Did you ever wonder what the numerous Chinese folk metal bands like Nine Treasures and Tengger Cavalry sounded like if they were a little bit heavier but without shifting into extreme metal territory? Dream Spirit give you the answer to this question on the concise, entertaining and powerful General Triumphant record.

On one side, the band combines classic melodic heavy metal melodies with a few slightly more fast and sinister riffs, an energizing rhythm section and variable vocals between melodic clean vocals, a few restrained screams and a few select gang shouts here and there. Most songs have some folk melodies that are either supported by conceptual lyrical themes, some genuine folk instrument sounds or occasional epic keyboard layers. The band manages to find its own niche by focusing more on the metal elements and using the folk influences in appropriate, concise and original doses. This makes for a dynamic sound and the rather amateurish production only helps to distinguish the band from the elevated number of pretentious folk metal bands these days that overload their records with layers of folk and symphonic instruments.

A great example for the band's sound is ''Of Daggers and Men''. The melodic vocals and fast twin guitar leads follow traditional heavy metal and European power metal standards while atmospheric keyboard passages and grounded flute sounds give the group its very own folk style. Before the catchy chorus shifts the song into too saccharine territory, the band comes around with a few more sinister riffs in the verses and a few extreme metal vocals in the background. Each stylistic element is employed carefully and cleverly and one discovers more details with every spin. Especially the shorter songs on the record sound very coherent as they have quite similar stylistic elements. 

The playful symphonic keyboard sounds plus the traditional Chinese string instrument used in ''Ancient Poems'' make for a dreamy atmosphere that is brought down to earth with vivid drum passages and gripping hard rock riffs. The melodic lead vocals lead us passionately through this fantastic combination. This is my favorite song on the record but the fast album closer ''Song of Triumph'' that does its title justice and convinces with uplifting melodies and enthusiastic gang shouts comes very close as well.

The longer tracks are however much harder to digest and show the band's experimental side. These ambitious tracks are at times lacking cohesion. This is particularly the case for ''Morbid Souls''. The track focuses on a depressive and gloomy atmosphere with low and noisy guitar sounds and a few mellower keyboard melodies which is a strategy that is often employed by Chinese post-rock and black metal bands. Only the melodic vocals remind us that we are still listening to Dream Spirit and not to Esthète Sinistre. These soundscapes drag on for far too long and lose momentum as the first notable change only occurs five and a half minutes into the track. The more melodic and vivid finale supported by uplifting flute sounds feels rushed in less than two minutes and the chaotic backing vocals somewhere between spoken-word passages and throaty shouts don't really blend in. This song includes enough ideas for three tracks but the final version is simply going nowhere. If the band managed to keep its more ambitious tracks simpler, they would unfold much better.

On a side note, the album didn't need three instrumental tracks out of only nine songs in total either. While the tracks underline the instrumentalists' talents and provide a suitable atmosphere to the conceptual record, the band could have just stuck with the dynamic but slightly overlong ''Might as the Sea'' and should have skipped the other two shorter interludes.

Dream Spirit might not attain the level of epic storytelling and gripping emotions of bands such as Tang Dynasty or The Last Successor yet but the group is already a refreshing alternative to Nine Treasures and Tengger Cavalry and could one day become one of China's most distinctive metal bands. The creativity, passion and talent are already present on General Triumphant even though the songwriting isn't perfect yet.

Final rating: 77%

Seventeenth episode: The past dictates the future / The Return, Part XVII

Content: Gordon tells Albert of a secret plan to find "Judy", an extreme negative force, and is informed that Cooper is headed for Twin Peaks. The remaining coordinates lead Cooper's doppelgänger to "Jack Rabbit's Palace". He is transported to the Fireman, then to the Sheriff's Department, and mistaken for the real Cooper. While talking to the doppelgänger, Frank receives a call from the real Cooper. The doppelgänger draws a gun but is shot by Lucy. Cooper, the FBI and the Mitchums arrive. Woodsmen tear at the doppelgänger's body, releasing BOB's orb. Freddie knocks out Chad, who had escaped his cell, and smashes BOB's orb with several punches. Cooper puts the Owl Cave ring on the doppelgänger's finger, sending him to the Black Lodge. Naido transforms into Diane. Cooper unlocks a door at the Great Northern, where Mike takes him to Jeffries, who transports Cooper to the night Laura died. Cooper prevents Laura's murder; in the morning, her corpse vanishes. As he leads her through the woods, she disappears. Sarah screams and smashes Laura's photo.

