Holy Flurking Schnit - So much new stuff!

Well, I've been on me jollies for a bit and come back to a mountain of things I really should get round to posting about. As much a reminder for me as anything, here is a list of what I've been pushing through my ears lately.

In Mourning - The Weight Of Oceans

I've had this colossus of melodic death metal on almost constant repeat for a fortnight, such is its epic scope, kick-ass riffs and progressive noodliness. From the opening track, aptly titled Colossus, I was hooked. Incorporating long, intricate instrumental passages, crushing death metal choruses and even a hefty dose of djent for good measure, it's as perfect a melodeath song as ever you could wish for. Straight on the best-of-year list, I think.

Krokmitën - BWV565 Redux

Following the 46 minute tech death behemoth that is Alpha-Beta, Krokmitën have put out this rather shorter 10 minute single. A tech death reworking of Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor incorporating everything I loved about Alpha-Beta along with those lovely, intricate classical riffs.

Sigur Rós - Valtari

Indulging my more relaxed, chilled out side, I've been giving the long awaited new album from Iceland's Sigur Rós a few spins. And relaxing it is. Although it is something of a step back, stylistically. Gone are the upbeat, lighthearted ditties of Með suð í eyrum ... and returning are the gritty soundscapes of Takk... And a welcome return it is. Easily comparable to the best the band have done before, and once again tragically uplifting in a way that only Sigur Rós seem able to perfect.

Delain - We Are The Others

The long, long, long delayed album from Dutch heavy rockers Delain has finally been released to coincide with a UK tour. Inspired by the tragic case of Sophie Lancaster, already a galvanising force in Britain, this is an album of songs for those who don't fit in. The sound seems to be leaning even further from what is traditionally considered symphonic metal and toward the more pop-oriented direction of more recent Within Temptation albums, incorporating a shed load of catchy hooks, singalongable choruses and some pretty cool cover art.

The Agonist - Prisoners

If there is one word I would use to describe Prisoners, it would have to be "loud". A relentless wall of sound fusing progressive metalcore (I dunno, I just made that up) with melodeath in a way that makes your ears bleed. Alissa White-Gluz is back on vocals, her growls giving any male singer a run for his money while alternating with ease between gutturals and cleans. It's a bit less complicated than I'd normally like, but it's not bad at all. Which is quite something given my usual tendency to run away on mention of the dreaded C word.

Andraste - The Secret Valley

This one I only listened to this evening, just prior to writing this very post. Purveyors of folk metal from Manchester, Andraste produce blackened folk metal with a somewhat jaunty feel. Definitely one to get your feet tapping, your morris dancing, and your tankard needing a refill!

Metal For Art's Sake

Over the last month or so I've discovered several bands who have produced albums purely for the love and passion of metal. These albums are not intended for the mass commercial market, but rather for the satisfaction of the artists, the pleasure of metal fans, and the pushing of the boundaries of metal itself.

All of these albums are available at no charge, but throwing some money at these bands can help secure this new surge of creative, proficient, and above all excellent metal.

Colosso - Abrasive Peace

Colosso is the brainchild of Max Tomé, Portugese song writer, musician and singer extraordinaire. The aim of the project was to produce a "no boundaries" death metal album, and in that he has certainly succeeded. Joined on the album by Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Aborted, Scarve, Bent Sea) on drums, this album is really quite an accomplishment.

Opening with the sound of, I imagine, an evil robot just before it eats your brain, the album swiftly kicks into gear with hard hitting riffs combined with slower, ominous chugging and some top quality riffs beneath the earth shattering vocals. There's no lack of atmosphere and the more experimental sections are well put together. When the barrage of mind abuse abates for a moment, the melodic instrumentals are almost serene, before your ears are blown out again by another thundering explosion of death metal. Highly recommended for fans of technical and experimental death metal with a taste for the atmospheric.

Krokmitën - Alpha-Beta

The embodiment of metal as art, Krokmitën's album Alpha-Beta consists of precisely one track. At 46 minutes long it's an imposing beast, but quite honestly the time flies when experiencing this masterpiece of experimental metal. There is an accompanying lyric video with psychedelic imagery to befuddle the mind and is available for download in 720p high definition, should you feel inclined to dedicate your entire brain to this metal leviathan. The music is also available as a single massive MP3, or as a set of 19 MP3s intended to be played on "gapless" capable players, which all should be. These 19 chapters, as they are referred to by the band, have their own titles and are also present on the CD.

