I have rarely listened to an album whose title is as appropriate as Masterpiece of Bitterness. It really describes the sound Solstafir explores here as this album showcases courageous and epic song writing with a depressing and gloomy atmosphere. If compared to the chaotic debut record Í blóði og anda, Masterpiece of Bitterness represents a stunning and even courageous progression for the band. The songs have become much longer and more elaborate with two of them getting close to fifteen and twenty minutes, respectively. The music has also become more atmospheric with hypnotizing, long and plodding passages. The band now manages to find the right balance between slow ambient, doom metal and even post metal passages and sinister death metal outbursts. The lyrics are now entirely written in English without losing the glacial Icelandic atmosphere developed by the instrumental work that made the debut album so revolutionary. The creepy album cover in bloody red and snowy white fits perfectly as well. Sincerely, I have rarely witnessed a band that has taken such a big step between its first and its second output. The cohesive final result is even more stunning if you consider the fact that the songs were written in different eras with some of them being brand new and others already being more than seven years old when the album was released. It seems that the band already had a clear vision for its unique sound back in those days and wasn't maybe able to realize it on its raw debut record published on a small East German label.

Masterpiece of Bitterness unfolds its true magic after several spins. While some songs might sound slightly overlong and repetitive at first contact, they develop a haunting and hypnotizing atmosphere. The record has a direct vibe and almost sounds as if it were recorded during live in studio jam sessions. I have recently been listening to this album while driving through a foggy and rainy national park between Chicoutimi and Quebec City on a gloomy autumn day and this release simply was the perfect soundtrack for the nature, season and weather I witnessed back then. Masterpiece of Bitterness sucks you into a very particular atmosphere right from the start when you hear the haunting female vocals of the ambitious opener and slowly drags you out during the appeasing closing acoustic song. The numbing, repetitive and simplistic riffs, the occasional rapid outbursts of the rhythm section, the haunted screams and the raw production are the key elements that make this album so authentically atmospheric.

The only downside of the record is obviously the fact that one needs to be in a very special mood to enjoy this record to the fullest. Objectively, the different songs have noticeable lengths and repetitions that can be distracting if one listens to these songs individually but as a whole body of work, the atmosphere that these lengths and repetitions evoke is an important part of this record's success. To keep it short, this album can only be enjoyed if you listen to it from start to finish because picking out specific songs actually makes the different parts less efficient.

In the end, if you are a patient listener who doesn't mind listening to a record from start to finish, who doesn't shy away from exploring tracks that are up to twenty minutes long and who prefers a collective atmosphere over individual musicianship, then you will enjoy Solstafir's Masterpiece of Bitterness for what it is. This type of depressive atmospheric metal soundcsapes that could equally appeal to ambient, black metal, doom metal, post metal and fans of gloomy movie or video game soundtracks might not appeal to that many listeners after all but those who have a weak spot for this type of music will clearly discover one of the best records of its kind here. This record has recently been reissued, so take the chance to grab a copy of this overlooked gem if my review has evoked your interest for the album.

Final rating: 90%

Since Septicflesh started its second stint ten years ago, the band has developed and solidified its unique symphonic death metal style. Codex Omega represents the peak of this progression. While some predecessors didn't always manage to mix symphonic elements and death metal in a balanced way, Codex Omega has not only accomplished this mission but might even be among the group's three best studio albums and a candidate for album of the year.

The balanced combination of dramatic and epic classical symphonic sounds on one side and brutal and vivid death metal outbursts on the other side becomes already obvious in the apocalyptic neckbreaking opener "Dante's Inferno". This isn't the first time a metal band approaches this popular lyrical topic but while other groups include some technically stunning but also overlong and unnecessary instrumental masturbation, Septicflesh's vision sounds balanced, concise and intense. 

Another example for the success of Septicflesh's sound is "Portrait of a Headless Man" that comes along with one of this year's most stunning music videos. This song is one of the best combinations of classical music and extreme metal because the classical elements both add to the gloomy atmosphere of the death metal soundscapes and yet manage to infuse an appeasing note with their elegant style to give the listener some essential breaks. This winning formula is crowned by some additional Middle Eastern folk sounds that don't take too much space but manage to spice things up and make this track stand out even more. 

