So, now that the year is pretty much done, what are your thoughts on the Metal world this year? Best of? Disappointments? Surprises? How did Falconer fare on your lists? What would you like to see in 2007?
Personally, I didn't get much new stuff. I'm usually busy getting older records that have accumulated through the years, but here are some quick thoughts on a bunch of the stuff I did listen to this year:
Battleheart - Battleheart and Terror on the High Seas
Well, start with some Grave Digger as the base ingredient, add bombastic (keyboard) orchestration, mix with some cheesy 80s sounding lead keys, spice with cartoonish pirate themes, throw some folkish melodies, season with barrells of fun and voilá, you have Battleheart. These guys released a couple of EPs, which are pretty similar for the most part. Well, the first one has incredibly bad (and out of key) vocals, but they are much better on the second one. This band is fun, that's about it. They're not to be taken too seriously and actually are competent at creating the bufoonish pirating atmosphere. Their songs are fun to raise your pint to and sing along (some of the lyrics are quite amusing). Still, it's a good thing that these are short EPs, because I wouldn't be able to enjoy it if it was much longer. Both EPs are up for download at their site.
Dissection - Reinkaos
A surprise. I wasn't expecting much, but the album is actually good! Very different from their earlier efforts, here is the band playing blackish Heavy Metal and creating a dark atmosphere with it. As a matter of fact, and despite its flaws, the atmosphere achieved is what makes this album a good one.
Drudkh - Krov u nashykh Krynytsyakh
This is some pretty well done folkish, atmospheric black metal from Ukraine. The songs are long and, for the most part, slow tempo. The sound is quite atmospheric and the end result is that of music which projects lonely natural landscapes. Still, although this is quite a strong release and the quality IS there, there is something that just doesn't quite "click" with me. Yet, if you like this kind of stuff, you should definitely pick it up.
Falconer - Northwind
My review is somewhere around so go read it if you haven't. :P My thoughts haven't changed much since. One of the band's best.
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death
Wow, surprise of the year. BNW was barely above average, then DoD reeked of mediocrity, so the logical next step was a below average album, right? Well, Maiden redeemed themselves with this very good effort that is their best since the awesome X-Factor. Incredibly consistent record. All I need now is to see them playing it live dammit!
Oppression - State of War
Thrash that has a nice old school sound to it (not to be confused with that "retro" bullshit). The musicianship is tight, but the songwriting needs some work; sometimes they just extend songs unnecesarily and end up meandering around more than anything. The EP is up for download at their website.
Pharaoh - The Longest Night
Not as good as the debut, which was a very good piece of Heavy Metal, but almost as strong. This band usually flies under the radar, which is a shame because they put to shame a lot of other overhyped bands.
Slayer - Christ Illusion
As the saying goes: Close but no cigar. Sorry, there is still too much nu-bullshit on the album. Still, it's miles ahead of the crap they had been releasing for a while.
Steel Attack - Diabolic Symphony
Here you have the perfect example of a band that is incredibly damaged by a truly atrocious production. Hey, whayt's the point of having dynamics? Let's just make everything as loud as possible! Compress, compress, and if in doubt, compress some more. Add a sterile, synthetic, overtly digital sound and you have a recipe for an incredibly irritating listening experience. The new vocalist irks me too. The music is your run of the mill power metal, and even the songwriting is dull. It's a shame, because I had liked what I'd heard from these guys before (the song "Defender ofthe Crown" was pretty rocktastic).
Wolf - The Black Flame
What can be said? The wolfies kick ass! Quality heavy metal.
Wrathblade - War of the Titans
Well, um, this isn't bad, it's actually a fun listen, the problem is that it's too derivative. Ripping off Slough Feg to the point where the vocalist is trying to mimic Mike Scalzi isn't going to get them extra points. I mean, at least Slough Feg are a nice mixture of the bands they ripped off (Brocas Helm and early Maiden). The potential is there, they just need to find a more personal sound.
And since I'm too lazy to compile a top ten or something, I'll just say that #1 is:
Virgin Steele - Visions of Eden
Well, VS did it again; a disservice to most of the metal world. Album of the year, hands down. While not as good as the last masterpiece (Atreus I), it still gets my nod for best of year. Here's a band that creates music that actually moves the mind. Neo-romantic songwriting, combined with epicness and a thoughtful concept, what more can one ask for?
As for what I'd like to see happening in 2007...
- Daniel Heiman back in Lost Horizon and the band releasing another album full of awesomeness. :(
- Maiden live, dammit!
- Gamma Ray NOT blowing up Land of the Free II, although the most likely scenario is they doing precisely that and releasing another slab of utterly mediocre music like they've been doing since Powerplant. :(
- A new Falconer. But of course. :mrgreen:
