Fallen Angel - Crawling Out Of Hell (2010, 2014)

Traditional heavy metal has had a bit of a resurgence in the global music scene in recent years.  Anyone who has paid attention to trends in metal over the last 20 years or so knows that power metal has enjoyed a long, relatively healthy surge in popularity ever since bands like Hammerfall, Rhapsody (et al) and Blind Guardian have made the style more popular again, along with somewhat newer sensations like Sonata Arctica, Kamelot, Firewind, and Evergrey.  But more traditional "heavy metal" has stayed a bit more underground, toiling in relative obscurity through the last 2 decades.  More recent bands like 3 Inches of Blood, Wolf, and White Wizzard have exemplified the return of the genre's core sound at some level of commercial significance in the modern age.  With any resurgence in a classic sound takes place, there will be casualties; bands who simply don't have the talent to make an impact, despite having the right ingredients in the formula.  Thankfully, Fallen Angel is positioning themselves to avoid that pitfall.

Fallen Angel is an interesting band, consisting of 5 individuals who use pseudonyms instead of their real names.  All the band members paint their faces and clothe themselves in a manner vaguely reminiscent of King Diamond.  They also play a style of heavy metal that reeks of that King Diamond, Mercyful Fate kind of early speed/power metal, without the usual trappings of the European power metal set.  A more modern comparison would be Iced Earth, though they're definitely not clones.  Their music has a real early-mid 1980's throwback feel to it, in a good way.  Utilizing modern production techniques without sacrificing the classic sound and feel, Fallen Angel have struck a good balance between staying true to the genre's roots and bringing a modern touch to the style.

Musically speaking, the band has really solid and energetic performances that showcase some degree of range.  Guitars provided by "The Man In Black" (aka Robb Lotta) and "The Dark Lord of Democales" (aka band mastermind John Cruppe) are very well done, and hearken back to a bygone era of metal where the performances oozed passion and energy.  The guitars are heavy and crunchy, and have some real presence to them, without the overly bass-heavy tone you would expect from a modern metal album.  So while the album sounds modern because of the production, the guitars don't sound like they were played through a bass amp and recorded through a vocal mic membrane.  Guitar solos are excellent throughout, with loads of energy, but without forsaking a melodic sensibility.  They are just what you would expect from a band playing a style of metal that recalls the genre's glory years.  Bass guitar is also suitably present but not so high in the mix it overpowers everything.  It sounds good alongside the guitars, and works especially well during acoustic and/or clean guitar sections where it provides the right amount of weight underneath.  Bass is provided by Sodominous - The Lord of the Flesh (aka Joe Surace, recently replaced by Bob Embury).  Drumming by "The Darkness" (aka Frankie Quaggs) is quite well done as well.  He has a real sense of dynamics, and knows when to go full-blast versus when the songs need something more nuanced, and when to change that up within the song.  A good example of that would be transitioning from the verses to the chorus in "Sad Wings".  All in all, the instrumentation on the album is very well done.

Vocals are provided by Caleb - The Teller of Tales (aka Steve Seniuk).  I'll get it on the table right away so folks can make their judgments, as I'm sure they will: Steve sounds an AWFUL LOT like former Iced Earth vocalist Matt Barlow.  He's not a copycat, because his slower passages and screams differ a fair bit, but his mid-range to high vocals sound more than a little like the famed singer.  Of course, Matt himself often bore more than a passing resemblance to Paul Stanley, so take that as you will.  Personally, I think he sounds great on the record, with impassioned screams, suitably dynamic quieter passages, and loads of emotion in his delivery.  He sings the lyrics convincingly, and really conveys that he cares about the story being told within the album.  If you're a fan of any of the recent Iced Earth vocalists, i.e. Matt Barlow, Tim "Ripper" Owens, or Stu Block, you'll feel right at home with Caleb, er, Steve's vocal work.

