If you think that you have discovered everything that the metal scene can offer you, Thy Catafalque is a group that should certainly change your mind. Tamás Kátai's project combines blistering black metal with Hungarian folk music, smooth electronic soundscapes and orchestral arrangements. The project's seventh studio album comes less than a year after its predecessor which goes to show that Tamás Kátai was in a particularly creative mindset when creating and releasing the nine songs on Meta that clock in at a generous sixty-seven minutes.

The first four songs exemplify the project's diversity without ever sounding all over the place. ''Uránia'' is a gloomy black metal tune that slowly fades in before unchaining its blistering energy that takes no prisoners throughout its running time of seven minutes. 

In the next song called ''Sirály'', Thy Catafalque shows its smoother side with hesitating, melodious and smooth folk melodies accompanied by cello arrangements. Soprano vocalist Ágnes Tóth gives the song an airy, dreamy and enchanting vibe. This lullaby invites listeners to dream themselves far away throughout its running time of six minutes.

Up next comes along one of the shorter pieces called ''10⁻²⁰ Ångström'' that explores gothic metal territories. it starts with a meditative bell sound before low sacral male vocals set in. The track however picks up some speed after this atmospheric overture to unfold chaotic, fast and haunting black metal soundscapes that blend in splendidly by contrasting the song's calmer, mellower and slower passages.

''Ixión Düün'' is one of the record's longest pieces and employs elegant orchestral sounds that would blend in wonderfully on a soundtrack for a science-fiction movie. This futuristic atmosphere is later on complemented by the project's typical energetic, fast and pitiless black metal musicianship that comes in progressive waves this time around.

The highlight of this creative record however remains its longest piece ''Malmok járnak'' that might also be one of Thy Catafalque's very best songs. This song combines the record's different genres, ideas and sounds splendidly as it takes its time to build up an immersive, mysterious and otherworldly atmosphere. Desperate black metal soundscapes meet progressive electronic sound samples and appeasing folk sections with female vocals and oboe sounds. These different parts are carefully, fluidly and smoothly connected as this song alone offers much more to discover than other bands create in their entire careers.

Thy Catafalque's Meta inspires its listeners and pushes the boundaries by combining black metal, electronic music, folk sounds and orchestral arrangements in almost equal parts. This record might take a few spins to open up but has much replay value due to its rich diversity. The longest song ''Malmok járnak'' is a stunning highlight that serves well as an introduction to this incredible project as it hails not only as one of Thy Catafalque's greatest songs ever but also as one of the very best metal tracks of the last decade. The limited digipak version comes with beautiful gold foil that makes the creative cover artwork even more outstanding. I was lucky enough to find this release in an independent record store in Windsor, Ontario of all places, so you should be able to get your hands on a copy as well.

Final Rating: 85%

In Flames singer Anders Fridén has always been willing to experiment with unusual sounds in his dynamic career. The Swedish teenager started his career as singer in death metal band Septic Broiler. He was then originally the drummer for melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity but became the group's singer for its influential debut record Skydancer. Anders Fridén then moved to In Flames, a band that would become the most creative, influential and successful melodic death metal band in the world throughout the nineties and the early years of the new millennium. Later on, the band would shift its sound towards melodic groove metal, alternative rock and even electronic rock elements, alienating many fans of old date but impressing quite a few new listeners at the same time. Anders Fridén has also collaborated with many unusual artists and participated in intriguing projects. He was one of the singers of Nuclear Blast's Allstars for instance and performed guest vocals for Dutch symphonic metal veterans Within Temptation. While other former members of his main band In Flames have founded new projects that opted for contemporary melodic death metal sounds that lazily copied the original band, Anders Fridén's new solo side project If Anything, Suspicious walks off the beaten path and comes as a huge surprise.

This project is entirely instrumental and focuses on smooth, mellow and atmospheric ambient sounds that work splendidly when doing some intellectual work or just relaxing on a calm autumn or winter day. The pace of the different tunes is slow and focuses exclusively on simple keyboard patterns and a few sound collages for atmospheric depth. Offair: Lullabies for the Damned features seventeen songs varying between lengths of three minutes to eleven and a half minutes for a generous total running time of seventy-seven minutes. Released by Offair Records, a new label focusing on artists experimenting outside their usual genres, this album transmits a feeling of timelessness, rebirth and peace. As Anders Fridéns puts it himself, he wants listeners to go on a journey without borders or restrictions which fits exactly with what he has been doing throughout his career for thirty-two years and counting.

