CD Review: In Flames' Sounds of a Playground Fading

On February 4th, 2010, long time In Flames guitarist (and early drummer) Jesper Strömblad made the decision to quit the band due to personal and health issues. Being with In Flames since the very beginning while losing his presence will sure make an impact in the future for the long time Swedish metal band. But of course, the band had to move on, and in 2011 with Björn Gelotte as their lead guitarist now along their newest addition on guitar Niclas Englin, the group released their new album Sounds of a Playground Fading, the first In Flames album to not feature Jesper on any instrument in their music.



As many know about this band, the original melodic death metal sound the band had back in the 90’s slowly dwindled away and went for a more modern, alternative metal approach to their sound recently, thus dividing their fan base in half. I happen to really like their original sound as well, but I understand that nothing stays the same forever. As I mention all the time with my reviews, bands evolve and it sometimes isn‘t for the better. In this case, In Flames were able to be more successful in some regard but only to lose a lot of what they used to be. One of the biggest problems right now is Anders Fridén attempting clean vocals. Honestly, he sounded amazing back on albums like The Jester Race and Whoracle when he used to just growl practically the whole time, but now he sounds too whiny and I personally don’t think he has that great of a clean voice. So after four mediocre to poor albums, could In Flames be able to change an old fan’s mind with this release? Well, let’s find out with my song by song review:

1. “Sounds of a Playground Fading”: The title track. To be honest, I think the intro to this song is one of the best this band has done in years. I really adore the clean guitar intro along with their trademark dual guitar harmonies that made them the band they are today. After the intro, it goes into a typical modern In Flames song with Anders putting out his usual vocal style we all are used to by now. While the rest of the song isn’t as impressive as the intro, it still has something to offer and it still retains the melodic approach that this band got famous for. 3.5/5

2. “Deliver Us”: The first single off this album. This was obviously written to be a radio hit because Anders’ vocals are clean the whole time, which isn’t always the best thing and the song overall is very dull and lacks substance with a typical song structure suited for a hit song. Listen at your own risk. 2/5

3. “All For Me”: This song has once again another acoustic intro with that typical In Flames style to it. Though not as impressive as the title track, it holds it own nonetheless. The rest of the song? I would say that it is a very depressing track with Anders adding some very desperate sounding vocals of pain, which he actually does good at for this song. His vocals actually fit this one quite well unlike most of the other tracks. I think that is a song worth listening to a couple of times but don‘t expect “Moonshield“ or anything like that. 3/5

4. “The Puzzle”: This is the fastest song on the album, but does that mean it’s good? Out of all the songs, Anders vocals are the most annoying on this track, especially in the verses. Musically, it isn’t too bad, but nothing special either. Although the outro of this song is actually very cool and is actually worth skipping the whole song up until that point, which is why I gave it a higher rating. 2.5/5

5. “Fear Is the Weakness”: I really like this song musically, but I feel that Anders sort of ruins it for me again, which seems to be a continuing problem for this album. I really like the guitar work on this track as it has more presence than the previous tracks. Worth a listen for sure but once again it could be better. 3.5/5

6. “Where the Dead Ships Dwell”: Another attempt at a radio friendly song. I feel that this song is really stock and doesn’t do a lot for me at all. One of the weaker songs on the album, that is all I am going to say about this one. 2/5

7. “The Attic”: A very weird and acoustic guitar song with some raspy vocals from Anders once again which sort of kills it. I don’t think this is the worst song on the album, but it doesn’t have much lasting appeal either. 2.5/5

8. “Darker Times”: The main riff sounds very Korn like to me and with that being the case, this is definitely a filler track. Nothing special here. 2/5

9. “Ropes”: A very good main guitar lick, but Anders vocals ruins the song again. I think the guitar work on this track is pretty good though. Not that great of a song again as it is another filler once again. 2.5/5

10. “Enter Tragedy”: Faster than most of the other tracks, the vocals are surprisingly a little more harsh than the other songs, but it comes off as too whiny and forced once again which ruins the whole song. 2/5

11. “Jester’s Door”: I think this track is about Jesper Strömblad judging by the lyrics. I don’t know what to say about this one other than it is a weird track with basically a narration going on. Ugh, worth maybe one listen but that is it. I don’t consider this really a song so it gets a pretty low rating. 1/5

