Considered to be an elegant doom creation, I find many of the tracks on Finnish band Graven Sin‘s new album, Veil Of The Gods, to have more of a traditional metal sound mixed with a progressive vibe with a touch of anthemic power metal. This album doesn’t have the feel of a debut but more of seasoned sound and that’s a testament to how talented this band is. Band members Ville Pystynen guitarist, Nicholas Leptos vocalist and Ville Markkanen on drums have devised a listening experience that allows fans to immerse themselves in this album.
The first track ‘The Morrigan’ sends you into a frenzy with strong vocals breaking into the galloping guitar riffs with a catchy chorus. What a way to start an album coming out fast and furious. This is one of my three favourites and I can only imagine how cool this track would sound live.
‘From The Shadows’ continues a traditional metal sound and gives me more of a Manowar vibe. The drums on this track supply a cool groove and again strong vocals top this track. The classic guitar solo is awesome. ‘Bloodbones’ is another favourite track of mine. This is heavy and has a touch of a doom sound and really showcases Leptos’s vocal range. It has that earworm affect where you find yourself humming the chorus hours later.
Fourth track ‘She Who Rules Niflheim’ has such a cool guitar and drum intro. This is an anthemic song, again vocalist Nicholas Leptos soars high and mighty creating more of a doom power metal mix that works really well. ‘I Am Samael’ and ‘Cult Of Nergal’ push the traditional metal elements creating an anthemic sound that gives you more of a sound change up keeping the listener engaged. Track seven ‘The Scarlet Night’ is another favourite track of mine. This has a progressive chugging guitar sound that really works well with the strong vocals. The track reminds me of a more heavier older Queensrÿche, Geoff Tate vibe.
‘Beyond Mesopotamia’ speeds things up and the heavy vocals meld great with the double bass pounding. The guitar sounds amazing and the solo is well timed. ‘The Jackal God’ is another strong vocal track and the backing chanting feel creates an ominous sound that pushes this song to another high. ‘Wand Of Orcus’ speeds things up again with fast guitar riffs and a darker vocal punch. This has a huge power metal anthemic sound that really hits the mark.
The last track ‘As The Erinyes Emerge’ finishes the album on a high. Again this is another track with a slower doom sound and darker vocals. Around the two minute mark the song speeds up with a pulsating guitar riff that is like an engine.
It’s evident that Graven Sin are not only lyrically dominating but also possess superb musicianship and massive vocals that make a huge impression. This is definitely a musical journey for the listener and I recommend this album for fans expecting everything from a traditional metal band, with so many other genre inclusions. One thing is for sure, there is something for everyone on this album.
Veil Of The Gods drops on November 3rd via Svart Records.
ALBUM REVIEW – ANGRA
Angra – Cycles Of Pain
Reviewed By: Denis Bridger
Review Score: 9.0
The comedian Richard Prior once said “pain is comedy.” Meaning, without a load of pain in our lives, what would we have to find funny or write about? I think that can be said of all forms of art – that pain can induce so much emotion that art is created from that, which, in turn, is a healthy way to get through the pain. This couldn’t be more true of Brazilian band Angra‘s forthcoming album, Cycles Of Pain. It’s a journey through pain, despair, anguish and loss, but also a time of hope, positivity, and character building. All of these descriptors can be heard, and felt, on this record.
Angra have been in existence since about ’91, and are one of the first metal bands to come out of South America. As such, they are considered to be true legends in many parts of the world. Cycles Of Pain is the band’s tenth release, and their first on Atomic Fire Records. It is immediately clear that these power metal legends have crafted an album that takes the listener on an emotional journey. Rafael Bittencourt (guitarist), sadly lost his father in 2019, while also losing former singer Andre Matos (who also passed in 2019).
It was these dark moments that the band reflected about life and the never-ending circle of birth, life and death. But things aren’t all doom and gloom, as there is a clear message of positivity on the album and an obvious living-here-and-now vibe. This is an incredibly musical album with lots of great melodies, classic metal vocals, fantastic bass work, and, of course, killer guitars and intricate drumming. If that weren’t enough, the album also has some decidedly non-metal moments that are bound to surprise.
