Post by slayrrr666 on Jan 1, 2013 12:39:08 GMT -5
It's really infuriating that, once again, one of the better overall rankings is so criminally overlooked and ignored when there's a huge amount of quality to be had which is abundantly clear in this genre's list for the year. There's a huge amount of quality on display here, including the welcome continuation of the trend from Traditional Metal with the female-fronted acts coming on pretty strong but it's just that overall there's a lot to like here and it's sorely missed. Hopefully, the quality will help to change that, so on with the list.
10. Drakkar-Where Lightning Strikes
Italian newcomers to the scene, this is one of the more impressive efforts from the genre and shows that the climate there hasn’t grown stale. Ripe with that neo-classical melodies and soaring vocal approach favored by the European acts, this one contains a fantastic rhythm section propelled with a furious drum-attack rife with thunderous beats and savage double-bass sections to propel this one along at a pretty frantic clip, though the band can clearly operate in more melodic mode which happens quite often as it only seems to go into hyper-drive in select spurts rather than full-on which is a welcome break and offers a sense of identity. The guitar-and-keyboard interplay is quite a bit of fun, almost sounding like pirate-themed material at times before launching into more traditional Power Metal fare, but the rest of the music still has those infectious Euro-melodies that makes the music so listenable. When this is mixed with the great vocals, it makes for a rather enjoyable effort from one of the more promising acts in the genre.
9. Firewind-Few Against Many
Greece’s melodically-inclined masters have always been one of the more overlooked groups going, mostly due to their maddening inconsistency where they release a good album then follow it up with an uninspired dud, yet strangely that’s seems to have been reversed here with one that plays both parts quite nicely. As is usual, the guitar pyrotechnics are on full-display as they sweep, dive and generally bombard the listener with no end of marvelously infectious melodies, sweeping grandiose solos or dual harmonies that are just utterly full of life and remain the highlight of the album, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering who’s playing. While the drums are generally tolerable if really lacking in punch due to the mix, the main factor for why such potentially-engaging material is so low is the rather bland vocals that don’t really seem to show any range at all and really bring the album to a halt, which has hardly happened before as they usually provide a decent performance yet here it’s not so much. There’s too many ballads on the album as a whole as well, which drives this down enough to place them here on the back end of the list.
8. Seven Kingdoms-The Fire is Mine
While the female-fronted bands tended to dominate Heavy Metal, this is more familiar territory for them in this genre and this is one of the better bands in the style. Developing more of a true Power Metal approach than the more-infamous Gothic-tinged acts, this one relies on near-Thrash like speed and precision to deliver a forceful album containing vigorous drumming bolstered with near-complete double-bass blasting, hyper-speed pacing and great precision to create a thunderous and perfectly capable background for the bands’ melodies to hang from gracefully. Aided along with more Thrash-like riffing tempos and adventurous solo-work, the music here is perfectly infectious, faster-than-expected and instantly memorable and melodic. The vocals are quite impressive as well, allowing for a higher register soaring than most male would feature and tend to shy away from the gang-of-thousands background shouts in favor of select appearances and letting her go at it alone, making for a really enjoyable experience and allows them to craft their best work so far and a very enjoyable effort.
7. Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody-Ascending to Infinity
Will a year go by and not feature controversy in the Rhapsody camp? First the needless name change, now this split that at the very least creates the opportunity for two great bands but is still saddened by the fact that the core is no longer there after such a high the previous year with one of their best works together. As for this, it’s a fair first effort that tends to go even more orchestral and symphonic than Rhapsody ever went, showcasing even more of an influence in grand film scores and movie themes than ever before from any incarnation of the group which at least gives them a great identity from the start, and thankfully those movie scores are married to the infectious Euro-Symphonic Power Metal of the past which creates an unique experience hearing violins, strings and other instrumentation alongside the piano, keyboard flurries and soaring guitar work. As to be expected, those guitars are among the best part of the album, offering plenty of showcase opportunities for grandiose solos, restrained riffing or spectacular dexterous melodies that can only come from the man himself, and while he’s got himself a great supporting band that can definitely support his vision, it’s a little sad to think a great band no longer exists. At least they went out in style, and with a strong path forged here, it’ll take less time to get over.
6. Magica-Center of the Great Unknown
Quite enjoyable and relaxing Romanian female-fronted group, this is one of the more surprising and underrated acts in the genre and generates a lot of good throughout. Incorporating more of a laid-back yet up-tempo style rather than the full-on Thrash-like speed more commonly found in the style, this style actually makes it quite nice to really get into the music as a whole which is rife with warm melodies, soulful performances and a general level of class that’s hardly found in the genre, as everyone’s on point in their execution of their riffing and soloing, the restrained drumming and expertly placed keyboard interludes to offer an overall pleasing sound. The main emphasis here, though, is the soulful and emotional female vocals, which are one of the greatest features in the band as they’re incredibly in tune with the music and offer more of a touch of class here as they sweep and soar over the melodies underneath which makes for even more of a warm-ness than most acts in the style, creating a winning album here.