12. “A New Dawn”: After one of the worst tracks in the bands’ history, we get to the best song on the album. The guitars seem to have more inspiration, the structure is more complex, and the overall feel of the song is much more powerful and has better execution than the rest of the album. Anders vocals aren’t that good as usual, but here he sounds better than the other tracks. The bridge section of this song has some strings in it which gives it a very nice melodic touch to it. I don’t know how they will reproduce this live unless it is played over the PA or if they have enough money to afford session violin players. Anyways, this is by far the best this album has to offer. 4/5

13. “Liberation”: Really?? After the best song we get this one? Reminds me of some radio rock song. Sounds nothing like In Flames at all! Another filler track. 2/5


So that is my song by song review of Sounds of a Playground Fading. Here are my overall thoughts:

Pros:

- A significant improvement over A Sense of Purpose.

- Very good melodic intros to some songs.


Cons:

- Anders’ vocals

- Lyrics are a bit whiny and corny at times, although much better than their last album.

- A lot of filler tracks which makes it inconsistent.

To me, In Flames sounds tired and worn down and the album grows very old after a while. I think this band has seen better days and while I think that they really tried to make some memorable songs like “A New Dawn”, it doesn’t sound like the band has anymore ideas left in the tank. Their overall sound seems like it is growing old and tiresome, and that they are getting bored of making this kind of metal in general. But despite the setbacks, there are some positives to this release. You would think that Jesper’s absence would have a big impact on the overall sound, but Björn fit the shoes of lead guitar nicely with some very cool and unique solos to the In Flames library. I don’t think it would have made a difference either way if Jesper would of stayed or not because this album would not have sounded that much different in my opinion.

Fans of old In Flames, like myself, have to realize that they will never be the band they once were. Being true melodic death metal again for this band isn’t going to happen anytime soon. It is what it is, and since it is a more modern In Flames album, I would put this one quality wise above Soundtrack To Your Escape and A Sense of Purpose. But even though it is an improvement, I will still have to give this album a horns down /w\ due to the inconstancies this album has plus the annoying sound of Anders’ modern vocal sound which he started utilizing since Reroute To Remain. Of course if you like their new sound and style, pick this album up as there are some nice aspects about this album. It isn’t all bad, but I really do miss the old style this band once possessed.

Overall rating: 2.5/5

CD Review: Linkin Park's "A Thousand Suns"

It really irritates me when a band I love and have a long history with ups and changes their musical direction to something I'm not stoked on, thereby challenging my loyalty to them. I like to think of myself as a loyal person, so when something disappoints me, I feel torn. Such is the case with this newest effort by Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns.

I had a bad feeling about this CD when I wrote this post about their song "The Catalyst" but was more optimisic when I heard "Wretches and Kings." Now that I have heard the entire release, all I can say is...rip.

My first reaction when hearing the album for the first time was "where are the guitars?" Indeed, it seems this rather essential instrument is taking a back seat in the new dancier, electronic musical direction this band is taking.

There is way more emphasis on keyboards, which is nice, and I do like the political lyrical themes, which I thought was a strength of their last CD, Minutes to Midnight. Mike Shinoda also contributes more vocals than before, which is also OK; I love that guy. But unfortunately, that also means more hip-hop stuff, too. The hip-hip stuff on previous albums was completely fine with me, because there was a balance of that genre's elements and the angst and edge of metal. It worked for me. But now the focus seems to be more on the hip-hop beats and sounds combined with very irritating sound effects that, if I heard them in a club, would make me head to the nearest exit as fast as I could so I could fight off the inevitable migraine.

The clubbishness of this album is really off-putting for someone not into that kind of scene at all. There are songs on here that, even on low volume, give me a headache. "When They Come for Me" is one of them. There are also quite a few insipid tracks on here that I have no idea what these guys were thinking of when they made the decision to put them on the CD. Case in point, "Robot Boy" and "Jornada del Muerto." "Waiting for the End" is another.

I hate to say it, but there are more bad tracks on this album than there are good ones. Most of the songs are groaners. In fact, I can only honestly say that I like two whole songs here, the aforementioned "Wretches and Kings" and a nice, slower piece called "Iridescent." In the case of "Wretches and Kings," it does have some of those annoying sound effects I was mentioning, but it's the song most reminiscent of "old" LP. "Iridescent" sounds like something from Minutes to Midnight, which isn't a bad thing, since I did enjoy that album even though a lot of people did not.