If you're wondering what this type of music exactly sounds like, think of the excellent closer of In Flames' Come Clarity, entitled ''Your Bedtime Story Is Scaring Everyone'' that opens with mysterious ambient sounds before erupting into a short liberating death metal conclusion. If Anything, Suspicious' Offair: Lullabies for the Damned explores these very same ambient sounds in an approach that values atmospheric depth over clever changes. This album needs a few times to grow with its at times repetitive patterns, slow-paced rhythms and minimal variations but offers much replay value due to its unexpected, timeless and moody soul.

It's obvious that this calm, introspective and timid type of electronic ambient music isn't something you might want to experience every single day. However, this album unfolds a comforting, hypnotizing and numbing magic when you are in the mood to dream yourself far away. It's remarkable that Anders Fridén continues to push boundaries and restrictions so late in his career without ever repeating himself or boring his audience. If you are willing to witness completely new soundscapes, then you should give this album a fair chance as well. Fans who keep complaining that In Flames has been sounding dreadful for two decades and counting however should stay as far away from this release as possible.

Final rating: 75%

Volbeat is a very controversial band in the metal genre. Fans hail them as innovators with a unique style and open boundaries. Critics claim that the band flirts too much with commercial appeal by combining odd genres such as alternative rock, boogie and country with heavy and thrash metal soundscapes. Both perspectives certainly have a point but the naysayers might perhaps try to give the Danish quartet one last chance because Servant of the Mind is Volbeat's heaviest release since the group performs under said moniker.

The record opens in an atmospheric, dragging and gloomy way recalling some doom metal soundscapes in versatile opener ''Temple of Ekur'' that sounds inspired and fresh but might need a few spins to open up and unfold for all listeners. 

This track is followed by short, melodious and energetic ''Wait a Minute my Girl'' that sounds as if Elvis Presley had discovered early punk rock music and offers another vibrant surprise. This song is danceable, heavy and rebellious at the same time even though it clocks in under two and a half minutes. This is certainly the record's perfect single and the band immediately recognized its potential and used this song to announce the release of its eighth studio album.

''The Sacred Stones'' then presents itself as a heavy and thrash metal epic with numerous changes and shifts that offer much replay value and make its six minutes go by in a heartbeat.

Up next comes ''Shotgun Blues'' that doesn't have too much to do with said genre but is instead a dynamic and heavy track that should unfold its dynamic magic perfectly in concert and become a new fan favourite.

Speaking of new fan favourite, the record's second half presents a gritty thrash metal track with ''Becoming'' that recalls Metallica around the time of its self-titled album. This style suits Volbeat very well, since both bands manage to find the perfect balance between commercial appeal and gritty heaviness. If the band were to choose another single from this album, this tune might not only please its fans of old date but also positively surprise some naysayers.

At the end of the day, the Danish Dynamite offers one of its greatest studio records that strays away from too many collaborative efforts or odd country ballads. Servant of the Mind is the quartet's heaviest studio album to date and should particularly please to those who appreciated Metallica's self-titled album as well as the groove, heavy and thrash metal scenes of the early nineties in general without denying Volbeat's very own and unique contemporary style. This album might be a few tracks too long and includes a few minor fillers in the second half but nevertheless qualifies as the band's most consistent studio release to date. If you however want to experience the band at its very best, then you should either attend one of its energetic concerts or purchase the greatest release in its career with excellent live album Let's Boogie! Live from Telia Parken.

Final Rating: 85%

Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream and Day Reunite (Live) is the fifth release of Dream Theater's Lost Not Forgotten Archives. It was previously released by YtseJam Records in 2005. The album contains the second set of a show in Los Angeles in 2004 where the band performed its entire debut album When Dream and Day Unite to celebrate its fifteenth anniversary. The most interesting element about this release is the encore, featuring former singer Charlie Dominici on two songs and former keyboarder Derek Sherinian on one of the two songs.

