Tag Archives: Melodic Metal

Day five of my ‘Album of the Year 2016’ top 30 countdown is upon us meaning that I’m already a sixth of the way through this series. Thank you to those who have been following this series since the beginning. And to those who are new to this, I welcome you – I hope you  Continue Reading »

Hello and welcome to my annual musical extravaganza that’s my countdown of the year’s best album releases from across the rock and metal spectrum. As usual, you’ll find just about everything in this list, from black to death metal, from prog rock to extreme prog metal and plenty in between. I am a fan of  Continue Reading »

Artist: Delain Album Title: Moonbathers Label: Napalm Records Date Of Release: 26 August 2016 I must apologise for the tardiness of this review. However, I do have my reasons. When I first listened to ‘Moonbathers’, the fifth album from melodic symphonic metallers Delain, I was not overly impressed. I have, over the years, grown tired  Continue Reading »

It might have been a cold and wet autumn evening, but it isn’t every day that my favourite band tours within an hour’s drive of my house, not when I live in what feels like the middle of nowhere. It felt like a lifetime of watching clips and seeing photographs from the preceding five weeks  Continue Reading »

Artist: Brutai Album Title: Born Label: Transcend Music Date Of Release: 25 November 2016 After what seems like an interminable wait for me, I am finally listening to the debut album from London-based metallers Brutai. I have been following the fledgling career of this quintet for quite some time, was impressed by the self-titled EP  Continue Reading »

Artist: Pretty Maids Album Title: Kingmaker Label: Frontiers Records Date Of Release: 4 November 2016 Melodic hard rockers Pretty Maids have been going for around 35 years or, to put it another way, nearly as long as I’ve been alive. Formed in Denmark in 1981 by vocalist Ronnie Atkins and guitarist Ken Hammer, the band  Continue Reading »

Artist: In Flames Album Title: Battles Label: Nuclear Blast Date Of Release: 11 November 2016 In Flames. Where do I begin with my review of ‘Battles’, the Swedish juggernaut’s thirteenth album of their career? How about at the beginning, with a little personal context? In Flames were the very first band that I was exposed  Continue Reading »

Artist: Enbound Album Title: The Blackened Heart Label: Inner Wound Recordings Date Of Release: 18 November 2016 If I’m honest, I thought Swedish melodic metallers Enbound were one of those bands that had been sadly consigned to the ‘one album wonders’ dustbin, having released the marvellous debut ‘And She Said Gold’ back in 2011 only  Continue Reading »

Artist: Theocracy Album Title: Ghost Ship Label: Ulterium Records Date Of Release: 28 October 2016 I can only think of one reason why I have never previously dabbled in the world of Theocracy: religion. As many of you may know, my personal life has meant that religion and I are uncomfortable bedfellows, to put it  Continue Reading »

Artist: Sonata Arctica Album Title: The Ninth Hour Label: Nuclear Blast Records Date Of Release: 7 October 2016 It has, I must admit, been a long time since I last listened to Sonata Arctica. When I went through a huge power metal binge around the turn of the millennium, I discovered the Finnish metallers via  Continue Reading »