American quintet Visigoth plays traditional heavy metal with an epic twist reminding of Dio, Manilla Road and Manowar but also more contemporary groups like Atlantean Kodex, Grand Magus and Pharaoh. The music is powerful, mid-paced and of epic proportions. The guitar riffs are grounded while the solos provide some catchy melodies without ever drifting off into progressive territories. The rhythm section is solid and serviceable to the songs and while the bass guitar manages to stand out in a few songs, the drumming remains at times formulaic. The vocals are probably the greatest asset of the band as they manage to be melodic yet powerful. They give the song material a quite anthemic note. The lyrics that deal with battles aren't sung in a sinister but rather in an uplifting tone. It's the kind of music one could listen to before riding into battle. Any song from this album would blend in perfectly on a Game of Thrones soundtrack and the likes.

Even though the eight tracks sound quite homogeneous, almost all of them manage to stand out in one way or another. The majestic opener ''Steel and Silver'' features incredibly catchy vocal lines that start the record on a particularly high note and would have deserved the release of a single. ''Warrior Queen'' is a little bit more dynamic with many melodic guitar solos, energetic backing vocals and a wonderful conclusion with enchanting flute sounds, soothing vocals and uplifting choirs that recall Jethro Tull. The melodic ''Hammerforged'' could come from a classic Manowar record of the early eighties and has a chorus worthy of a national anthem. ''Traitor's Gate'' is heavy metal storytelling at its very best, starting slowly with fragile melodies before quickening up the pace instrumentally and becoming more emotional in the vocal department until the slower middle section with passionate guitar solos gives a short break before the track concludes on an appropriately epic note. The surprisingly fast-paced ''Salt City'' is an anthem dedicated to the band's hometown that is performed with genuine passion that should be used by the local tourism department.

In the end, Visigoth's Conqueror's Oath deserves its positive reputation and is one of the best epic heavy metal records I have heard in a quite long time. The band might not reinvent the genre but performs its eight songs with creativity, energy and passion that make this record engaging from start to finish. The organic production recalls the bands of the seventies and eighties that quite obviously inspired the band. The stunning cover artwork represents the material perfectly and is the cherry atop the heavy metal cake. If you haven't listened to the band yet and like classic heavy metal or so-called true metal, you can't get around this band in general and this album in particular.

Final rating: 90%

Suld is a folk metal quintet from Inner Mongolia in China whose band name means Unleash and not Special Use Land Designation as some people believe. This band is one of many combining traditional Mongolian folk instruments such as the morin khuur, lyrics about nature and nomadism and traditional throat singing with contemporary heavy metal instrumentation centered around melodic guitar play, galloping bass guitar sounds and tight drumming. The Memory of Nomadism expresses a nostalgic return to the untouched beauty of Mongolian landscapes and promotes environmental protection to save nature. If you have ever seen pictures of modern cities like Ordos and Ulaanbaatar that emerge like monstrous entities of steel and glass in the middle of endless steppes, you can understand the band's longing for a return to a more rural spirit.

The music underlines this feeling of longing, nostalgia and wilderness perfectly. The folk instruments sound melancholic yet resilient. The vocals vary between hypnotizing throat singing and cautiously hopeful clean vocals. The guitar work at times smoothly supports the folk instruments but takes a more vibrant approach here and there. The rhythm section can be calm and peaceful but quickens up the pace at the right moments. Highlights are the diversified opener and title track ''The Memory of Nomadism'', the engaging and rhythmic ''The Beautiful Mongolian Horse'' and the appeasing and imaginative ''Oasis''. 

Suld's The Memory of Nomadism offers a perfect mixture of traditional instruments and contemporary grit and provides a truly significant message. Mongolian folk metal was believed to be a temporary trend but turns out to be alive and kicking with this vibrant release that even beats some recent records of genre veterans like Tengger Cavalry and Nine Treasures. If you want to feel free like the beautiful horses on the cover artwork, go get this album and discover another gem of Mongolian folk metal.

Final rating: 77%

I'm usually not very fond of cover records since they are often a cheap attempt at making money instead of offering truly inspired material. Perfect examples are all those bands who have recently decided to cover Toto's Africa after Weezer pulled this off successfully like Bonfire. Powerwolf's Metallum Nostrum is a different beast. The album was originally released on the special edition of Blessed & Possessed four years earlier but this version is very tough to find nowadays and the final result is so great that it deserves a separate release.

Powerwolf really managed to make the ten cover songs sound like their own. Attila Dorn's vibrant, skillful and melodic vocals sound much better than many of the original singers and find the perfect mixture between accessibility and technique. The sacral keyboard sounds by Falk Maria Schlegel add a cinematic, dramatic and epic note that keep all songs together. The guitar work is equally powerful and atmospheric. The rhythm section is solid backbone providing the necessary heavy metal energy that forms the basis for the band's concept combining traditional heavy metal and sacral sounds. It's oblivious to me why this group is often classified as power metal. The production is surprisingly organic and powerful for a release that was initially only considered a bonus disc.

It's impressive how the band pulls off songs that I hold in very high regard. Savatage's ''Edge of Thorns'' is one of my favourite songs ever with its efficient piano melodies and emotional vocals but Powerwolf somehow managed to make the song sound even better with more gripping keyboard sounds and a most versatile and powerful vocal performance that leaves an outstanding impression. Iron Maiden's ''The Evil That Men Do'' is an equally ambitious choice as the song had often been covered in more or less convincing ways. While the original track sounds a little bit rushed at times, it unfolds its full epic potential in Powerwolf's majestic version and the outstanding elements are once again the keyboards and vocals. I never thought I would find a better version of this track than the desperate original version but here it is.

