So you guys think you know Power Metal? Maybe that’s the case for the genre, but probably not for the criminally underrated band of the same name. This formation is one of the most important metal bands in Southeast Asia, and has been around since 1986. The band has released nine studio records as well as several compilations, live records and split releases thus far. Their last studio effort from 2010 is fittingly entitled IX, and features nine songs sung in Indonesian, as well as an instrumental track, which clock in at a total length of forty-three minutes.

On this release, the band is stylistically situated somewhere between hard rock balladry, Japanese Visual Kei elements, and melodic power metal. To my surprise, this more commercial and contemporary record features many more hard rock and Visual Kei influences than metal elements. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but IX feels bit mellow and directionless, and must be considered as one of the more forgettable releases from the band.

Power Metal opens the record with the strangest track. “Sang Waktu” starts with a few beefy riffs and weird hoarse screams that make me think of some really bad melodic death metal bands. The track then shifts toward a more traditional heavy/power metal style with twin guitar parts, an epic and dark atmosphere, but somewhat forgettable clean vocals. The band employs a few surprising elements here and there in the form of circus music-inspired passages featuring hysterical piano melodies. In the end, the track sounds like an odd mixture of Helloween, In Flames, and UneXpect. The different sections are creative, though horrifying due to the awful screams, but they don’t really fit together. The song-writing feels rather random, after all, and the track itself is much too short to lend the different stylistic passages enough space to shine.

After such a furious opener, the band calms things down way too much with the slow-paced piano track “Keyakinaku”, which makes me think of an average X Japan ballad of the nineties. The orchestral middle part is overwhelmingly bombastic and feels so exaggerated that it’s almost mildly amusing. It’s like one of Manowar’s more recent and failed attempts at creating soundtrack-inspired epic “true” metal.

The third song, “Hidup”, introduces us to the third kind of song on this record. It’s a melodic mid-to-up-tempo power metal track of European style with a catchy, liberating, and positive chorus. This is where the band really honors its name. The vocals fit in much more with this kind of song than with the first two tracks, and sound suddenly charismatic, with a slightly hypnotizing and mysterious tone brought on by emotional melodies and grounded energy. If you like bands such as Rhapsody Of Fire, Helloween, Edguy, or the band’s Indonesian colleagues from Lord Symphony, chances are that you are going to dig this kind of music.

Most of the other songs offer a mixture of these first three tracks, with a focus on hard rock ballads and Visual Kei stylistics. There is a lot of hit and miss on this record. “Satu Jiwa” is a powerful and fast power metal song with a dark atmospheric break in the middle that adds a slightly symphonic and soundtrack-infused touch to the record. Another highlight is definitely the melodic instrumental closer “Ninth Sense”, which is stylistically situated somewhere between heavy, power, and progressive metal. However, the band also suffers musical diabetes in form of the too-sweet ballad “Ayah”, that comes around with stereotypical child choirs and even a horrible out-of-tune male child vocal performance towards the end.

In the end, IX is an entertaining record, but it’s not very convincing. Half of the songs are good, average tracks that would be interesting enough to sit through the entire album, while the other half consists of exchangeable ballads or old-fashioned power metal songs. The album is okay, but nothing more, and you should instead start with a release from the early days to get to know one of the most popular bands in Southeast Asia. Those who are looking for a decent power metal release from the same region should definitely go with the latest record from Lord Symphony.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

RockStrata is one of Bangladesh’s first and most important metal bands, founded back in 1985. The heavy metal pioneers of their country released a legendary self-titled full length release back in 1990, featuring eleven songs inspired by melodic mid-tempo heavy metal with a well-struck balance in the form of smooth ballads on one side, and thrash- and speed-metal driven neck breakers on the other. The band more or less split up around 1992, and over the years three band members immigrated to the United States of America while the other two remained in Bangladesh. The band reunited in 2012 to play a few gigs, but thought that it didn’t have enough material to play appropriate full length shows. With the help of social media and modern technology, the band was able to write and record eleven new tracks. Guitars and drums were recorded in Minnesota, while the bass guitar and the vocals were recorded in Dhaka. The album itself was launched in Dhaka where the band members from abroad joined the event via webcam. Now, the Bangladeshi legends are back with eleven new tracks and almost an hour of music under the name of Notun Shader Kohje, which means something like “Finding New Flavors”.

