When meeting musicians one should always be aware that the expectations can be a little too high. But before I met Mr. T. I was fully aware how reserved, calm and hard to read person he can be, especially with those piercing eyes :)
And I gave him a hug, like a promised in Cain's Offering review.
I'm still unable to think after that night, not everyday one can meet his favourite bassist on the street, have a shot of vodka with one of favourite keyboardist while the favourite one is near, hug his favourite vocalist and meet other great musicians while having a love of his life next to him.
Thanks to everyone who made my life brighter for that one evening :)
don't feel bad if it's Your favourite band, really
Gloryhammer is still a fresh band project by male Lady Gaga Christopher Bowes from Alestorm that mocks Power Metal in a beautiful way- first album was about an invasion of undead unicorns and was pretty decent, yet I didn't feel like writing a review of it.
But now Gloryhammer comes back IN SPACE, fighting wizards with nukes and one cannot simply ignore such absurd topics like that.
So we dive in an instrumental track Infernus Ad Astra, that tells about distant future in 1992. I was alive back then as a nineties kid and I can tell you everything said on this album really happened, those crazy days.
Track goes without stoping into the album track, Rise of the Chaos Wizards. Most important notice on this album is way more complex drumming and riffing, still behind greater bands in the genre but it finally sounds like a band trying to make an impact, not only a joke. I just hope that it won't end like Stratovarius, with only first tracks making a difference, and the rest barely trying. Vocals are just as amazing as on the first album, the strongest point of this band. Well placed solo, background vocals and build really take the mind off the lyrics, that are stupidly fun and memorable.
Legend of the Astral Hammer starts strong just behind it, and I can't stop smiling while listening to serious vocals about Intergalactic great hero of steel.
Not only the vocalist is skilled and talented, he can keep the serious tone even when singing about unicorns and lunar dragons.
Track is a typical sing along with a nice walking tempo, including a nice solo on unindentified instrument, probably some new techology from futuristic 1992.
Shockingly well placed guitar solo really made me rise my eyebrows. If this space shit keeps happening Cain's Offering may need to give the album of the year award to Gloryhammer, and I might need to make a place on my favourite 13 bands for Gloryhammer. But we will see.
Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy starts as fast as the previous track. While at first not as appealing as the last 2 it has a noticable riffing and very catchy chorus, I can't stop thinking that Trollfest would sound like that if they played power metal.
Third track on this album and the builds and solos are still great and fresh, I really didn't expect this album to be this good.
The Hollywood Hootsman starts with heavy guitars and still fast tempo. Interesting lyrics, even though I don't think I get the full joke in this song. Very noticable drum work after second chorus and a bit waah-overloaded guitar solo, but it's the first on the album and fits the Hollywood feel.
...
And I had a super strong chills after the screamed vocal outro, holy fuck.
Victorious Eagle Warfare starts with great keyboard solo, but I still have the previous scream in my mind, give me a minute..Since every song so far is another story about something, I can't help but imagine a scottish junkie with space hat and a bottle of whisky in his hand telling a story to anyone who would want to hear it.
This song has a moments that sound like the vocalist is drunk. So far the weakest song of them all, but I take it as a joke. Not a joke guitar solo though, I didn't read who wrote those solos but
A nice outro, and I didn't notice I'm 23 minutes in.
Questlords of Inverness, Ride to the Galactic Fortress is like a joke title, but after an intro it changes into yet another fast song. Not that boring though, guitar helps us with that.Chorus is a bit trying too hard with the heavy drumming, but keyboards after it help to balance the song.
Choirs singing about an unicorn are a great touch though and make a great entry to another interesting guitar solo.
Again the song is build very well, with a last chorus leading to a prolonged outro fading with keyboards.
Universe on Fire is already known to me, as it was a lyrics teaser track before the album release. An amazing mix of disco/electronic music and power metal. The most hit track on the album so far, lesser focus on vocals really got me worried before the album was released but now after hearing more than a half of the album it's really an enjoyable pause, since there was no slower track so far to take a breath.
Putting a hit track so far on the album was a gutsy move and it profits a lot, this album is way better than the new Stratovarius and Helloween, I have yet to decide if it's better than Cain's Offering.
Heroes (of Dundee) starts slow with epic background and a bit of sadness, but the tempo goes faster in seconds. Very interesting lyrics, simplistic yet with some catchy tricks. Guitar solo strikes very fast for a moment.
I wonder if "An epic war is fight" is a some kind of a joke I don't get.
Great keyboard solo reminds me that Christopher Bowes is still the best keyboardist I've ever seen life (hope that changes tomorrow with Stratovarius gig) and fitting guitar solo arrives soon, with solid drumming arriving in a climax.
Another well played track, and I can't believe it's next to last.
The only "serious" track- Apocalypse 1992.
Long outro leads to vocal prelude. I don't usually like those, but it's said with such passion that wow.
The track really sounds like warriors from Gloryhammer are facing a battle with Space Alestorm.