Speaking of story, apparently this album is the 1st in a trilogy of concept albums that follow along with related novels.  I wish I knew what novel(s) this trilogy is based upon, and whether it's a work of fiction by Cruppe himself, or another series of novels already out there.  While I didn't have a lyric sheet or copy to go by, the lyrics themselves aren't hard to discern.  The story is one of war and sacrifice, and the protagonist seems to go through a lot of emotional turmoil as a result of all the chaos.  The album's multitude of segue tracks are apparently also integral to the story within the album, as they're based in some fashion on the story being told, as much as instrumental interludes can be.  Being able to read the novel might help give me additional context based on the titles of those tracks, or where the story is moving in between the main narrative from each song with lyrics.

Other reviews have stated that the album is a bit too "busy", and while I can see that, I don't know that I necessarily agree.  Yes, there is dual-guitar action, often with dueling solos or layering, and there are various keyboard effects and accouterments here and there, as well as a handful of sound effects to aid in presenting the story, but I don't think those things are very obtrusive.  If anything, listening via headphones gave me a bit more clarification as to the context of some of those sounds, but the experience was quite similar to that of jamming the album through my desk speakers.  I initially thought the mix was a bit weak, but after several listens, I believe it perfectly suits the sound the band is trying to achieve.  Some have said that Steve screams too much and relies on that too heavily, but if you compare what these guys are doing to Iced Earth or Mercyful Fate, you'll find that they're quite similar and in that context, I don't believe it's overdone.  Most criticisms I've read of the album focus on these items, along with the inclusion of too many interlude tracks.  I was initially put off by them, and found them distracting, since they don't all perfectly transition one track to the next, but upon multiple listens, they make sense within the framework of the album and now I think I'd miss them if I nixed them from the album playlist.

I was quite surprised, and honestly taken aback at the sheer quality and force of "Crawling Out Of Hell".  The musicianship is top-notch, the performances are all spirited and high quality, and the idea of a trilogy of concept albums, while not entirely original, is not something that has been done before in metal, at this level.  The songs all have catchiness and staying power (with the possible exception of the repetitive "On and On") that makes for good replay value, and ensures that many of the tracks will be playing in your head long after the CD has stopped spinning.  Killer Metal Records has done quite a service to metal fans everywhere by re-issuing this album, originally self-released by the band in 2010.  I would love to see a vinyl issue of this release as well.  I look forward to the album's forthcoming follow-up, "Crawling Out Of Heaven", and wish guitarist/band leader John Cruppe a full recovery from his recent health issues, which you can read about on the band's Facebook page.  Highly recommended!

87/100

Edge Of Thorns - Insomnia (2014)

I thoroughly enjoy writing music reviews.  One of the small pleasures in life for me is getting exposure to a whole host of new bands I may otherwise have never heard of, or perhaps overlooked, because I get a review copy of a release.  Sometimes I get albums that go nowhere and feel like a waste of my time, but most of the time I at least enjoy what I get.  Sometimes, however, I get a diamond in the rough, something that I can be truly happy about receiving.  Edge Of Thorns is just such an example.

To be honest, I'd never heard of Edge Of Thorns before, but the name immediately made me think of Savatage.  Indeed, the band's moniker was inspired by the Savatage song/album, so of course, aural comparisons at once begin to take shape.  That's a mistake, however, because Edge Of Thorns really sound very little like the metal heroes they fashioned their name after.  Rather than a mix of American power metal, progressive hard rock and straight up metal, Edge Of Thorns take a different path.  Their sound is steeped in the modern, heavy European power metal sound, and that's a good thing, because the band has a knack for the style.

Right away, I'm enthralled by the guitars.  Longtime (founding?) lead guitarist Dave Brixius, and newcomer Jani Näckel bring the heat, big time.  Jani brings home driving hard riffs that not only hit hard, but are sprinkled with variety throughout.  It's not all chugga chugga stuff, but there are moments where the notes ring out, and other times when rhythmically, she makes things interesting.  Dave's solo work is fiery and blistering, bringing an exciting element to the songs during each solo break.  Some guitarists' solo playing can be too technical, or too basic, but Dave transitions back and forth nicely from song to song between highly melodic playing (such as some of the solo work in "The Seven Sins Of Arthur McGregor"), and all out fret board fireworks.  In all, the guitar sound is chunky and heavy, the way it should be in a band playing this style.  Bass provided by Achim Sinzinger is competent, and though not prominent in the band's sound, provides some necessary weight.  Drummer Joachim Lichter is on-point and provides a nice, meaty drum sound to the album.  He handles mid-tempo and basic beats like a champ, and his double-bass and faster drum work is impressive as well.  He brings a minor sense of dynamics as well, which is always a plus.