The concept of the album is the man-made creation of the antichrist, from what I can glean. It's certainly an interesting concept, and is carried well by the album. Musically it is, understandably, relentless. There are breaks and instrumental passages, and progressive elements are certainly present, but the entire duration of the song is an immersive death metal experience. The drum work is atmospheric and carries the character of the album, often at the forefront as the jarring, crunching guitar riffs strike the senses again and again. The album is intended to be listened to from start to finish in one go, and so it is better to experience the complete work as one mind-expandingly brilliant piece of music.

As an aside, the artwork is really quite wonderful, too. I can heartily recommend getting the desktop wallpaper. It's certainly made my monitors stand out in the office.

Lithium Dawn - Aion

Last up is Lithium Dawn with their debut album Aion. Rather than the experimental death metal nature of the preceding two, this is instead some of the best independent prog metal I've heard in a very long time. From the ominous intro track to the intricate drum and cymbals, the beautiful guitar tone with djent overtones and great melodies, I was impressed as soon as I heard it. The vocals are certainly worth a mention; emotive, strong, yet soft when required, they don't need growls or screams to be powerful. Delving deeper showed great lyrical talent, too. One of my favourites is:

I've made my mistakes
Never paid my dues
I've left the box open
I've left the screws loose
I don't want any answers
I've asked for too long
I've danced all your dances
I've sang all the songs 

The overall concept for this album is that of a man made immortal, seeing the downfall of man, feeling the deep loss and anger and ultimate acceptance. Each track takes the listener through a chapter of his experience, from initially realising what is happening, through war and destruction, and through personal loneliness, loss and anguish. All of this is told through both lyrics and through the music. Punctuated by classic prog riffs, wailing guitar solos, and epic instrumental passages.

There doesn't seem to be a vast amount of information about this band around at the moment, but I predict we'll be hearing more about them. They've had a mention on got-djent.com and were very well received on Reddit's /r/metal community, which is where I found the link. Keep these guys on the radar, they're going places.

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Magazine covermounts have always been a great way to get access to a collection of new stuff to listen to. It's more concentrated, condensed and accessible than endlessly browsing a million and one websites, and occasionally presents wonders that you might never have thought to check out otherwise. Unfortunately, I'm useless with them and frequently lose the CD before I get chance to listen to it.

This month, though, was different. I got a copy of Bloodshot Dawn's new album with Terrorizer, and gave it a listen. So impressed was I that I dug out the pile of random assorted CDs in my "to deal with later" pile and dug out a couple of other covermount albums I've received in the last few months.

Bloodshot Dawn - Self Titled

Bloodshot Dawn are pretty new on the scene, having just release their debut self-titled album. It's a heavy mix of brutal death metal with some thrash thrown in and some insanely good riffage thanks to the dual lead guitars. The combination of explosive drum work and those guitars make for an eye opening experience. Each song works this unrelenting force with some quite intricate melodic sections.

The album itself is very well produced. The sound is deep and resounding and feels full and overwhelming. The artwork, too, is something to behold. Having seen a sample of the full CD booklet on No Clean Singing's review I'm wondering if the freebie cardboard sleeve just doesn't cut it. This is heavy metal as a work of art.

Mortad - The Myth Of Purity

When I got the Mortad CD, I was nagged by a feeling that I should know who these guys are. And so I should, because they played Bloodstock last year. Hearing them now makes me wish I'd thought to see them when I had the chance.

Mortad are a female-fronted death metal band founded and by vocalist Somi Arian. Somi was raised in Iran and started Mortad in 2010 in London. The lyrical content, then, is very political. It also resonates into your eardrums and thumps its way into your brain. Much of the vocal is death growls, but there are screams and even clean vocals worked in too. Probably the most earwormy track is the anthemic "I'm Not Interested In Being Interesting" with its chanted chorus sure to be shouted back by the audience during live sets.

