Tag Archives: Symphonic Metal

Video: Epica play the Arcana Card!

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Epica - Arcana - Video Cover

“Our very first single in two years…”, Simone Simons crooned some time ago. Not quite true, The Alchemy Project of 2022 came and went without much reverb out in the fan crowd. But I guess, she meant Epica-owned music following in the wake of the astonishing Omega. But one can never be quite sure.

So, lo and behold, a new video called Arcana appeared on our to-view list. The clip granting – to quote the label – “…a glimpse into the band’s future music, coming in 2025.” Fair enough. Aspiral beckons you, that kind of thing.

Epica… [...] Click to raid more!

Nightwish – Yesterwynde (2024) – Review

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Nightwish - Yesterwynde - Album Cover

Nightwish came a long way since they started their endeavor in 1996. The band around Tuomas Holopainen truly was with the pioneers of what was to become Symphonic Metal. Their fulminant career didn’t come without their hiccups, though. First, the somewhat messy divorce from Tarja Turunen made headlines across the mainstream metal press. Anette Olzon didn’t fare much better after a couple of thunderous records or so. And that left the band – rightly or wrongly – with a bad rap.

Luckily, with the arrival of the spirited and somewhat carismatic Floor Jansen, some calm finally came to Nightwish… [...] Click to raid more!

Wintersun – Time II (2024) – Review

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Wintersun - Time II - Album Cover

Whenever one of Nuclear Blast’s tired mainstream warriors gets RMR to come out of the woodwork, Wintersun‘s siren call may well be the culprit that made us do it. Everyone has been waiting forever and a day for Jari Mäenpää to finally make his move. Unending delays, false promises, and grift, after grift passed us by1 but Time II still wouldn’t appear. Until such time that the RMR Review Desk finally stopped looking for it.

Now, after a friggin’ 12 years of waiting and a lot of ridicule, the band finally delivered – something. If you remember, RMR … [...] Click to raid more!

Carmeria – Tragédie D’amour (2024) – Review

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Carmeria - Tragédie D'amour - Album Cover

The RMR crew still scratches its mutual heads why on earth the Metal Archives refuse to admit Amaranthe into its Holy Halls of Fame. It’s not that RMR himself suddenly found some red-hot love for that particular band, far from it. And we’re confused. Because, Elize Ryd1 prominently resides in the Encyclopaedia Metallum but not her main band. And that led to even more heavy head-scratching over at the office tower.

The reason? She allegedly partakes in a band called ‘Raskasta Joulua’ (Heavy Christmas in Finnish, no less). Rocky X-Mas carols and old Nightwish songs, that kind of thing. … [...] Click to raid more!