Here comes at least the best metal record of the year.

Over the years, Amorphis has become my favourite band of all times. I simply adore the epic and yet addicting mixture of genres of the band that went from progressive death metal over progressive folk rock to an addicting kind of melodic metal. With the arrival of singer Tomi Joutsen, the band finally got some stability and has found its very own style as well. The albums fronted by him had many strong points in common but many fans and also the band itself were afraid that a new record could sound too repetitive. A change was needed and found with the addition of an edgier production by Peter Tägtgren of Hypocrisy and Pain fame. This collaboration eventually led to more developed folk elements than ever before and a return to the death metal roots of the band plus the surprising addition of a few very well employed black metal passages. Especially fans of the old days may celebrate the return to the band’s sources but any fan of any Amorphis era should adore this release.

The band offers some of its most brutal and pitiless songs since the first two records. The apocalyptic opener “Shades Of Gray” mixes powerful death metal vocals with dark and heavy riffs and few subtle symphonic elements. The amazing opener is crowned by an energizing clean vocal chorus. Later on, “Enchanted By The Moon” hits the same vein but has a more atmospheric touch. Both songs are absolute killer tracks but this is just the beginning.

The aforementioned black metal parts can already be heard in the atmospheric masterpiece “Enchanted By The Moon” and especially in “Nightbird’s Song”. The latter track features unchained black metal vocals, grounded death metal growls and truly emotional clean vocal passages performed by one singer who performs any style in passionate perfection. The instruments vary from apocalyptic and blistering passages to melodic and liberating breaks. This song is easily one of the best the band has ever created in its long career. Tomi Joutsen has always been one of my favourite singers but this release is his personal opus magnum and perfectly impressive from the beginning to the end.

The enchanting and dreamy folk elements that might please to the power metal community show the other and softer side of the band. The amazing introduction and the appeasing melodies of “Mission” might please to those who liked the Pasi Koskinen era, the faster and even more accessible “The Wanderer” turns out to be the best second single choice for the band, the epic “Into The Abyss” unites elements of the jazzy “Tuonela” and the epic “Skyforger” records and the closing “A New Day” is an atmospheric, cinematic and epic album closer of the highest standard. My favourite folk metal tracks on this record and probably even of all times is though the heavier “Narrow Path”. The folk elements can therefore be described as some sort of guiding line of the album and are included in almost all songs. Some of them even mix both the new dominant folk elements and the black metal tones and these songs turn out to be particularly amazing.

My favourite masterpiece on here is though the first single “Hopeless Days” that mixes brutal energy with catchy and melodic grace in perfect complicity. The verses mix gripping riffs with progressive and soft vocal lines while the chorus is a powerful anthem you won’t be able to get out of your mind anytime soon. Along with “Alone” and “Sky Is Mine”, this is by far my favourite Amorphis track ever.

In the end, this album includes just killers and no fillers. It’s among or maybe even the best record I have ever listened to in my whole life. Only time will tell. I’m pretty sure though that this release will pass the test of time. That’s why it is not only one of the highlights of the year but at least in the top three best releases of this decade in my opinion. Amorphis truly defend their metal throne with what happens to be probably their best album ever released.

Check this album out at all costs and be sure to get the limited box set that features three more high quality bonus tracks and other useful gimmicks.

Originally written for The Metal Observer

Hymn Above Traumatic Emotion is a young Japanese melodic death metal band with a few evident metalcore influences. The band just released its first EP entitled "The Opening Of HATE" which consists of three songs that have a total running time of a little bit more then eleven minutes.

Despite this short release, the band already impresses me because they manage to mix a dark and dramatic atmosphere with a technically impressive instrumental work. Fast and pitiless riffs meet catchy choruses and gripping hooks. All three songs have a darker but also a quite catchy side. Despite its title, there is definitely not only hate or darkness in here but emotions of almost all kinds in some kind of a dark fantasy world. There is a lot of hit potential in this. The balance between beauty and brutality is quite perfect in all three songs.

The most intriguing element is the combination of the two vocalists. The male main singer varies from death metal growls over unchained screams and shrieks to a more melodic attitude in a few seconds only and stands out with an entertaining diversity and a surprising technical talent. In two tracks one can also hear melodic female vocals. In comparison to many female Japanese singers with amusingly childish or rather thin vocals, the performance on here certainly has this special Japanese accent or intonation but never sounds inappropriate. The female vocals sound in fact surprisingly grounded and powerful. They harmonize well with the brutal male vocals and create an almost cinematically driven conceptual contrast.

In the end, fans of melodic death metal and metalcore should definitely keep an eye on this promising newcomer band from the Far East. Imagine a mixture of Dir En Grey and Soilwork with a few female vocals. If this combination intrigues you as much as me, Hymn Above Traumatic Emotion is a band you should not miss. 

Originally written for The Metal Observer

The Walking Dead Orchestra is a quite young French extreme metal band from Grenoble that just put out its first full length release entitled “Architects of Destruction”. Let’s set a few things straight right from the beginning: the word “orchestra” might appear in the band name but what you get on here are thirty-five minutes of technically impressive and straight death metal and deathcore.

