Creating a successful movie on amateur actors, inexperienced screenwriters and low budget is quite an accomplishment in itself. Following such a film up with a strong sequel within a single year is an even greater challenge. Somehow, Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman delivered the goods and offered a movie that kept the grisly tension of the original movie and added some depth to old and new characters. Even though this sequel isn't as creative as the first installment, it comes surprisingly close and underlines the significance of this contemporary horror movie franchise.

The movie revolves around four strong lead characters, including two old and two new ones. The film gives an insight how the mild-mannered John Kramer became the cold-hearted Jigsaw and elaborates upon the twisted philosophy behind his actions.

Survivor Amanda Young who had a rather brief appearance in the predecessor is a very important and unpredictable character in this sequel who has to play another deadly game with a group of seven strangers who must uncover what they have in common in order to survive.

Police investigation is more important in the sequel than in the predecessor. The viewers are introduced to two officers with completely different philosophies who complement each other perfectly. Allison Kerry is a factual, pragmatic and realistic investigator who always follows the rules by the book in a nearly emotionless way.

Eric Matthews on the other side is a brutal, emotional and pitiless investigator who regularly breaks the rules and clashes not only with colleagues and superiors but also with the criminals he has to deal with and his own family members.

This is an important detail since his estranged son is among the serial killer's eight test subjects. The investigator and the serial face off in a psycholigical duel that may decide upon life and death which leads to a showdown with unexpected twists.

If you appreciated the first entry in the franchise, you are also going to like this surprisingly rewarding sequel as well as all other installments. This second entry is even less graphic than the predecessor and can genuinely be described as psychological thriller. It convinces with diversified characters, sinister locations and a twisted plot that offers an elevated number of surprises for the gripping finale. Once again, this entry in the franchise finds the perfect balance between grisly and intellectual elements that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Despite its limited budget, the participation of numerous amateur actors and the Australian writers' first attempt at creating a script, Saw became an unexpected massive success that has sparked a total of eight entries in the franchise so far. While other popular horror franchises like Friday the 13th, Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street had their share of significant ups and downs, Saw is one of the most consistent franchises of its kind. It represents horror cinema of the new millennium like nothing else.

There are numerous reasons why this first film of the franchise is nowadays considered a contemporary classic. The bleak settings get you into the film right from the start. The plot gets increasingly complex, surprising and twisted as it keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The acting performances are surprisingly solid and intensify the movie's grisly emotions. The sinister special effects touch a profound survival instinct in the viewer that is repulsive yet inherent. The haunting soundtrack blends in perfectly. The camera work is calm and precise as it can be interpreted as an antithesis to the highly emotional story. A particular element of this film and the franchise in general are its concise flashbacks offering important background information adding continuous depth to the story.

For those not familiar with the movie's content, the film revolves around a photographer and a doctor who get kidnapped and awake in the restroom of an abandoned building. They soon realize that they are being held prisoners but are offered clues in order to find out why they have been imprisoned and how they can find a way out. The protagonists also realize that the person behind their fate is a philosophical serial killer known as Jigsaw. Meanwhile, the wife and daughter of the doctor also get involved in this deadly game. Frustrated police officers as well as a desperate private investigator try tracking down the anonymous serial killer separately before time tuns out for the two victims.

The combination of desperate survival instinct and grisly gore elements on one side and the detailed film-making and intelligent plot on the other side make Saw completely unique. Splatter film enthusiast and supporters of intellectual psychological thrillers will be equally drawn to this film and its ensuing franchise. Saw even deserves a better reputation than it has as it's often reduced to its visually shocking elements which neglects one of the best stories one could ever witness in a horror movie. No matter what kind of cinema you prefer, you should know that Saw should be considered the type of movie you should watch at least once in your lifetime. Having hesitated a long time to give this franchise a chance because of its unjustified stereotypical reputation, I have ended up discovering a modern cinematic masterpiece and the greatest horror movie franchise ever.

Despite hailing from Argentina, Ariel Perchuk's Odyssey is a progressive metal quartet that incorporates Middle Eastern folk elements in its sound as the cover artwork and album title Eastern Symphony indicate. Ariel Perchuk is the keyboardist and pianist of the band which already gives you an idea what instruments are particularly showcased on the band's debut release. The band sound focuses much more on a mysterious atmosphere than on progressive musicianship. 

The instrumental work is still great. Especially the atmospheric keyboard layers are quite prominent and the melodic guitar play is performed skillfully. Many songs have extensive instrumental sections that are though often calm and structured and never rushed or overwhelming. The vocalist is at times underused but has his shining moments and a quite passionate melodic voice with an almost operatic timbre recalling Italian power metal bands. The song writing is overall concise, diversified and entertaining as the song never go beyond the six-minute mark.

The best track to get an idea what this band sounds like is ''God's Punishment'' with its operatic clean male vocals, sacral keyboard sounds and playful guitar play. The Middle Eastern folk elements work best in the dynamic, playful and surprising ''Just a Dream''. The greatest keyboard work can be found in the diversified ''Reflections'' that varies from ominous sacral passages to organ sounds recalling classic progressive rock of the seventies. The fast-paced instrumental ''Dreams and Nightmare'' finally also showcases the talent of the bassist and flirts with a combination of power metal and jazz undertones.

Despite its talent, there is still room for improvement. The instrumental passages are at times too prominent and the charismatic skills of the singer should be used more often. The rhythm section could be a little bit more adventurous as the drum play is at times monotonous and the bass guitar isn't very present in the production. The album is often closer to progressive rock than progressive metal and the production could be a little bit more heavier, organic and powerful.

Progressive rock and metal fans should listen to Ariel Perchuk's Odyssey's Eastern Symphony as it finds an entertaining balance between progressive musicianship and atmospheric folk and symphonic influences. The Argentinian quartet shows a lot of promise and its debut album grows with every spin. The band could take the next step with a better production and even more concise songwriting for its next release.

Final rating: 80%

Riverwood is an Egyptian quintet that plays progressive folk metal in the key of Amaseffer, Myrath and Orphaned Land. Fairytale is the quintet's debut record and already shows a lot of promise. 

Even though the folk sounds seem to come from keyboards, they sound quite authentic and add peaceful layers of atmosphere to the progressive musicianship. The melodic guitar play is however the domineering element on this record and is performed both skillfully and passionately. The rhythm section around bass guitar and drums adds the necessary dynamic elements to keep the long tracks together but could be even more prominent. The melodic, melancholic and dramatic clean vocals suit the folk metal elements while occasional bestial growls give the music a grittier touch. Occasional decently employed choirs and orchestral sounds give the music an additional epic soundscape.

Highlights on this debut record are the melancholic ''Möt ditt öde (Meeting Death)'' with its numbing atmosphere and impressive guitar work, the futuristic and progressive title track ''Fairytale'' and the highly diversified instrumental track ''Lost in Nature'' with its almost meditative vibes that offer nearly ten minutes of appeasing escapism from reality.

Among the few negative elements, let's mention the production that could sound even more organic and powerful, especially regarding the rhythm section as backbone of the release and the prominent keyboard sounds. The growls sound powerful but are sometimes quite sudden and loud and could benefit from a more skillful approach. While the songwriting is positively ambitious, a few tracks would have benefited from more concise renditions to avoid repetition.

Riverwood's Fairytale is a very creative debut record that offers Middle Eastern and Maghreb folk elements combined with progressive metal. The skillful guitar play and diversified keyboard sounds manage to stand out particularly well. Despite a few minor flaws in the production, somewhat sudden growls and at times overlong song structures, the Egyptian quintet shows a lot of promise and isn't too far away from the quality of similar bands like Amaseffer, Myrath and Orphaned Land. The band could take the next step if it could perform a series of concerts with one of the aforementioned groups or similar artists. Let's also hope the quintet gets signed by a label with a bigger budget to support this ambitious group for its next album.

Final rating: 80%

In the beginning of its career, Swedish power metal sextet Sabaton was considered the next big thing in the metal scene. Nowadays, the band has become a synonym for predictable repetition appealing only to occasional metal fans during the festival season. One has to wonder at what point the band reached its turning point. In hindsight, this climax is obviously the moment when the two guitarists, the keyboarder and the drummer simultaneously left the band that was then painfully reconstructed by the remaining bassist and singer. The last record released by the classic line-up was Carolus Rex, marking both the band's greatest hour and its last peak so far.

The record is a conceptual record based on the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire and its monarch Charles XII, also known as Carolus Rex. It's obvious that the band invested a lot of time, passion and creativity into this release. The ten songs deal with different historical events such as battles, crownings and deaths. The album was released with English and Swedish lyrics. The two versions aren't simple translations of each other but rather offer a few precise lyrical changes. The Swedish vocals feels even more heartfelt and certainly sound more unique than the international version.

All songs find a dynamic balance between epic soundscapes and gripping melodies in concise song writing. The middle section is certainly the centrepiece of the record. Highlights are the epic, melancholic and sacral mid-paced ''The Carolean's Prayer'' and the elegant, majestic and uplifting title song ''Carolus Rex''.

To celebrate its quadruple platinum status after remaining on the Swedish chart for a whopping three hundred twenty-six weeks, Sabaton commemorated its opus magnum with a new release including both the English and Swedish version of the record as well as four bonus tracks in form of the powerful heavy metal anthem ''Harley from Hell'' and three solid but unessential cover songs. If you haven't purchased this epic power metal masterpiece yet, you should certainly get your hands on this new commemorative edition.

Final rating: 90%