After four independently released EPs, Ottawa's doom and post metal quartet Loviatar finally signed with a record label and released its first self-titled full length effort. At first, I was surprised that this release only included four tracks but a look at the track lengths makes it obvious that Loviatar is already reaching for the stars here. The album consists of a trilogy with a total running time of eighteen minutes and a fourth and last song with a length above nineteen minutes. While I like the final result, I don't think chosing complex, epic and long songs like these for a first full length record is a clever idea. The band had shown that it was perfect at writing atmospherically dense yet musically diversified tracks around five minutes in the past and changing that winning formula is a risky challenge. Those who aren't familiar with the band might refuse to spend twenty minutes on a new band just to listen through one song or a trilogy in three segments. Even as someone who has followed the band since its early years, I must admit that the closing "Blind Goddess of the Nine Plagues" slightly overstays its welcome and needs numerous spins to open up. Atmospherically, the song is excellent and the song writing is very good but some segments are somewhat repetitive or going nowhere to be honest. The band was maybe a little bit overambitious here.

I must say that I prefer the opening trilogy over the closing epic because each track is distinctive and represents another strength of this phenomenal band. "Nascent" is a dreamy, hypnotizing and slow post-metal song that builds up a mysterious atmosphere somewhere between sinister and soaring right from the start. Smooth melodic guitar riffs meet softly humming bass sounds, almost tribal-inspired drums and slightly distorted and nasale vocals with a charismatic and unique flow and sound. This track shows that Loviatar is one of the most atmospheric bands around, even in the very atmospheric genres it performs. "Discordant" is much faster, gloomier and heavier and takes no prisoner without losing the gloomy vibe from the first segment. The rhythm scetion is much more active and the guitar riffs and solos seem to come from a space rock band of the early seventies like Hawkwind. Loviatar manages to get to the point within three and a half minutes in this song and I wish the band had put more tracks of this excellent caliber on its debut record. "Ascent" basically connects the styles of the first two tracks and meanders between smooth passages and thunderous parts in a very fluid way. The guitar varies between discordant and noisy sounds on one side and clear and melodic parts on the other. The organic production underlines both styles perfectly and manages to create a perfect fusion of the beautiful and the bleak. The disconnected dissonant instrumental Coda that emerges like an Easter Egg recalls contemporary Solstafir and would fit on the soundtrack of any mysterious horror movie.

Loviatar is one of the most gifted doom and post metal bands of this decade and the band's long-awaited first full length album underlines the group's very own style, stunning potential and distinguished atmosphere. While the record isn't perfect, the opening trilogy summarizes everything Loviatar is about in an enchanting manner and with a brilliant production. If you haven't heard of Ottawa's underground heroes yet, do yourself a favor and check them out right away.

Final rating: 85%

Please support the band and listen to or purchase the record here: https://loviatar.bandcamp.com/album/loviatar

PS: If you are in Ottawa tonight, you know where you should go: https://www.facebook.com/events/1883803851887326/

After four independently released EPs, Ottawa's doom and post metal quartet Loviatar finally signed with a record label and released its first self-titled full length effort. At first, I was surprised that this release only included four tracks but a look at the track lengths makes it obvious that Loviatar is already reaching for the stars here. The album consists of a trilogy with a total running time of eighteen minutes and a fourth and last song with a length above nineteen minutes. While I like the final result, I don't think chosing complex, epic and long songs like these for a first full length record is a clever idea. The band had shown that it was perfect at writing atmospherically dense yet musically diversified tracks around five minutes in the past and changing that winning formula is a risky challenge. Those who aren't familiar with the band might refuse to spend twenty minutes on a new band just to listen through one song or a trilogy in three segments. Even as someone who has followed the band since its early years, I must admit that the closing "Blind Goddess of the Nine Plagues" slightly overstays its welcome and needs numerous spins to open up. Atmospherically, the song is excellent and the song writing is very good but some segments are somewhat repetitive or going nowhere to be honest. The band was maybe a little bit overambitious here.

I must say that I prefer the opening trilogy over the closing epic because each track is distinctive and represents another strength of this phenomenal band. "Nascent" is a dreamy, hypnotizing and slow post-metal song that builds up a mysterious atmosphere somewhere between sinister and soaring right from the start. Smooth melodic guitar riffs meet softly humming bass sounds, almost tribal-inspired drums and slightly distorted and nasale vocals with a charismatic and unique flow and sound. This track shows that Loviatar is one of the most atmospheric bands around, even in the very atmospheric genres it performs. "Discordant" is much faster, gloomier and heavier and takes no prisoner without losing the gloomy vibe from the first segment. The rhythm scetion is much more active and the guitar riffs and solos seem to come from a space rock band of the early seventies like Hawkwind. Loviatar manages to get to the point within three and a half minutes in this song and I wish the band had put more tracks of this excellent caliber on its debut record. "Ascent" basically connects the styles of the first two tracks and meanders between smooth passages and thunderous parts in a very fluid way. The guitar varies between discordant and noisy sounds on one side and clear and melodic parts on the other. The organic production underlines both styles perfectly and manages to create a perfect fusion of the beautiful and the bleak. The disconnected dissonant instrumental Coda that emerges like an Easter Egg recalls contemporary Solstafir and would fit on the soundtrack of any mysterious horror movie.