Cycles Of Pain begins with the track ‘Cycles Doloris’. An interesting song that has a very cathedral sounding intro piece that lasts for about forty-eight seconds. This leads straight into ‘Ride Into The Storm’, with the first half of the song being intensely power-riff driven, which is then followed by a beautifully melodic chorus and a screaming solo. Of course, this is what one would expect to hear in their power metal, but then it goes into some insane time changes with more melody and then some crazy-mad guitar and bass work that will most certainly blow your mind. Finally, the song gives the listener a bit of a mellow reprieve before, once again, going full-on power until the end. Phew!
Second song, ‘Dead Man On Display’ is where the album really kicked in for me, becoming more progressive and more introspective. It’s quite obvious that the lyrical theme of the song speaks of death and losing those we love, along with the pain that comes with that. This is definitely a stand out track; though, to be perfectly honest, there are quite a few stand out tracks on this record. Again, the riffs are excellent, and let’s not forget to mention the crazy-ass bass stuff going on. I also can’t end this without saying how much I love the chorus, which has a real sing-along vibe to it with some incredible vocal work. Just like the previous track, the mid-section of this song goes absolutely crazy. It’s obvious that these guys think about composition A LOT… those time changes! There is a lot going on with this track. Things just get better and better from here on out.
Next we have the tracks ‘Tide Of Changes – Part 1’ and ‘Tide Of Changes – Part 2’. The first of the two being a beautiful bass and vocal piece (which could possibly be an intro to part 2) that feels very positive but also quite melancholic (not dissimilar to ‘Dead Man On Display’). At just over a minute, the listener is hit with the perfect solo that segues into ‘Tide Of Changes – Part 2’. The second of the two songs is about getting through the rough stuff and coming out the other side. It’s a very positive sounding song with the lyric “I will rise again”. There is some great bass guitar work on this track and some incredible guitar interplay. This is already one of my favourite tracks, which made me long to have the lyrics in front of me to have a good old sing along. These two songs, if I were to compare, come across as a heavier, more powerful ‘Silent Lucidity’. An incredible duo of songs that I am sure are going to sound killer live!
The album then graces us with ‘Vida Seca’, a song that I particularly like. It starts with a very non-metal, more traditional-sounding Brazilian vibe. At some point, a very nice riff comes in and the combination of the Brazilian-vibe and this give the song a very unique and special feeling. The song title literally translates to ‘Barren Life’. Again, we are struck with a very mournful feel, with the lyric “The angels are falling” being proof of this. Even though it is melancholic, it is presented in a very positive way. Brazilian singer-songwriter Lenine also guests on the track. This proves that the band aren’t afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something different.
The next track, ‘Gods Of The World’, is another big song with a great melody that surges throughout. It is a true power metal tune with blistering solos and some great backing vocals. This is just a fantastic song, quite simply put.
Now, for the title track, ‘Cycles Of Pain’. From the start, one gets the feeling of a deep, emotional, complex piece of music that is sure to take you on a journey into true progressive territory. If you are like me, you’ll long for the chorus, but the band will leave you hanging a bit longer, slowly building and building. When that chorus finally comes, it is filled with the emotion that the band must have personally felt in their very own ‘Cycles Of Pain’. In epic fashion, the band deliver a very emotional guitar solo on this track, which, at some points, is very dreamy. As quickly as that dream state came, it all comes crashing back down to the reality of pain. The last few words of the song “but I’ll survive” are a clear indication of its theme.
‘Faithless Sanctuary’ starts off by putting the listener in the middle of the Amazon for a moment. This is then followed by a magical, blistering riff while the bass rumbles and throbs. The track has a classic progressive thing happening, yet, at any given moment, it feels like it all could change. It should also be noted that there is a slightly darker tinge to the song. I truly love the drumming on this track (and throughout the record), which utilizes some traditional Brazilian percussion. Very cool.
The track ‘Here And Now’ sees some beautiful guest vocals from Brazilian singer Vanessa Moreno (she also appears on ‘Tide Of Change – Part 2’). Vanessa’s lines “Open your heart” and “We’re living in the here and now” point to this being a very positive song. This is another great song, something I can’t seem to say enough about this album.
