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So here we are, with another year gone and a new one ushered in. In an effort to address the ever-growing pile of albums that I want to review, but just never can't find the time to, I'm gonna toss all of them in here and wipe the plate clean. So here we go, with what will no doubt be the longest Shorter Than Danzig to date.
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Enslaved - Vertebrae
Nuclear Blast
Good things are usually expected when it comes to a new Enslaved release, but I'd be remiss if I didn't say that the last Enslaved album fell short of my high standards for the band. Runn found the band in a temporary rut and came across as a directionless meandering affair. I'm very happy to report that Vertebrae brings the band out of what could had been considered the beginning of a slump. Vertebrae takes the overall intent of Ruun and runs with it.
Somewhere along the way Enslaved has become Norway's answer to Sigh, the eclectic Japanese metal band that defies classification. Enslaved blurs the line between black metal, death metal, progressive metal and viking metal, a genre they almost invented by accident. They're also tossing in plenty doses of psychedelia, not unlike North America's Nachtmystium. Clouds starts things off with one of the most inventive songs in the band's expansive catalog. Its a total progressive trip, journeying through a musical landscape that brings to mind King Crimson and Yes. There are more traditionally blackish parts littered throughout the album, but Enslaved makes it clear that they're not going to confine themselves to just one genre. Ground provides a trippy atmosphere that is seeping through the crevices of the band's metal exterior. The band reaches a high point with New Dawn, containing a melodic interlude that effortlessly balances out the rest of the song's heaviness. More psychedelia can be found on Center, with bathes itself in intoxicating atmospheric tones.
Long gone is the Enslaved that made Blodhemn and Frost, which unraveled its creativity in brutality. They've matured a great deal and while they still can lay down the onslaught with the best of them, they've also experimented with other ideas that lead to a far more enriched and potent output. Vertebrae is top notch Enslaved.
Score: 8/10
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Enforcer - Into The Night
Heavy Artillery
Classic sounding heavy metal seems to have made a big comeback in 2008, what with AC/DC's new high profile album and all of the attention given to the young pups in Black Tide. But for my money, you simply aren't gonna find a better purely heavy metal album than Enforcer's mighty debut. Unlike Black Tide, which already out of the gate has a "heard this before" vibe to it, Enforcer's music sounds incredibly fresh. The songs are a cross section of standard metal song archetypes, but who can resist a well written classic sounding metal song? I sure can't. Album standouts are numerous, but the title track and Scream Of The Savage jump out the most. Vocalist Olof Wikstrand sounds so much like a young Eric A.K., its almost eerie. Into The Night really does really does sound like a long lost gem from the 80's.
And the album cover has boobs! Gotta like that too.
Score: 9/10
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Battlelore - The Last Alliance
Napalm
I have a hard time trying to categorize Battlelore's sound, so I'm gonna just gonna label them as LOTR Metal. The Last Alliance is the latest album by the Tolkien-obsessed Finns, plying their epic symphonic metal trade. The album isn't so different from their last two, so fans of those shouldn't hesitate in seeking this out. The music is a bit more intense in spots, especially the stellar Voice Of The Fallen. The band's best kept secret is female vocalist Kaisa Jouhki, who would probably be attracting more attention if the band she was playing in didn't have an easily written off gimmick.
Score: 7/10
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Unsun - The End Of Life
Century Media
So you have Mauser of death metal legends Vader and Heinrich of the death/black metal hybrid Vesania. You'd expect a project with these two individuals to be along the same lines of their native bands. Well, in this case you'd be very wrong. Unsun has alot more in common with Lullacry and (newer) Sentenced than either Vader or Vesania.
Fronted by a petite blonde named Aya, Unsun's debut has 11 songs of catchy sorta-gothic metal. Songs like Whisper, Blinded By Hatred and The Other Side show off the band's penchant for energetic memorable songs, while the lighter Face The Truth and Memories shows how versatile the band is at writing emotional ballady songs. Aya herself is at her best on Bring Me To Heaven, an intoxicating song that'll easily appeal to fans of Lacuna Coil, Lullacry and the like. Snobbish extreme metal elitists should stay away.
Score: 7/10
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Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free II
SPV
The news of power metal veterans Gamma Ray writing a sequel to their landmark 1995 album Land Of The Free was met with much criticism and remarks. The one I had was "Land Of The Free was a concept album?" Well apparently it is, though more in the sense that it follows a common theme of oppression and freedom instead of a defined storyline. Still, needing to write a sequel to that seemed unnecessary and in truth, Land Of The Free II is mostly a sequel in name only. This could had been released under any other title and no one would had suspected anything. But the important issue is whether the album is good. And it is.
