Southern Cross - Rise Above (2006)

Reviewed by Sebastian Kluth

Yes, power metal exists in the diversified province of Quebec even though an array of other genres are much more prominent. Among the better known power metal bands of the province, let’s cite the promising Eclipse Prophecy, the progressive and Viking-influenced power metal act Ice Vinland, as well as the famous female-fronted Forgotten Tales. When it comes to my favorite power metal band from the province, I would definitely go for the progressive power metal act Southern Cross. Since I have seen them in concert four years ago, I have followed them closely and would like to introduce you to their three studio records. Despite the name, I would neither compare them to Black Sabbath nor to Stratovarius, as they would rather develop their very own, distinct sound on the second and third albums.

The debut album, Rise Above, was released back in 2006. The record features many straight tracks with galloping beats, melodic guitar solos, and tight drumming. The keyboards add a progressive touch to the record that would become much more prominent on the two following albums. The vocals vary from emotional and melodic to some more aggressive shouts, but they are sometimes out of tune. No doubt about it, this album will rise or fall for you depending on how much you appreciate the vocals. In my opinion, they are the record’s biggest flaw, but would really improve in the years to come.

Overall, this album sounds like a mixture of American and European power metal. The band shows off its convincing potential, but doesn’t manage to use it effectively throughout the entire album. The problem I have with this album is that it’s a bit too straightforward, and that the songwriting gets repetitive. The thrash-driven opener “You Shall Be Damned”, with its progressive keyboard sounds makes me think of a mixture of Metallica and Ayreon, and is rather intriguing. I might also point out the calm ballad “This World Was Just A Dream” that, while a fresh idea, suffers from a loudly dominating out-of-key vocal performance. The progressive closer and title song “Rise Above” kicks off like an epic anthem should, but the track is rather overlong and repeats the same riffs and patterns over and over, just as in “Never Dare Say”. If the band had done more concise song writing and cut off around three minutes of each track, the two songs would sound much more consistent and be really great, but as it is they feel somewhat directionless.

If you are interested in energizing power metal with a few influences from the progressive and thrash fields, you should try this album out all the same. If you get along with the particular vocals, you might easily enjoy this record more than I did. If you’re not sure about this release, I would instead recommend the record’s successor, Down Below, that came out three years later, which I consider to be a contemporary progressive power metal masterpiece.

3.25 // 5

Saltatio Mortis - Das Schwarze Einmaleins (2013)

Reviewed by Sebastian Kluth

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.

4.0 // 5

Ivory Twilight - Седем (2013)

Reviewed by Sebastian Kluth

There aren’t all too many famous metal bands coming out of Bulgaria. The only one I could think of, however, is one of the most underrated progressive metal bands ever – Pantommind, which split up earlier this year (but has one more album to release posthumously). Recently, however, I’ve discovered another excellent Bulgarian band. Ivory Twilight is a symphonic power metal band hailing from Plovdiv that has been around since 2003, and has finally released its first full length release, Седем, (which means “Seven” in Bulgarian) ten years later.

The three worst things about this release are quite evident. First of all, we have truly awful cover artwork: a gothic prostitute disguised as Little Red Riding Hood holding a mask reminding me of my old Latin teacher at high school, and standing in a landscape inspired by the works of Salvador Dali. Next: we have rather bad production that doesn’t fit the elaborate music. The record also includes many out-of-tune vocals. I’m not sure if this is due to the cheap production or the lack of talent of the three vocalists, but the first two songs sound especially unclean. The song writing is very good, but these two tracks are hard to sit through due to the sub-mediocre vocals. I have to forgive this otherwise promising band, because this is a self-released effort. Once you have been through the first couple of songs, you will discover a passionate and sophisticated symphonic metal record with incredibly high potential.

“Безсмъртни” is the first song to feature two audibly distinctive female vocalists. One delivers a grounded and powerful performance, while the other impresses with well done operatic vocals. The calm male singer gives the song a more alternative rock or goth-rock touch. For the very first time, the vocals fit very well and don’t sound out of place. The dreamy guitar play and the appeasing keyboards create a very unique atmosphere on this track.

From this point on, Ivory Twilight delivers one great song after the other. “Вятър” offers another great combination of powerful singing. The highlights of this song are a few audible bass guitar passages, the enchanting piano melodies (reminding me slightly of Helloween’s “If I Could Fly”), and the strong chorus. “Прощално” is a powerful ballad with an emotional outburst towards the end where soaring violin samples meet gripping narrative passages and gracious female vocals. Fans of early Nightwish can’t get around a song like this.

If I had to describe the record in one word, it would be “diversity”. Three vocalists, two guitar players, a bassist, and a keyboard player deliver a dynamic firework of creativity. From acoustic guitar driven fairy ballads such as “Самодива” to potential single candidates in the form of mid-tempo anthems performed in English (like the diversified “Angel Master”), and the dark and catchy gothic rock closer “Killing Me After” the band never fails to at least surprise, and delivers at the highest song writing level.

The hidden masterpiece on the album is the apocalyptic “Simphonious Orgasmus”, with its outstanding atmospheric keyboard work varying from cinematic sounds to electronic elements, the engaging guitar riffs, and the dramatic female vocals that don’t require any male backup. The song is a little bit over the top and theatrical, but this touch of madness adds an unpredictable progressive note to the song that I like a lot. As the title suggests, you also end up hearing a few orgasmic sounds, but in a more subtle way than Turisas recently provided. This song might sound odd at first try, but I’m sure it will grow on you even though I appreciated it at first listen.

I’m sure this kind of record won’t appeal to everybody. Some people might have some problems with the weak production. Others might argue that three vocalists are muddying the waters. Purists might complain about the massive use of keyboards, though I feel they have been organically integrated into the sound. Other people might not appreciate the high degree of diversity and think this album overwhelming. To my ears, the mixture sounds excellent, and never gets boring. This is a record to discover over and over again. It’s filled with rich details and it’s experimental, but the songs are very catchy no matter if you listen to those in English or Bulgarian ones. This album is intriguing enough to make you forget its technical flaws. Ivory Twilight are not just another Nightwish clone, but a unique, sophisticated, and quite hard to categorize after all. I hope this band will get an international record deal and some credit for their great debut that they have been working on for so long. Try to get in touch with the band and get your hands on this album.

4.0 // 5