For fun, I’ll leave one track ‘Generation Warriors’ as a surprise for the readers of this (no spoilers!) and jump to the last track, ‘Tears Of Blood’, which sees pianist Juliana D’Agostino guesting, as well as guest vocals by American singer-songwriter, Amanda Somerville. A fantastic finale to a fantastic album.
To sum up, I think both fans and newcomers of Angra will be easily impressed by this piece of work. It is emotional, dark, light, heavy, soft, powerful and musically excellent with complex songs that take the listener on a musical journey that is bound to evoke thoughts of life and death. Though the theme of this album might center around death, the music and lyrics are very positive. The album art, depicting a Pagan angel (titled ‘The Combination Of Elements’), was created by Erick Pasqua. The album was recorded in Brazil and was mixed and mastered in Germany by long-time Angra partner, Dennis Ward (D.C Cooper, Pink Cream 69, Place Vendrome). Very well done, Angra.
Doro released her eighteenth studio album Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proudon October 27th, 2023 through Nuclear Blast Records. She hails from Germany starting her music career as the frontwoman for the metal band Warlock from 1982 – 1988 who released four albums. Legal issues involving the Warlock band name resulted in future albums issued under the Doro moniker (fourteen more albums). That’s an impressive forty-year career in metal and why Doro is known as the “Metal Queen”.
Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proud delivers fifteen new songs mostly in the two-to-four-minute range and includes five equally strong bonus tracks. The song writing is diverse including fist raising sing-along metal anthems that Doro does best, emotional ballads, varied song pacing (rock, bluesy, hard rock and metal) and some interesting cover song surprises. The tracks rarely overstay their welcome, are memorable and encourage repeat listens. Doro shares vocal duties on three songs with Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Sammy Amara from the popular German band The Broilers.
The album opens strongly with an epic marching into battle song ‘Children Of The Dawn’ reminding me of a much tamer Amon Amarth which features some near-death metal backing vocals. A killer track led by Doro’s raspy melodic vocal delivery. ‘Fire In The Sky’ picks up the pace highlighting shredding guitars, thunderous drumming and an addictive hook laced chorus. The first of two Rob Halford duets follows next on ‘Living After Midnight’, a fun approach to the classic song with the vocal interaction between Doro and Rob very effective but they both stick to the original song blueprint. ‘All For You’ tricks you into thinking it will be ballad but builds in intensity led by a rapidly increasing drum pace and features some outstanding guitar shredding and a massive anthemic sing-along chorus.
‘Lean Mean Rock Machine’ is slower heavy track highlighting some cool guitar riffs but the song writing is a little too repetitive or generic making it less memorable compared to the first four tracks. Lyrically, the entire song is shouting the song title. The album rebounds nicely with ‘I will Prevail’ showcasing Doro’s powerful vocals featuring another anthemic chorus, strong supporting band performance and the cool aggressive death metal backing vocals from the album opener makes a return visit. Vocalist Sammy Amara from the German band The Broilers joins Doro on ‘Bond Unending’ providing a nice change of pace on the album. A traditional rock song featuring another memorable vocal interaction.
‘Time For Justice’ is a classic kick-ass Doro anthemic song that will surely be a staple in future live performances. Once again, the album shifts direction with the multi-lingual (German / English) ballad ‘Fels In Der Brandung’ emphasizing Doro’s beautiful vocal tone. ‘Love Breaks The Chains’ begins with an angelic intro but spends most of the time in the hard rock zone with a strong Doro passionate vocal performance. “Drive Me Wild” follows the path of the previously mentioned ‘Lean Mean Rock Machine’ and feels too repetitive once again, not one of the albums better tracks. ‘Rise’ is incredibly brief, but the pace picks up and Doro’s melodic vocals / chorus is incredibly addictive.