In the second half of the record, a track like "Dark Art" goes back to the band's gothic metal era with albums like A Fallen Temple and Revolution DNA without losing this record's winning formula. This song has several atmospheric breaks with melancholic and sinister soundscapes that make the more vivid passages even more efficient. Even the charismatic nasal clean vocals of yore are back in some passages and sound as unique as ever. The band should use them more often because they contrast the extreme metal vocals perfectly and add an even more cinematic dimension to Septicflesh's music.

If bands with similar approaches such as Mayan or even Apocalyptica or Therion come around with their next records, they must be compared to this symphonic metal milestone. Septicflesh has released the best record of the style it has progressively been crafting for the past ten years. In my book, this album is in my top three records of the band along with the gothic metal masterpieces A Fallen Temple and Revolution DNA. Both fans of the band's recent outputs and the group's first stint should enjoy this record. Those who were skeptical because they didn't like the group's last few releases, should also give this excellent symphonic extreme metal record a chance. Those who like extreme metal music should dig the band's energy and those who listen to mellower symphonic metal or even classical music should get into the band's atmospheric and intellectual inclusion of this genre. To keep it short, Codex Omega is one of the best albums I hjave listened to this year and it fully deserves your attention.

Final rating: 96%

Epica has established and solidified its brand of symphonic metal and doesn't move one inch away from it. The Holographic Principle was nearly a copy of its predecessor The Quantum Enigma minus the atmospheric world music elements. The Solace System now offers six songs that were recored during the sessions for The Holographic Prtinciple. As you might have guessed, the six new songs offer nothing new in the Epica universe.

What you get here is omnipresent bombastic symphonic metal with epic classical music passages, bombastic choirs and one of the genre's most talented female lead singers. Add a few harsh vocals here and there to spice things up and the usual ballad to calm things down. The powerful production only adds to the emotional and intellectual roller coaster ride. While the record is as predictable as it gets, one has to admit that the band stagnates on an elevated level and offers six entertaining tracks without any filler material. Some of the songs are actually better than several tunes from The Holographic Principle that were at some points almost exact copies from songs from The Quantum Enigma. 

Therefore, I would rather recommend buying the compact The Solace System for a reasonable price than an overlong full length effort with noticeable lengths. The Solace System basically represents Epica in a nutshell. If you haven't bought one of the band's records yet, you can grab this release to get a great idea of what they sound like. The numerous faithful fans of the group can't go wrong here either. Those who were hoping that Epica would take the chance to try out something new will be disappointed. Those who have never liked the band, won't be converted by this release either. The bottom line is that The Solace System is good for what it is, no more, no less.

Final rating: 74%

Ladies and gentlemen!

I participate in another hockey pool. Things are looking great right now. I'm in first position!

https://www.officepools.com/nhl/classic/243494/standings#/

Here is the team I have selected for my second hockey pool:

Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)

Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals)

Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)

Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets)

T. J. Oshie (Washington Capitals)

Jason Spezza (Dallas Stars)

Mitchell Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Alexander Radulov (Dallas Stars)

William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Mats Zuccarello (New York Rangers)

Nazem Kadri (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Jaden Schwartz (Saint Louis Blues)

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers)

Bobby Ryan (Ottawa Senators)

Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)

Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Dougie Hamilton (Calgary Flames)

Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes)

Oscar Klefblom (Edmonton Oilers)

Braden Holtby (Washington Capitals)

Cam Talbot (Edmonton Oilers)

Cory Schneider (New Jersey Devils)

Ladies and gentlemen!

Please check out my hockey pool: 

https://www.onlinepools.com/hockey/index.php/h/228799/J2PVJg2a/report/pool

Here is the team I have selected:

Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)

William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks)

Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary Flames)

Max Domi (Arizona Coyotes)

Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Jakob Silfverberg (Anaheim Ducks)

Marcus Johansson (New Jersey Devils)

Kevin Shattenkirk (New York Rangers)

Shayne Gostisbehere (Philadelphia Flyers)

Dougie Hamilton (Calgary Flames)

Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes)

Mike Smith (Calgary Flames)