It may sound strange to you but a few tracks eventually grew on me after a couple of spins. After a first try, almost all songs sounded quite alike and seemed to focus only on a quite brutal attitude. After some time, I discovered more and more details with my headphones on and started to appreciate this record more and more even if this genre is usually not my cup of tea. I’m a very curious listener though and open for almost all kinds of metal music and I immediately felt that these five men have enough talent to stand out among so many similar bands coming from the United States of America and Indonesia these days.

First of all, I like the fact that the dominant and aggressive death metal vocals and the more black metal orientated vocal parts harmonize very well. Even though the death metal vocals are rough you can still understand parts of the lyrics which is always a good sign to me. The black metal vocals are less used but almost always in a quite efficient way. The brutal and simplistic guitar riffs meet a few surprising and brutal breakdowns. Many tracks have a slower and more modern middle part that develops some atmosphere and gives you a short break from all the musical madness that surrounds it. Let’s not forget the vivid and colorful powerhouse drumming on here. The technical abilities of this band should clearly not be underestimated.

My favorite track on here is “Catharsis for the Fallen”. The slow and almost industrial middle part creates a good contrast to the pitiless but nevertheless diversified beginning and ending of the song. That’s what I call a diversified and passionate high quality extreme metal song. The longest song on the record and album closer “Locusts” is of a similar quality but takes a few more spins due to its numerous rhythm changes and sounds a little bit less accessible to me at first try.

Other great tracks on here are the fast, modern and in an atmospherically positive sense sterile and quite nihilistic opener “Swamp Fever”, the slower and more atmospheric grower “A Mandatory Bloodshed” with distorted guitar effects and a few samples of burning fire and also the versatile “Entombment Of A Monarch” that develops a quite bleak atmosphere and which is probably the most haunting song on this release.

In the end, I’m very positively surprised by the first strike of this rather unknown band. They made me appreciate a genre I know and like less and they surely wrote a couple of quite diversified but uncompromising tracks. The balance between brutality and technical abilities is very good on here. Genre fans should definitely not miss this new band and check them out. I hope that they will soon get further attention and some credit for what they have already achieved in the first few years of their promising career.

Originally written for The Metal Observer

HexFire is a young thrash metal band with several black and especially death metal vocal influences. The band hails from Canton or Guangzhou in the Guangdong province of the People’s Republic of China. The five young men were inspired by a weapon in the famous computer game “Diablo II: Lord Of Destruction” when they chose their band name. Lyrically, the band is also inspired by horror topics and especially by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. These inspirations aren’t really new or original but nevertheless a choice that can’t be wrong.

The band has just released a collection of demo tracks featuring an instrumental and somewhat too slow paced introduction and three regular tracks. A few editions contain the whole thing in live once again and I feel that the tracks work even better on stage than in the studio. The three short and energizing songs all include simplistic but heavy riffs, a versatile drum play and a few subtle breaks and rhythms of change here and there. Even a few well done guitar solos and small moments of glory of the bass guitar player can be found in the straight mid to up tempo songs. The band has a lot of technical quality that is only flawed by somewhat faceless vocals and a mediocre production. The tracks also lack a few catchy passages and the songwriting still feels a little bit directionless from time to time. With a different vocal approach, a few more thought out song structures and a little bit more budget in the future, the band could maybe one day step onto the path of national thrash metal legends like Overload or Suffocated with their dirtier and maybe more international sound.

Until then, any fan of the Chinese and in general the Asian underground metal scene could spend a few minutes on this talented but not yet mind-breaking band. If mid tempo paced extreme metal is your cup of tea you can also give the four tracks a couple of spins and you surely won't regret it. The band doesn’t reinvent the genre of course but they do what they can with conviction and energy – nothing more but nothing less as well.

Originally written for The Metal Observer

The Old Garden Geranium is a young melodic death metal band that hails from Italy. Formed back in 2010, the band released its first five-track self-released and eponymous EP in late 2011. Fans of Scandinavian melodic death metal with a modern sound and twist should definitely give this first strike a try.

The band shows off a few solid technical abilities in the form of depressive riffs, as can be found in the atmospheric and bleak "Sunblast," but also beautiful melodic guitar solos as is in the vivid "One Step Inside." Mid-tempo and classic fast parts but also slow and atmospheric passages are well performed by the five musicians. The vocals vary from hissing melodic death metal vocals to guttural death metal growls which add some diveristy to the album.

In general, the band skips unnecessary keyboard sounds, acoustic guitars or other experiments without sounding all the same throughout the entire record. The only exception is the melodic album closer "The Road Not Taken" with its melancholic feeling that reminds me of the recent efforts by In Flames. This track shows a few atmospheric sample sounds and/or short and well employed acoustic guitar parts in the opening moments, in the progressive middle part and in the appeasing closing moments as well. For open-minded fans of the genre, this promising EP closer is surely the album highlight while metal purists might prefer the first four efforts. All five songs are quite enjoyable to listen to and there is no such a thing as a true stinker on here.

In the end, traditional and more experimental melodic death metal fans should both keep an eye on the band. On a side note, the band has already released a new single entitled "Rise And Fall" earlier last year and is about to put out its first full length release "Illusion / Reality." Before the 13 new tracks see the light of day, you can do as I did and give this EP a few spins on the official Bandcamp page: http://theoldgardengeranium.bandcamp.com/

Originally written for The Metal Observer