And what happened to Chester Bennington's harsh vocals is a mystery to me. They only appear in "Blackout" and "Wretches and Kings." I miss them. His clean vocals are amazing as always, however.

Also, what is up with the cover? What is that? A dove? What? It also gives me a headache!

Altogether, a frustrating listen. Sorry, LP, but this is a horns down for me. /m\

CD Review: Nightwish's "Dark Passion Play"

After Nightwish's final gig of the "Once" tour on October 21st, 2005, Tarja Turunen was asked to leave the band in an open letter that literally sent shock waves to fans of the band and the symphonic metal world. Not only was this the official dismissal of their singer, who has been with the band for almost nine years at that point in time, but it also created a lot of controversy because of the fact that the letter was made publicly for the world to see which ultimately divided their fan base with mixed feelings and doubt.

On top of all of the drama and issues surrounding Tuomas and crew, people wondered who the next woman was going to be taking Tarja's place for lead vocals. While in the process of recording their next studio album "Dark Passion Play", Nightwish hired ex-Alyson Avenue vocalist Anette Olzon as their new singer in 2007. Now that she is the new singer, can she fill the shoes of someone as important as Tarja Turunen? In reality, this was indeed a tough position to fill because being a vocalist for a symphonic metal band like Nightwish is not easy. Lots of training and plenty of adequate vocal range are required to do well for sure. Personally, I do not think that Anette is a "bad" singer so to speak, but her voice just simply doesn't flow well with the style that Nightwish plays. Plus, she really is not my cup of tea for vocals either necessarily, but I have nothing truely against her personally. Her vocal style is very common and average. Nightwish right now is missing that uniqueness that Tarja provided for the band. So Anette is clearly not the best choice for vocals in Nightwish.

Anette is not the only thing that is hurting Nightwish on "Dark Passion Play". Musically, the style is roughly the same. Pip Williams and his orchestra came back again for another round on this album. His input really provides some depth no doubt, but like "Once", we hear less of the actual band playing again like before. Emppu's input is once again limited, Tuomas is drowned out by Pip and his crew, and Jukka is facing the same issues as before with the mixing of his drum tracks. One boost this album has however is their use of Marco at vocals. His involvement on this release is far more substantial than on the previous two releases. He sings main vocals on two tracks ("The Islander", "Master Passion Greed", and "While Your Lips Are Still Red" if you count that one too) and provides duet and backup vocals on most of the tracks. His presence is greatly felt and the album benefits from him for sure.

I knew that writing this review would prove to be tough since there is so much controversy surrounding the band and this album. So this song-by-song review is going to be as accurate and unbiased as it would be if I had never heard of Nightwish before. "Dark Passion Play" happened to be my first Nightwish album I ever owned and heard anyways. So here we go:

1. "The Poet and the Pendulum": Like majority of the Nightwish discography, there is bound to be a big bombastic 10+ minute epic song, and this is it. The intro to the song has a creepy feel to it with guest vocalist Guy Elliott providing some vocals here. After this, the orchestra kicks in and picks up the pace and the excitement of the song. Of all the songs on the album, Anette seems to fit the best on this track for some reason. The chorus is surprisingly powerful and good as Marco adds his touch here and gives it a lot of depth. The next section is slower and has a more ballady feel to it. Guy Elliott comes back for more vocals and is later joined by Anette once again. After this part, the song picks back up and the song gets intense again. Marco does some harsh vocals here while Emppu plays some Pantera groove metal styled guitar riffs. The chorus repeats again and leads into the next part where we have a breakdown and possibly the cheesiest point in Tuomas' career! He inserted his name in the song! We all know that this song is about your struggles, but you don't have to say your name in your own song! After that silliness, the final section is very sad with not much going on here really. I would usually skip over this part of the song because it is very boring to listen to. Overall, it is a nice effort and it is also Nightwish's longest song to date being clocked in at 13:53. I don't think this song is as powerful as other Nightwish epics, but it does have good moments. 3.5/5

