Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times

Possibly one of my most anticipated albums of 2011, second only to Wolverine's Communication Lost, The Beginning Of Times arrived a few weeks ago to much fanfare. Certainly the promotion of the album has been impressive, although I managed to avoid listening to any of the pre-released tracks so as to get a proper listen once it did arrive.

The fourth with singer Tomi Joutsen, and tenth in total, this marks something of a milestone for Amorphis. Once again it is based on the Kalevala, the epic poem of Finland, this time focussing on one Väinämöinen, the iconic protagonist of the tale. Apparently born from an egg, hence the album art, he is central to Finnish mythology.

The album's sound is very similar to that of Skyforger before it, prompting many to express disappointment. Skyforger was an excellent album, so following up in the same vein seems like a good idea. The vocals have been improved, thanks to training by Marco Hietala, and some interesting twiddly bits have been added in the form of some very 80s synth sounds.

The synths certainly don't fade into the background. Whenever they start I'm immediately reminded of movies of the 80s, all neon lights and wailing keyboards. They certainly give the album something of a different feel to Skyforger. When all is said and done, I can't be disappointed in this album. The songs are strong, they stick in the mind.

I'm concerned they gave away some of the better material as freebies, though. My Enemy is certainly one of my favourite tracks, and that was available for a few weeks before the album. The award for most completely surprising track is probably Crack In A Stone. It has one of the jolliest riffs I've ever heard outside of Scottish Pirate Metal, and yet still manages to fit in with the album and sound like a proper Amorphis track.

So in summary, a good album that I am enjoying listening to. It does sound a little like Skyforger Part 2, though, so if you were expecting something new and revolutionary, you might not be blown away by it. If you've never heard Skyforger, have a listen, but then go and listen to Skyforger as well! It is absolutely mandatory. I even went out and bought a copy of the Kalevala so I could try and figure out what this, and the preceding three, albums are about. It's a hefty tome, so I'll report back when I find the time!

Wolverine - Communication Lost

After a near terminal five year wait, Wolverine last week released their fifth studio album, Communication Lost. In the time since the launch of the amazing Still the band has been through some tough times. Personal circumstances, musical differences, changes of mind and direction have all taken their toll and the band nearly called it quits. Thankfully they didn't, and instead chose to funnel all that emotion into the new album.

Communication Lost was always going to have a tough time living up to the standard set by its illustrious predecessor. Still is one of my favourite albums of any band of any genre, and is still (ho ho) on regular rotation on my iPod, even after all this time. Many preview and review posts on various blogs around the Internet proclaim this a worthy successor. We shall see.

After the quiet, spoken introduction track, the concerns over the quality of this album are quickly dispatched. Into The Great Nothing is a cracking 8 minute prog track, mixing heavy and softer music with emotionally charged lyrics and heartfelt vocals. If this was the standard for the rest of the album, then I'd be happy.

But it's not. It gets better. As Into The Great Nothing comes to a close, Poison Ivy bursts out of the speakers and picks up the pace again. Communication Lost definitely has a more prog feel than Still, and while the individual songs are distinct and the lyrics and rhythm are catchy, they also feel more coherent and fit together well. Your Favourite War and Embrace don't let up, punching hard and backing off, hard then soft and always poignant.

There is a great deal of hurt poured into this album, as can be expected given the conditions of its creation. At times it can feel a little angsty; it's obvious that there is a lot of resentment over spoiled relationships being fed into the lyrics. But they are written and sung from the heart with Stefan Zell's unique vocal style lending force to the individual stories within each song.

My favourite track from the whole album comes next. Pulse is a unique track with an ethereal electronic sound and driving rhythm. Perfecty placed in the middle of the album, this is a crescendo of sorts and allows the rest of the album to carry the mood to the end. And this is not more evident than when What Remains starts. Almost a ballad, with mournful cellos carrying the rhythm and a single piano carrying the melody, overlaid with Stefan's lilting vocal. A beautiful piece of music.

Of course, this being Wolverine, that doesn't last for long. In Memory Of Me actually made me jump the first time I heard it because it starts so suddenly and so powerfully, and I was almost dozing thanks to the soporific qualities of What Remains. The Quiet Of Dawn takes it down a notch again with a wonderfully ambient track that still manages to stay heavy. The title track is a complex beast. Communication Lost is packed with heavy guitar riffs, repeated electronic effects and a strong rhythm. A full on prog track featuring pretty much everything you could possibly hope for in a progressive metal song.

When I first heard about Communication Lost, I really didn't know what to expect. I wanted it to live up to the unreasonably high expectations I could help but hold for it. In fact, I was a little worried that my own inner-hype machine was producing a standard nothing could possibly ever achieve. The first time I played it, it was in two minds; half excitement, half trepidation.

But did it live up to the impossible standards I set for it? Most certainly yes. It took a couple of listens to really get the feel for it, but that's just par for the course with prog metal of this calibre. There are some minor gripes; some of the choruses and rhythms sound a little similar, and one of two of the slower parts are perhaps a touch too long between ear busting riffage. But these are really very minor issues, because what this album does amazingly well is create and carry a mood. And when music can build up and tear down a mood like this can, it must be doing something right.

Album Roundup

Alpthraum - Eyes of a Monument

I first heard about Alpthraum while researching epic black metal awesomeness. Which is odd, because Alpthraum is none of those things. It's a sort of symphonic, progressive, orchestral type of a thing. Like a prog metal version of Lord Of The Rings.

If you like symphonic metal and contemporary classical, this is probably right up your street. It's good, but not mindblowingly so. The orchestra is great, but it tends to leave the metal parts feeling a little flat. I tend to expect massively orchestrated music like this to be more of a wall of sound, complex and overpowering. Instead it's actually quite light and feels almost hollow in parts. Specifically, the parts when the orchestra isn't playing.