5. Kamelot-Silverthorn
While the controversy wasn’t as severe here as it was in the Rhapsody camp, there’s still a big one in a lead singer change who perfectly suited the bands’ sound to a tee, the fact that a new lead singer in another big, popular band for me is again going to take some time to get over. The fact that this is about even with Rhapsody in terms of the initial first impression made, there’s still a lot to like here since it’s still the same band employing their trademark style of restrained Melodic Progressive/Symphonic Power Metal which features far better drum-work than expected with it’s double-bass thunder, frantic riffing and a pounding bass-frame with the more enhanced keyboards allowing the band to continue with a great life and verve, which brings us to the vocals. Not able to really soar and match the range of Roy, the new vocalist isn’t terrible and has the power but can’t match his range at his best, which results in a satisfying but not superior experience, but there’s room to let it grow in the future which makes it a good enough outing to let it remain here.
4. Soulspell-Hollow’s Gathering
With Avantasia slipping away into mediocrity with every new release, these Brazilian newcomers show the way to make a true Power Metal opera with their third output, which is an unbelievably catchy and appealing effort all around. Boasting the kind of guest talent that would make most of us drool with envy, this is incredibly catchy stuff from a musical stand-point as well with a series of impeccable drum-work, stylish guitar-work that goes for a grand, epic style with blazing riffs, searing solos and an up-tempo vibe that really goes for a big, Symphonic approach that’s not as bombastic in grandeur but still in that mode. That brings up the guest appearances, which is far too numerous to mention but features Ralph Scheepers, Ripper, Blaze Bayley, Michael Vescera and Amanda Sommerville, and that’s just for starters as they all weave a grandiose, epic story through their lyrics and it’s impressive to see them all together in such a magnificent setting that perfectly captures each of their personas and even allowed to do more than just recite a line or so in the song since just about all the guests are given the point on a specific track, giving it a unique appeal that generates one of the more surprising but enjoyable releases of the year.
3. Primal Fear-Unbreakable
It hasn’t been much of a secret that I’m not wild about the group’s shift from Nuclear Blast to Frontiers Records, as the older NB releases have a far-better sound than their new home for whatever reason, which is a production issue but which is finally fixed here on their best release since the shift. The world’s first ‘official’ Judas Priest clone have delivered just that sort of style since the beginning, delivered by a rock-solid rhythm section that can still pound when necessary but keeps the band’s groove on point and bolstered by their old-school metal guitars but going for more of a bigger, grander canvas than their inspiration mostly did in their prime as they seem more willing to go into the lengthier side more easily, leaving this as a powerful, impressive release before getting to the main genesis of the band, Ralph who quite simply has never sounded more like Halford in his career as he does here, as select tracks give off the appearance of having him guest on the track his wail is so dead-on. That allows for a degree of familiarity that really wins this one over a little more, but which the impact of the seriousness of the cloning knocks it back to a solid, dependable third slot.
2. Pathfinder-Fifth Element
These Polish Symphonic Power Metal upstarts have been growing on me in recent years, and this effort is one of the reasons why. Incorporating more of Thrash approach at times as it lays off the total overkill of the majority of such acts in the genre, it offers more of an emphasis when the keyboards go overboard and gives this a pretty unique identity. Still featuring those totally bombastic drumming attacks that give this group so much of its speed, power and originality, there’s a lot to like there as they propel this monster forward backed by their intricate guitar-riffing, technically-sound and grandiose soloing and those grand, soaring keyboards create an epic-length album that never relents, gets boring or loses it’s intensity as it goes along, which is matched with the perfectly searing vocals that soar over the music or undercut them perfectly and makes this one of the more impressive bands in the genre and creates a lot of intrigue in their future works.
1. Dragonforce-The Power Within
So, yet another band driven through the year by controversy, and again it’s in the form of a lead singer switch yet I have no problem in saying this is the one band that’s not going to be hindered at all by the switch as the new replacement is far more of a traditional Power Metal singer who is able to give the band a more flexible style going forward. Fear not, the rest of the band is still intact with their specialized brand of hyper-speed Symphonic/Thrash Metal, and the fact that the band has a somewhat-evident vigor and relentlessness makes the compositions far more fun and lively this time around as they just bash away during the chorus or launch into their extended soloing backed by thunderous drumming and forceful melodic guitar riffing that still carries the same speed and power as they have in the past. The big change, apart from the vocals, may be the shorter lengths of the songs as this one manages to do most of its damage in the four-to-five minute range with only one real song qualifying as an epic over six minutes rather than in the past where the band lived in that range, but it’s still quite enjoyable as they go through their paces like normal, leaving them with an easy selection as the genre’s winners of the year.