Vocally, Dirk Schmitt is a strong addition to the band's sound.  He has a very gritty tone that reminds me a lot of Udo Dirkschneider (ex-Accept), though with a bit less gravel.  Dirk has that sound where it sounds like his epiglottis is reverberating at 100 mph, so it's a "cleaner grit", if you will, than what Udo projects.  Dirk has a powerful voice, good range, and he uses his instrument well on this album.  The one bothersome thing I noticed about his vocals is more of a delivery issue than a problem with his voice.  Any time a word begins with the letter "i", he adds an artificial "r" sound, i.e. when he says "Insomnia" in the title track, or particularly in the last track, "Is This The Way It Is".  It's a minor issue, but as strong as his performance is here, it's a bit distracting to hear him say "Rrrrrinsomnia!" several times in a row during an otherwise great performance.  On the plus side, having fellow German Ralf Scheepers provide guest vocals during "Metal Unity" certainly doesn't hurt matters any.

Having not heard the previous 2 releases, I can't speak to the quality here versus past material, but what I can say is that this is a solid set of songs performed with enthusiasm by a talented bunch of performers.  What I'd really like to hear from the band on their next outing is an even tighter batch of tunes, with even catchier riffs and choruses.  Other than a bit of minor tightening of the vocal attack and a want for slightly more memorable batch of material, there's very little I can fault this album for.  This CD is a testament to the collective talent and drive of the band members, and I commend them for giving us a work as cohesive and consistent throughout.  Recommended.

83/100

Game On! - DuckTales Remastered (Wii U)

Image shamelessly stolen from the Capcom Unity YouTube page.

Game Title: DuckTales Remastered
Platforms: Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Released: August 13, 2013
Formats: Digital, Retail/Boxed (console only)
Players: 1
Online Content: N/A

Any time a property is up for a 'remake', things can be dodgy.  How many times has something from the 1980's been remade in the last few years with mixed results?  How about when bands re-record old hits or entire albums?  Often, the results aren't exactly what fans wanted, and sometimes even what the artist had envisioned for the re-record.  When something is remastered, it usually means that the original source material was simply cleaned up and made to look or sound better, sometimes with the occasional tweak or change based on an artist's original vision.  Though "remaster" isn't a term one normally would (or should) apply to a complete remake of a property, but that's what Capcom decided to do with DuckTales Remastered, a completely new, modern take on the classic Nintendo Entertainment System (and Game Boy) platform game.

That Capcom was able to either retain rights, or secure them again for the purpose of this remake, is quite a feat.  Most companies let their licensing rights lapse, and then obtaining those back can often be tricky business.  Thankfully, for Capcom, the DuckTales property was no longer a hot commodity, and they were able to put out this fine remake of the classic original NES title.  I feel compelled to make the distinction that, even though this game is labeled as a 'remaster', it's far more in the 'remake' category.  There are similarities to the original in some of the level design, and the music is the same, albeit redone in a more modern fashion, but this is a brand new game that re-imagines the original in a modern context.

Screenshot shamelessly stolen from NinteodoLife

First and foremost I must mention the fact that unlike the original, this game has a defined story.  Sure, the original gave us a vague notion of a treasure hunt, but then, Scrooge McDuck was always out for treasure.  Anyone who watched the cartoon knew that.  And why is that relevant?  The original voice cast returned to provide voices for the game, save for the voice of Fenton Crackshell, aka Gizmo Duck.  Unfortunately, original voice actor Hamilton Camp passed away in 2005, otherwise I'm assuming they'd have tapped him for the part.  Instead, we get relative newcomer (in context with the original cast) Eric Bauza, who has an impressive voice over resume already.  For anyone who enjoyed the original cartoon and playing the NES (or in my case, Game Boy) game was that small window into "playing" the cartoon, then the new game will be practically a revelation, because the dialogue in the game will take you right back to your childhood and make you truly feel as if you're playing the cartoon.  Bits of voice acting throughout the levels also add to the immersion, with Scrooge occasionally commenting on a gem you find, or making little comments here and there - my favorite among them is when Scrooge says, with full accent in tow, "I dinnae get to be the richest duck in the world by backin' doon!"  In addition to the excellent voice acting, the soundtrack has been re-imaged as well by Jake Kaufman, who said in interviews that he'd been a fan of the cartoon and game.  He did a marvelous job taking the original tunes and simply bringing them into a modern context with full instrumentation and "big" sound, but following the original melodies and templates.  There's an option to hear the original chiptune versions as well, which some will revel in.

