Activator's first release The Guardian of Life was a gripping metal opera with five diversified vocalists, numerous great songwriting ideas and a generous running time of about fifty-six minutes. Later that year, the band already released its second effort which is completely different from the first album. It's a regular band album and doesn't feature any guest vocalists. The songwriting walks on the line between traditional heavy and melodic power metal without any particular surprises. The record comes around with seven songs and a short instrumental overture making for a running time of only thirty-eight minutes.

Step into Infinity isn't a bad album. It has several elements going for it. It sounds more focused than the predecessor as it finds the right mixture between crunchier heavy metal passages and liberating power metal melodies. Due to its short length, the record doesn't include any fillers and should please to genre fans who like groups like Alexy's Square, Aria, Charizma, Grand Courage and Phaeton to only name a few.

There are a couple of very good songs on the album like ''The Day Will Come'' and ''Mist'' that meander between almost symphonic soundscapes supported by melodic and at times high-pitched vocals and a few meaner up-tempo passages with great drum play and sharp riffs. ''White Crane'' is the dreamy ballad with acoustic guitars and sound samples building up an appeasing atmosphere before the song gets gradually heavier and features what might be this record's greatest sequence of guitar solos. On the other side, ''Ab Inito'' quickens up the pace and almost ventures into speed and thrash metal territories if it weren't for the angelic vocals and the soft keyboard sounds in the background. Activator knows how to craft solid melodic heavy metal inspired by the genre's greatest bands.

On the other side, this is also the record's problem. It's enjoyable to listen to Activator's Step into Infinity once or twice but it's nowhere near as unique as the debut album. This album is just another melodic heavy metal album following the recent rise of young melodic metal bands from Russia. Activator has lost the certain something that made the first strike so convincing. It's almost as if the two records had been recorded by two entirely different groups.

If you are a follower of Russian heavy metal and like the bands mentioned above, you can give Activator's Step into Infinity a few spins and won't be disappointed. If you were however expecting another impressive conceptual metal opera release, this record will end up disappointing you. It would have made more sense if the band had released this simpler record before its more ambitious metal opera project. Despite being objectively good, this second output must be evaluated as a step back and slight disappointment. What is even more confusing is the fact that the band had released the two records within one single year and yet hadn't released anything before and hasn't released anything after these two outputs. I'm curious if we are going to hear from Activator again but I sure do hope so.

Final rating: 75%

Tiamat is quite amorphous, experimental and open-minded band that has shifted from death metal towards gothic rock over the years, trying to integrate seemingly contradictory elements such as new wave electronica and psychedelic rock onto its albums in a surprisingly fluid and harmonious manner. The Scarred People can almost be seen as a summary of the band's more contemporary gothic rock records as it goes back to several albums of yore while still pushing things further. The smooth production, elegiac tone and baritone vocals keep the record together and make for an enjoyable listening experience.

The best tracks can be found right at the beginning of the album. One has to point out the cinematic title track ''The Scarred People'' which oozes with thick layers of atmosphere supported by a dominant use of synths. After this epic overture, the band offers this record's catchiest song in form of the coherent and consistent ''Winter Dawn'', a track to dream yourself far away. Had this track been released as single, it could have become the new hymn for the entire gothic scene.

After a poignant start, The Scarred People successfully explores Tiamat's calmer side without managing to keep the incredible high level of its opening third. ''Messinian Letter'' is a soft melodic rock song with an uplifting atmosphere and engaging chorus, showing that gothic music can indeed be profoundly life-affirming. The appeasing acoustic interlude with sounds of nature ''Tiznit'' even explores folk territory and embraces the wonders of our planet musically.

To underline the band's multiple influences and mellow soundscapes, the limited edition of the album includes an appeasing yet colourful Lana Del Rey cover as well as a dreamy homage to Bruce Springsteen. Most rock or metal bands wouldn't accomplish to cover such artists credibly while still staying faithful to their own sound but Tiamat succeed convincingly. The two cover songs are perfectly integrated into the rest of the album.

In the end, open-minded gothic rock fans can't get around this atmospheric, inspired and mellow record. While the record's first third is very efficient and poignant, the two final thirds get constantly smoother and have a few minor lengths which keep this album from being more than just a very good genre release. Those who are looking for gloomier and heavier sounds might end up being disappointed though. This record rather recalls the calmer phases of Laibach, Moonspell and Paradise Lost in the late nineties and early years of the new millennium. I enjoy The Scarred People very much but I could see why some people might find it too soft. If my review has intrigued you, don't be shy and give this release a few spins in a calm environment where it can fully unfold.

Final rating: 80%

Chasing the Dragon is a gangster epic based upon real events that have inspired numerous similar movies in the past. It tells the rise and fall of Ho, an illegal immigrant to Hongkong who starts as a street fighter before his skills impress local police officer Lee Rock who gradually makes him a renowned boss of the underground. While his rise makes Ho a respected member of his community, he must fight ferocious opponents, loses many people around him and passionately hates the corrupt British police that is trying to control him.