Twin guitar harmonies, double bass drumming, gang chanted choruses, blazing solos, you name it and Gamma Ray does it again on here. Land Of The Free II easily has the most complete set of good songs from Gamma Ray since Powerplant. Whether its Into The Storm, Rain or Real World, you pretty much know what you're getting from them. But there are a few surprises, the more noticeable one being the Zimmerman penned Empress. On this track the band tries something totally different, a more riff orientated song that comes totally out of left field. Then there's Insurrection, which at 11 minutes really shows that the band still has the ability to write powerful epics.
To most it won't compare to the first Land Of The Free, but 13 years after the fact its not all that fair to do so. Power Metal fans should have no problem adding this to their collection.
Score: 8/10
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Soulfly - Conquer
Roadrunner
Wait, you're telling me that Max doesn't write crappy music anymore? That he's writing songs that approach the awesomeness of classic Sepultura? Comon, that can't be.
Oh yes.
Ditching his thrash roots for a groove-core that fit right in with the wave of forgettable nu-metal bands from the 2000, Max Cavalera's Soulfly has long been a punching bag for the metal underground. Well this time all of his detractors will have to eat their words, as Conquer is flat out awesome. There's still the mixing of tribal sounds with metal to deal with, but this time, more than ever, Max and co. make it work.
Blood Fire War Hate starts things off with a blazing fire than isn't gonna be cooled down anytime soon. Max, along with future guitar wizard Marc Rizzo, lay down an intense barrage of riffs that can take someone's head off with ease. Unleash combines some serious heaviness with equally heavy tribal drumming that fits like a glove. The end result is simply massive. Warmageddon is another fantastic thrash bulldozer that demolishes everything in sight. A serious contender for thrash song of 2008 is Fall Of The Sycophants, which gives even classic Sepultura a run for its money. Touching The Void is another song that utilizes the tribal aspect of Soulfly with incredible results. The album winds down with one of the best instrumentals I've heard in years, Soulfly VI.
After all is said and done, Conquer is the first truly essential Soulfly album. Welcome back Max, we missed you.
Score: 9/10
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Motorhead - Motorizer
SPV
Its been a while since Motorhead has released a truly essential album. A case can be made for Inferno, but otherwise the last 15 years or so has seen the band repackage their archetypal assortment of songs without a lot of fire behind them. Motorizer changes this. While still coming short when compared to the classics Overkill and Ace Of Spades, Motorizer does provide a decent set of songs that for once sound inspired.
No real surprises with this new batch of Motorhead songs, just like AC/DC you know exactly what you're gonna get. When The Eagle Screams is vicious and Rock Out is sure to make heads bang and asses shake. English Rose is one of those Motorhead ballads that while trying to be touching still ends up being heavier than a wrecking ball. Buried Alive would had felt right at home on Bastards.
Lemmy, you rock.
Score: 7/10
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Battleroar - To Death And Beyond...
Cruz Del Sur
Battleroar is a true metal band that takes its sound right out of the pages of Manowar, Manilla Road and Omen. With a sound that mimics the epicness of a battlefield, To Death And Beyond provides nine songs that pour out with total passion and dedication to the art of metal. Almost half of the songs are pass the eight minute mark, perfect for a victorious march. The only real clunker is the beyond silly Born In The 70's, which sticks out like a sore thumb with its cheesy hard rock feel that belongs on some glam record.
Manowar may have lost their minds in recent years, but bands like Battleroar are more than able to pick up the slack.
Score: 7/10
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Mercenary - Architect Of Lies
Century Media
The last few years have been pretty good for the Danish metal band Mercenary. 11 Dreams was the perfect melding of melodic death metal and progressive metal while The Hours That Remain saw the band further develop their progressive sound into enticing territory. It would seem that the band was headed to a total reinvention on their next album, but Architect Of Lies feels more like a regression than a proper next step. Make no mistake, it is definitely a solid album, full of catchy songs that'll stick to your head, but this places Mercenary in closer to bands like Soilwork than the top tier of progression that the previous albums suggested they were capable of. The band is still top notch, perhaps tighter than ever and new bassist Rene Pederson does an admirable job in replacing former member Kral. This is the band's most accessible album to date, but the real meat of their material is still found on 11 Dreams and The Hours That Remain.
Score: 7/10
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That covers most of it. There are still a few notable albums that I want to give their own detailed write ups, but who knows when I'll get around to doing that....
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