The graphics in this game are absolutely beautiful.  If you're going to make a 2-D game in the modern age and not make it "retro" styled with obvious pixel art, THIS is the way to do it right.  Stages have lush backgrounds with lots of detail that look like they've been hand drawn, and the character animations are well done and look like they could have come straight from the cartoon.  Scrooge McDuck looks great as you run and pogo-jump around, climb ladders, swing your cane like a gold club, and more.  The look on his face when you touch an enemy or dangerous piece of scenery is priceless, and really reflects the cartoon animation well.  The stages all echo the original levels, but at a vastly more detailed level, and even the more mundane locations look fantastic.

Screenshot shamelessly stolen from XBLA Fans

The game takes the original's 5 areas and retools them to make the layouts and progression a bit different, as well as making them longer and more challenging.  The game also adds 2 new levels.  There's an intro level that unveils the plot of the Beagle Boys trying to filch Scrooge's gold from his Money Bin, so you get to play through that at the beginning.  Then you can select from any of the main stages via the oversize computer in Scrooge's office.  Once you've completed all areas and found all 5 priceless treasures, you travel to Mt. Vesuvius to confront Magica (and Glomgold, incidentally) for a final showdown.  I actually quite like the layouts of the stages here, as they're fairly linear, but still can be explored quite a bit, and some of them (particularly the icy Himalaya or Transylvania stages) require a bit of searching and sometimes backtracking to complete and find all the treasure.  Rather than the pixel-perfect platforming of the original, with the new art style it becomes more of judging where McDuck is standing relative to the edge of a platform or area to size up the jumps.

The ability to save your progress and not have to replay stages each time you come into the game is a plus, because with the changed layouts and enemy movements, the difficulty has ramped up quite a bit from the original to this remake.  Admittedly, my platforming skills aren't what they were when I played through the original on my Game Boy back in Jr. high school, I had quite a time getting through the game - it was definitely no cakewalk.  There were several stages I tried multiple times to get through, and had to perfect the jumping and pogostick mechanics quite a bit to get through the game.  In particular, the final part of the Mt. Vesuvius stage required some really well-timed jumps and maneuvers.  If you die in that spot and lose all your lives, you'll have to continue from the beginning of the Vesuvius stage, and that's a fair bit of game to have to play through again to complete the game, including the final boss.  It's not a huge complaint, but just something to be aware of.  It definitely still has the "Nintendo hard" feel of an 8-bit platformer.  A minor complaint that I assume plagues all console versions (I only have the Wii U version) is that the cinema/dialogue portions can't be skipped by simply pressing a button.  You have to pause the game, and choose 'Skip cinema' and then it will skip it.  Not a big deal, but for every time Launchpad flies the chopper to a new stage or area, you'll find yourself skipping that sequence a lot.  The same goes for some of the in-level cinemas - once you've seen them once or twice, you'll be skipping through them to get back into the action.

Screenshot shamelessly stolen from Wii U Daily

The special features are nice, but are a touch hit & miss.  The ability to swim around in the money pit is cool, but it loses its appeal within a few seconds.  How many of us dreamed of diving into Scrooge's money bin and swimming around through all the cash and gold like he does?  Sadly, it's a VERY limited experience, and feels very tacked on.  On the plus side, with all the cash you earn my collecting gems and treasures throughout the game, you can unlock bonus content like concept artwork, sprites, character or location designs and sketches, and more.  If you get enough of the first category of art unlocked, you can start unlocking the next category until you get to the end.  Once you've unlocked enough, you can get some video, which is nice.  Of course, in order to get enough cash to unlock everything, you'll have to play through some of the stages more than once, which you can do once you've completed the game and downed the final boss.  The ability to choose the 8-bit tunes is nice, even though Jake Kaufman's score is great, so that's a welcome addition, but I kind of wish that Capcom and WayForward (who handled the design) would have included a way to unlock the original game.  That would have been a killer feature, and it seems odd that they didn't include that.