2. "Bye Bye Beautiful": To be honest, this is the first Nightwish song I ever heard. I actually thought this was a pop rock band (LOL XD) at first when I heard this song, and I would have never of guessed that they were power metal at all. This song as many know is about their former singer, Tarja Turunen and how they feel about her. To me, this song has some of Tuomas' worst lyrics to date. They come across very childish and silly to me! And like "Wish I Had An Angel", it has that industrial metal feel to it which makes Jukka's job seem pointless once again. There isn't much to say other than it is a very over the top and silly song. 2/5

3. "Amaranth": This is one of Nightwish's most commerically biggest hits along with "Nemo". I will admit that this song has some catchiness to it and the lyrics aren't half bad, but I just find the execution to be very bland and too simplistic. It doesn't do a lot for me. 2.5/5

4. "Cadence of Her Last Breath": Of all the Nightwish songs that I know of, this is probably the closest to sounding like Evanescence. It's very dull, boring, and it really just sounds too stock! Emppu's guitar solo is surprisingly good here, but even that doesn't help the song too much. 2/5

5. "Master Passion Greed": A song about Tarja's husband, Marcello. While I normally like an angry and fast song by Nightwish, this really doesn't cut it for me. This song is seriously an attempt at thrash metal that falls flat on it's face! The song is sung entirely by Marco. This is usually a good thing, but here he sounds too over the top. On top of that, the lyrics come out sounding too immature and childish! Nightwish even had the courage to insert the word "Fuck" in this song. This is definitely a first for them! Overall, this is an attempt at an angry song that doesn't work. 2/5

6. "Eva": The first ballad of the album. This seriously has to be one of Nightwish's worst ballads. Nothing here is memorable at all. It just needs to be skipped over! 2/5

7. "Sahara": I will admit that the intro to this song is fantastic! It is as epic and awesome as what we would want to hear from this band! After that, the song slows way down and goes into a middle-eastern themed song. The rest of the song is okay, but it really becomes dull after the intro in my opinion. A good listen and it is one of the strongest tracks on the album, but the intro is really the highlight here! 3.5/5

8. "Whoever Brings The Night": A song which is apparently about a whore judging by the lyrics. It is worth a listen and has some interesting guitar riffs in this song, but don't expect too much because the lyrics are a little over the top here. 2.5/5

9. "For the Heart I Once Had": This has to be Nightwish's worst song of all time! It is incredibly sappy and corny which features some very poor lyrics by Tuomas as well! That is all I am saying about this one! Listen at your own risk! 1/5

10. "The Islander": Another song where Marco is the lead vocalist. This is a very relaxing folk song. Even for an Irish folk-styled song, this is not even up to par with some other songs in that genre of music. Even so, this is one of the strongest points of this album and it has some great moments without a doubt. 3.5/5

11. "Last of the Wilds": To me, this is the best song on the album. Why you ask? Because there are no lyrics or vocals here! It is a pure mid-tempo folksy instrumental that is very nice to relax and listen to. While not as strong as "Moondance," it does hold it's own. 4/5

12. "7 Days to the Wolves": I believe this to be one of the better songs on the album as well. The chorus is very powerful sounding and really works in the song. Anette, however, sort of ruins it for me at times. Despite that, Marco adds his own flair on this track in the outro and in the chorus. There are very memorable sections here and the orchestra really flows well. Worth a listen for sure! 3.5/5

13. "Meadows of Heaven": Another ballad. It is better than "Eva", but honestly this song is just not that great either. The outro gospel choirs are too over the top toward the end of the song. The song is worth a listen, but it really isn't that memorable. 3/5

14. "The Escapist": This is a bonus track for "Dark Passion Play." Pip Williams and his orchestra really do a nice job on this track and it really gives it a big boost. Anette surprisingly sounds alright here too! Nightwish really should have put this song on their main tracklist instead of "For The Heart I Once Had" for example. 3.5/5

15. "While Your Lips Are Still Red": A track that wasn't originally meant for "Dark Passion Play," but I am going to review it anyways. Sung entirely by Marco, he sounds much more gentle and soft than he normally would. He sounds very nice, but this song however is just very average with nothing that really stands out to me. It was meant for a movie and I suppose that worked for it! 3/5

So that is my review of "Dark Passion Play." Here are my overall thoughts:

Pros:
-Lots of variety. Not one song sounds the same on this album
-Marco does a good job on vocals when needed
-The orchestra work is solid

Cons:
-Suffers much of the same flaws as "Once"
-Anette Olzon's voice doesn't really fit
-Lyrics are bad for Nightwish standards
-Too many bad and mediocre songs

