“Brave New World” has always been a mixed bag for me. Many songs on the album were still written with Blaze Bayley in the band. If I take into consideration how great Blaze Bayley’s first solo record “Silicon Messiah” turned out to be, I would have adored listening to a record that mixes the best tracks from that solo release and this comeback album with new old members Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith in the band. Most fans may disagree but I think a potential third record with Blaze Bayley would have been the better possibility.

As strange as it may sound, Blaze Bayley’s darker, very emotional and more grounded vocals would have fit better than Bruce Dickinson’s more expressive, high-pitched and theatrical tones on most songs of the record. A good example would be the melancholic ballade "Blood Brothers" that sounds a little bit too epic for a thoughtful swansong dedicated to Steve Harris' late father. "Dream of Mirrors" is a progressive metal song with a cumbersome atmosphere that could have found its righteous place on the previous release and would have been the best song on that album. I'm really imagining Blaze Bayley's darker and more emotional vocals each time I hear the song and think Bruce Dickinson's vocals sound too forced and strained on this track. Overall, this new record feels as if two worlds collided: the slower, epic and emotional tracks written in cooperation with Blaze Bayley and the more traditional, straighter and faster songs developed with Bruce Dickinson. These two sides don't always fusion well. While Bruce Dickinson performs truly well on the tracks he was involved in, he doesn’t manage to add that certain human and yet magic touch to the songs written without him in the band. 

Another negative point is that I’ve heard the phenomenal live release “Rock in Rio” before discovering the studio versions on this album. I must admit that several tracks that build up great atmosphere, electrifying energy and vivid pace on stage sound rather boring on here which may also be due to a rather lifeless production. Especially the longer tunes such as “Brave New World”, “Blood Brothers” and “Dream of Mirrors” are lacking a certain kind of energy on the studio release.

On the positive side, the band’s overall song writing is much more balanced on this release than on several other post-reunion albums like “A Matter of Life and Death” and “The Final Frontier”. This release includes a few energizing and short hymns such as the powerful opener “The Wicker Man” or the quite heavy and slightly hysterical “The Fallen Angel” that add both to the diversity and the flow of the release. One gets a few calmer and laid-back epics that can be seen as transitions from the last record with Blaze Bayley to the new era such as “Brave New World” and “Blood Brothers”. Finally, the band also delivers a couple of more progressive rock and metal infused tracks with long introductions and different promising ideas such as the Middle Eastern folk sounds on “The Nomad” and the complex yet rocking closer “The Thin Line Between Love and Hate”. From this point of view, the record never gets too boring. The problem with the last category of songs is that it includes several great instrumental and vocal melodies but that the overall song writing isn’t always concise. What I mean is that several longer tracks on the record are composed of different parts that work well on their own but don’t always seem to fit together. They feel a little bit hectically patched together here and there. These tracks also include a few unnecessary lengths that drag interesting atmospheres on for too long or take out the dynamic elements of a track. In these moments, the band is really losing me and I guess that fans of shorter and more traditional heavy metal songs may feel alike.

All these reasons lead to a point where I feel slightly confused about this release. I really like Adrian Smith’s signature guitar sound and the use of three different guitar players who are all quite diversified song writers. In general, I also think that Bruce Dickinson still has a phenomenal voice and may even sound better in certain songs on this release than he sounded in the late eighties and early nineties where he started to lack enthusiasm. Now, he is back with a fresh spirit and one really feels that the band put all its heart blood into this release. The song writing is balanced and diversified and the record is very entertaining as it includes shorter tracks that impress quickly and more complex tunes that open up as time goes by. Still, many parts of the release feel patched together in a hurry and don’t always fit together. Several songs already indicate a problem that would get even bigger on the next releases as many tracks include more or less fitting overlong introductions and plodding instrumental parts. The production is also little bit too calm and lifeless for a heavy metal comeback release in my opinion. In the end, the positive elements are still stronger than the negative ones. I must though admit that there is no Iron Maiden release I have listened to less than to this one. I know it’s a solid record but it has somehow become a dust collector in my collection. In Iron Maiden’s extensive and groundbreaking discography, I would categorize this overhyped record as a slightly below average effort. Among the so-called post-reunion records, I clearly prefer both the extremely diversified “Dance of Death” and the coherently dark and almost concept-like “A Matter of Life and Death” to this album.

