2015

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    Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody – Prometheus – Symphonia Ignis Divinus (2015)

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    Delivering one of the most bombastic and ridiculously epic releases of 2015, today we have Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody with “Prometheus”. Vastly improving over their 2012 “Ascending to Infinity” the band elevates its game to reach new heights in terms of lush cinematic experiences. If you could imagine Therion paired with Blind Guardian and old Stratovarius, that is exactly what this album sounds like.   

    Building a very dramatic opening with “Il Cigno Nero”, the band’s signature intense tempo and theatrical vibe is felt instantly through Alessandro Conti’s vocals and Luca Turilli’s talented musical composition skills. The extreme usage of orchestrations and choir arrangements greatly pays off on tracks like “Anahata”, the dramatic “One Ring to Rule them All”, and the majestic “Prometheus”. The basic Power Metal core aspect of the band’s sound is kept very tidy through Alex Landenburg’s drumming and Patrice Guers’s bass guitar lines.

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    The Hillinoise – My Sleeping Butterfly (2015)

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    Arriving from Italy, today we have newcomers The Hillinoise and their superbly enjoyable EP “My Sleeping Butterfly”. Fusing elements from bands like The Gathering, The 3rd and the Mortal, early Xandria and even some Slowdive influences, the band delivers three excellent tracks filled with melancholy.

    The release starts with the mellow “Lighter”, a very melancholic piece that has some touches of early The Gathering meets Sylvaine. The vocals of Dana Stefanelli are quite innocent sounding, giving the music that certain sense of bleakness that we greatly appreciate. However, it is the pulsating bass guitar line that shines though out the release, in particular “Nymphetamine”.

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    Evolvent – Whatever Happens (2015)

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    Arriving from France this week we have Evolvent and their sophomore release “Whatever Happens”. Catering to fans of Visions of Atlantis, Trail of Tears and Voices of Destiny, this band delivers ten excellent tracks that are quite enjoyable thanks to their commanding female vocals and creative song structures.

    Immediately after the intro we have the superbly catchy “Win or Die”, a song that showcases Emma Elvaston’s talents and the band’s knack for atmospheric compositions. As things progress to catchier and craftier songs like “Hurricane” and “Love Doesn’t Love Me”, the band shows their versatility with solid riffs and very precise drumming, with some growls thrown into the mix.

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    Amestigon – Thier (2015)

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    Hailing from Austria, today we have Amestigon and their soul crushing sophomore release “Thier”. Featuring almost one full hour of music divided in four tracks, this release delivers waves of old-school Black Metal packaged between atmospheric passages that nicely create a very oppressive vibe.

    Slowly warming up with “Demiurg”, we are treated to demoralizing riffs and hellish vocals. The combination of some clean chants nicely allows this track to be extremely eerie. The band’s raw and old-school Black Metal is very effective and brings back memories of bands like Horna meets old Satyricon. Stepping things up, “358” features a pulsating bass guitar line and in some part, higher intensity moments than on the first piece. The atmosphere is again nicely worked into the song, allowing it to change the direction of the music at any given time.

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    Dark Sarah – Behind the Black Veil (2015)

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    From the creative mind of Heidi Parviainen (ex-Amberian Dawn), today we have a very diverse and refreshing Symphonic/Gothic Metal album titled “Behind the Black Veil”. With more of a cinematic/theatrical approach than your traditional Symphonic/Gothic Metal band, Dark Sarah delivers a very engaging release filled with guest appearances and expertly crafted melodies.
                                      

    Telling the story of Sarah, this release sets the backdrop of the story with the opening tracks “Save Me”, “Poison Aple” and “Hide and Seek”, all of which feature a more passive and theater-like approach to them. The music is quite well crafted and Heidi’s vocals instantly charm the listener into continuing their journeys. Things move into more familiar territories with “Memories Fall”, a song that features a guest appearance from Manuela Kraller. While more of your typical song for the genre, it nicely keeps the album and story progression going with a more bombastic and explosive piece.