Despite a lot of flaws, there are some good moments on this album I will admit. But seriously, something is missing here. Whether it is the lack of Tarja's presence or the lack of inspiration, it doesn't really feel like a true Nightwish album to me like I know they are capable of. Because of the lack of consistency, I am going to have to give this album a horns down! /w\ I really wanted to like this more being a Nightwish fan, but it just has too many flaws and only a few songs stood out. At least "Once" had more epic and memorable songs on it. Here, they are few and far between! It is without a doubt Nightwish's worst album to date for multiple reasons. It seems with all of the drama that is surrounding the band nowadays and the addition of Anette, the quality of Nightwish has greatly lessened. So here I have a list of suggestions for Nightwish if they want to get back some of their former glory:

1. Go back to their roots: Lately, Nightwish has relied too heavily on Pip's orchestra work on their last couple of albums. I seriously think that Nightwish was at their best when it was all Tuomas doing the sounds on keyboard alone! Now the band basically sounds like a backing track to the orchestra which limits them in more ways than one! Going to a more pure power metal sound like they had in the 90s would be a good thing for them!

2. Find a new singer: No offense to Anette, once again, but she just doesn't work with this band's chemistry at all! Nightwish really needs to find a singer that is more classically trained for the songs! Believe me, there are plenty of women that are more qualified too! Plus during live shows, Anette struggles with the old and even some of the current songs! No doubt that Tarja is hard to replace, but they still need to find someone who is more capable of singing for this band!

3. Tuomas lyrics and themes need improving: I understand that Tuomas may have gone through some tough times and has a lot of issues in his life, but I think that he needs to get rid of the "poor Tuomas" lyrics and themes. "Dark Passion Play" has some very ill advised and unusually poor lyrics! I really think that Tuomas needs to go back and look at "Oceanborn" or "Wishmaster" for inspiration again and see how poetic he used to be as opposed to now. Not saying he isn't capable, but he has slipped over the years. He is still a great songwriter, but this is an area which needs to be improved, no question!

This was a very difficult review to write! This is indeed my most detailed review to date and I hope you enjoyed it! I am very curious at what happens with Nightwish and their next album. It seems that right now they are only a shadow of their former self and seem to be going toward a more commercial direction. Of course, a lot of bands go through this trial and error phase no question! However, I am not about to give up on them just yet really because I simply don't do that with my favorite bands. Yes, this is a big disappointment and I understand people's frustrations with what has happened, but that was the past and this is now. When I discovered this band, I knew nothing about Tarja or anything until much later. When I found out, I really did question a lot of what the band did and I know that we all do not know what really happened! Only the band truly knows that. But yes, Nightwish remains a very important band to me. They have influenced my life in more ways than one! These reviews are basically a tribute to them and everything they have done! I am more than likely going to be reviewing their newest album when it comes out so stay tuned! Until then, ROCK ON and thanks for reading!

Overall rating: 2.5/5

CD Review: ReVamp's "ReVamp"

The disbandment of After Forever in 2009 was a tough experience for a lot of fans of the band and in the symphonic metal world. It came as a surprise and everyone was curious on what would happen with the members of the group, especially ex-lead singer Floor Jansen, who has started a new band named ReVamp, a symphonic/gothic metal group.

Alongside Floor on their first album is After Forever's ex-keyboardist Joost van den Broek who provides a lot of the symphonic sounds on this first release. Besides the fact that Floor sings for this group, the fact remains that his contributions on the band's debut really makes it sound "After Foreverish" besides just Floor's vocals. I must say that as similar in style as ReVamp is to After Forever, there are some noticeable differences. ReVamp is much more edgier, angsty, and angry than what After Forever ever was. Looking at the album art and session photos of Floor and the band, it is no wonder what kind of image they were able to pull off here.