All things considered, this is a really nice update or the original game, and a real treat for fans like myself.  If you're a modern gamer, this title might be worth the budget price to get an idea of what a good platform game is in the modern era.  If you were never a fan of the show or the original game, this may not be the game for you, but as a fan of both, I thoroughly enjoyed myself while playing this, despite the slightly steep jump in difficulty.  If you are at all a fan of the cartoon or the original game, I recommend checking this game out, because it is the closest thing available of any game I think I've ever played to truly capturing the spirit and fun of the cartoon it's based upon, while also offering a solid, fun, and highly replayable gaming experience.

Morning Dwell - Morning Dwell (2014)

As previous reviews have indicated, the metal sub-genre known as Power Metal is hopelessly overcrowded.  Making an impression among the glut of bands is difficult.  You either need to grab folks by the throat and knock their socks off, or do something that is interesting enough to warrant their time.  In the case of a band blatantly aping their influences, they need to bring their "A" game in order to have any hope of being seen as anything other than just a copycat.  In the case of Sweden's Morning Dwell, one can say that they at least make a good go of it.

Reading through the band's bio, it's apparent that at least the man behind the group, Petter Hjerpe, has had a reasonably legitimate power metal education, having purchased Hammerfall's seminal "Legacy of Kings" album, then discovering (through his father), the wondrous "Keep of the Seven Keys: Part 2" by Helloween (on vinyl, no less!).  And as you listen to the album, you'll hear Petter's Helloween fetish in all its glory (or lack thereof, depending on your take).  The album gains credibility when you find that drummer Alfred Fridhagen (Golden Resurrection, ReinXeed) is on board, along with production from CJ Grimmark (Narnia), and artwork by Andreas Marshall.  With a formula of Helloween-worship with talented players sounds like a winning combination, at least on paper.  How does it translate on disc?  Read on!

For a band trying to ape the Helloween sound, Morning Dwell sounds about like one would expect.  The guitars have some level of crunch, but they're relatively smooth as well, with a balanced amount of grit coupled with slick production.  Michel Barréra and Ulf Zetterman do a good job with the axe work here, cranking out reasonably good riffs and solos that follow in the Helloween tradition, but lacking some of the fire that made the "Keepers" albums so special.  Still, they play well, and get the job done.  Bass is present and audible, though Martin Erneström generally just keeps pace with the guitar in terms of what he's playing.  He is solid and in the pocket, and provides a nice underpinning for the guitar.  I do like that there's a real separation of guitar and bass, which isn't always the case with modern metal production.  And of course, drumming by Alfred Fridhagen is spot on, with his usual skill and energy.

Petter Hjerpe is a relatively new vocalist, as outlined in the band's bio, so don't expect to hear the next power metal wunderkind when listening to the album.  He's relatively solid, with some minor range issues.  He also has what I'll call a minor "transition" issue, where when he's sliding from one note to another, his voice squeaks a bit, not unlike puberty.  This generally happens only at the top of his register, and it's not all the time, so it's somewhat forgivable, but it's still a noticeable flaw.  It's interesting to note that Petter had some vocal coaching by producer Frippe Eliasson.  Again, this is another reason the minor issues with vocals can be seen as less of a detriment to the album's impact.

The more troublesome aspect of the album is that the songs just aren't that memorable.  They contain all the elements one would expect, and they're fun to listen to while the album's playing, but other than the chorus of "Unlock All the Doors", or perhaps bits of "The Pirate Song", none of the material sticks around in my head after the album is done playing.  It's not inherently poorly written, per se, but the hooks just aren't strong enough to keep me engaged beyond the listening experience.  That, combined with the vocal issues I mentioned, will keep this release from blowing up the way the band might want it to.  Still, with as much Helloween worship as is going on here, and the fact that there's plenty of potential on display, Doolittle Group may have scored a minor coup by signing the band, because with time, writing, and touring, they can only get better.  They don't have a "Keeper" album here (sorry, pun intended), but it's a solid, inoffensive slab of power metal that is at least enjoyable to listen to.  Recommended for Helloween nuts and absolute power metal devotees; all others try before you buy.