Zonderhoof - Hakken

With a name like Zonderhood, what else could these Welsh metalheads be than stoner/doom/groove metal? I'm not sure what label (if any) the band use, but that seems good enough to give a summary of the band's eclectic style. The track names back this up, with such wonders as "Smoking Ears Screaming Teeth", "Hogslayer" and "Bring Me The Head Of The Shark God".

Musically, the distorted, bass heavy sound reminds me of a cross between Engines Of Armageddon and Mastodon, while the clashing cymbals and drum work remind me of the heaviest bits of Pelican. It all makes for an enjoyable mix of riffs and detuned, gut rumbling heaviness. The band made a conscious decision to avoid vocals to allow the listener to focus on the music, and it works bloody well. The sound is immersive and complex, drawing in the unwary listener and, from personal experience, making them forget whatever the hell else they were supposed to be doing. Like work. Also, the album art consists of a hog in a pentagram. Which is awesome.

A Spectacular Symphonic Selection

Fans of female fronted symphonic metal are going to find it hard to be disappointed with 2012. Only three short months in, and already three albums released by some of the genre's finest. Most recently, Epica have released Requiem For The Indifferent, their follow up to 2009's Design Your Universe. Xandria have produced Neverworld's End, their first album in 5 years and first with singer Manuela Kraller.  Finally, Pythia, featuring Emily Ovenden of Mediaeval Babes, have released The Serpent's Curse, their second album after 2009's Beneath The Veiled Embrace.

One name conspicuous in its absence from this list is Delain, whose new album We Are The Others seems stuck in record label purgatory. Some hoo-hah to do with label buyouts has meant that the band are having a tough time getting the album actually produced and on the shelves. Hopefully it'll be sorted by the time they tour in May!

Pythia - The Serpent's Curse

The Serpent's Curse, Pythia's second album, is an unrelenting torrent of power metal to batter your ears into submission. Unlike other symphonic metal bands, Pythia never seem to go the way of the ballad. Instead, they have mostly power metal verses with the occasional operatic chorus. While often being compared (as all female fronted bands are) to Nightwish, their sound is much more like Blind Guardian meets Dragonforce. It can get a bit much sometimes; in parts it can feel that the music could be replaced with any loud, repetitive noise because the vocals carry the melody and the mood. The music is just there for volume. It has its moments, though, and if you like your power metal fast, loud and with operatic bits, then you couldn't really ask for more. One odd thing about it is a nagging feeling of déjà vu. I'm sure I've heard half the songs on this album before, but can't quiet put my finger on it. I'm wondering if it's just a little too similar to music I've heard in the past, but not similar enough to make that connection.

Xandria - Neverworld's End

When a band gets a new singer with a dramatically different vocal style, the music often has to change to accomodate it. That's exactly what Xandria have done, to great effect. However, I'm going to go against my previous statement about Nightwish comparisons and make one myself. The new Xandria line up sound uncannily like Nightwish circa 2004. If you liked Once, you'll like this.  And given that Nightwish themselves don't sound like themselves (a bad thing, according to many), Xandria look to be well placed to step up and fill the void in the market. I've struggled to find details of Manuela Kraller's musical abilities beyond "soprano", so I don't know if she can match Tarja's 3 octave lyric soprano, but for the purposes of symphonic metal she does a bloody good job of it.

Epica - Requiem For The Indifferent

Requiem For The Indifferent is classic Epica in most respects, but with some nice progressions from earlier works. It's the only album of these three to use the "beauty and the beast" vocal styles, and the beastly growls seem to have stepped up a notch. As a result the album feels nicely heavy and gothic, with choral elements and excellent orchestration building the whole. In fact, the whole band seems to have stepped up a notch, from more varied vocal delivery from both vocalists to a complex intermixing of styles to make Epica sound even epic...er (sorry, had to do it). This is a well balanced album, possibly more restrained than Design Your Universe with its growl and bombast. On the whole it leans toward a softer, more introspective feel. The beautiful Delirium showcases the band's softer side wonderfully and is as emotionally wrenching as it is perfectly delivered. A fine addition to an already accomplished repertoire.

Runners up

With so much top quality music in 2011, it was impossible to put everyone in the top 11. Here are a few honourable mentions who nearly made the cut, but didn't quite get there.

Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction

It pains me not to put this in the top 11, but the fact is that I don't play it as often as those in that did make the cut. It's a masterpiece, no doubt, and completely insane, but it's more an occasional pleasure than a frequent play.

The Man-Eating Tree - Harvest

This one missed out purely due to unfamiliarity. It didn't immediately grab me like Imaginaerum did, so without time to properly digest, I couldn't justify including it. It is really good, though.

Chaos Divine - The Human Connection

This one came out at the same time as Wolverine's Communication Lost, and out of the two, the latter got most plays. Like Harvest, this one took a couple of spins to get into, but once I did, it was well worth it.

Fornost Arnor - The Death Of A Rose

This is the album that I think should have been the successor to Opeth's Watershed. It's melodic, it's prog, it's death, it's brilliant. It just didn't make the cut because I don't think to play it as often as those that are on the list.

Within Temptation - The Unforgiving

This album took a long time to get into. It's entirely too pop-oriented for my usual taste, and one of the main singles, Sinead, appears to be a dance track. But I've seen it played live and it was better than I expected, so it goes in the runners up instead of the disappointments pile.

Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times

When I first got this album I raved about its brilliance, but since then the lustre has faded and, on reflection, it's not quite as good as Skyforger. Still a good listen every now and then, though.

Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions

In my mid-year review I marked this album as a disappointment because it was just like every other Arch Enemy album. It's since grown on me somewhat, and despite it not being the great leap forward many hoped for, it's still a solid album.

Kabát - Banditi di Praga

I picked this album up for a laugh on a trip to Prague earlier in the year, and it turned out to be a pretty decent album. I'd love to be able to sing along to the catchy choruses, but my Czech just isn't up to scratch. Otherwise, it's a worthy contender that falls short merely due to the generally high quality of other music that came out this year.

I usually include a list of disappointments, but this year there is only one that needs to be spoken of. And spoken of it is, far and wide, to much grumbling and bemoaning and general frustration. It should have been magnificent.

Opeth - Heritage

I tried to like it. Really, I did. I tried to disregard the arguments about wether it should have had growled vocals, or that it didn't sound like Opeth, or whatever, and tried to listen to it with no expectations. I even went and listened to it played live.

But that sad truth is that it's just boring. It's just really dull and tedious. And Mr Åkerfeldt's attitude toward people who don't like it really puts me off him, and that doesn't help with my perception of his music. Oh well, I tried.

Doozr's Top 11 of 2011

Well, what a year 2011 has been. In most respects it has been a complete wreck. So many horrible, miserable things have happened that it's been hard to be positive. But on the other hand, it's been an absolutely kick-ass year for music. When I sat down to write my list of the the best albums of the year I started with a shortlist of 21, and that's just the ones I've actually bought! There are still several releases out there that I hear great things about, but haven't managed to hear for one reason or another.

After much whittling I have pruned and shaved my extension list of musical awesomeness into the 11 best of the year, in my humble opinion. I normally do a top 10, but by the end of it I figured that 2011 deserved an extra one. And so, without further ado, and in no particular order, here is the list!

Moonsorrow - Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa

Starting off the list is an album all about the end of mankind. A nicely fitting start for this year. This album can justifiably be called epic, with its 14 minute tracks and loud, heavy orchestrations. It's really quite stunning.

Before The Dawn - Deathstar Rising

Another from Finland, Before The Dawn's latest album has spent a lot of time on my playlist. It's catchy, it's heavy and it has some great riffs. Not a great advancement from the band's previous albums, but it doesn't have to be.

Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

After a tumultuous time between albums, Sylosis came out with this amazing piece of death/thrash that is monumental in scope and sound. At over 70 minutes long, and shifting styles between progressive and thrash metal, it's an impressive accomplishment.

Wolverine - Communication Lost

Wolverine have always been good at writing emotionally charged music, and this album represents a culmination of that talent. It's progressive and beautiful, but also heavy in sound and in mood.

Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan's Hand

I first heard of Primordial via an advert in Terrorizer, even though they've been around for years. I was impressed by A.A.Nemtheanga's coat. I then saw them at Bloodstock, and ended up buying this album. It did not disappoint. I'm not sure how to describe the sound except as a mix between Irish folk and black metal that works incredibly well.

Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us

More from Finland in the form of Ghost Brigade with their third album. Picking up where Isolation Songs left off, this is basically an album of excellent melodic death/doom metal. Great riffs, great lyrics, great album.

Mastodon - The Hunter

Splitting opinion by diverging from their previous conceptual ways, Mastodon put out this record to mixed reviews. I loved it. Sure, in some ways it plays like a collection of singles, but they're really good singles and guaranteed to have you singing along to the insanely catchy choruses.

Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt Two

I included Road Salt One in last year's best of year post, and so it's only fitting that I include Road Salt Two in this year's. Nothing vastly different here; the same basic formula, the same basic sounds, but that's ok. It's like finally hearing the second disk of a two part album.

Insomnium - One For Sorrow

A much anticipated release. What can be expected from a band like Insomnium except a brilliant album? And they certainly delivered. A great collection of songs with a common theme running throughout, and a worthy addition to an already amazing list of some of the finest melodic death in the world.

Anathema - Falling Deeper

Anathema are one of few bands who can completely reinvent themselves time and again, trying new genres, new sounds, new styles, and yet still be easily recognised. Falling Deeper is a collection of classical reworkings of their older doom metal tracks, and it works incredibly well. The first time I heard this album I just sat there, slack-jawed, and the only works I could muster by the end of it were "that was awesome."

Nightwish - Imaginaerum

Coming along just in time for me to write this list, Nightwish's latest opus is grandiose, beautiful and completely immersive. In some ways, it's all over the place, swinging wildly from heavy metal to slow jazz to, at one point, a bit of spaghetti western. It's not an easy album to describe in one paragraph, but it is a spectacular piece of musical theatre.

Post-Bloodstock Purchasing Roundup

After Bloodstock was over for another year, I came away with a long list of bands that I'd discovered by virtue of their awesome sets. Some of these were so good they warranted immediate purchase, so here's a quick roundup of what I bought and why.

Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan's Hand

Primordial are a long standing Irish folk/black metal band and have released many, many albums. Their set on the Ronnie James Dio stage was memorable as much for the amazing first few tracks as it was for vocalist A.A. Nemtheanga's voice going a couple of tracks in. The crowd response was phenomenal and the rest of the set was surely one of the most memorable of the weekend.

Primordial mix Irish folk, black metal, and a peculiar stilted vocal style. The lyrics are, as implied by the title, are angry, subversive and steeped in metaphor. Album opener No Grave Deep Enough, with an almost military drum beat, gives a great overview of what this album is all about.

October File - Our Souls To You

October File are labelled as many things. Industrial post-punk is probably the most encompassing. The songs are heavy, grinding and dirty, covering themes of malaise, fury, disaffection and rebellion. This is an album for when you're pissed off with the world and want something loud, enraged and passionate to throw on and scream along to.

From their set on the Sophie Lancaster stage, the two tracks I wanted to hear were Crawl and Dredge, two anthems of punk attitude with a venomous bite and riffs that hook you in.

One part of the set that has entered our personal meme-set is to "assume to position". At the beginning of Crawl (if I recall correctly), vocalist Ben Hollyer shouted "EVERYONE, ASSUME THE POSITION" and knelt into an invisible orange stance similar to the one I'm demonstrating in this picture, as I summon the wrath of the impending storm.

Byfrost - Of Death

Rounding off the trio is Byfrost, a Norwegian black/thrash metal ensemble whose style could be described as "black 'n' roll". High speed black metal with double-kick bass and chugging, ear-drum bursting riffage. I'd heard about the band a couple of times before Bloodstock, and their completely awesome set on the Sophie Lancaster stage convinced me to give them a go.

Being Norwegian black metal, the themes are of course fantastic and morbid. Although the album title gives this away.  The highlight of the set was Eye For An Eye, and it's just as good on the album.

Three very different bands, and three very different albums. And each of them as good as I'd hoped after the greatest musical weekend of the year, or possibly so far in my life. Roll on BOA2012 for some more!

Doozr's Bi-annual Review, part 1

Yes, it's that time again. July is almost upon us, the longest day has been and gone, and it's all downhill from here. So it must be time to take stock of the first half of the year. What has taken my fancy, and what has left me flat.