Loviatar is one of the most gifted doom and post metal bands of this decade and the band's long-awaited first full length album underlines the group's very own style, stunning potential and distinguished atmosphere. While the record isn't perfect, the opening trilogy summarizes everything Loviatar is about in an enchanting manner and with a brilliant production. If you haven't heard of Ottawa's underground heroes yet, do yourself a favor and check them out right away.

Final rating: 85%

Please support the band and listen to or purchase the record here: https://loviatar.bandcamp.com/album/loviatar

PS: If you are in Ottawa tonight, you know where you should go: https://www.facebook.com/events/1883803851887326/

Droid is another technically skilled progressive thrash metal band in the key of Masquerader and Vektor. If you like Voivod's Dimension Hatröss or Nothingface, you are going to dig this album for sure.

Now, how is this talented trio from Ontario different from the bands mentioned above? In my opinion, the band is a little bit slower than the ones mentioned before, especially in the instrumental middle sections focusing on melodic guitar play. This approach actually works very well. It makes the songs more diversified, dynamic and structured and allows the listener to become one with the spheric soundscapes and dream himself far away.

The song writing is also outstanding, Droid finds the right mixture between short, concise and addicting tracks like "Suspended Animation" that summarizes the band's potential in less than three and a half minutes and more complex tunes with extended guitar solos like "Terrestrial Mutation" that would do any great science-fiction movie justice.

There are no fillers to be found on this release but there are still two minor reasons why this output isn't the record of the year. First of all, the rhythm section is very good but not as outstanding as the brilliant guitar play. The rhythm section rarely does something spectacular to grab my attention but often delivers a solid job in the background. Secondly, the rough vocals sound good overall but could be a little bit more variable and unique.

Still, Droid's Terrestrial Mutations is the best thrash metal record of the year so far and one of the better progressive metal releases as well. The organic production and the cool cover artwork reminding me of Yes' progressive rock masterpieces of the seventies only add to the very positive overall impression. Support this talented trio from Ontario and make sure to keep an eye on them in the future.

Final Rating: 84%

Snarveien, better known as Detour, is a classic Norwegian horror movie. The story is quickly told. A young couple that illegally smuggles alcohol has to take a detour because of an accident and gets stranded on an abandoned road in the woods. Soon, strange things start to happen. They get into an aggressive argument with an obscene stranger at a gas station, realize that their wheels got destroyed on purpose, run into a confused female fugitive, cross the path of a mysterious police officer and meet a secluded family with an unspeakable secret.

While the characters and the story are quite predictable, there are several things I liked about this film. First of all, it doesn't overstay its welcome with a very reasonable length of seventy-seven minutes. Secondly, the movie doesn't focus on brutal torture scenes or cheap jump scares but develops a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere from start to finish. Thirdly, the characters might be predictable but they are still somewhat interesting. Martin is a young man who tries to protect his girlfriend but can't hide that he is scared to death which makes him authentic. He gets a bonus point for wearing a cool Black Sabbath shirt. His girlfriend Lina is the heroine of this movie and turns out to be a courageous, resilient and tough pregnant woman who fights to save those she loves and everyone around her. She's a sympathetic character and viewers will care about her survival story. A special shoutout goes out to the female fugitive Lotta who manages to look attractive to me despite the incredible hardship she is going through. Only the villains are somewhat one-dimensional and their background story is poorly developed.

Snarveien might not be a memorable or innovative horror movie but it's an entertaining average horror film for genre fans with a consistent atmosphere that doesn't overstay its welcome. I have seen far more ambitious horror movies that were much worse. It's definitely a better alternative to the numerous boring remakes and sequels that are flooding the market these days.

Meine Damen und Herren!

Hier folgen ein paar Eindrücke vom XIII. Amphi Festival im Jahr 2017. Mein Vater und ich waren in diesem Jahr auf Grund eines schwächeren Line-Ups nur am Sonntag am Kölner Tanzbrunnen. Besonders gut haben uns The Other gefallen, ebenfalls gewohnt solide waren Apoptygma Berzerk und Eisbrecher. Besonders schön war es auch auf dem Festival meinen guten Freund Krister mitsamt Anhang zu treffen. Viel Spaß mit den folgenden Bildern!

The future is dark - it's all that we've got (Moonspell)

Das Festivalgelände

Der erste Hauptdarsteller (cool wie immer)

Der zweite Hauptdarsteller (mit rotem Red Hot Chili Peppers Shirt - muss man auch erst mal bringen)

Stahlmann

Das Ich

The Other - haben uns am besten gefallen!

Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio (deren Namen niemand behalten kann)

Merciful Nuns

Apoptygma Berzerk

Bonus: Die beste Band des Festivals: The Ducks!