The surprising thing is that after all the time and changes, the new record doesn’t sound too different from the first. In fact, aside from the production getting better and including fewer heavy and long tracks, this album could have been released in 1992. Despite the unusual recording process, most of the chemistry from the late eighties and early nineties is still present among the five men in 2014. What we get to hear is mid-tempo heavy metal with an abundance of melodies and grounded vocals. The opener, “Ei Amar Jibondhara”, is a catchy, melodic, and positive old school heavy metal anthem that should please anybody who digs the genre. The addicting “Dui” is only slightly different because it has a darker and almost apocalyptic atmosphere, as well as a harsh main riff that sounds reminiscent of some death metal. This is maybe the best song on here.

On the lighter side of the album, the band offers a convincing power ballad called “Eituku Asha” that incorporates a melancholic feeling without sounding too sad. I’m less impressed by the weird “Ei Boshonte”. This track starts like a boring acoustic country ballad, but suddenly, noisy riffs kick in and the song heads for thrash metal territory. Later on, we get a strange break dominated by bass guitar riffs and a bridge with random sing-along parts. The track includes many ideas, but the different parts don’t fit together at all. This song could have been really innovative for RockStrata’s sound, but it doesn’t feel well thought out at all. Maybe this is also due to the unusual recording sessions, because all other tracks here sound much more coherent. I’d label this song as a failed experiment.

The problem with the rest of the album is that the music ends up sounding the same. There’s just too much filler material in the form of uninspired, mid tempo heavy metal songs. The band doesn’t explore any new sounds at all outside of the one failure, and there’s no single song here that stands out as a real hit. Most of the work here is not really atmospheric, catchy, or engaging. It’s all just “okay”. The songs are easy to listen to, but easy to forget. Even the hypnotizing “Oshanti”, with guest guitarist Ibrahim Ahmed Kamal from the Bengali heavy metal pioneer band Warfaze, isn’t impressive at all.

Historically and musically, RockStrata can’t catch up with its first album. Their debut release is absolutely essential. While it’s not a disaster at all, this second output is nevertheless mostly forgettable, and should only be purchased by faithful fans. Even though I really like the band’s first record and have followed the reunion with enthusiasm, I feel disappointment at this point. The title Finding New Flavors doesn’t fit at all. Standing On The Same Old Ground would have been more appropriate. In the end, it’s still a good average heavy metal release but definitely nothing more.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

Saltatio Mortis’ nine band members have been a part of the German medieval rock scene since the year 2000. This scene came to life in the middle of the 1990’s when medieval market bands started to mix traditional instruments like bagpipes, bouzoukis, didgeridoos, flutes, harps, shawms, whistles, and so on with rock instruments like electric guitars and bass guitars, drums, and sometimes even keyboards. Next to Subway To Sally and In Extremo, Saltatio Mortis can, perhaps, be cited as the third most important force of the genre.

Das Schwarze Einmaleins or Das Schwarze IXI is Saltatio Mortis’ ninth studio record in only twelve years. They are surely among the most productive bands of their genre and should get some credit for this. In addition, I have seen them in concert a couple of times and they perform very well live. Let’s also add that Saltatio Mortis are one of the more metal influenced bands of their genre. Their first single “Wachstum über Alles”, includes very critical lyrics that attack the financial system and cold-hearted managers and politicians that have led Europe and Germany during the last few years. The chorus of the song is based on the melodies of the German national anthem, and the angry lyrics over it create a very punching atmosphere. The German national anthem played by bagpipes and sung in a punk rock style with new lyrics is a courageous concept that really surprised me pleasantly. I’m not a patriotic guy at all, but the German national anthem has always touched me. In addition to this, the band invited three other medieval rock bands (Das Niveau, Omnia, and Subway To Sally) to cover their song in their own style on the single, which I consider to be another great idea. The single and the album artwork are based on a comic strip style and add a new fresh twist to the genre, though I would have preferred something different and more traditional.