68/100

Pylon - Homo Homini Lupus (2014)

Pylon has made a name for themselves in the Doom Metal space over the last several years.  Beginning in 2004 with "Natural Songbirth", the band's 5 full-length releases and 2 splits (one with the mighty My Silent Wake), Pylon come to 2014 with their 6th LP, "Homo Homini Lupus".  That's Latin, loosely translated as "man is a wolf to [his fellow] man", which I would have to agree with.  Man is oft a cruel beast, and as people we are frequently self-centered, narcissistic, and tend to ignore the feelings and needs of others, if it conflicts with our own interests.  I have to admit I'm as guilty as the next person of such behavior, and it makes me reflect on my life when I think about what kind of impact I'm having on the world.

I reviewed Pylon's last release, "The Harrowing of Hell" last year, and found it to be a solid, if somewhat uninspired release.  Pylon has made some changes to their line-up and sound, and I think those are for the better, because "Homo Homini Lupus" is a quality album that I think reflects the kind of growth a band should see when they really put the effort into writing material from one album to the next.  One of the things that "The Harrowing" needed desperately was stronger songs.  "Homo Homini Lupus" rectifies this quite a bit by having a nice mix of material, and more interesting and catchy songs.

On the instrumental front, the guitars sound a LOT better here than they did on the previous release.  The CD release of "Harrowing" had a couple bonus tracks that hinted at the improved sound, and here it's even better.  Gone is the tinny, thin tone, and in its place is a thick, warm, crunchy tone that is far more befitting of the doom metal here.  The guitar production is improved all around, as clean tones sound much better as well, so kudos to whomever produced the album, because it sounds so much better.  Bass is nicely placed in the mix, with a full sound that rumbles and provides a lot of low end.  It doesn't get lost in the mix, and while not blazing a unique path within the music, at least sounds great throughout.  Drum work is pretty good as well, keeping time with the shifting tempos from song to song.  The cymbals are a touch buried in the mix, but the bass and snare drum sounds are all punchy at the right level.

Vocally, the addition of Jordan Cutajar from Nomad Son was the right move.  Matt Brand was a serviceable vocalist, but this change really gives them a leg up, because Jordan sounds at home here as much as he does with Nomad Son.  His strong voice and raspy, emotive tone are a welcome addition to the Pylon sound, especially with the improved production.  Jordan's inflections, passionate delivery, and attitude all come through, which gives the material that much more weight.  The addition of some Hebrew and Latin in the lyrics also spices things up.

I like the material on this album a lot more than on its predecessor.  Firstly, the songs shift tempos more and the moods change throughout, which keeps things fresh and interesting.  The choice of Slayer's "South of Heaven" is also a great one, as I think the band brings their own little element to the song and do it justice.  In addition, the songs themselves are just stronger than the previous release, because they don't get old on repeat listens, and when I go back to the album after not having listened to it for a few days, I immediately know where I'm at with each song and find myself smiling and bobbing my head with the groove.  Overall, this is a quality album that, while relatively short (just shy of 37 minutes if you don't count the cover), is a marked improvement over the previous release.  If you've not checked out Pylon before, do yourself a favor and jump on the bandwagon now, because this album shows they've got the chops and songs.  Fans should eat this up, and doom fans in general should enjoy this fairly thoroughly.  Recommended.

80/100

Silent Voices - Reveal the Change (2013)

There are many fields of music that are overcrowded, due to years of a particular style or genre gaining popularity and then seeing a glut of bands enter the market playing that same style.  Some fans can't get enough of a certain style or genre, and will buy up nearly everything of that style they can get their hands on.  But aside from that small, core group of fans, bands that enter crowded markets really need to do something to separate themselves from the other groups of that genre to really stand out and make an impact.  That, or they need to combine familiar elements in a unique or interesting way that warrants more than a cursory listen.  To my ears, Silent Voices is doing the latter, with positive effect.