And on top of everything else, the selected song below could very well be the best thing the band’s recorded in their history, which says a lot about them but just an extra bonus.
10. Drakkar-Where Lightning Strikes
Italian newcomers to the scene, this is one of the more impressive efforts from the genre and shows that the climate there hasn’t grown stale. Ripe with that neo-classical melodies and soaring vocal approach favored by the European acts, this one contains a fantastic rhythm section propelled with a furious drum-attack rife with thunderous beats and savage double-bass sections to propel this one along at a pretty frantic clip, though the band can clearly operate in more melodic mode which happens quite often as it only seems to go into hyper-drive in select spurts rather than full-on which is a welcome break and offers a sense of identity. The guitar-and-keyboard interplay is quite a bit of fun, almost sounding like pirate-themed material at times before launching into more traditional Power Metal fare, but the rest of the music still has those infectious Euro-melodies that makes the music so listenable. When this is mixed with the great vocals, it makes for a rather enjoyable effort from one of the more promising acts in the genre.
9. Firewind-Few Against Many
Greece’s melodically-inclined masters have always been one of the more overlooked groups going, mostly due to their maddening inconsistency where they release a good album then follow it up with an uninspired dud, yet strangely that’s seems to have been reversed here with one that plays both parts quite nicely. As is usual, the guitar pyrotechnics are on full-display as they sweep, dive and generally bombard the listener with no end of marvelously infectious melodies, sweeping grandiose solos or dual harmonies that are just utterly full of life and remain the highlight of the album, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering who’s playing. While the drums are generally tolerable if really lacking in punch due to the mix, the main factor for why such potentially-engaging material is so low is the rather bland vocals that don’t really seem to show any range at all and really bring the album to a halt, which has hardly happened before as they usually provide a decent performance yet here it’s not so much. There’s too many ballads on the album as a whole as well, which drives this down enough to place them here on the back end of the list.
8. Seven Kingdoms-The Fire is Mine
While the female-fronted bands tended to dominate Heavy Metal, this is more familiar territory for them in this genre and this is one of the better bands in the style. Developing more of a true Power Metal approach than the more-infamous Gothic-tinged acts, this one relies on near-Thrash like speed and precision to deliver a forceful album containing vigorous drumming bolstered with near-complete double-bass blasting, hyper-speed pacing and great precision to create a thunderous and perfectly capable background for the bands’ melodies to hang from gracefully. Aided along with more Thrash-like riffing tempos and adventurous solo-work, the music here is perfectly infectious, faster-than-expected and instantly memorable and melodic. The vocals are quite impressive as well, allowing for a higher register soaring than most male would feature and tend to shy away from the gang-of-thousands background shouts in favor of select appearances and letting her go at it alone, making for a really enjoyable experience and allows them to craft their best work so far and a very enjoyable effort.
7. Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody-Ascending to Infinity
Will a year go by and not feature controversy in the Rhapsody camp? First the needless name change, now this split that at the very least creates the opportunity for two great bands but is still saddened by the fact that the core is no longer there after such a high the previous year with one of their best works together. As for this, it’s a fair first effort that tends to go even more orchestral and symphonic than Rhapsody ever went, showcasing even more of an influence in grand film scores and movie themes than ever before from any incarnation of the group which at least gives them a great identity from the start, and thankfully those movie scores are married to the infectious Euro-Symphonic Power Metal of the past which creates an unique experience hearing violins, strings and other instrumentation alongside the piano, keyboard flurries and soaring guitar work. As to be expected, those guitars are among the best part of the album, offering plenty of showcase opportunities for grandiose solos, restrained riffing or spectacular dexterous melodies that can only come from the man himself, and while he’s got himself a great supporting band that can definitely support his vision, it’s a little sad to think a great band no longer exists. At least they went out in style, and with a strong path forged here, it’ll take less time to get over.
6. Magica-Center of the Great Unknown
Quite enjoyable and relaxing Romanian female-fronted group, this is one of the more surprising and underrated acts in the genre and generates a lot of good throughout. Incorporating more of a laid-back yet up-tempo style rather than the full-on Thrash-like speed more commonly found in the style, this style actually makes it quite nice to really get into the music as a whole which is rife with warm melodies, soulful performances and a general level of class that’s hardly found in the genre, as everyone’s on point in their execution of their riffing and soloing, the restrained drumming and expertly placed keyboard interludes to offer an overall pleasing sound. The main emphasis here, though, is the soulful and emotional female vocals, which are one of the greatest features in the band as they’re incredibly in tune with the music and offer more of a touch of class here as they sweep and soar over the melodies underneath which makes for even more of a warm-ness than most acts in the style, creating a winning album here.