What about the record? The vivid opener “Früher War Alles Besser” hits the same vein as the single, and mixes intriguing lyrics with strong guitar riffs and bagpipe melodies. The lyrics laugh at those people who always claim that everything has been better in the past and that the contemporary world sucks. This is easily one of the best songs the band has ever written. Another great song is “Idol”, where the singer declares that he should never be seen as an idol, and that he has a lot of negative aspects. In addition to the honest lyrics, the music on here is catchy mixing medieval instruments with great guitar riffs in a great balance. Another true highlight on the new record is “Abrakadabra”, a very dark song with strong Arabian folk elements and emotional lyrics. The whole thing is crowned by an unforgettable chorus.

On the entire record, the band mixes more traditional folk inspired tracks like the charming “Der Kuss”, with more modern and metal driven songs like “Nur ein Traum”, and without forgetting to include a couple of more laid back songs like the ballad “Sandmann”. The diversity on this album is great, but thirteen songs plus a bonus track are too much. Amidst several tracks that are among the best the band has ever written, there are several fillers, like “Satans Fall”, “Galgenballade”, or “Randnotiz”. There is also one English track on here called “My Bonnie Mary”. Instrumentally, this track is decent, but the singer’s pronunciation is awful. In fact, I don’t even understand what he is singing, as he has a very strong German accent (and I say this being a German myself). The band has sung a few tracks in French and Latin before, and they clearly sounded better than this English track. I hope the band avoids this sort of thing in the future.

Despite a few flaws, this record is an entertaining fun ride, and should be tried out by anybody interested in the increasingly popular German medieval rock genre. I would say that the band has released one of its best records ever, though nothing will ever top Aus Der Asche, which came out in 2007. This new album is better than the latest releases by Subway To Sally, and most other German medieval rock bands in my opinion.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

One year after the very promising and energizing progressive/symphonic power metal debut 不死魂 / The Soul That Never Dies, the female fronted Taiwanese five piece comes around with a more than convincing successor. The new record, 平等精靈 / The Equal Spirit, was once again released in two versions, with Chinese or English lyrics, and clocks at over seventy-two minutes for twelve stunning tracks this time.

This album offers many trademarks established on the first record, and can be seen as logical step on the evolutionary ladder. The songwriting is similarly again diverse, and goes from beautiful ballads in the key of bands such as Xandria (as can be heard in “Vanishing Destruction”), to faster and modern stuff like “My Heart Is Dying” (which reminds me of a mixture of Edenbridge with Avenged Sevenfold – years before these bands even became known). The band convinces with a lot of progressive ideas and almost cinematic atmospheres. The musicianship shows an improvement from the already very well played debut album. The clean male vocals are sadly gone, but the mixture of more prominent harsh male vocals with the angelic performance of front woman Pay Lee sounds more balanced on this release than before. Tracks like “The Pride Of Twilight” and the outstanding “Last Memory” offer everything fans liked about the debut record: cinematic and epic atmospheres, fast riffs alternating with slower and darker heavy metal riffs, slightly progressive breaks, European power metal inspired guitar melodies, and last but not least, grounded and powerful female vocals that meet a few well employed male black metal vocals. Imagine the style of the debut record with an improvement in nearly all aspects.

There are also a few new elements as well. The sound and production have improved, and sound crystal clear. Many tracks sound more accessible and modern to me on the whole. The song structures are more coherent, and a few songs definitely focus solely on the powerful female vocals. Tracks like “Think This World” are not among my personal favorites, but their more commercialized approach, reminding me of Nightwish, should please a large crowd.