Doro continues to vary the song writing with another ballad ‘Best In Me’ that’s emotional, dynamic and slightly haunting. ‘Heavenly Creatures’ is a melodic hard rock tune showcasing Doro’s broad vocal range and impressive vocal hooks. The record closes with a surprise cover duet with Rob Halford on ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ that works brilliantly in my opinion. Doro’s raspy vocals are perfect for this Bonnie Tyler classic, and I absolutely love Rob and Doro’s emotional vocal interaction. It shouldn’t work but it does.
Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proudis an impressive album that will broadly appeal to traditional metal fans. Doro shows no sign of slowing down, this record easily stands with some of her best work spanning her forty-year career. Doro’s vocals are powerful, mature and melodic supported by her bandmates who deliver an equally strong performance and contribute to the song writing. After fully absorbing this record and seeing Doro confidently headline Wacken Open Air 2023 in Germany with a special 40th anniversary set – the “Metal Queen” designation remains 100% accurate.
Bonus Tracks – Quick Review
Not sure how Doro determined which songs would be included as part of the album vs. a bonus track but I liked a few bonus tracks more than two or three of the actual album tracks. ‘Warlocks And Witches’ is short a melodic spoken word intro. ‘Horns Up High’ is a fun pirate metal track in the style of Alestorm. I loved ‘True Metal Maniac’ which isa slower blues rock song perfectly suited to Doro’s voice. ‘Heart In Pain’ is a hard rock tune featuring some chunky guitar riffs and catchy vocal melodies. Lastly, ‘The Four Horseman’ is a cool Metallica cover in the Doro style and far less intense relative to the original. The production on the bonus tracks is not as polished.
Children Of The Dawn Fire In The Sky Living After Midnight All For You Lean Mean Rock Machine I Will Prevail Bond Unending Time for Justice Fels In Der Brandung Love Breaks Chains Drive Me Wild Rise Best In Me Heavenly Creatures Total Eclipse of The Heart Bonus Track – Warlocks And Witches Bonus Track – Horns Up High Bonus Track – True Metal Maniacs Bonus Track – Heart In Pain Bonus Track – The Four Horseman
ALBUM REVIEW – CARNAL TOMB
Carnal Tomb – Embalmed In Decay
Reviewed by: Jim Harrison
Review Score: 8.5
Accomplished death metal masters Carnal Tomb who hail from Berlin, Germany are set to release their third full length album next month. This band has successfully channeled on old school death metal sound on the all important third album of a band that doesn’t disappoint. Lyrically inspired by morbid funeral rites, zombie movies and other sources of gore infected topics this album will make waves among death metal fans worldwide.
Talented band members, Cryptic Tormentor (guitar/vocals), Goat Eviscerator (guitar), Vomitcrist (drums), and Impaler (bass) create an aggressive sound that will shake the most seasoned death metal fan to their very soul. The morbidly classic album cover art was created by Skaovalder, and captures the essence of what you are about to experience, one of the coolest I have seen in years.
The album begins with a light ominous intro that has a calming sense about it then it explodes into the second song ‘The Putridarium’ which is a fast, aggressive assault with heavy guitar riffs and dark vocals. The song is inspired by a southern Italian medieval funeral practice where the deceased would be placed on a putridarium and left to rot down to the bones. They then would be brought to their final resting place signifying a state of purgatory that the dead had to go through.
‘Cataclysmic Maze’ is another doom sounding track that is slower with a killer bass riff and drum groove. The album speeds up again with ‘Defiled Flesh’ with fast guitars and again a cool drum groove to it. ‘Draped In Disgust’ has a sludgy guitar sound that creates this cool Morbid Angel vibe. The vocals on this track are so dark with the addition of vocalist Serkan Niron.
My two favourite tracks ‘Cerebral Ingestion’ and ‘Morgue Usurper’ both have killer guitar riffs and are absolute rippers. Both these tracks are reminiscent of the quintessential death metal vibe, both are heavy hitting tracks that would be cool live.
The title track ‘Embalmed In Decay’ is another fast track that has a cool vocal sound chugging through it. I love how the song has a change up about the two minute thirty mark sending the listener on another journey.