5. Kamelot-Silverthorn
While the controversy wasn’t as severe here as it was in the Rhapsody camp, there’s still a big one in a lead singer change who perfectly suited the bands’ sound to a tee, the fact that a new lead singer in another big, popular band for me is again going to take some time to get over. The fact that this is about even with Rhapsody in terms of the initial first impression made, there’s still a lot to like here since it’s still the same band employing their trademark style of restrained Melodic Progressive/Symphonic Power Metal which features far better drum-work than expected with it’s double-bass thunder, frantic riffing and a pounding bass-frame with the more enhanced keyboards allowing the band to continue with a great life and verve, which brings us to the vocals. Not able to really soar and match the range of Roy, the new vocalist isn’t terrible and has the power but can’t match his range at his best, which results in a satisfying but not superior experience, but there’s room to let it grow in the future which makes it a good enough outing to let it remain here.
4. Soulspell-Hollow’s Gathering
With Avantasia slipping away into mediocrity with every new release, these Brazilian newcomers show the way to make a true Power Metal opera with their third output, which is an unbelievably catchy and appealing effort all around. Boasting the kind of guest talent that would make most of us drool with envy, this is incredibly catchy stuff from a musical stand-point as well with a series of impeccable drum-work, stylish guitar-work that goes for a grand, epic style with blazing riffs, searing solos and an up-tempo vibe that really goes for a big, Symphonic approach that’s not as bombastic in grandeur but still in that mode. That brings up the guest appearances, which is far too numerous to mention but features Ralph Scheepers, Ripper, Blaze Bayley, Michael Vescera and Amanda Sommerville, and that’s just for starters as they all weave a grandiose, epic story through their lyrics and it’s impressive to see them all together in such a magnificent setting that perfectly captures each of their personas and even allowed to do more than just recite a line or so in the song since just about all the guests are given the point on a specific track, giving it a unique appeal that generates one of the more surprising but enjoyable releases of the year.
3. Primal Fear-Unbreakable
It hasn’t been much of a secret that I’m not wild about the group’s shift from Nuclear Blast to Frontiers Records, as the older NB releases have a far-better sound than their new home for whatever reason, which is a production issue but which is finally fixed here on their best release since the shift. The world’s first ‘official’ Judas Priest clone have delivered just that sort of style since the beginning, delivered by a rock-solid rhythm section that can still pound when necessary but keeps the band’s groove on point and bolstered by their old-school metal guitars but going for more of a bigger, grander canvas than their inspiration mostly did in their prime as they seem more willing to go into the lengthier side more easily, leaving this as a powerful, impressive release before getting to the main genesis of the band, Ralph who quite simply has never sounded more like Halford in his career as he does here, as select tracks give off the appearance of having him guest on the track his wail is so dead-on. That allows for a degree of familiarity that really wins this one over a little more, but which the impact of the seriousness of the cloning knocks it back to a solid, dependable third slot.
2. Pathfinder-Fifth Element
These Polish Symphonic Power Metal upstarts have been growing on me in recent years, and this effort is one of the reasons why. Incorporating more of Thrash approach at times as it lays off the total overkill of the majority of such acts in the genre, it offers more of an emphasis when the keyboards go overboard and gives this a pretty unique identity. Still featuring those totally bombastic drumming attacks that give this group so much of its speed, power and originality, there’s a lot to like there as they propel this monster forward backed by their intricate guitar-riffing, technically-sound and grandiose soloing and those grand, soaring keyboards create an epic-length album that never relents, gets boring or loses it’s intensity as it goes along, which is matched with the perfectly searing vocals that soar over the music or undercut them perfectly and makes this one of the more impressive bands in the genre and creates a lot of intrigue in their future works.
1. Dragonforce-The Power Within
So, yet another band driven through the year by controversy, and again it’s in the form of a lead singer switch yet I have no problem in saying this is the one band that’s not going to be hindered at all by the switch as the new replacement is far more of a traditional Power Metal singer who is able to give the band a more flexible style going forward. Fear not, the rest of the band is still intact with their specialized brand of hyper-speed Symphonic/Thrash Metal, and the fact that the band has a somewhat-evident vigor and relentlessness makes the compositions far more fun and lively this time around as they just bash away during the chorus or launch into their extended soloing backed by thunderous drumming and forceful melodic guitar riffing that still carries the same speed and power as they have in the past. The big change, apart from the vocals, may be the shorter lengths of the songs as this one manages to do most of its damage in the four-to-five minute range with only one real song qualifying as an epic over six minutes rather than in the past where the band lived in that range, but it’s still quite enjoyable as they go through their paces like normal, leaving them with an easy selection as the genre’s winners of the year.
And on top of everything else, the selected song below could very well be the best thing the band’s recorded in their history, which says a lot about them but just an extra bonus.