After the headless predecessor Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas, Therion took a short creative break, focused on more consistent song writing, and grew together as a new band and unit to release Lepaca Kliffoth in 1995. Along with band leader Christofer Johnsson, who would perform vocals, keyboard, and guitars, Polish drummer Piotr “Docent“ Wawrzeniuk, who was once involved in a Polish punk rock band called Panzer Service, returned. Parts of “Evocation Of Vovin“ mix classic heavy metal with Middle Eastern-tinged melodies with a vivid punk vibe, which may be due to his influence. The trio was completed with Fredrik Isaksson from the death metal band Excruciate, who would later play in another famous Swedish death metal band called Grave. The few death metal moments on this release are restricted to “Let the New Day Begin“, however.

Lepaca Kliffoth has nothing to do with Therion’s death metal roots anymore, apart from a few select harsher riffs here and there. The guitar play has evolved in a more melodic direction and even features some power metal-inspired passages, such as in “Melez“. It’s the same thing for the vocals. The growls have been replaced by a shouted singing style by Christofer Johnsson. The band leader is giving more and more space to professionally trained operatic guest singers in addition. Hans Groning performs bass and baritone vocals and Swiss singer Claudia Maria Mokri, known for performing on Celtic Frost’s To Mega Therion and its follow-up Into The Pandemonium, performs soprano vocals on “Lepaca Kliffoth“. In addition to this, the album includes a decent Celtic Frost cover with “Sorrows Of The Moon”. Another Swedish background singer and a German guitarist complete the list of invited musicians. The combination of different vocalists works especially well in the soft “The Beauty In Black“, and my personal favorite, “Evocation Of Vovin“.

The thing that strikes me most when listening to Lepaca Kliffoth is how much the song writing has evolved in the past two years. This symphonic gothic metal record goes back to the atmospheric occult sound elements of the past, but also surprises with beautiful and truly catchy melodies that stay on your mind. The mellow and mysterious goth-rock single “The Beauty In Black“ comes around with appeasing orchestrations and beautiful piano melodies. The experimental sound effects of the predecessor have been reduced and are now employed in a more harmonious manner, as seen in the mystery-infused title track “Lepaca Kliffoth“. The new songs feel less overloaded and more balanced, and give the melodies and vocals the time to unfold and become memorable.

This album finally sounds like what would make Therion famous over the next two decades, but the lyrical content has also improved and refers to more and more mythological elements from Middle Eastern cultures. The term “Qliphoth“ refers to the representation of evil spirits in Jewish mysticism. The realm of evil is also termed “Sitra Ahra“, “Vovin“ means “Dragon”, and “Theli” is the name of the great Dragon according to the Sefer Yetzirah, the oldest book of Jewish esotericism. All three names would later on become titles for other Therion records. On that subject, the artwork is a mixture of a hydra and a vovin as well.

Despite several intriguing tracks, the album needs several spins to grow on, and isn’t always easy to digest. In addition to this, no track comes close to the epic mastery of “The Way“ from Beyond Sanctorum. This would be different on the essential follow-up Theli, which would be released one year later.

Lepaca Kliffoth was more than just a transitional album for Therion, but a visionary record that would define the new band sound and its lyrics for the years to come. It’s probably the most interesting release of the early years for those who have known Therion as a symphonic metal band only. The mixture of symphonic elements and operatic vocalists, Middle Eastern folk influence, and an angry punk vibe is definitely very original. If Therion hadn’t released several masterpieces in the years to come, the reception this record would surely be better nowadays. Had it been released by another band, Lepaca Kliffoth would be a highlight in almost any discography.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

“Bruchstücke – Zehn Raritäten aus der In Extremo-Privatsammlung“ is a short compilation issued with the German Metal Hammer magazine in support of the "Kunstraub“ record and includes ten rare or unreleased tracks. While this collector’s item is a nice addition to fan collections, it’s really not an essential release and includes more or less only average tracks.

