edenbridge - myearthdream (2008)

where symphonic- meets prog metal. here's the easiest way to describe myearthdream. the album (and the band, for that matter) remains steadily symphonic though; the few progressive breaks aren't enough to let the album stray from its deeply symphonic nature. but you can't deny producer karl groom (threshold's mastermind) left his unmistakable mark on the songwriting, thrusting in his unique, trademark guitar sound and spreading it here and there all across the album. he's credited for providing a solo effort on "shadowplay", but you can hear his influence throughout the whole record, especially on the title track and the aggressive, strongly guitar-driven "adamantine".
the album is a good piece of symphonic metal, as i said. the title suite is a testimony to that. as every well-constructed suite, it ranges through different kinds of sound, from the darkish beginning to the melodic vocal passages - sabine's voice is just as beautiful as always. all in all, the only remarkable turn the band took with this record, is a shift towards a more guitar-driven sound, yet without denying the keyboards the very important role they've always played in their music. as a matter of fact, the rhythmics are, say, crunchier than usual - but other than diverting the overall sound from melody to mere rhythm, that rather provides a new, efficient background to the underlining, driving melodicity. you can say the crunchy riffs blend perfeclty with the otherwise clear sound of the album.
to sum it all up, we're dealing with a very good mix of melody and rhythm here. all the songs are very good, and each in its own right is worth several listens. the slow-paced "whale rider", for example, stands out thanks to its delicacy; "undying devotion", "fallen for grace" and "place of higher power" all stay faithful to the typical edenbridge sound - yet undergoing the influcence groom brings in. it is remarkable, again, that even the "old school" songs (in terms of closeness to the "old" band sound) leave room to the novelties; and, the "backbone" these novelties provide never betray the originality of the band's trademarks.
a catchy album - that goes without saying by now. and what may appeal the most, with this new approach to the guitar riffs, the austrian quartet really found even something else new and original that raises them quite above the symphonic metal average.

thus spake the cennsor: 8/10

testament - the formation of damnation (2008)

to put it short: the comeback of the year. to add a few words: far better than anything i've heard so far this year. now, who doesn't know testament? it's simply thrash at its finest. it's of the most influential bands hailing from the bay area, the forefathers and founders of the genre along with the once glorious metallica. but that's rethoric. what matters here, is that this one album kicks ass. i might have something for much awaited releases, just like symphony x' paradise lost last year. same thing here. testament haven't been still and unactive during this hiatus; they've been playing, touring, and, as we can appreciate now, writing new music. whatever made them find their old thrash vein back again, the guys are back. and they're making quite a statement with the formation of damnation. they rock their way through the whole album, shouting in chuck billy's raw voice: we are back to rock your heads off.
nothing really new, no experimental mix of different styles, nothing of the sorts. but do you need that to make a great album? each song stands out of its own, and that alone should speak for the band's creativity. my personal hits are "more than meets the eye" (preceeded by an intro which flows perfectly into it), "the persecuted won't forget", "henchmen ride" and last and foremost, "F.E.A.R.", perhaps the catchiest among the catchy. but it's almost random picking, as the whole album is a constant, sharp, fast-paced cavalcade through energetic riffs and the great solos that skolnick's mastery is expected to bring out.
one great thing about this album, is that it never tires you out. no good album should; this one really doesn't. it's not too long (it slightly fails to reach the 50 minutes mark), nor too short. and once you've listened through, it'll most likely have you press the "repeat all" button - over and over. there are not many albums you never really get bored with; and this is definitely one of them. and unlike many albums, no lowlights are to be found. every song is worth many a listen - not meaning they need many in order to be appreciated, rather you will want to hear them over again.
some said the album is not so technical, not virtuosistic at all - is that a bad thing? yet it's fresh, powerful and catchy, and that's what matters. i think it's no blasphemy to say some of the new songs will soon share the testament's classics' fortune. the stage will be the ultimate test - and no doubt they'll pass it. as of now, let's enjoy this recording. especially if you're in the need for something fast and massive. that's two things testament can quite combine.