Being unfamiliar with Silent Voices prior to hearing this record, I wasn't sure what to expect, other than some vaguely progressive metal.  In fact, based on the cover art alone, I figured it would be a middle-of-the-road combination of progressive hard rock with a few solos littered about, and just enough grit in the guitar to call it metal.  I was pleasantly surprised, then, that I was only right to an extent of roughly 20%.  Yes, there is some material here that touches on the progressive hard rock spectrum, but I would argue that the overwhelming majority of stuff here is squarely on the metal side of the fence, and the other touches give the sound a bit of an expansive feel beyond the basic tenets of the sound & framework.  How they mix in the various elements of their sound is what gives the album validity.

The instruments on this album are all well produced and have decent separation w/in the sound.  Guitars sound good overall, and have plenty of weight with the lower chords, so riffing is often fairly heavy sounding.  I would assume the guitars are overdubbed in many places, given that this is a one-guitar band courtesy of Timo Kauppinen.  I like the guitar sound and how it shifts seamlessly between the heavier, low-end riffing and the higher scale runs and solos.  Not all guitar tones can move from one to the other without one sounding weak, or giving up some level of heaviness for clarity, so I think this is a good compromise.  I like how as a soloist, Timo swings back and forth effortlessly between highly melodic playing and absolute shredding.  It provides another nice contrast in the sound.  Bass guitar has a nice meaty feel to it, with a lot of low-end and providing not only the necessary thump under the guitar, but also having enough definition in the mix to be a vital part of what's going on.  Bass playing by Pasi Kauppinen is more than solid, and is a good example of how bass can be done right in metal so it's not buried in the mix, but up front enough to really do its job fully.  Henrik Klingenberg provides the keyboard work for the band, and I consider it quite superb.  He exists in that space between the tasteful Kevin Moore style, and the more all-out style of someone like Jordan Rudess.  He can help keep the melody buoyant when necessary, and go nuts with runs, solos, and effects when the song calls for it.  Drumming by original skinsman Jukka-Pekka Koivisto (apparently no longer with the band) is well done and has some nice juxtaposition within some of the songs between fast, double-bass propelled rhythms, and more syncopated, thought-out pieces.  Here's hoping newcomer Jani Hurula does the material justice in the live setting.

Vocally, the album is a mix of folks following the departure of original vocalist Michael Henneken.  In the vocal slot, there is Mats Levén, Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), Mike Vescera (Obsession), and Mike DiMeo, along with newcomer Teemu Koskela (who is apparently now a full member).  There's plenty of variety, and the range of voices work well over the course of the album without sounding too disjointed.  I'd be curious to hear how Teemu pulls this stuff off in a live setting, though with Pasi and Henrik likely dedicated most of their time to Sonata Arctica, who knows how much this stuff will get played live.  Specific to the album, however, everyone sounds pretty on-point from a vocal perspective.  I think the vocalists that were chosen for each song were also chosen wisely, because the songs all sound as though they fit the vocalist singing in that track.

One thing I like here is that while the band is clearly influenced by Dream Theater, they're not aping the sound.  To me, it sounds like a power metal-influenced version of what might be the meeting point between the overly complex progressive metal sound of Dream Theater, and the more subdued, lightly progressive sound of, say, Orphan Project.  Both bands are progressive in their own way, but at different extremes in the genre.  Silent Voices exist somewhere in the middle, and it works well for them.  The songs aren't overly memorable, which is a bit of a detriment, but they're not throw-away filler, either.  They do well enough to keep your attention while they're playing, but you won't have these tracks running through your head for weeks after you listen to them.  They're solid compositions that play to the band's strengths, but don't quite reach the level of stronger songwriting that would propel the album to instant classic status.  To sum up: Silent Voices doesn't bring anything new to the table, but they certainly do what they do well enough to justify checking them out at this point.  I can't speak for their back catalog, but this album is recommended to prog and power metal fans who enjoy both styles and enjoy the middle ground between the two.

