Sinisthra, previously known as Nevergreen is a Finnish sextet that combines doom and gothic metal in numbing soundscapes that are sometimes hard to digest. The band's debut record Last of the Stories of Long Past Glories was released fifteen years ago and even though most of the material on The Broad and Beaten Way had already been composed twelve years ago, it took fifteen years in total to release the band's second record. This was mainly due to the involvement of some members in other projects, such as singer Tomi Joutsen who has released eight successful studio records with Amorphis in the meantime.

The Broad and Beaten Way picks up where Last of the Stories of Long Past Glories left us fifteen years earlier. The record is filled with slow and numbing guitar riffs, stoic rhythm section, melancholy keyboard sounds, passionate vocals and elaborate song writing offering six tunes with a running time of about forty-three minutes. 

The opener ''Eterne'' is the most accessible song with a compact running time of just above four minutes, a coherent structure and a gloomy chorus. The combination of chugging riffs, melodic guitar sounds and longing keyboard layers evokes a sinister but dynamic atmosphere.

The album's best and longest tune follows immediately after with ''Closely Guarded Distance'' that sounds ironically fitting in times of the coronavirus confinement. The song convinces with a solid mixture of heavy riffs and powerful rhythm sections versus calmer passages dominated by mysterious keyboard sounds and melodic vocals. The song's shining highlight is the calm, eerie and melodic bridge where Tomi Joutsen steals the show and proves that he is one of the best vocalists in the world. His voice is so passionate that it almost brings tears to the eyes. The song takes some time to unfold but ends up growing with every spin.

Among the quieter tunes, ''Safe in the Arms of Everlasting Now'' stands out with its sad piano melodies, smooth rhythm section and soulful vocals. The heavier parts that contrast these patterns work efficiently and make for an entertaining track even though it might be a tad bit too long.

The other three songs have the problem that it takes more than just a few spins for them to unfold. They are calm, have unpredictable structures and often overstay their welcome. Die-hard fans of Anathema, Katatonia and Opeth might dig these songs more but they are a little bit too smooth for my taste.

To conclude, Sinisthra's The Broad and Beaten Way is best enjoyed if you are willing to invest some patience and time to discover the album in multiple spins with your headphones on. Fans of contemporary doom and gothic metal should certainly give this band a try. If you like the calmer and more complex tracks of bands such as Amorphis, Anathema, Katatonia, Opeth and The Old Dead Tree, then Sinisthra is a band worth discovering.

Final rating: 75%

Twenty-four years after the band's most popular output Tunes of War and ten years after its spiritual successor The Clans Will Rise Again, German heavy metal veterans Grave Digger conclude their Scottish trilogy with the very good new output Fields of Blood. This album has the same trademarks as the other two releases with melodic heavy metal guitar play, vibrant rhythm section, expressive vocals, historically inspired lyrics and an appropriate use of bagpipes, choirs and keyboards to evoke an epic atmosphere. Instead of sounding tedious, repetitive and predictable, the twelve new songs are performed with conviction, creativity and energy and offer fifty-four minutes of excellent heavy metal entertainment.

Several elements stand out very positively. First of all, this release is more melodic, epic and memorable than the immediate predecessors which is a welcome change. The outstanding ballad ''Thousand Tears'' featuring guest singer Noora Louhimo of Battle Beast fame in her best career performance so far is a spiritual successor of ''The Ballad of Mary (Queen of Scots)'' twenty-four years ago and convinces with heartfelt vocals and excellent guitar play. Title track ''Fields of Blood'' cracks the ten-minute mark and is the band's second longest tune ever. The song features sound effects, radio play passages, majestic bagpipe melodies, traditional heavy metal trademarks and detailed lyrics that keep entertaining through the song's ambitious running time. This album also features many truly catchy songs with the highlight being the energizing ''Lions of the Sea'' with its melodic chorus and powerful choirs.

The exotic instruments are used with care throughout the album. While they were only used in a handful of a song on previous records, they are a recurring device on Fields of Blood. This starts with the cinematic opening instrumental ''The Clansman's Journey'' that brings the listeners spiritually back to the band's beloved Scottish Highlands, continues in the soulful power ballad ''Thousand Tears'' and culminates in the almost progressive title track and album highlight ''Fields of Blood''.

Another element that stands out is the excellent guitar play by Alex Ritt. Fields of Blood might be his finest hour yet because he can really push his boundaries here. Harmonious acoustic guitar passages meet energetic heavy and power metal riffs as well as unchained guitar solos that combines passion and skills. Every song except for the instrumental opener and closer showcase absolutely outstanding guitar play that should please any fan of heavy and power metal.

In the end, Grave Digger is still going strong forty years into its career and combines past trademarks with fresh ideas on the very good Fields of Blood. This album grows with every spin thanks to its cohesive style that is best enjoyed from start to finish. This is easily the band's greatest hour since Clash of the Gods eight years ago. If you have lost track of the band's career and wonder whether the four Germans can still live up to their classic material from the mid-nineties, give this album a few spins and you might be very positively surprised.

Final rating: 84%

Ladies and gentlemen!

Here is a playlist of my favourite new songs released in May 2020 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NsFmcp0UFYtGzwYKuDLeQ

1. In Extremo - Kompass zur Sonne

2. Ensiferum - Rum, Women, Victory

3. Alestorm - Wooden Leg Part 2 (The Woodening)

4. Soilwork - Death Diviner

5. Primal Fear - Along Came the Devil

6. Grave Digger - Lions of the Sea

7. Axel Rudi Pell - Bad Reputation

8. Paradise Lost - Hear the Night

9. Alice Cooper - Don't Give Up

10. Ginette Reno - Ça va bien aller