After thrash metal milestones such as “Kill’em All”, “Ride The Lightning” and “Master Of Puppets”, more progressive outputs with a few groove metal tendencies as on “…And Justice For All”, a commercially flavoured and highly successful record with “Metallica”, experimental southern rock records as on “Load” and “ReLoad”, a passionate outburst of aggression on “St. Anger”, a return to the thrash metal roots with a modern touch as on “Death Magnetic” and an experimental minimalist concept album with LOU REED entitled “Lulu”, the world’s most famous metal band Metallica tries out something new again. This time, it’s a movie entitled “Through the Never” where a weird plot is connected to the lyrics of several famous Metallica tracks.

This record is the soundtrack of this film and was recorded live in the Canadian cities of Edmonton and Vancouver in August 2012. The funny thing with this band is that they didn’t release any live records for many years apart of the “S&M” project where the band was accompanied by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen. But during the last five years, the band released eight live records on DVD or CD. This here is number nine. Even though most of the records are great, one really doesn’t need all of these outputs. Some people claim that “Through the Never” is the best among these live releases. I think this is not true. I found “Orgullo, Pasion Y Gloria - Tres Noches En La Ciudad de Mexico" more passionate and the set lists of the two “Six Feet Down Under” EPs definitely more appealing.

This doesn’t mean that this record is bad. It’s an energetic and unpolished live document. Nothing seems to have been changed on this record. You still hear a rather weird bass guitar and electric guitar sound in the beginning of “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, the micro problems in the middle of “Ride the Lightning” and the sudden sound problems at the end of “Enter Sandman”. While all of this sounds authentic, I’m asking myself why the band didn’t chose better versions of these songs as they had played two nights in Edmonton and even three nights in Vancouver where they could have picked the best version of each song.

On the other side, you get blown away by the powerful opener “Creeping Death” where the crowd already goes insane. The live rendition of “The Memory Remains” is by far the best version of this song as it convinces with a more direct, emotional and honest approach. The moving guitar introduction makes even a predictable and used ballad like “Nothing Else Matters” sound fresh. In addition to this, a few of my favorite Metallica songs such as “One” or “Wherever I May Roam” are also included in excellent renditions on here. The band really did a great job.

The only thing I really didn’t need is the weird live in studio rerecording of “Orion” that doesn’t equal the original. On the other side, I would like to hear such an edgy studio sound on the next regular studio record instead of the overproduced loudness war on “Death Magnetic”. I might also add that the set list of the Canadian shows included a few amazing tracks that didn’t make it on the final record without any particular reason such as “Sad But True”, “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” or “Seek And Destroy”. It’s also sad that the band didn’t include a song from each record they have made as “St. Anger” and “Lulu” are missing and despite their negative reputation, both are undeniably parts of Metallica's history.

In the end, one doesn’t really need a new Metallica live record or this movie. The previous live outputs from all around the world were at least as good as the performances on here. I prefer to sit at home and get blown away by the “Live Shit: Binge and Purge” release or the already legendary “The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria” output where I even get some additional great performances by Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer. This record is only for truly faithful fans, those who have been there in Edmonton or Vancouver when Metallica played there, enthusiastic teenagers discovering the metal scene as a popcorn event and die hard completionists.

Originally written for The Metal Observer

Three years after their least convincing studio effort “7th Symphony”, Apocalyptica comes around with a rather intriguing project. The band came together with the MDR Symphony Orchestra and different choreographers to create fourteen instrumental songs inspired by but not directly copied from legendary German composer Richard Wagner. The band performed these songs to celebrate the legend’s two hundredth birthday in his hometown Leipzig in front of a cheering but sophisticated crowd. Those who were missing the earlier years of the band inspired by instrumental works somewhere between extreme metal and classical music will finally get new exciting material from the band. Despite the addition of audiovisual effects, circus and theatre arts, dance performers and the symphonic elements, the three celli and sometimes even the drummer still stand out on here.

The band starts with an atmospheric, disharmonic and menacing introduction in form of the short pieces “Signals” and “Genesis” that should immediately please to fans of the “Inquisition Symphony” and “Cult” records. The band even gets a lot heavier in several tracks when the pace gets faster and the drums kick in as in the second half of the dark “Fight Against Monsters” or the apocalyptic and dramatic “Flying Dutchman”. Calmer songs such as “Bubbles” or the elegiac and melodramatic “Birth Pain” offer some well-deserved breaks to the audience. The mixture of symphonic elements and the original Apocalyptica sound works best in “Path In Life” as well as in the diversified double pack “Ludwig – Wonderland” and “Ludwig – Requiem”. While all of these songs are amazing, I associate something special to the outstanding “Path In Life” that remains extremely gripping from the beginning to the end. It’s maybe the best Apocalyptica song ever written.

In the beginning, I was afraid that this project might be too overambitious and sophisticated and at first try, it was unusual to listen to the band in that kind of way again after their chart hits with different singers such as “Life Burns!”, “I Don’t Care” or “End Of Me”. After a second try, I was entirely convinced and at my third try, I started to realize that the band delivers us a true little masterpiece on here. It’s a little bit tough to give a rating on here as I’m not familiar with all of Richard Wagner’s works and don’t know how much comes from him and how much from Apocalyptica and their partners but maybe this doesn’t really matter in the end. This album is musically diversified, emotionally profound and technically stunning as music should be. Apocalyptica fans simply can’t get around this and should even evaluate this release as a new studio release rather than a live record of the band. From that point of view, the band surpasses the amazing “Worlds Collide” and is at least on one level with “Cult” and “Apocalyptica”. Time will tell if this release is even better than those but I guess that Apocalyptica is finally back in full strength.