It's not been particularly tricky to pick the top 10 for this, the first half of 2011. I had some hard decisions to make around about numbers 8, 9 and 10. Some stuff that I would have liked to be in there was just pipped to the post and got left in the "honourable mentions".

Top 10

Overall, it's not been a terrible year for music. Some new stuff coming out of nowhere, some long standing greats continuing to be great, but some other lacklustre performances. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my top 10 of the first half of 2011.

Sylosis - Edge of the Earth
One of the earliest albums of the year, this monstrous melodic thrash/death metal epic had me hooked immediately. It was a shoo-in for the top spot on this first top 10 of the year. Nothing has budged it yet, except maybe the atmospheric stylings of ...

Moonsorrow - Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa
Another epic album, and another that I would consider a perfect production. Four massive, immersive tracks of tragedy, doom and despair that carries you along whether you like it or not.

Wolverine - Communication Lost
A bit of a grower, mostly due to it being the follow up to Still, a simply magnificent record. I was both tremendously excited, and very nervous about it. Fortunately Wolverine have more than lived up to their own potential and produced this emotive, progressive masterpiece.

Chaos Divine - The Human Connection
A slow grower, this one. Took a couple of weeks to really get into the frame of mind required. In fact, I was rather disappointed with it at first. But when it clicks, it sticks. Great prog noodling complements death growls and hard metal riffs.

Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times
Described variously as "epic", "magnificent", "awe-inspiring" and "tinkly tonkly", this is a definite for my top 10 of 2011, even if it hasn't quite reached the heights attained by its predecessor, Sky Forger. I have also gone and bought a copy of the Kalevala, from which the last 4 Amorphis albums draw their inspiration. It's a very strange tale, but has inspired some great metal.

Devin Townsend Project - Ghost
Possibly the most relaxing, chilled out experience so far this year. It's taken me several goes just to listen to all of it and not fall asleep in some kind of tranced out bliss.

Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
The soundtrack to going insane. Densely packed, massive in scope and scale, and by the time you've got to the end of this album you won't know where you are or what you're doing. You will want a cheeseburger, though.

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
Folky Americana courtesy of the band who brought you The Hazards Of Love. Completely different in sound, and with a similar outlook to Fleet Foxes. A rather pleasing, gentle interlude to all this shouting and hard riffs in the rest of the list.

Before The Dawn - Deathstar Rising
A good but of straight up melodeath. Good riffs, good vocals, both clean and growled, and good songs that it's easy to sing along with. Apparently it hasn't gone down well with all critics, but I find it a very enjoyable record to listen to.

Ador Dorath - Adon Nin Edelith Ador Dorath
Perhaps the strangest sounding operatic death metal band on the planet. If you can understand more than 1 in every 10 words you're doing well, but even in its barely comprehensible state it's a roaring, bombastic gothic metal album with loads of good riffs and heavy, chugging beats.

Honourable Mentions

The Top 10 is quite a decent list, I think. These records have had plenty of play time over the last few months. But as I previously said, not all of the good records can be in the top 10. That would be silly, because there are more than 10 of them. Here are a few that didn't quite make the cut, but deserve a mention anyway.

Silent Stream Of Godless Elegy - Návaz
The latest album from these Czech doom/folk metallers does away with some of the doom and adds more Moravian dance. A great record, but a little disappointing to lose some of the better sounds of Relic Dances.

Sanctorum - Semper Fidelis
Sanctorum return with a third album that, while great, suffers from a couple of tracks I just couldn't get along with. Having seen some of it played live I can attest to greatness of the rest of it, though.

Anvil - Juggernaut of Justice
14 albums, 1 riff. Tried and tested, and if it works, keep on doing it. 34 years in, and still going strong. Picked this album up from the Corporation during their UK launch tour. A bit of heavy metal fun. Not too taxing, but just enough rocking.

Kabát - Banditi di Praga
Another Czech band, which makes 3 in this post. This one I actually got from a holiday to Prague, after deciding to try something that might not be available in the UK. I was not disappointed. A sometimes confusing set of songs (all in Czech, of course) but each with an infectious rhythm and great riffs.