thus spake the cennsor: 8,5/10

vanishing point - the fourth season (2007)

instant q&a: how many of you aren't fascinated with the picture to the left? a blindfold girl playing a violin on the shore under a dark cloudy sky: now that speaks of poetry - here's what i thought when i ran into it. and of course, that could as well be but a decoy, luring you into believing what's inside matches the beauty of what's outside, and then leaving you disappointed. fortunately, that's not the case.
little had i heard by this band before; but to those of you who are already familiar with them, i can say our aussies are keeping up what they've been doing so far. and to those of you who are new to them, i specify: what they've been up so far, is very good music. sure, but what does it sound like then?
imagine a heavier kind of melodic rock - let's just say melodic metal. you may as well take AOR as a starting point; add some heaviness, and an orchestral-driven sound, and you come quite close to guess what kind of music vanishing point make. so far, so banal - lest you're into AOR and the such, and if you are, this album is a must-have. what makes something more out of the fourth season though, is that it can appeal to the AOR non-lovers as well. the symphonic approach to it, the thickness of the sound (which at the same time is very melodic), even the vague lyrics make it a dense, compact, prime quality work. but before i turn this from a simple appreciation into a quest for the most alluring definition (yeah, even i got better things to do), i'll try to give you a quick stare at what's to be found on the album.
"surrender" is the first hit. no wonder it was also made into a videoclip. its start does a nice testimony to the spirit of the whole album. refrains and verses are equally catchy; and that also applies to the rest of the album, most evident on the following "hope among the heartless" and on a consistent bunch of other songs too. to name some of the songs' unique features, i might mention the epicity of "i within i" (introduced by an awesome short instrumental), as well as the prog-flavoured gait of "ashen sky", or the "cloudy" thoughtfulness of the final "day of difference", closing the album in a slowly, peaceful fade-out which is just the most fitting of endings.
the fourth season's melodies will lure you in a convincing way; once you're caught, the power of the sound which has come to surround you will not easily let you escape. and you will probably not even want to.
i have honestly not heard so many, but this is the first AOR (or quasi-AOR) record to sort of win my cold, icy, heartless soul of a progster. that alone should mean something.

thus spake the cennsor: 8/10

alestorm - captain morgan's revenge (2008)

what would you expect from a band who label their own music as "true scottish pirate metal"? folkish, up-tempo rides across the fourth (fourths) seas? correct guess. any time i think of pirates, a word comes to my mind (don't ask why): swashbuckling. and that's what these guys are - and so is their first release under this monicker. in fact, some might be interested in having a listen to what these buckaneers did before signing for the mighty nuclear blast - if that's the case, jot down the name "battleheart", which (just as the current one by the way), already spoke for itself.
the merely musical background is expectedly some kind of speedy, up-tempo power metal - as the "true" in their own definition may suggest. the keyboards and accordions add that tasty folky flavour which is needed to set up some kind of piraty mood. and unlike too many a record, here the keyboards really do fit, providing a nice background sound which is neither invadent nor foreshadowed by the other, more noise-making instruments.
by the way, don't let tags misguide you: no doubt alestorm have something in common with other folk, "non-pirate" metal acts - still they bring out something fresh and personal. to name but one thing: more solos than you'd expect to find on a folk metal album (along with the thrashy flavour to "death by the mast"). to name just another: the pirates of the caribbean theme "quotation" creeping out one of the songs. the melodies flow rather naturally, and before you realise, the album's over - in a way, even too soon.
oh, and yes, there IS a beer song too. when expected things are good. what you might not expect, is to find alestorm's own version of "flower of scotland" as a coda to this adventurous journey. what? oh right, they did warn us, they're scots. and proud to be.

thus spake the cennsor: 8/10

the beginning, at last

what better than a southern metal guitarist's quote to introduce this all? - anything, you say? well, true.

by the way, not-really-long story short: this blog is intended to be a place where i review some of my albums - those i like the most, those i can't stand, anyway those i just feel like writing something about. so, don't expect to find anything of the so-called "objective" kind here. i'd rather leave the claim for objectivity to those who write reviews for a living. and to the experts, of course.

you know, those bragging about their mastery of whatever subject all the time.

i do not understand the faintest thing about music; i am by no means entitled to write about it, atleast no more than your average passionate listener. so don't either expect to find anything accurate here, atleast not music-wise. the only thing i can be accurate about are my own tastes. and i'm not even sure i WANT to be accurate, then.

so now with THE question: why to write, and why to read this? as to the first, i may as well just say i simply like to do it, no matter whether someone reads me or not. and that would not be true. so as a honest answer, i'm doing it for those who are curious enough about music, to bother reading a "review" from time to time. getting music without the slighest criterion of choice could sure be fun, but sometimes you might just want to, say, follow some kind of path in doing it.

so that's what this blog is meant for. to provide some sort of guidelines to those who are in search for something new to listen to, and don't want to end up badly disappointed for having wasted money purchasing (or, time downloading - well, morals ain't the cennsor's primary concern) music they eventually don't like.

so, what else? it should be clear enough by now that this blog is only meant to contain my own opinions. what i'm going to write here, is nothing but what I think about music. i'm saying this only to prevent some kind of naive disappointment. made that clear, comments are there for a reason. i'd obviously appreciate some feedback. and i mean, that of the intelligent kind. i know it's harder, folks, but it happens to be more useful.

thank you, and enjoy the approaching rambling.