Shuffle fodder, then, but I won't throw it away completely.

http://alpthraum.bandcamp.com/


Scar Symmetry - The Unseen Empire

I picked up The Unseen Empire after listening to it on Spotify and liking the first few tracks. Seemed like a solid melodeath album, and indeed it is. The Unseen Empire takes the lyrical theme of the Illuminati, in all their world-controlling hiddenness, and wraps it up in a melodic death metal album that seems to merge quite a bit of technical death in there too.

Unfortunately, like so much melodeath these days, this album just doesn't seem to stand out. The songs are good and the riffs are catchy, but at the end it all feels a bit nothingy. I honestly can't remember a single song from it and I've listened to it numerous times. I think I might have to spend some time with the liner notes and properly listen to it to get the most out of it, but this seems counter-intuitive. Music like this should be catchy and hook you in. If I wanted to sit for an hour just to get into it, I'd listen to Moonsorrow again.

Another for the shuffle. Good, not great, but you never know, it might grow on me.

www.scarsymmetry.com


Chaos Divine - The Human Connection

The first I ever heard of Chaos Divine was their 2008 album Avalon. I was blown away by it, immediately putting on rotation for a good few weeks. So when I discovered that they had finally released their second album, The Human Connection, I couldn't wait to have a listen.

The opening track, One Door, wasn't what I was expecting at all. After the intricate noodling of Avalon, I was surprised to hear what sounded very much like Pallas-esque prog rock. Neither heavy nor particularly metallic. Clean vocals? Soft rock riffs? I wondered if I'd accidentally got hold of Hypnos69's new album by accident.

But it's not a bad thing. As much as I was surprised and a little taken aback, it's pretty darn good prog rock. And a few minutes in, I finally got what I was expecting from the off; some good solid metal riffs and growls. After being initially worried that the band had gone a bit soft after their storming debut, it turns out they were just turning it down a notch, but not forgetting what they were about.

There seems to be a lot less growl on this album, taking a back seat to more progressive vocal styles while having just enough to remain on the metal side of the prog rock/metal divide. There's just enough of each to keep up the interest, and each song deftly switches between the two to great effect. A fine album, no doubt. The only reason I've not listened to or raved about it more is that I've been in more of a "lose yourself in a swirling mass of noise" type mood of late. This might just be the album to kick me out of it.

http://www.myspace.com/chaosisdivine

Moonsorrow - Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa

Humanity has always had a grim fascination with its own demise. As long as there has been religion there has been an end of days. As long as there has been speculative fiction there have been dystopian futures. The fall of empires, the obliteration of species and the ultimate destruction of the human race has been an ongoing source of theological, philosophical and political discussion since the dawn of civilisation.

What makes us so fascinated by the undoing of our own works? What makes us tell tales of the end of our kind? There seems to be a carthasis of sorts; a release from the trappings and stresses of daily life. There is peace in destruction.

These are the themes considered in the latest album from Finnish pagan metal band Moonsorrow. Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa (As shadows we wander in the land of the dead) is the tale of the last days of the human race, destroyed utterly by its own hand. An intense, emotional and compelling album of music and meditation.

The album is split into four distinct parts, each containing a single track lasting ten minutes or more. Each song is unique and captures the essense of the fading struggle of the once mighty human race.

Between the four major tracks lie three shorter, more atmospheric interludes. These consist of the sounds experienced first hand by a member of the last of humanity. The gasping breaths, the howling winds and the slow trudging of footsteps provide a desperate glimpse at the suffering described by the music. In the libretto, short passages of text describe the plight of those heard suffering and give context and meaning.

Tähdetön (Starless) opens the album and tells of the lonely, painful struggle these remaining few suffer. The desolate Earth, the broken cities and the empty, starless night. The music rolls and falters, fits and starts. There are parts that quicken the pulse, and parts that cause the heart to skip and the breath to hold.

Muinaiset (The ancient ones) tells a very different tale. This is the story of the Earth slowly being reclaimed by nature; of the last vestiges of humanity being surrounded, swallowed and hidden by the trees and plants growing up around the cracked and broken landscape. The music takes on a more folk influenced sound, the positive sounds of the planet healing itself, mixed with the anguish of the dying.

Huuto (The Scream) is where the album takes a far darker turn. The scream is primal; the men are reverting to animals. The weak are picked off by wolves, the strong are killed in combat. Trapped in a mountain pass, with no hope of food, shelter or escape, the most animal instincts are laid bare. The music is driving, almost repetitive, yet energising. The last fight of a doomed race.

Kuolleiden maa (The Land of the Dead) is the final unveiling of the piece. Humanity is gone, the end has arrived, and yet there was no fanfare. The grandiose end of things so often prophesied never happened. The end came by man's own hand and he was powerless to stop it. The music is heavier, yet soft. A final hymn to a dead people.

It seems almost cliché to describe this album as epic, but that's what it is. The melody and vocals work toghether to convey the feelings expressed in the lyrics. Whether growling the story of the damned or screaming in anguish, the vocals provide a very human connection with the listener.

The drums, in particular, are worthy of note. They are perfectly timed, perfectly heavy, and intricate without losing immediacy. While the melody conveys sadness, the drums convey anger. It's a powerful combination that ensures the meaning behind the lyrics shine through, whether the listener is a Finnish speaker or not.

At an hour long, it's no short listen, and really does need to be listened to all in one go, preferably with the liner notes to hand. The rawness of the interludes blend perfectly with the impressive musical production. This album is quite simply superb.