80/100

Taker - It Is Finished (2014)

As a music fan, and a metal fan, I love to dig into the history of bands and find out where they came from.  I enjoy hearing early demo material from well-known bands, because it's often indicative of whether or not the band's musical prowess or abilities are their own, or whether their early records needed a lot of "studio magic" to make them sound good.  It's also interesting to hear demo material from bands that never quite got to that place where they got a record deal, so all that is available is studio demos, live recordings, basement tapes, etc.  Either way, an interesting historical perspective.

In the case of white metal band Taker, the latter is the case.  Taker never quite got off the ground, and as a result, all we have are demo recordings to understand where they were at.  Originating in Virginia, this band never got a record deal, and officially only 2 demo recordings exist with any level of distribution.  Thankfully, we have Roxx Productions to dig up recordings like these and make them more widely available to the underground music enthusiast like myself.  Not all recordings like this are going to be at a level of quality that warrants repeated listens, but thankfully, Taker is at least an interesting enough case to be worth checking out.

Taker plays the traditional American style of melodic, 1980's heavy metal sound.  There's a bit of NWOBHM influence here and there, with some fast riffing in songs like "He Is The Light" or "Living By Faith", and big, anthemic choruses that try and get a hook stuck in your head that you'll be singing long after the song is done playing.  As this is a collection of demo material, the quality varies from song to song, especially because much of this is likely tape transfers, so there is a bit lost in the analog-to-digital conversion.  In addition, there are a couple tracks where some damage to the tape(s) was apparent, as there are spots where the song sounds garbled or cuts out briefly.  This is to be expected from archival releases like this, but it's unfortunate that a better quality or less-played copy wasn't available for use.  Still, all things considered, it sounds pretty decent, and is in some ways a step up from some of the previous archive stuff Roxx did early on (like Eternal Ryte's demo material).

As expected with demo material, not everything here sounds fantastic, especially the first 4 or 5 tracks from the band's 1st demo and rehearsal tapes.  The guitars are crunchy and distorted enough, even on those tracks, so they get the job done, and you can tell the players have talent and have clearly rehearsed the material, because it's generally well-executed.  Things pick up near the middle of the CD when you get to the tracks that the band did for an Image Records session.  I could see Taker fitting well on the Image roster alongside Zion and Dreamer, but it never quite happened.  The recording quality steps up quite a bit from that point forward, and it helps give the material a bit more weight and presence.  You can also hear the consistency in performance between the early versions of "Open Your Heart" and "He Is The Light" between the 2 recordings as well.  Bass guitar is present more on the later tracks, and though standard for the music, sounds good given the time frame of the recordings.  Drumming is powerful and solid, and there are a few spots (especially in the re-record of "Yesterday, Today and Forever") where some studio wizardry gives the drums a bit of extra flair.

Lyrically, being from the 1980's, white metal, and following in the Barren/Neon Cross vein, you know what you're going to get here.  Unapologetic expression of love for and faith in Jesus Christ are the bread and butter here, and for the most part, it works well, except when things get a bit clumsy, like "The Measure" or "Look Into His Eyes".  But then metal lyrics from that era aren't known for being highly poetic, so this should be no surprise.  Vocally, Kevin Potter sticks out to me as the weak point of the band.  He can scream and hit higher notes, but there are times when I feel like he's just a bit flat, and other times when he dips into a-melodic territory in places where it doesn't make sense.  He just doesn't quite hit all the rights notes when it counts, which is something that might have been able to have been ironed out with more rehearsal, more studio time to get the right take, etc.  It's not a huge detriment, given that this is demo material, but it does detract somewhat from the songs.

Ultimately, this is going to be a release that is mostly of interest to hobbyists like myself who are interested in the history of "Christian metal".  If you're looking for the next Barren Cross, you won't find it here, but this is mostly a good listen from start to finish, minus a few embarrassing lyrical and vocal bits, and the fact that about a third of the material is repeated on the CD more than once.  The songs aren't overly memorable, though I did find myself humming the chorus of "Open Your Heart" a few times during the course of listening to this CD for the purposes of review.  This stuff would never have set the world on fire, but it does show a solid band that, with a little more practice and time, could have made a bigger impact.  Recommended for the collector and enthusiast.

60/100