Originally written for The Metal Observer

Esthète Sinistre is a depressive post black metal project by one musician and one singer. It may come as a surprise to many that this grim and frostbitten project neither comes from the Métal Noir Québécois movement nor from a Scandinavian or Baltic country. The two persons behind the project hail from the busy and warm metropolis of Guangzhou which is included in the southern part of an impressive megalopolis on the Chinese coast. Despite the atypical surrounding and origin of this album, it makes you feel as if it was recorded during winter time in a bare cabin somewhere in the northernmost woods.

The young band’s first release comes along as one atmospheric track that clocks in at around 27 minutes. It first offers us folkloristic samples reminding of traditional Scandinavian or Russian music. The listeners then get to hear some excerpts from speeches that seem to be taken from an old movie before samples of wind and wuthering are added to the formula. Once the track kicks off, it varies from depressive but laid back passages to pitiless and blistering parts with raw riffs and ferocious drumming. Some passages include noisy bass guitar parts while others come along with laid back piano passages, acoustic guitars, organ sounds or a few almost new age driven orchestrations. All these elements perfectly fit to the general atmosphere and each instrument or idea has its shining moment. That’s why this song never gets boring despite its epic length. The vocals are emotional lamentations and don’t seem to include any actual lyrics. But they don’t need to because the atmosphere created by the music and these lamentations speak for themselves and are stronger than simple words. The underground production perfectly suits this bleak epic as well. Even the misspelled song and EP title funnily fit to the genre’s underground image.

I have listened to this gem four times until now and this little masterpiece keeps on growing on me. Its atmosphere isn’t only bleak but also includes many moments of melancholy and even hope. The musicianship is detailed enough to make you discover new little elements each time you are listening to this song. Esthète Sinistre are the best black metal newcomer band I have listened to in quite a while and may have released the best genre output of the year 2013. I hope to hear more from this band anytime soon. Spread the name that relevant grim and frostbitten black metal now comes from Southern China and give this epic a few fair spins on the band’s Bandcamp page: http://esthetesinistre.bandcamp.com/

Originally written for The Metal Observer

Vital Science is a progressive metal band with several symphonic power metal influences. The project is composed by members from Estonia and Latvia and also features Brazilian guitarist Thiago Trinsi in three tracks who is usually involved in Taiwanese symphonic power metal band Seraphim that seems to be on hold right now.

The album title “Imaginations On The Subject Of Infinity” sounds as sophisticated as many tracks on this release happen to be. “Fallen From Grace” features for example a lengthy instrumental section with vivid keyboard patterns, a beautiful guitar solo and some quite technical and modern metal riffs. The whole thing is surrounded by melodic but grounded and even slightly raw vocals that are shining in one of the record’s catchiest choruses. This track is not only among my favourites but also quite representative for the entire album. Sharp and technical riffs, dominant keyboards, a few orchestral sound samples here and there, modern progressive instrumental sections and charismatic vocals are the ingredients in here. Keyboarder Sergey Boykov is the most impressive among these skilled musicians in my humble opinion. To give you a reference, I would say that this band sounds quite similar to a heavier version of Symphony X.

While this mixture is technically stunning and emotionally energizing, only a few tracks really stand out on here as most songs sound quite alike. Especially the guitar riffs in the verses sound too similar on this release. The dark symphonic elements and harp samples in the faster “Black Judgement Day” are amazing while the keyboard solos would even make Ayreon and Dream Theater jealous. “Truth Be Told” is probably the record’s most epic track and opens with almost cinematic orchestral passages that can also be heard in the chorus section while the rest of the song has an American power metal touch.

Fans of powerful progressive metal with hard riffs, majestic orchestrations and a clever use of keyboards should definitely dig this release. The record is technically impressive and has also emotionally driven parts that can convince. The overall lack of diversity in the song writing concerning the guitar riffs is probably the biggest flaw on here but doesn’t stop this album from being a promising first genre highlight of the early year 2014. If you’re intrigued by my review, you can listen to or purchase the record under the following link: http://www.powerprog.net/releases_vital_science_imaginations.html

Originally written for The Metal Observer

My Imperium is a band somewhere between modern groove metal and melodic death metal with a few minor industrial metal influences composed of three men and one woman from Lyon in France. Founded back in 2012, the formation now comes around with a first EP entitled “Amongst The Ruins”.

The band convinces with a balanced mixture of faster and powerful parts, heavily grooving mid-tempo sections and a few almost metalcore-inspired melodic breaks that slow the pace down. Fans of modern Dark Tranquility or In Flames should dig this kind of music and the fact that the band included a cover version of Soilwork's “Stabbing The Drama” on this release only underlines who their main target should be.

The short record reserves a few surprises as well. The Asian folk sounds, the bass driven overture, the distorted spoken word passage and the pitiless thrashing main riffs are the ingredients for the heavily diversified “Time To Pay”. This song is on par with “A Thousand Scars” that comes around with a calmer melancholic middle section with great guitar melodies and a versatile drumming that gives a well-needed break in an energizing and fast-paced track with a catchy melodic chorus. These songs may sound a little bit chaotic at first contact but end up to open up after several spins.

Melodic death metal fans can give this release a shot and should support the French band. On the other side, this EP only offers twenty minutes of music if we take off the cover song and the introduction and that’s why I’m eager to hear a full length record by this band to see how they can diversify, improve and make their sound more unique as well. The band has the basics to get some attention in its genre but for what it is, this EP is more like a good average start for possible future endeavors. If you’re intrigued by my review, don’t hesitate to give My Imperium a few fair spins under the following link: http://myimperium.bandcamp.com/

Originally written for The Metal Observer