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    Kera – Kera (2015)

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    With a flourishing Metal musical scene in France delivering very diverse bands like Gojira, Dagoba and Alcest among many others, it is quite refreshing to hear a promising Progressive Death Metal band named Kera. With this self-titled EP, the band explores an interesting experimental take on Death Metal with some solid progressive elements and a knack for melodic brilliance.

    Opening with the pummeling “Masters Enslaved”, we are treated to excellent riffing that is quite crafty in nature and perfectly rounds of the well-tailored drum patterns. The vocals have that old-school raspy vibe, not necessarily the cleanest growls, but they get the job done. The second track, “Architect of Chaos” is probably the band’s most straightforward song blistering leads and a very playful melodic approach.

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    Abyssion - Luonnon harmonia ja vihreä liekki (2015)

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    Arriving from Finland and being heralded as the next big thing, today we have Abyssion and their third full-length release “Luonnon harmonia ja vihreä liekki”. Released via Svart Record’s imprint Secret Trees curated by Mathew "Kvohst" McNerney, this album delivers a very unique sounding Punk-fueled cracked-out Psychedelic Black Metal that is equally weird as it is brutal. Clocking in around 35 minutes of music, if you are a true explorer of Black Metal, this is one you haven’t really heard before.

    Opening with the sonic abuse of “Luonnon harmonia”, you get your standard fare of Black Metal riffing with some odd atmospheric elements thrown into the mix. The vocals are quite disturbing and greatly enhance the level of brutality crafted by the tight drumming and punishing riffs. As the Burzum/Dark Throne vibe of “Kosmoksesta tuli hautani” arrives, we are totally hooked on this band’s crushing sound.

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    The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – I (2015)

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    Featuring five out of seven members of one of our favorite bands of all time: Jess and the Ancient Ones, Svart records present The Exploding Eyes Orchestra and their enigmatic debut release “I”. Delivering seven brilliant tracks of moody Occult/Pscychedelic Rock/Metal, this new band has a similar energy behind them than JATAO, but with an extra exploratory and nature and a more relaxed and freely defined style.

    Opening with the sultry “The Smoke”, the band makes a very quick impression with this trippy schedelic piece masterfully guided by Jess’s talented vocals. Things get jazzier and mellower with the emotional “Crazy Heart”. This track flows perfectly with very subtle guitars and a relaxing tempo. The fuzzy guitar leads are excellent and perfectly set you in a very hypnotic mood.

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    Les Discrets – Live at Roadburn (2015)

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    Marking the end of Les Discrets metal/rock musical era, today we have their “Live at Roadburn” release. Having been lucky enough to be at the show in person, I have to say that this magical occasion was very well captured for eternity in this live release. Featuring eight songs from the set the band delivered that day, the crystal clear audio from this release brings shivers to my spine just by listening to it.

    Opening with “Linceul d'hiver” the atmosphere is instantly set with such a majestic piece. The band’s sound has always had a very unique aura around it and when I have seen them live its perfectly translated. With a lineup boosting Fursy Teyssier (on vocals/guitar) and Alcest musicians Neige (bass guitar), Zero (guitars / vocals) and Winterhalter (drums), unknowingly that was the last time that Les Discrets would sound like this. The tempo picks up with the lush “L'Échappée”, one of our favorite songs and most epic pieces of atmospheric music ever written.

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    Secret Symmetry – Emerge (2015)

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    Taking a peak into the more commercially friendly, today we have Secret Symmetry and their EP titled “Emerge”. Hailing from Portugal, this band mixes Progressive Rock/Metal elements with Modern Metal (AKA radio friendly stuff) and delivers five very catchy and engaging songs that command attention.

    Opening with the extremely catchy chorus section of “Broken Shards of Glass”, the band comes out strong thanks to powerful guitar riffs and the charismatic vocals of Pedro Nunes. Moving into “Curtain Call”, the band changes the speed of things and starts a bit slower and in a more Progressive fashion. Thanks to the great production behind this EP, we can greatly appreciate the tight percussions and excellent bass guitar line in this solid song.

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