grander moment.

At the end of the day, modern prog fans will enjoy Affinity, but I don't think that there's enough here for fans of the genre's heyday. I guess if you're glued to the early days of the genre, you'll find something pretty special in “1985” but despite the grandeur of “The Architect” it still contains an awful lot of commonalities in heavy metal music and may turn some listeners off. Oddly enough, the band nearly kick out the metal elements entirely for the rest of the record, opting for a more modern progressive rock feel that isn't really here nor there. Affinity sees Haken trying to appeal to both fans of progressive metal and rock equally, while also introducing some of the more commercial and accessible elements they've been toying with as of late. Even though “1985” and “The Architect” are some rather bold moments, I can't give the record a perfect score or even a great score based on two extremely interesting pieces. This being said, I still feel that Affinity is a relatively good record and Haken fans should be pretty pleased with it.

(9 Tracks, 61:00)

8/10

Ellipse - A Nos Traitres (2016)

France's Ellipse are a metalcore act with hints of djent that I wouldn't be reviewing if I hadn't been commissioned to. They definitely aren't my sort of thing and all that damn hollering and yelling on the record just hurts my ears, to be honest. But I will say that there are some intriguing nodes in terms of structure, and the record definitely contains as much of a familiar post metal sound as it does one of screamy metalcore. The record actually contains several instrumental interludes to which an air of slightly depressing atmosphere is entered. A couple notable leads are uttered, with some forays into melodic death metal which definitely spices things up a little – but for more than a few people, the unchanging screams of the frontman will literally kill this listening experience for them. He grunts a little and there's a section with humongous breakdowns along with a very amateur attempt at a growl, but you can tell that these guys are still just getting started and have a lot of work ahead of them. It's obvious that they're plugging into the common modernisms of the age, but you can hear signs of purpose here and I think that could translate to something not so processed on the next record. Ellipse are showing me glimpses that they can indeed do more with this style than ten thousand other similar acts, but they'll need to step it up a little more before they can get the attention of this old head. I will say that they're definitely geared to the current generation of metal listeners and they'll find something in this record that I won't. I feel that all the senseless screaming works to give me a headache and my sinuses are already wreaking havoc on me tonight. Thank goodness for the solo sections, as they give me a break from all that erratic screaming. Can't say I'd recommend it, but Ellipse does musically a better job than a lot of signed acts I've heard performing this same style of music.

(11 Tracks, 36:00)

6/10

War Inside - S.U.T U.R.E. (2016)

Coming in with a more modern approach than you might have been expecting, the sophomore effort from these French black/deathers still sounds surprisingly traditional. Considered by MA to be a sort of blackened death metal, I think I'm hearing more black metal here than I am death, as well as some breakdowns which give it a bit of a core influence that probably a couple of people won't go for. But that's fine, these guys are obviously listening to a lot of different stuff right now and they're more or less playing what they like. “The Miligram Whore” for example almost takes a Mayhem approach to things, while “Body Bones” seems to take an Unleashed, almost Dismembered style of melodic yet still threatening death metal. Just sitting here and trying to analyze these songs can be a bit of a headache, because now I'm hearing something that could be as much Satyricon as it is Lamb Of God and then of course we'll have the heavily melodic overtones that come right out of nowhere. Then why not? Let's add a nice little solo into the mix as well, and make it nice and beefy so that it stands out. All of this being considered, I can't really say too many bad things about the band, because just having some modern core influences isn't really a crime. Especially when you've got your chops down insofar as the base material is concerned. War Inside really don't go too far beyond these elements though and I think the style of vocal yelling might really turn off some metal fans completely. I noticed that later on in the album there is very little differentiation between songs and it begins to sound like a slightly more intricate hodgepodge of extremity, which I feel will attract younger fans more than the old heads. But I have a feeling that's the idea.

(9 Tracks, 42:00)

6.5/10