Chasing the Dragon convinces with profound real-life characters played by some of Hongkong's greatest contemporary actors such as Andy Lau and Donnie Yen. The movie focuses on character developments and tense rivalry between crime syndicates and police forces instead of gratuitous action sequences. That being said, the film still includes a few quite tense and brutal gunfights and wild chases that are used in small doses and offer welcome breaks from the dramatic dialogues. The locations are particularly interesting, leading us from crowded and poor suburbs or cheap bars and casinos to lush mansions and exotic locations in Thailand. The camera work is precise and easy to follow. The jazzy soundtrack complements the settings accurately. It's also refreshing that the movie doesn't involve any distracting subplots such as love stories and rather focuses on the love-hate relationship between two men and their immediate collaborators.

Chasing the Dragon might not reinvent the gangster movie genre but it's among the best movies of its kind in recent memory. It's obvious that a lot of money, passion and thought was put into every single detail of this movie by the filmmakers, from the great set of casted actors over the realistic fight sequences to the choice of authentic locations. Fans of classic gangster movies such as The Godfather and the likes will certainly enjoy watching Chasing the Dragon.

Saving Mr. Wu is a suspenseful drama inspired by real events. It tells the story of a movie star named Wu who gets kidnapped by criminals pretending to be police officers. The kidnappers then force him to ask a friend to pay a ransom for him or else he would die after twenty-four hours. In order to survive and give another kidnapped man some hope, Wu uses his wits to get to know more about his kidnappers, put himself in their shoes and find a way out. Meanwhile, the police is tracking down the leader of the gang as time is about to run out.

The most interesting element about the movie are the conversations between Wu, the victim, and Zhang, the leader of the kidnappers. The two empathize with each other to a certain degree and develop a certain type of code of honor, based upon honesty and respect. The film also has a quite sinister atmosphere as it mostly takes place at night and in small rooms. An interesting sidenote is that the man who was actually kidnapped in real life has a supporting role in this movie which makes this movie quite authentic.

On the other side, the movie fails to truly stand out and leave a mark despite the interesting characters. The film sometimes loses itself in lengthy and repetitive conversations instead of adding some pace and urgency. The way the story is told doesn't help either since the movie starts with a sequence that actually takes place towards the middle of the film, therefore spoiling half of it and making the whole plot quite predictable.

To keep it short, Saving Mr. Wu isn't a bad movie and worth your attention if you like tense dramas with profound antagonists and protagonists. The story is too predictable though and the filmmaking sometimes tedious. Watching this movie once is an overall entertaining experience but it simply isn't memorable and I wouldn't recommend purchasing it.

Saxon has been playing heavy metal by the numbers for four decades but for some unfathomable reason, the British quintet is still around and quite popular. I've decided to give the band's new record a few spins since Saxon is going on tour with the much more energizing, talented and variable Judas Priest. It turns out Thunderbolt is neither among Saxon's best cuts from the late seventies and early eighties nor among the group's worst records from the late eighties. The band's twenty-third studio record doesn't offer anything new to the genre but is performed with passion and convinces with a crunchy production.

Among the few highlights, I would probably mention the epic and very melodic ''The Secret of Flight'' which would have deserved some radio airplay if it had been released in the band's early career. The majestic and slow ''Sons of Odin'' sounds like Black Sabbath gone Manowar with powerful bass lines, simple but efficient riffs and emotional vocals and could actually work very well in concert. ''Sniper'' is probably this record's heaviest track as it recalls Judas Priest's signature style and invites to bang your hand and raise your fists.

Listening to Thunderbolt is entertaining once because Saxon performs with passion and is inspired by the numerous heavy metal bands that have managed to stand out and revolutionize the genre while Saxon have mostly played it safe. As soon as you give this release a second spin though, the songs become dull and predictable as they are too closely inspired by other heavy metal legends and prove that Saxon have never quite found their own style after all these years. That isn't necessarily an entirely bad thing because Thunderbolt could please to numerous traditional heavy metal fans and would be an appropriate introduction to the genre for younger audiences because you get some Accept, Judas Priest and Manowar influences all at once to only name a few examples and inspirations. 

In the end, Thunderbolt is an average heavy metal record that is enjoyable to listen to once and whose songs should work well in concert. Still, Saxon still doesn't have enough to offer to stand out among its peers which is quite saddening after four decades. I respect the band's genuine passion for the genre and that they have been around for such a long time but artistically speaking Thunderbolt just isn't impressive at all. What the band offers here isn't enough to justify a purchase of this record and even similar traditional heavy metal bands like Anvil have recently been releasing more interesting records while younger genre bands like White Wizzard have already outclassed Saxon a long time ago.

Final rating: 60%