The song opens with a rare cover song by the band. It’s not really original to cover Metallica these days but the song the band chose is rather interesting as it is the often overlooked single only release “I Disappear”. This tune is definitely not among Metallica’s strongest but In Extremo’s take on it is better than the original. The raw throat singing, the simple but enchanting harp sounds and the powerful use of pipes add a fresh touch to a bad average song and transform it in a good average track. Metallica fans should give this original cover a try.

A few songs on the release are alternative versions or remixes of famous In Extremo songs. I must admit that I like the originals much better. The Latin vocals in the alternative version of the German “Zigeunerskat” sound out of tone and don’t seem to fit with the music at all for example. 

The release also includes a few demo and live in the studio recordings. The demo tracks sometimes sound quite different from the final results. The most striking differences exist between the original sound and text of “Viva la Vida” and its final version. Sadly, the band only included snippets of this track and I’m asking myself why they didn’t put the whole original demo on this album. It’s the only incomplete track consisting of excerpts on this release. Otherwise, it’s interesting to realize how the song ideas of a band can evolve but other than that, the demo versions on here are rather forgettable. The live in studio records sound also less impressive and straight than regular live songs and have a really bad sound quality.

Finally, we also get two new songs on this album. That’s at least what the track list seems to tell us but in fact, “Sa Roma” is a slightly different version of the overlooked In Extremo b-side “Wolkenmeer” with a notably different text. As for “Zigeunerskat”, I happen to think that the German vocals suit this track better in terms of rhythm and tone. The other and only really new song is “Uns verbrennt die Nacht” even though it sounds similar to a few other current In Extremo songs. The song starts with a jazzier tone and also includes a charming acoustic guitar and percussion break. The rest is a pretty standard In Extremo track with raw verses and a catchy chorus dominated by low riffs and melancholic yet majestic pipe sounds. It’s not a bad effort but on a regular release, this kind of song would only be a filler.

As you can see, this short release is only interesting for collectors and die-hard fans of the band. If you were able to grab this release for a decent price, you could purchase it but otherwise you shouldn’t look to hard for it and simply focus on the regular releases.

Imagine “The X-Factor” with a straighter live production and Bruce Dickinson on vocals and you get “A Matter of Life and Death” which includes mostly depressing and lengthy mid-tempo tracks about war and other sinister topics. As I am a person who likes to dive into darker territories, I adore the almost constantly bleak atmosphere on this release. One of the best examples on here is the dynamical “These Colours Don’t Run” with an incredibly vivid bass guitar and drum work as well as an epic bridge with sing along parts. It’s also worth mentioning the brutal yet majestic “Brighter Than A Thousand Suns” that varies from extremely heavy riffs to almost psychedelic sounds and back again. “For the Greater Good of God” is more melodic and features decent orchestrations that give the track an elegant and mature touch.

Despite several great songs, the record also has its negative sides. Most people might disagree but I think that Blaze Bayley’s sinister, technically limited but incredibly emotional voice added a lot to the atmosphere on “The X-Factor”. Bruce Dickinson is definitely the better singer from a technical point of view but his theatrical high-pitched vocals don’t always fit to this kind of music and topic. The worst example is probably “The Longest Day” which is a song about D-Day which starts in a very bleak and promising way. Then, the high-pitched pre-chorus and chorus sound so happy that it feels inappropriate and odd to me. These vocals scrap the brilliant build-up in the introduction and verses. A darker and more grounded voice would have easily improved the final result.