It's hard to list all ideas put in this song, some elements are so catchy I thought they were choruses, before the real one kicked me in the balls. The song is about destroying Earth to save the Galaxy and I don't think they can get more epic than that.
Melody from the first track makes an appearience in the outro, fucking awesome.
Dundax Aeterna is a solid instrumental outro song, I'm glad some people still make outros like that.
Well, it might be the second greatest surprise this year, after Swallow The Sun releasing 3 in 1 album. And with all the honesty and sympathy in the world I didn't expect this album to be such an amazing piece of art.
Not only all songs are interesting in their own way, build with caution, well placed on the album and with funny yet catchy lyrics, the skills behind this music are also top notch.
Amazing vocalist, one of the best keyboard players I know and suprisingly good guitar compared to the first album. We have orchestrals, rich background, space noises and really- power metal about medival knights fighting a space wizard with plasma guns and laser axes is just stupid, like who would release such amazing music about dumb subjects like that :D
It's not a breakthrough in the genre, but this album is no joke, even if it tries very hard to be one.
I can't find a single thing they did wrong here (except for bass that I never hear and not enough keyboard solos for my taste).
There were 2 or 3 moments where I just stopped typing, amazed by the sudden sounds of vocals and guitars. I never do it mid review but Gloryhammer MUST BE in my top bands, so I extend it to 14 favourite bands and place it on number five. It's the only right thing to do after I greatly underestimated this album, so glad I bought it.
Additional:
++fucking stupid concept of an album
++ mocking the power metal with extremely well power metal
+ absurd and catchy lyrics
+ synths, choirs, background
+ songs are built extremely well
+ great song placement on an album
+ very consistent in quality, no lazy songs
+ interesting and not exhausting even with no slow songs
+ interesting and not exhausting even though basically singing all the time about the same god damn fucking thing
Quite a weird name for a song, something a "depressed" thirteen years old girl would write on her blog, after sixth boyfriend this week broke up with her.
Soft, distant intro to this song doesn't help the image, as well as the lyrics sung by a sad male voice
see the gost i have become
save the prayers for the living ones
feel the dark that i've become
send your crows into the light
TO FILL THE SKIES AND DIM THE SUN
...
I heard the glass shattering with that line, winter coming through the open window and freezing my body, yet the music didn't change, it continues slowly, and this is still the first minute of this ~8 minute monstrosity.
cast the shadows on my side
fullfil the oath of the broken ones
hallowed halls of setting suns
lost in the vacuum of this heart
It's hard to notice the mood changing, music going heavier and heavier with every second.
hear my heartstrings shattering
as tombs open before me
and she sang
It happens again, this time it's my heart cracking, not glass.
bury my heart
cover it with the coldest stones
so it will suffer longer
like i did in your arms
like i did in your arms
like i did in your arms
your arms
female vocals on Swallow The Sun, I don't even know who sings that, but I fall in love with the sad and soft voice.
I'm not going to spoil the song anymore, check it out.
Swallow The Sun are messing with our brains, releasing a emotionally unstable mix of a sad, soft "pop" song perfectly blended with everything there is to love in Melodic Death/ Doom Death Metal. Fading outro coming back to the last chorus, like her last breath on this realm is incredible, and with it fading away I'm finally getting my own back.
Score:
Vocals: /10
Guitars: /10
Bass: /10
Drums: /10
Additional:
Final score: % , it's beyond my abilities to review this track
It is going to be sad and beautiful at once :) I hoped a few albums were schedluded for 2015, but it seems all the melodeath in the world is coming out 2016. A short list of bands that plans to release their shit in 2016:
- Omnium Gatherum, with Skyline leading as a teaser track. We can expect some more vomit-like vocals singing about peace, love and carebears with a nice progression
- Kalmah tries to throw another one from their swamp, I hope they're gonna mock another bands again, Seventh Swampony and Pikemaster are still close to my heart
- Whispered teased our anuses with Sakura Omen , we can expect another supersolid piece of samurai's shit. Hoping for some Dragon Ball influenced music, might happen
- some argue Dreamshade isn't really melodeath, but for me it's close enough. They're trying to produce their first independent album, and with singles like Dreamers Don't Sleep it is a sure success in metalcorish audience and I will probably like it too. This bands helps me move some girls from BVB, BMTH, BFMV, AA fanbases to some actually decent music.
- Insomnium was silent, but new album might happen in late 2016, it's been a while since their last release.
but the hottest shit is of course Wintersun with Time II !!
Don't believe me? Yea, me either.
The hottest shit is Aephamahemrehrmr with first, debut, full band album (not just Nif showing off his guitar skills). I just hope that vocals won't ruin the climate Nif was keeping strong in his solo work and we might have another supersolid melodic death metal group :)
And who knows, maybe some new bands will pop up in this departament? Probably not, since I still don't know how to growl :P
PS. Some power metal comes out too, Enceladus with their second album will be the biggest treat in 2016. Some Pathfinder/Titanium action might happen, but as usual it's not really for sure. No polish guy ever releases music if he still has some leftover vodka to drink, aYYYYYYYYYYeeeeeee!!