Analysis: This episode must be seen as the finale of the series while the eighteenth episode should be interpreted as an epilogue and open ending which is a typical trademark for David Lynch's nightmarish works. It becomes obvious that the Fireman is trying to trick Evil Cooper by sending him to the Sheriff's Department where he is going to be defeated by Freddie instead of letting him unite with Judy who possesses Sarah Palmer. When Bob is defeated, this event creates a rift in the time-space continuum, hence Dale Cooper's superimposed face. Dale Cooper tries to take advantage of Judy's momentary weakness by traveling back in time to save Laura Palmer which means that the Fireman's angel survives while Judy can't feast on Sarah Palmer's garmonbozia because her daughter never died. Just before Dale Cooper manages to lead Laura Palmer into the White Lodge to save her, Judy leaves Sarah Palmer's body who has a hysterical breakdown and gathers its last energies to kidnap Laura Palmer into a different space-time continuum. This final action leads to a draw as neither the White Lodge led by the Fireman, nor the Black Lodge led by Judy win the eternal battle between good and evil. The events in the seventeenth episode basically nullify everything that happened in the timeline we followed since the beginning.

Description: This episode is a brilliant conclusion that leaves no questions unanswered in my opinion. All important characters reunite in Twin Peaks for a finale filled with action, emotion and tension. On one side, Evil Cooper is defeated, Bob repeled, Teresa Banks, Laura Palmer and Maddie Ferguson saved, Leland Palmer delivered and Sarah Palmer freed from Judy. On the other side, Laura Palmer gets kidnapped into another time-space continuum, so she can't defeat Judy. Ben and Jerry Horne will reunite again after the latter got lost in the woods. Richard Horne was never born because Bob didn't possess Leland Palmer, Josie Packard, Windom Earle and Dale Cooper. This means that Josie Packard and Windom Earle survive as well. Diane Evans comes back to reality after Bob has been repeled and can be with her lover Dale Cooper. The story ends well for Norma and Big Ed who can finally marry while Nadine turns the page thanks to Doctor Jacoby. Gordon Cole, Tammy Preston and Albert Rosenfield can write the final dossier about the events in Twin Peaks. Things turn back to normal for those working at the Sheriff's station: Bobby Briggs, Andy Brennan, Tommy ''Hawk'' Hill, Lucy Moran and Frank Truman. Chad Broxford is punished for his wrongdoings. Harry Truman is still sick. The Log Lady is still dead. The only persons whose fates aren't clearly revealed are Garland Briggs' and Audrey Horne's. It still isn't clear whether Garland Briggs died in an accident or was killed by Evil Cooper because he knew too much. If the former is the case, he might still be dead but if the latter is the case, he might still be alive. On one side, Audrey Horne might still be stuck in her own reality due to the conflicting time-space continua and several traumata from the past such as the explosion at the bank that wasn't changed but it could also be possible that she returns to live a normal life since she has never been raped by Evil Cooper and Bob.

Favorite scene: There were many outstanding scenes. My favorite moment was Dale Cooper's moving farewell speech to everyone present at the Sheriff's Department. This moment was a perfect conclusion to the original timeline of events portrayed in the first three seasons of Twin Peaks so far.