Another issue is the song writing and the length of the album. Some tracks have really great calmer introductions that add to the atmosphere but in total, seven out of ten tracks have introductions that are stretched to almost three minutes in the worst cases. That’s how an initially interesting idea gets repeated to death and finally becomes very boring and predictable. Especially the second half of the release suffers from that. “The Legacy” is for example one of my least favourite songs of the band in general and I rarely manage to listen to it from the beginning to the end. It’s definitely the weakest album closer ever delivered by the band. The strange, numb and hypnotizing “Lord of Light” took several years to grow a little bit on me. Today, I think it’s a good average tune with a gripping atmosphere and some original ideas but it doesn’t always feel structured and could have been much better with more consistent and shorter song writing. Even a few shorter songs include unnecessary lengths. The power ballad “Out of the Shadows” is a nice melodic track and would have been an example for consistent song writing if the song had ended after three minutes and a half. Instead of doing so, the band added a boring instrumental bridge just to repeat the chorus one more time. I’m sorry but the last two minutes really ruined an otherwise interesting tune to me.

This is why the few shorter and actually consistent tracks stand positively out to me. “Different World” sounds a little bit too similar to “Rainmaker” and is only a good average opener but in the context of the entire album, this song feels really fresh and dynamical. “The Pilgrim” is even better with its oriental sounds that hark back to “The Nomad” six years earlier. I’ve always thought that “The Nomad” was artificially stretched and one of the less memorable tracks on its album and I really prefer the shorter and more energizing “The Pilgrim” where Bruce Dickinson’s joyous and skilled vocals probably fit best on the record as well.

In the end, “A Matter of Live and Death” is neither among Iron Maiden’s greatest nor among their worst releases. It’s a quite good average effort with a consistent atmosphere and vivid production on one side and a few overlong and repetitive tracks with too joyous vocals on the other. We still have to take into consideration that we are talking about Iron Maiden which is maybe the most influential heavy metal band in the world. Hands down, in almost any other band’s discography, this would be a career highlight but if we compare it to other efforts of the British legends, this album can’t entirely convince me. It’s surely a great and almost concept-like release for those who don’t like Blaze Bayley’s vocals but the general feeling and idea behind “The X-Factor” because this is pretty much what you get here.

Kokumaromilk is a weird band from Japan built around multi-instrumentalist and singer Iwama Hiroyuki and female singer Uzu who usually play metal cover songs under the banner Pleasure Music Temple. Their side project is experimental, over-the-top Visual Kei including a mixture of different genres from pop music and ska over electronic elements, and incuding vivid gothic and power metal elements, as well as some classical music. All in all, it sounds like the soundtrack to some crazy manga series. Short instrumentals between one and two minutes each are combined with compact, catchy songs and even the occasional lengthy track that goes on for almost nine minutes. If you have a taste for courageous Visual Kei bands similar to X Japan, Moi Dix Mois, and Babymetal, you should give this project`s debut a few spins.

The most outstanding song on this short release is without a doubt the weird “PIPIPI”. It’s the kind of song you want or claim to hate, but end up enjoying because you can’t get rid of its ridiculous melodies. The songs starts with 8-bit computer game sounds, and the track turns out to be a joyous power metal song. It includes ska-influenced verses, recalling music of the seventies and eighties, and cheesy electronic sounds that remind me of the music I grew up with in the nineties. This potpourri of styles is crowned by an extremely childish chorus. God help me if I don’t love this song!

What else is going on this record? The longer tracks remind me of a mixture of MUCC and UneXpect. Melancholic piano passages and disturbing lounge breaks are jammed together with fast-paced power metal fronted by hysterical vocals, electric organ sounds, and additional, rebellious vocals conveying a classic rock ‘n roll feeling. Sometimes the changes in the song writing sound odd, but the tracks will make more sense and grow if you’re ready to spend some more time with this vivid twenty-five minute debut. Needless to say, this is the kind of music only the Japanese create, and the six schizophrenic songs here include more ideas than most other bands put into entire discographies.

I would go crazy if I listened to this kind of music all day long, but from time to time it’s an overwhelmingly entertaining ride through many different emotions and genres. I recommend checking in on this eclectic project if you’re interested in something new, varied, and strange.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal