Just like their genre colleagues Katatonia, gothic metal pioneers Paradise Lost have decided to play a concert without audience during the ongoing pandemic, in this case at The Mill Nightclub in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The band has decided to play sixteen songs from all eras of the group, including live debuts of three tunes from last studio record Obsidian. The final result is offered as a package including a CD and a blu-ray but there are also digital and vinyl versions available.

This release's main strength is the diversity of its setlist. New songs like the melancholic, melodic and memorable doom metal monster ''Fall from Garce'' work splendidly with the band's excellent chemistry as four of the founding members are still on board and have been playing music together for nearly three decades and a half as we speak.

The recording also includes a few more catchy, commercial and smooth tunes from the middle years such as the short yet gripping and entertaining ''One Second''. It's great to see that this band respects all its records, phases and eras.

Paradise Lost also offers several cuts from its early years that have helped developing the gothic metal genre. The song ''Gothic'' in particular finds  a perfect balance between cold riffs and growls on one side as well as melodic female vocals and beautiful guitar harmonies on the other side.

The sound of this release is clear, energetic and organic. The vocals sound crystal clear at all time, no matter if we listen to clean or harsh vocals. The guitar sound is gripping, melodic and tight in the lead and rhythm department, convincing with both sinister riffs and uplifting solos. The bass guitar is audible, dynamic and vibrant as it provides the backing for the creative gothic metal soundscapes. The drum play by the band's most recent member Waltteri Väyrynen has great flow and swagger as it mixes playful sections with tight passages.

This record is however not without some obvious flaws. First and foremost, this concert would have worked so much better with even just a little audience in front of the band. This release simply can't replace the atmosphere, chemistry and energy of an actual concert.

Up next, some sounds come from a tape. This is not only the case for some soothing keyboard sections but especially for a few female guest vocals. As the latter appear, viewers will confusedly be looking for the additional singer who just isn't there. Perhaps this kind of material with guest musicians who couldn't attend these recordings should have been avoided in the first place. 

Finally, the band members don't communicate at all with the public or even with one another. This leads to a distant, cold and at times awkward atmosphere. One could think that this goes along with the stylistics of a gothic metal band but in the case of an actual concert released for public, it comes off as somewhat unmotivated, lacklustre and antisocial.

At the end of the day, Paradise Lost's At the Mill still has much more benefits than downsides. It offers an excellent summary of the band's impressive career with seventy-four minutes of diversified, energetic and inspired gothic metal music. This release should therefore please fans of old date as much as potential new followers.

Final Rating: 85%

The Samans is a quartet from Changchun in Jilin Province that plays a mixture of melodic death metal, industrial metal and folk metal. The band has recorded a series of four very good extended plays early in its career but then stopped releasing new music for more than seven years. This promising group has now come back with a bang in form of its first full length effort SagaxMononlogue. To be more precise, this release is actually a combination of two extended plays that serves as perfect introduction to the band's multiple soundscapes.

Saga is a very creative, diversified and energetic release that combines melodic death metal sounds with European folk sounds thanks to the use of Highland Pipe and Uilleann Pipe played by French guest musician Geoffroy Dell'Aria. Opener ''Seonsaeng" is a gripping melodic death metal tune that transmits a chaotic, powerful and relentless vibe that should work splendidly in concert. ''Where the Nightingales Sing'' offers more appeasing, melodic and nostalgic layers with its use of folk instruments. This song finds the right balance between enchanting atmosphere and powerful attitude. Instrumental epic ''The Lamb Sutra'' has a cinematic, enchanting and soothing vibe that offers a welcome break from the worries of the world and invites to dream yourself far away. Saga finds the right balance between The Samans' different genre shifts and is easily the band's greatest extended play thus far.

The second extended play Monologue sounds completely differently and enters alternative rock territory combined with harmonious, longing and melancholic folk sounds. ''Dead Rockstar's Monologue'' might be the most memorable song of the bunch with its refreshingly simple sing-along passages and sounds like a mixture of Ensiferum and My Chemical Romance. This description might sound odd on paper and might not please genre traditionalists but the outcome certainly offers an inspired, surprising and unique listening experience. Closing instrumental tune ''Syndrome X'' ends this mellower second extended play on a soft note with sound samples meandering between noisy chaos and relaxing piano notes that would make for an excellent tune to conclude a concert on tape as the band is greeting the crowd and exiting the stage. This cinematic conclusion offers yet another different soundscape of the band and shows how inspired this group is. At the end of the day however, Monologue is a little bit less fleshed out, memorable and poignant than Saga and realistically classifies as good effort but not as one of the band's greatest hours.

As you can read, The Samans' SagaxMonologue should be interesting for fans of old age who might have almost forgotten about them and potential new fans from all around the world. The band's combination of alternative rock, folk rock and melodic death metal might occasionally remind of bands such as Amon Amarth, Eluveitie and Linkin Park but the final result certainly sounds very unique. This genre combination sounds like no other group and deserves both attention and appreciation. With Saga being the band's greatest extended play thus far and Monologue qualifying for the middle section in the group's discography, the final result is a very good first full length effort that goes to show that belief, longevity and resilience can indeed lead to very positive results. Here's hope that The Samans will finally get some more reactions around the world and that the group's next release won't take another seven to eight years to see the light of day.

Final Rating: 80%

Spiral Grave is an American doom and heavy metal band built upon the remnants of criminally underrated genre veterans Iron Man after their guitarist and founding member Al Morris III died much too soon. Legacy of the Anointed is the band's first studio album and should please anyone who appreciates doom metal in the key of Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Saint Vitus to only name a few examples. The record sounds heavy, organic and thunderous which gives it a timeless feeling that should please fans of any age.

''Nightmare on May Eve'' is a very good opener with powerful, relentless and thunderous rhythm section, aggressive, distorted and sinister guitar play and vocals that find the perfect balance between melody and roughness. This song certainly doesn't reinvent the genre but entertains thoroughly through six and a half atmospheric, powerful and tight minutes. This track would indeed have deserved a spot on a regular Iron Man output if the group were still around.

''Modern Day Golden Calf'' aims for more sinister territory with its slightly dragging mid-tempo pace, distorted down-tuned guitar play and gloomy vocals. The song also breaks the six-minute mark and would deserve its righteous spot on the soundtrack of any horror movie honouring the American genre classics of the late seventies and early eighties.

Up next comes ''Out of My Head'' that is firmly rooted in mid-tempo pacing with a few upper tempo rhythm changes giving the song the atmosphere of a raw jam session in some garage. The vocals are a little bit grittier as well and include even a few very brief growls. It's refreshing to hear such a more experimental tune that breaks a little bit with genre traditions.

The next track ''Nothing'' also has an interesting experimental vibe with its smooth middle section with dominant bass guitar sounds, quick guitar picking sounds and airy, distant and dreamy vocals. This almost otherworldly transition is well integrated into a swaggering doom metal tune meandering between mid-paced and slow passages.

Another surprising tune is ''Tanglefoot''. It's easily the fastest and most rhythmic tune on the album and reminds of early heavy metal influenced by the spirit of the punk wave. Even the raw vocals and some explicit lyrics evoke memories of Paul Di'Anno's years in Iron Maiden in the late seventies and early eighties. Even though the surprising middle section briefly flirts with almost psychedelic power ballad territory, this song here certainly takes no prisoners and should work splendidly at an energetic concert.

Closing epic ''Abgrund'' with its German title breaks the eight-minute mark and offers sinster doom metal at its very best with cinematic sound samples in the introduction, a fast middle section with pitiless high-pitched screams, rapid guitar riffs and dynamic rhythm section as well as a slow, menacing and slightly chaotic coda that should send shivers down your spine.

As you can read, Spiral Grave is the spiritual successor to Iron Man and offers an excellent debut record with Legacy of the Anointed. The eight songs clocking in at forty-five minutes grow with every spin as they offer traditional doom metal at its very best with a few creative surprises in the songwriting department. It's a mystery to me why this great record wasn't properly promoted by metal magazines and praised by genre fans. However, you can still change this record's fate and save it from obscurity. Spiral Grave's Legacy of the Anointed and Al Morris III's legacy with Iron Man certainly deserve more acclaim, attention and respect. Purchase this greatest doom metal record of the last year and attend one of the band's concerts once the pandemic has slowed down.

Final Rating: 90%

French quartet Dagoba plays melodic death metal with dominant keyboard passages flirting with pop music in the key of Cyhra, The Halo Effet and contemporary In Flames on its eighth studio record By Night.

Only few elements remind of the band's groove and industrial metal origins such as the powerful ''The Hunt''. Most songs are quite catchy, melodic and offer songwriting by the numbers such as the memorable ''The Last Crossing'' that is essentially a conteporary electronic pop song masked as melodic death metal. The band pushes the boundaries most on the duet ''On the Run'' that features catchy, melodic and soothing female vocals and could easily be integrated into playlists of disc jockeys working in alternative discotheques of downtown Marseille.

The album also explores its electronic sounds in depth with the inclusion of three instrumental tunes. The closing ''Stellar'' offers some atmospheric depth and cinematic soundscapes. The forgettable, short and unspectacular ''Break'' perfectly defines what a filler sounds like. The worst offender is however the opening ''Neons'' that sounds unintentionally funny as it reminds of a robot imitating vomiting sounds.

At the end of the day, one has to praise Dagoba for its courage to walk off the beaten path, incorporate new genres into its sound and push the boundaries in ways that will be received very controversially. However, just as contemporary In Flames, The Halo Effect and Cyhra have received their share of negative feedback, Dagoba's By Night could suffer a similar fate. I'm not even sure whether I appreciate the band's new unexpcted sound or not. It's however certainly interesting and deserves multiple spins to open up and leave a lasting impression.

Final Rating: 67%

Voivod seemed to be dead and gone after Denis ''Piggy'' d'Amour's tragic demise and the release of his last recordings on Katorz and Infini. However, the band managed to cooperate with the one single person who could adequately replace the legendary guitarist as Daniel ''Chewy'' Mongrain has been immensely influenced by his idol and manages to continue his style while adding his own creative bits and twists. Voivod has managed to improve with every release of the new era and has now reached a level where the current releases have even outclassed the classic material from the eighties and nineties. The Wake was a conceptual and instrumental masterpiece that went down as one of the very best studio albums of the last decade. The amazing thing is that Synchro Anarchy is almost on the same level and a true pleasure to experience for any progressive metal fan. What makes this situation even better is that Synchro Anarchy stays faithful to Voivod's trademark sounds but takes a quite different direction than its immediate predecessor.

The trademarks that make this band so unique are still present from start to finish. The songwriting is adventurous, creative and diversified as it needs a few spins to grow because the sum is greater than its parts on this perfect album. The pace, rhythm and signature changes might sound unexpected at first contact but the band manages to create a cohesion, flow and guiding line throughout the record that only the greatest progressive rock bands manage to evoke. The band's ambitious, intellectual and technical style is defined by distorted guitar sounds, dominant and powerful bass guitar sounds, energetic and playful drum and percussive sections and otherworldly vocals that find a unique balance between grit and melody.

Synchro Anarchy however has its very own soul because the songwriting goes away from the predecessor's more atmospheric, complex and epic tracks that could at times reach lengths of twelve and a half minutes. Instead, the nine new songs on this output are more direct, energetic and focused. The tracks work wonderfully on their own but also have an excellent flow that makes the final result an early candidate for greatest album of the year. 

This record has several candidates that should find their spots on the setlist of future concerts. Title track ''Synchro Anarchy'' for instance manages to be catchy, coherent and precise despite the adventurous, dynamic and open-minded songwriting. This is an instant hit that represents the spirit of the band in general and of this album in particular very well. ''The World Today'' has similar strengths and proves that the band still knows how to get to the point in four extremely efficient minutes that go by in an instant and make you want to press the repeat button right away to enjoy this catchy progressive metal pearl over and over again.

The band's fluid shifts from sinister heavy and thrash metal sections to smooth progressive and psychedelic rock passages stand out particularly well. This works exceptionally well in the epic, imaginative and playful ''Mind Clock'' and the dreamy, enchanting and mysterious ''Quest for Nothing''.

This record's special edition includes a concert recorded in the band's hometown Jonquière three and a half years ago. Even though these musicians now live in and around Montreal, they have been declared ambassadors of their hometown and are always welcomed by enthusiastic, faithful and proud fans. The eleven tracks vary from unforgettable classics such as ''The Unknown Knows'' over forgotten pearls that are rarely being played live such as ''Order of the Blackguards'' to recent successes such as ''Post Society''. Sadly, the two tracks played during the encore are missing here but this limited edition is nevertheless a mandatory purchase for any fan of the band.

At the end of the day, Synchro Anarchy keeps Voivod's impressive momentum going as the quartet might be in the most creative phase of its career. This candidate for album of the year keeps the band's unique trademarks but explores more concise songwriting that unfolds immediately. Anybody who likes bands that think outside the box should give this band in general and this album in particular a chance.

Final Rating: 97%