Insomnium – Winter’s Gate (2016) – Review

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It was one of those metal moments! Winter’s Gate, Insomnium‘s 7th full-length release finally arrived at my doorstep. And what do I find? One 40-minute monster track.

Come again, they did what?

What on earth are they noodling about? With trepidation, we think back to similar attempts made by the likes of Pink Floyd and others way back in time, when monstrous, rambling concoctions were fashionable.

And not many protagonists – with some laudable exceptions – pulled these offerings off well enough to really impress the audience ever since.

Let’s be honest. 

So, here I sat wondering what disaster loomed ahead in this new record. [...] Click to raid more!

Phantasma – The Deviant Hearts (2015) – Review

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To ease my Death Metal injured ears somewhat, I started listening to some loftier and softer stuff. And stumbled across a band called Phantasma belting out a seemingly Nightwish-esque tune on an album called The Deviant Hearts.

The fact that Charlotte Wessels (Delain) is the female front on this project really piqued my interest right away. After all, she can truly sing and is one of the most respected professionals in the genre. 

Interestingly, the project actually features three core band members. The remaining two: Georg Neuhauser (Serenity) and Oliver Philipps (Everon). And they harmonize really well, [...] Click to raid more!

Nightwish – Once (2004) – Review

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Yes, it is! The 2004 release Once of Finnish metallers Nightwish really is … typical Nightwish fare after all. But with a real hard-edge Heavy Metal twist that I have not seen displayed yet by this band; before and after this record.

Because the ones that came before – for instance Oceanborn and to a lesser extent Century Child – ended up being some sort of a uniform amalgam of stuff. Power Metal and Gothic Metal – yes to an extent – but nothing really knocking the socks off my feet. And the albums following this here release are of a different style in a sense.

Once already exudes

[...] Click to raid more!

Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015) – Review

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They kept their brand alive, yet again. My fears that this time we would be faced with something entirely different did not materialize. But this very same and familiar style is presented with an added edge to boot.

The album is darker and more direct, a tad louder than before. You will also find a distinct or – shall we say – pretty heavy use of symphonic and folk elements. Which is yet another hallmark of their 8th full-length studio album Endless Forms Most Beautiful. So, this is undeniably Nightwish, but refreshingly different from their last record Imaginaerum[...] Click to raid more!