Ultimately, the band put some of the strongest songs of their entire career on this record that manage to stand out on a release that contains no filler material. The dramatic and highly diversified “Song Of Death” is such a track. Slight folk influences meet dry and sometimes almost groove metal-oriented riffs, while harmonious power metal guitar solos confront an overall rather dark atmosphere, and bleak male vocals contrast angelic female chants. The band unites all its strengths and mixes them more efficiently than ever before. Add to this a few surprises in the form of the intense final minute that dials back the speed and offers a slow and atmospheric instrumental closure where one can even hear a baby crying towards the end, and you have one impressive song. I think that this original conclusion adds an intriguingly emotional and human aspect to an otherwise quite pitiless track.

Another outstanding track on here works completely differently, and underlines the open minded diversity of this band. “Song Of Farewell” is enchanting, slow, and surprisingly soft tune that impresses with outstanding vocal performances, neoclassical guitar solos, chilling acoustic guitar parts, and a dominant keyboard that adds an epic touch to the song. Classic instruments in form of flute and string passages add a cinematic feeling as well, culminating in a truly sweet lullaby.

In the end, this record is, in my humble opinion, not only the best Seraphim record to date, but even one of the best female-fronted metal records of all time. This diversified, emotional, and technically outstanding release should definitely receive greater attention, and certainly has earned a place upon my list of personal favorites. If you want to get blown away by some honest, spiritual, and quality work, spread the name of this record and try it out without any hesitation.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal

Two years after the female fronted symphonic power metal milestone The Equal Spirit, Seraphim came around with another high class genre release that would mark singer Pay Lee’s swansong. The band kept the strong elements of the predecessor, such as epic symphonic elements, emotionally driven guitar, and the mixture of heavenly female vocals, dark growls, and a few clean male vocals. In addition to this, the band added a few clever instrumental tracks to lighten things up, as in “Gone“. Seraphim also finally honored its origins by including more Asian folk elements than before, as evidenced by the atmospheric and almost spiritual “Resurrect“.

Despite these positive elements, I give a slightly lower rating to this output than the previous. The reason is quite simple: because The Equal Spirit boasted an exclusive mixture of addicting and catchy tracks on one side, and intellectual epics on the other that directly touched my heart and soul. This third record still has four truly outstanding pieces that easily exceed the quality of many genre colleagues. The first highlight is without a doubt the aforementioned and quite original “Resurrect“. Then comes the epic, “Instantaneous“, with its diversified changes, sacral arrangements, great keyboard leads, technically impressive guitar solos, and the brilliantly grounded and powerful vocals by the now-deceased Pay Lee. Another positive is the great power metal anthem “Can’t Take”, with a sacral middle part that reminds me of the beautiful Pachelbel’s Canon (one of Baroque music’s very finest moments). Another track that caught me by surprise was the epic “My”, that stands out thanks to the best clean male vocal performance in the career of the band. The clean vocals perfectly harmonize with Peggy Lee and this dreamy power metal tune reminds me (in a very positive way) of Edenbridge. I would have liked to hear more tracks in this new vein. This song is probably my favorite track on the release.

The other songs simply don’t really discover new ground, and have lost some of their heavenly light atmosphere. A good example would be the track “Implementation”. It features growls and the soft female vocals, but these two elements harmonize less than usual, and add a rather confusing and hectic note to the song. This little imperfection isn’t anything that would bother your overall listening experience, but are an example of the kind of thing that was completely absent on the almost unbeatable predecessor. The same formula works marginally better in the haunting “Desperate”, but it’s still not on the same level as similar songs on the last release.

Nevertheless, these criticisms are still made at a very high level and under the big impression of the groundbreaking predecessor. What we have here is, in the end, a record that might still easily make it on my list of the ten best records of the year in 2004. Any symphonic power metal fan should know this high quality record, despite its obscurity.

Originally written for Black Wind Metal