Ladies and gentlemen!

A wonderful year 2018 is about to come to an end. It's about to time to take a look at what 2019 has to offer. I will take a look at anticipated music, movies and video games. This post presents movies that I find intriguing that will be released throughout the entire year. Enjoy your discovery!

Escape Room (January 4th 2019)

The Vanishing (January 4th 2019)

Glass (January 18th 2019)

Twelve Children Who Want to Die (January 25th 2019)

Arctic (February 1st 2019)

Alita: Battle Angel (February 14th 2019)

Happy Death Day 2U (February 14th 2019)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31st 2019)

Artemis Fowl (August 9th 2019)

It: Chapter Two (September 6th 2019)

Kingsman: The Great Game (November 8th 2019)

Knives Out (November 27th 2019) 

 The last three trailers are fan-made teasers.

Ladies and gentlemen!

A wonderful year 2018 is about to come to an end. It's about to time to take a look at what 2019 has to offer. I will take a look at anticipated music, movies and video games. This post presents releases that I find intriguing that will be released throughout the first three months of the new year. Enjoy your discovery!

Soilwork's Verkligheten (January 11th 2019)

Ewigheim's Irrlichter (January 18th 2019)

Oomph!'s Ritual (January 18th 2019)

Phlebotomized's Deformation of Humanity (January 18th 2019)

Evergrey's The Atlantic (January 25th 2019)

Within Temptation's Resist (February 1st 2019)

Avantasia's Moonglow (February 15th 2019)

Dream Theater's Distance Over Time (February 22nd 2019)

Over Kill's The Wings of War (February 22nd 2019)

In Flames' I, the Mask (March 1st 2019)

Subway to Sally's Hey (March 8th 2019)

Anthem's Nucleus (March 29th 2019)

Ladies and gentlemen!

Metal Archives' review challenge is a time-honoured tradition among writers on this encyclopedic site. Twice every year, usually in June and in December, writers are asked to write reviews for overlooked releases that haven't gotten any up to that point. There isn't any specific price to win except for the knowledge that you inform people all around the world about some obscure releases that might be worth their attention. Since last June, this challenge is named in memory of writer Diamhea who tragically passed away earlier this year. If you are curious about the challenge and the reviews I contribute, check out the following link:

https://www.metal-archives.com/users/kluseba

Ark is an overlooked and underrated Norwegian progressive metal band that released two records before it disappeared into oblivion. The eponymous debut features a young Jørn Lande before he decided to imitate Ronnie James Dio and focused his career on being the first guest on almost every Avantasia record, bassist Tore Østby who has recently had a respectable comeback with progressive power metal veterans Conception and American drummer John Macaluso who was also the drummer for Yngwie J. Malmsteen at that time. The release features numerous guests that play accordion, keyboard and saxophone among other instruments.

Ark's music is creative, harmonious and versatile which makes each of the seven tracks a voyage of the grandest kind. Intriguing lyrics, heartfelt melodies and innovative songwriting make this album stand out. Despite the stunning musicianship of everyone involved, the songs don't lose themselves in pretentious instrumental sections as the emotive vocals always play a central role. ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' is a prime example of progressive storytelling in the key of progressive rock genre veterans like Genesis while catchier and shorter tunes like the energetic ''Center Avenue'' might rather recall Arena. Despite heavy riffs and dynamic rhythm sections, this album qualifies as much as progressive rock as it does as progressive metal.

Ark's debut has aged very well and sounds still adventurous, atmospheric and unique two decades after its initial release. It has stood the test of time as one of the greatest progressive rock records of the nineties despite being so critically forgotten. If you look for timeless progressive music that truly pushes the boundaries and sits on the verge between progressive rock and metal, you should give yourself a little gift by checking this record out.

Final rating: 95% 

How Like a Winter is a criminally overlooked avantgarde gothic metal band inspired by the works of Shakespeare that features later The Foreshadowing vocalist Marco Benevento, known as Dust in this line-up. The band's mixture of classical music, death metal, folk melodies, gothic stylistics and progressive influences recalls other experimental groups like the overlooked German gothic poets Adversus, frenetic French quartet Akphaezya and Luxembourg's visionaries Le Grand Guignol. The thing that makes How like a Winter stand out is that the sextet has an atmospheric, portly and structured doom metal undertone instead of the technical, fast and abrupt changes that similar bands apply.

This unique approach makes for a record that is easier to get into. It also increases its elegant poetic undertone. The experiments sound fleshed out and work much better in the band's epic tracks that take their time to unfold in up to ten minutes. Those who like the progressive side of bands like Amorphis, Katatonia and Opeth should appreciate this group to a certain degree. 

Let's give a specific example in form of the record's centerpiece ''Bescreen'd'' that breaks the ten-minute mark. The song builds up an elegant yet menacing tone with guitar play that almost recalls string sections before smooth acoustic guitars give the song time to unfold peacefully. Dark poetic vocals pass by like a blur and give the song a dreamy, gloomy and mysterious vibe. The song then elaborates upon an actual guiding line in form of slow-paced riffs, melancholic violin sounds and soothingly dark vocals in the middle section. As the second half unfolds, the riffs get a little bit faster and heavier, flirting with melodic extreme metal tendencies without losing the track's overall melancholic vibe. Slower parts with relaxed vocals and playful percussive elements offer a short break before the song moderately quickens up the pace. Before things can get too stressful, the motive with smooth riffs, dreamy violin sounds and appeasing vocals returns. The final third becomes progressively darker again and uses quite technical riffs that flirt with technical death and thrash metal. Decently employed orchestral passages bring back the melancholy along with the calm vocals before the track slowly fades out. The entire song sounds like a playful battle between slow and thoughtful elements with harsh and menacing undertones that ends in a draw. Despite the numerous changes, the melancholic guiding line never gets lost. This single song features more ideas than other progressive metal bands manage to offer on entire releases.

Each new approach to this record makes another element stand out. One discovers the lazy piano melodies that fit in conceptually. The atmospheric background noises of blowing wind, screaming characters and chiming bells add cinematic depth. The duality of clean gothic rock vocals and moderate death metal vocals works perfectly. The violin play is at times inspired by playful folk elements but also shifts to more elegant classical inspirations. The occasional female choirs and vocals are used with care to add atmospheric depth to this conceptual effort. This album is filled with such brilliantly employed details that guarantee intriguing listening sessions even after half a dozen spins or more.

The only negative element that one could mention are the programmed drums. The absence of a real drummer might bother in the first two songs at first contact but one gets quickly used to it. The other instruments perform so brilliantly that one tends to forget about this minor flaw. It's not perfect from a technical point of view but doesn't disturb the record's hypnotizing melancholy.

In the end, this record should appeal to anyone who likes an experimental approach to the gothic and doom metal genres. It's a pity that the Italian sextet only released this single full length effort. How Like a Winter's ...Beyond My Grey Wake is timeless and that's exactly why it's worth your time. Progressive melancholy has never sounded so enchanting. Here's hope that the album will receive a remastered new release and get the credit it deserves one day.

Final rating: 95%