The last track ‘Eyes Of The Chasm’”’ is the longest song on the album at almost seven minutes. This starts off with a smoking guitar riff intro and the vocals just take off. This feels like it’s the accumulation of what this album is about with extreme aggressiveness. This song has hints of speed and thrash throughout set to a death metal vibe. This would be another cool track to see live.
Carnal Tomb has cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with creating a death metal masterpiece for their third album. They keep the listener engaged with thought provoking subject matter, great vocals and talented musicianship, all ingredients that a death metal band need to succeed with today’s audience.
I recommend this album for all metal fans from the death metal connoisseur to someone who is looking to delve into this genre. Bottom line this album has been designed to kick your ass and to be played at eleven .
When you think of black metal and Greece, which is the one band that immediately comes to mind? Yep. You’d be correct. The Rotting ones sit atop the throne of Hellenic musical extremity. Of course, there are a few other notable mentions: SepticFlesh, Thou Art Lord,Varathron, Nightfall, Naer Mataron, amongst a host of other killer bands that prefer to revel in the underground. But, when it comes to big, meaty black metal, the kind full of pomp and circumstance, there is another fantastic entry from Greece that sits comfortably alongside the aforementioned bands: W.E.B.
A cursory listen to their brand new EP, Into Hell Fire We Burn, immediately brings to mind mid-era Dimmu Borgir and Cradle Of Filth. Where it differs is in its rampant use of experimentation. No two songs sound the same. In fact, the band take things right out of the sub-genre of extreme metal with a couple of songs that are straight-up industrial dance and full-on orchestral. These sonic journeys into the realms of bleeps and bloops and the symphonious are not unlike Covenant (the band featuring former Dimmu Borgir bassist, Nagash) and their ’98 album, Nexus Polaris. This album, at the time, challenged all black metal stereotypes. It was big, brash, and ludicrously fun (yes, even black metal can be fun).
W.E.B. are the Covenant of this millennium, and that’s a good thing. We are sorely lacking in the realm of black metal when it comes to being frolicsome. There are a few exceptions, most notably Carach Angren, who deliver a circus-like take on Nordic extremity. W.E.B. combine all the best elements of symphonic black metal and build upon that foundation with some solid musicianship and songwriting. In fact, Into Hell Fire We Burn, was an idea the band has had for a very long-time, only having one other EP in their catalogue, My Storm Upon You, that dates way back to 2012.
Starting the EP off is the title track, Into Hell Fire We Burn, a brand new song that immediately grabs the listener by the throat with it’s incredibly catchy chorus (good luck getting this one outta your head anytime soon). The first single from the album, ‘Necrology Of Hel’, is a re-recording of the song ‘Necrology’ (from their 2021 album, Colosseum) and sung by Hel Pyre (W.E.B. bassist, who also moonlights as bassist for Nervosa).
This is followed-up with a re-recording of two older songs (‘For Bidens’ and ‘My Storm Upon You’) which the band, very effectively, combined into a medley with the song ‘Forbidden Storm’. This track expertly recalls the most epic moments of Dimmu Borgir‘s 2010 album, Abrahadabra. Things then get very dance-y with the track ‘Lunar Nightmares’ which is an industrial remix of ‘Nightmares In Disguise’ and ‘Regina Est’ (both originally found on W.E.B.’s 2014 album, For Bidens). I gotta say, this song needs to be immediately spun by every credible DJ at every reputable goth/industrial club in Europe. It is that good.
The album closes out with two epic tracks, the orchestral version of the ‘Clamor Luna’ trilogy (the trilogy first appearing on the band’s 2014 album, For Bidens) which is now-titled here as ‘Clamor Luna Orchestram’, and an incredible cover of the infernal hell fire and victorious screams of Rotting Christ‘s ‘Non Serviam’ (from the ’94 album of the same name).
There’s a lot to process when listening to Into Hell Fire We Burn, but this is exactly its strength. No two listens are the same, as you’ll always hear something new or bits and pieces that you hadn’t picked up on in previous listens. This keeps the EP fresh and exciting with each and every listen. A fantastic release that breathes new life into the realm of symphonic black metal. Highly recommended and very much looking forward to their next full-length!
Into Hell Fire We Burn drops on October 27th via Metal Blade Records.