The band was in excellent shape when playing this show as this release is even more exciting than the already very good debut album. James LaBrie's variable, skilled and recognizable vocals push the material onto a higher level. Jordan Rudess' skills on the keyboard make the material sound more dynamic, playful and progressive. The other members are simply true to themselves. John Myung is the solid backbone of the band with his precise and collaborative style on the bass guitar. John Petrucci delivers heavy riffs and beautiful solos with incredible diversity, flexibility and fluidity. Mike Portnoy's drum play is adventurous, dominant and powerful at all times. The invited musicians also do excellent jobs. Charles Dominici might not be as talented as James LaBrie but he manages to hit some high notes surprisingly well and compensates his minor technical flaws with addictive passion as he is clearly enjoying the spotlight. Derek Sherinian's performance isn't as versatile as Jordan Rudess' keyboard chops but his more atmospheric style adds a lot of depth to the song he is playing on that never gets boring despite a challenging running time of more than fourteen minutes.

The two encores are true gems for any fan of the band. ''To Live Forever'' is an obscure track from the early years that has only very rarely been played but its melodious quality would make other progressive metal bands go green with envy as this hidden masterpiece deserves more attention. The adventurous, improvised and playful version of ''Metropolis Part 1: (The Miracle and the Sleeper)'' is one of many intriguing versions of what might be the band's very best song and this rendition here convinces with its extended atmospheric instrumental section that justifies multiple spins to discover its numerous details over and over again.

At the end of the day, it's great that Dream Theater's Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream and Day Reunite (Live) sees the light of day in a revamped version sixteen years after its original release and seventeen years after its recording. This live album doesn't only feature the under-appreciated debut album in its entirety but also convinces with improved musicianship and vocals and two stunning bonus tracks, including one eternal classic and one overlooked hidden gem, featuring two guest musicians connected to Dream Theater's illustrious past. Any fan of the band should pick this release up and even newcomers might start their discovery here with the debut album in its best possible form.

Final Rating: 93%

German groove metal quartet Hämatom had finally shown off its true potential earlier this year, when releasing Berlin (Ein akustischer Tanz auf dem Vulkan), an acoustic record inspired country, folk, jazz and swing sounds of the twenties and thirties in the key of television soundtracks of Babylon Berlin. Die Liebe ist tot goes back to the band's more common style in form of aggressive groove metal with angry vocals and harsh lyrics with explicit messages. This album mostly deals with issues on the pulse of time varying from anger management issues to the bleak coldness of our contemporary society.

Hämatom still manages to walk off the beaten path as the ten tunes with a running time of thirty-four minutes offer more creativity than three other outputs by similar bands such as Die Krupps, KMFDM and Ministry combined. The main issue is that these experiments are extremely unstable in terms of quality.

Epic opener ''Dagegen'' focuses on atmosphere over anger and comes around with haunting melodies and a children's choir that is used without stereotypical pathos. ''Ihr wisst gar nichts über mich'' is a catchy, energetic and rhythmic tune with a positive message spreading self-confidence while facing clueless naysayers.

Other tracks however are plain horrible in my book. The rap passages by 257ers in ''Ficken unsren Kopf'' remember stereotypical German gangster rap of the early years of the millennium in the worst possible way. ''Zahltag'' is a chaotic, discordant and unorganized failure that essentially consists of the singer yelling his brain out while delivering death threats.

Some songs are mixed bags on their own such as closing ballad ''Zeit zu gehen''. It's an intense and raw tune mixing aggressive guitar riffs and energetic rhythm section with epic atmosphere and haunting melodies. This combination makes you feel like an old and weathered captain emerging from a brutal storm in the middle of the ocean to head for new and unknown destinations. However, the over-performing vocals are extremely nerve-firing here and might induce headaches rather than inspire any kind of creativity as they destroy what might have been a very decent track with a more variable vocal approach in form of an emotional storytelling.

At the end of the day, Hämatom's Die Liebe ist tot is quite a mixed bag. Some tunes offer unexpected genre combinations, beautiful melodies and interesting lyrics while other songs represent dreadfully failed experiments with dumbly-stupidly nasty lyrics, one-dimensional musicianship and vocals and completely mismatched sound collages. Other tracks even drastically shift in quality from start to finish which makes for most unpleasant auditive rollercoaster rides. Since this record is quite short in the first place, I would suggest to listen to the album and download your favourite tunes since the shifts in quality on this output are quite drastic to say the least. My recommendation for the band would be to tone down the anger, negativity and shock value and focus on musical creativity, positive messages and melodic musicianship in the future.

Final Rating: 50%