Rating: 10/10

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Ottawa Senators               105

Toronto Maple Leafs          102

Boston Bruins                   97

Montreal Canadiens           95

Florida Panthers                92

Detroit Red Wings             86

Tampa Bay Lightning         76

Buffalo Sabres                  70

 

Metropolitan Division:

New York Rangers            108

Washington Capitals         106

Pittsburgh Penguins           99

Columbus Blue Jackets       94

Carolina Hurricanes            92

Philadelphia Flyers             87

New York Islanders            75

New Jersey Devils              67

 

Western Conference:

Central Divison:

Nashville Predators         105

St. Louis Blues               102

Dallas Stars                   100

Minnesota Wild                97

Chicago Blackhawks         89

Winnipeg Jets                  80

Colorado Avalanche          62

 

Pacific Division:

Edmonton Oilers              110

Anaheim Ducks               103

Calgary Flames                 96

Arizona Coyotes                92

San Jose Sharks               90

Los Angeles Kings             82

Vegas Golden Knights        75

Vancouver Canucks           57

 

Eastern Conference champion: New York Rangers

Western Conference champion: Edmonton Oilers

Stanley Cup champion: Edmonton Oilers

 

Calder Memorial trophy: Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins

Hart Memorial trophy: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

James Norris Memorial trophy: Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers

Vezina trophy: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins

Jack Adams award: Ken Hitchcock, Dallas Stars

Maurice ''Rocket'' Richard trophy: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Ah, Masterplan! A decade and a half ago, this band was described as the next big power metal band by the usual suspects such as Rock Hard and Metal Hammer. I never truly understood the hype around the band but the group's first two full length releases were alright. Things went downhill when Jorn Lande first left the band. What followed were disappointing releases, numerous line-up changes and increasingly long periods of time between new records. More than four years after Novum Initium that didn't do its album title any justice, Masterplan is back with a new record which is stupidly entitled PumpKings.

Wait a minute! It turns out that the material on this record isn't so new after all. What does a band do if it runs out of ideas? Exactly, it releases a cover album. What does a band do when it's even less imanibative? That's right, it only covers one band. What does a band leader propose to boost his damaged ego? You got it, the album only covers tracks originally written or co-written by Roland Grapow when he was still a more or less relevant songwriter. And even back in those days, his contributions weren't exactly the highlights of Helloween's career. When you think of Helloween, the first things that come to your mind are the Keeper of the Seven Keys trilogy or Walls of Jericho. Well, Roland Grapow wasn't in the band back then. When you think of great Helloween songs of the nineties and the new millennium, one might think of ''Kids of the Century'', ''When the Sinner'', ''Perfect Gentleman'', ''Power'', ''Lavdate Dominvm'' and ''If I Could Fly''. But Roland Grapow wasn't even involved in the songwriting of these tracks.

No, what you get here are recycled versions of forgettable tunes such as ''Music'' and ''Someone's Crying''. Even though the musicianship is at times a little bit more heavy and sinister, it can't push those fillers and make them sound much better. Rick Altzi has participated in numerous projects such as the plastic casting metal group Beyond the Black between the last Masterplan record and this one but his vocal skills haven't improved and he always sings in the same throaty but melodic manner. Let's say he has his very own style but his performance gets somewhat repetitive and tired after a while. At least, his vocal style suits the epic ''The Time of the Oath'' or the sinister ''Escalation 666'' rather well and these two songs might even sound better than the original versions. The best element of this album is probably its heavy and organic production that suits the more complex and gloomy tracks rather well.

The question I can't stop asking myself is: Who could be the potential audience for a release like this? Helloween fanboys will most likely prefer the original versions. Masterplan fans were rather looking forward to new songs more than four years after the last record. Occasional power metal fans will not care about rerecordings of unspectacular Helloween songs from what might be the group's weakest era. If Masterplan or at least Roland Grapow simply recorded this album for himself to simply have fun, then that would be okay. This record could serve as a bonus disc on a genuine new album or be used as a free giveaway for a nostalgic metal magazine that will still insist to write how great Masterplan is and that we are all wrong to ignore or make fun of them. But asking fans to pay twenty bucks for eleven rehashed Helloween tunes that mostly have b-side quality at best is quite shameful. In the end, I guess this album is interesting for no-one. No wonder this record was released by AFM Records, a label that has become worse with every year of its existence.

If you like pumping, go give Rummelsnuff or Deadlift Lolita a chance since they are much more innovative, passionate and unique. If you like Helloween, go revisit the original albums or purchase the upcoming Sweet Seductions compilation. The only thing PumpKings might be good for is if you are looking for a shiny new frisby or a cool coaster.

Final rating: 20%

 Ladies and gentlemen!