Disappointments

While it's been a good year so far, it's not all coming up roses. There have been a few disappointments on the way. These are albums that, for one reason or another, I expected to be much better than they actually turned out to be.

Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions
With a massive publicity campaign, this was supposed to be a magnificent album. It's actually just an Arch Enemy album. And I already have some of those. They even nicked a riff from Nightwish in the process, which I found bizarre.

Scar Symmetry - Unseen Empire
I heard this album before I bought it. On first listen, it sounded pretty good. On each subsequent listen, it got more and more boring, and I cared less and less about hearing it again. I've listened to it 3 times, then gave up. Dull.

Within Temptation - The Unforgiving
A comic book, videos, a massive concept album with a coherent story arc and loads of accompanying extras. It should have been every metal geek's idea of perfection. It actually turned out to be a confusing mass of boring pop-metal and euro-dance. As I said once before; About as metal as plaid, and makes as much sense as fish trousers.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
I so wanted to love this album. After discovering Fleet Foxes, the debut, I wanted that experience again. All the reviews said it was like rediscovering the band. I wanted it. And, well, it's ok I guess. I just don't get the horrendous cacophony of instruments being tortured to death about half way through. People often say it of metal, and I'm saying it of this; it's just noise!

In the scheme of things, a few disappointments are inevitable. For the most part, I've very much enjoyed this year's voyage of discovery. I've got some great new music and, thanks to an increased list of reading material in my RSS reader and a new subscription to Terrorizer, I'm finding more stuff I actually like and less stuff that annoys or bores me. This is all good.

Kabát - Banditi di Praga

Ah, Prague. City of spires, beer, goulash and lovely, relaxing short breaks. And alternatiff, which appears to be a rough approximation of the goth/metal/punk scene in jolly old Blighty.

The metal scene in the Czech republic is both awesome and perplexing. Several bands I listen to regularly hail from there or thereabouts, and have won awards in the "hard and heavy" category. This seems to be a catch-all for metal and hard rock of all types. I like it.

The music shops are great. Lots of bands, both Czech and international, whose albums simply can't be found on the British high street because HMV don't deem them commercially viable are there on the shelves, interspersed with all the pop and soft rock music. It's weird to see Scar Symmetry for sale beside Britney Spears, or Rotting Christ and Rammstein beside Rihanna.

One thing that did catch my eye was a poster for. Czech band I'd never heard of; Kabát, with their new album Banditi Di Praga. What better souvenir of a city than a local band's new album about the city in question? Of course, being a sucker for new and interesting, I bought it.


It turns out that Kabát have been about for a while. 28 years, in fact. Although they were formed in 1983, they didn't have a stable lineup until 1990, and didn't release their debut album until 1991. Since then they've released 12, all with the same lineup.

Perhaps the strangest bit of trivia is that they represented the Czech Republic in it's first ever Eurovision Song Contest in 2007. Fitting, as it was the year after Lordi took the prize and the contest was awash with hard rock, metal and gothic bands.

Never being one to judge a book by it's cover, I had no idea what to expect from this album. Actually that's a complete lie. I expected a sort of roguish strand of old-school heavy metal, perhaps similar in style to Amon Amrth's Viking metal, or Alestorm's Scottish pirate metal. And that's exactly what I got.

There are loads of different styles and influences on this album, making it nicely varied and not samey-samey in the least. The riffs are distinctly reminiscent of heavy metal acts of the seventies and eighties, with Deep Purple mixing with Black Sabbath, throwing a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Judas Priest in there for good measure.

There are some stand-out tracks, Banditi Di Praga being the first. Don Pedro von Poltergeist, the absurdly titled Mouse Decadence and the awesome Kdo Neskáče Není Švéd (He who does not jump is a Swede, apparently. Some sort of colloquial insult?) The songs are largely based around traditional metal pastimes. Notably drinking, more drinking, drunken introspection, partying and drinking. This seems to be quite a popular form of entertainment for Czechs so it makes sense, and the chanted choruses would make great drinking songs if I could but pronounce them. Must improve my Czech...

On the whole, as randomly bought souvenir purchases go, this is a good one. Highly recommended, even if I can't sing along.