Powerwolf even managed to make songs work that I don't really appreciate. I have never been a fan of Amon Amarth's stereotypical antics and superficially grim image. ''Gods of War Arise'' keeps the sinister atmosphere of the original song but adds apocalyptic keyboard sounds and ominous vocals that send shivers down the spine. Who would have known that an Amon Amarth song would have so much potential? Maybe the original band should take some notes and learn from this astonishing cover version.

Powerwolf doesn't reinvent anything with this release and if you're able to find the original version of this release included on the limited version of the Blessed & Possessed record, you can ignore this separate release. However, this cover album deserves your attention because the German-Dutch quintet managed to make these songs sound like their own. The sacral keyboard sounds and vibrant vocals are particularly outstanding. Some people wonder if there are any bands out there that could one day replace the big names like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Powerwolf is already one of them. If you haven't discovered them yet, do yourself a favour and check out this album.

Final rating: 90%

Aquaman is another exchangeable superhero movie but it's so dynamic and visually stunning that you won't care about the insultingly predictable plot and the repetitive superhero tropes.

The movie has a short and appropriate introduction before the epic adventure unfolds and ends on a concise positive note going back to its opening sequence. The underwater world looks fantastic and especially the animals like sharks are lovely. The quest that leads the main character and his female sidekick across the planet includes stunning locations like Sicily and Morocco that offer a welcome change from the seas. The settings are carefully chosen and cleverly mixed with computer animations. Director James Wan filmed everything calmly, extravagantly and precisely. Even the dramatic action scenes like the breathtaking escape sequence in Sicily avoid shaky cameras and exaggerated special effects which makes the film enjoyable to watch from start to finish. The final duel between the courageous half-breed protagonist and his sinister half-brother is visually spectacular and emotionally engaging.

You will get exactly what you expect from this movie: shallow but gripping entertainment for the whole family with a big budget. It's pleasant while it lasts but also quickly forgotten because of predictable tropes, an overall tiresome story and mostly average acting performances. Up next, let's create another exchangeable superhero movie called Airwoman, Earthtransgender or Firetiger.

Heavy Rain is an intercative drama and action-adventure game that was originally released on Playstation 3 back in 2010 but was remastered and released on Playstation 4 in 2016. It is also available as a bundle with Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human. The video game was critically acclaimed and New Line Cinema even purchased the rights to make a movie based upon the video game even though a specific project hasn't materialized so far.

The game focuses on a gloomy atmosphere centered on a twisted story with numerous different outcomes that guarantees that players feel like revisiting this game. A serial killer known as the Origami killer kidnaps young boys, keeps them in secret locations, drowns them and dumps their bodies with an origami figure placed on their chests.

There are four playable characters whose actions intertwine.

Ethan Mars is a family father who lost one of his sons in a tragic accident and fell into a coma. He awoke six months later but suffers from occasional disorientation and memory loss, wandering off at night for unfathomable reasons. Tragedy strikes again when his second son is kidnapped in a park. Ethan Mars doesn't want to lose another son and does everything he can to find his son before he gets killed. The serial killer contacts him and asks him to undergo a series of more and more twisted challenges to save his child.

Madison Paige is a journalist suffering from insomnia and strange visions who occasionally moves to a run-down motel where she seems to be able to sleep much better than at home. She meets Ethan Mars at the motel, realizes that he seems to feel tormented and offers her help for mysterious reasons. When she learns more about him, she decides to investigate herself in order to help him save his son and uncover the identity of the Origami killer.

Norman Jayden is a FBI profiler who is sent from Washington D.C. to support local police force to identify and arrest the Origami killer. The profiler uses a sophisticated evidence detecting system called Added Reality Interface but his unusual methods clash with his conservative partner lieutenant Carter Blake. Norma Jayden also suffers from a severe drug addiction that cause hallucinations, headaches and nosebleeds. He soon fails to distinguish fantasy from reality.

Scott Shelby is a former police officer who was let go under mysterious circumstances. He has become a lonesome private investigator who got hired by the families of the serial killer's victims. He tries to understand the serial killer's modus operandi and soon uncovers clues police officers had overlooked. He focuses his attention on an attention-seeking playboy and son of a wealthy businessman who tries to bribe and later on menace Scott Shelby. He reluctantly pairs up with the mother of one of the victims, a prostitute named Lauren Winter, who is emotionally unstable but motivated to find her son's murderer by any means necessary.

While the story, characters and atmosphere are the game's strongest points, its weakness remains the game play. The four characters are played from a third-person perspective but the camera angles are sometimes difficult to adjust. The game also focuses on numerous quick time events that need perfect precision and timing. This can become frustrating for occasional or less experienced players.

Still, this clever game is very immersive and almost works like a detailed film noir that requests the player's participation. This sinister thriller is much better than numerous actual movies and television series. The story, characters and atmosphere are this game's greatest assets while the game play could have been more diversified and fluid. In the end, this intellectual video game is highly recommendable and has aged particularly well. 

Detailed rating:

Atmosphere: 10/10

Challenge level: 7/10

Controls: 6/10

Game flow: 8/10

Graphics: 8/10

Length: 8/10

Long-term fun factor: 9/10

Sound: 8/10

Soundtrack: 9/10

Story: 10/10 

Total score:  83/100