Since I was born in the year of our Lord 1989, I decided to publish a list of my favorite 89 EPs. I know the reason behind this number is just a stupid excuse because I simply couldn't find more EPs I have listened to in my life so far. I often make lists of my favorite albums, songs, live records and even compilations but I never listed my favorite EPs. EPs are good compromises between short singles and long records and often great ways to discover some rare gems from your favorite artists and bands. I didn't include compilation EPs, EPs only consisting of cover songs and EPs only consisting of live music in my list. Please take a look at my favorite EPs and make sure to give my favorite ones a try. Enjoy!

1. Amorphis - My Kantele 

2. In Flames - Subterranean

3. Agalloch - Faustian Echoes

4. Rebellion - The Clans Are Marching

5. Bloody Tyrant - The Overture of Sun-Moon Lake

6. Helloween - Helloween

7. X Japan - Art of Life

8. Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons

9. Loviatar - Druid's Curse

10. Unbeing - Raptus

11. Levia - Discord

12. Edguy - King of Fools

13. Voivod - Post Society

14. Loviatar - Diva's Hymn

15. Vallendusk - Vallendusk

16. Epica - The Solace System

17. Stryper - The Yellow and Black Attack

18. Klaymore - New Breed

19. RiverGate - Enter the Gate

20. Orfeu Rebelde - Cada Som como um Grito

21. Queensryche - Queensryche

22. Mayhem - Deathcrush

23. Iced Earth - Overture of the Wicked

24. Guns N' Roses - Lies

25. The Samans - Khan

26. Levia - Fairy Scale

27. Alestorm - Leviathan

28. Overkill - Overkill

29. Unexpect - _we, Invaders

30. Black Sabbath - The End

31. Mirage - Lakes and Mountains

32. Screaming Savior - Ocean of Asura

33. Immanifest - Qliphotic

34. Klaymore - Justifiably Pissed

35. Seventh Section - War Machine

36. Esthète Sinistre - Live in Despair, Die in Solitary

37. After Forever - Exordium

38. The Vision Bleak - Songs of Good Taste

39. Grave Digger - Home at Last

40. Theandric - Up the Irons

41. Breaker - In Days of Heavy Metal

42. Panzerkreutz - Panzershreck

43. Albiorix Requiem - Astral Stream

44. White Wizzard - White Wizzard

45. Masquerader - Singular Point

46. Shadow Host - Lunacy Divine

47. Ayreon - Elected

48. Loviatar - Widow's Flame

49. Gorguts - Pleaides' Dust

50. Slayer - Haunting the Chapel

51. Moonsorrow - Tulimyrsky

52. Hymn Above Traumatic Emotion - The Opening of HATE

53. Rusted - Hit By

54. Drakarium - Drakarium

55. Levia - Fallin'

56. Seeds of Iblis - Jihad Against Islam

57. Crematory - Greed

58. Therion - Les Épaves

59. The Vision Bleak - The Kindred of the Sunset

60. Xandria - Fire & Ashes

61. Edguy - Superheroes

62. Loviatar - Eternal Sons

63. The Samans - Whalesong

64. The Old Garden Geranium - The Old Garden Geranium

65. Radius - Halfway

66. Masquerader - Masquerader

67. Your Last Wish - Collision Course

68. Krypteria - Somebody Save Me

69. Krypteria - Evolution Principle 

70. Avantasia - Lost in Space

71. Vantablack Warship - Vantablack Warship

72. Eclipse - Already Dead... But Alive!

73. Gogmagog - I Will Be There

74. The Samans - Lionheart

75. Striker - Road Warrior

76. Metalwings - Fallen Angel in the Hell

77. Maverick - Enigma

78. Asgard Legionnaires - Asgard Legionnaires

79. The Samans - Weltreich

80. My Imperium - Amongst the Ruins

81. Green Army - Reborn of the Blackened Phenomenon

82. Armored Dawn - Power of Warrior

83. Metallica - Beyond Magnetic

84. Buffalo Theory MTL - Skeptic Knight

85. Ewigheim - Durrer Mann

86. Loudness - Jealousy

87. Hades Archer - Penis Metal

88. Tengger Cavalry - kAAn

89. Eluveitie - Ven