One of the big things I admire about this album are Floor's vocals. She really is the bright point of this release and without her, it just would not be the same! Her feelings, emotions, and power really come through on just about every song on this album and she sounds just as good as ever, if not even more powerful and versatile than with After Forever. I must say that as much as she does so well with the vocals on "ReVamp", can the songs provide her justice? Well, let's look into that in my song by song review:

1. "Here's My Hell": I must say, the opening section of this song is very epic and powerful with the symphonic chaos that is unfolding. The song is extremely heavy, fast, and dark. The chorus is very powerful and it will not disappoint fans of old After Forever or symphonic metal in general. A great way to start the album and is indeed the best song this album has to offer! 4/5

2. "Head Up High": This is the most popular song that this band has put out so far. While not the most impressive song out there, it has it's good moments. The chorus part is very catchy, the instrumental breakdown sounds great with a nice wah-wah guitar solo. Floor really gives out a nice performance here as well. 3.5/5

3. "Sweet Curse": This is a ballad that features Symphony X's Russell Allen. If you are unfamiliar with him, he is quite the vocalist with a lot of power and tone. But in this song, he does a fairly good job, but not at the level of what we would expect from him. Floor does a good job providing some depth in the chorus, but the song is just rather average and nothing too special. Both singers are class, even though they do not show all of their potential here. The lyrics however are perhaps the best written on the album. 3/5

4. "Million": This one is faster paced in a way that reminds me of "Here's My Hell". It has a lot of intensity and feels like an old After Forever song. One of the album's better and more epic tracks. It has a nice breakdown section and guitar solo. 3.5/5

5. "In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part- All Goodbyes are Said": This is the point where the quality of the album starts to go down. This is the first part out of three in the "In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part" series. The song is a narration of a mother and a patient. Both parts are sung by Floor. This is the best song in the series, but this is still just a rather average symphonic metal song. Nothing here is really memorable. 2.5/5

6. "Break": This song as you guessed takes a break from the ISTDDUP series. This song is written more progressively than most of the album, but this is another song that I find pretty bland and more like a filler with some very depressing lyrics. Once again, nothing here is memorable, except Floor's voice but even she can't help the song. 2.5/5

7. "In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part- Disdain": The second song in the ISTDDUP series. This song is very forgetful though. For one thing, this song is VERY heavy and has some cool little guitar riffs here and there, but it just doesn't work too well with Björn "Speed" Strid as a guest vocalist on this song. He literally sings like a hardcore vocalist would, which kind of throws me off and makes this song sound too over the top. I am sure he does a fine job in his band Soilwork, but his excessive shouting in this song sounds a little overdone and over dramatic to me. Plus, the lyrics aren't good which doesn't help at all. Definitely the album's worst song. 1.5/5

8. "In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part- Disgraced": The third and final part of the ISTDDUP series. This is another very mediocre song once again. Nothing really stands out and the song is really boring with the exception of Floor's voice. 2/5

9. "Kill Me With Silence": Right from the beginning, the song is very boring and never really picks up from there. Floor sounds good but the song is just not anything to brag about. Very bland and repetitive. 2/5

10. "Fast Forward": I give the song this; it has a very nice intro and main melody to it. But after the intro, it begins to become very boring to me and it never picks up any kind of thrill since the intro. Another filler song that never takes off. 2.5/5

11. "The Trial of Monsters": The guitar and symphonic work in this song are actually quite clever. There are however some very corny and cheesy lyrics though. Despite this, "The Trial of Monsters" is one of the stronger tracks on the album. Floor's voice sounds great in this song with plenty of power and attitude. 3.5/5

12. "Under My Skin": This is definitely a filler song too, but I admit the middle instrumental section of the song is pretty cool and it really gives this song a boost. It's okay and worth a listen, but not very interesting at all. 3/5

13. "I Lost Myself": A piano ballad. Floor sounds pretty and nice as she normally does in these types of songs, but I don't find this song very interesting though as it is very average and steady with no real good hooks or interesting parts. It's worth a listen though. 3/5

14. "No Honey For the Damned": This is the bonus track for this album. It has some good riffs and nice symphonic parts that really flow well here and there and Floor's voice sounds very good too, but there isn't much here to take in as it is just an average symphonic metal song that doesn't really stand out. Solid, but not amazing. 3/5

So that is my review of "ReVamp". Here is my overall impression:

Pros:
-Floor's vocals are top notch as expected
-Impressive symphonic sounds and melodies through the production

Cons:
-Too many average, boring, and filler songs
-Lyrics aren't that good
-The band sounds uninspired and bland at times
-"Distain", they could have left that one out

So as much as I admire and adore Floor with her great voice, this album really just did not cut it for me like the way After Forever was. It could have been better in my opinion. Something was missing here, and trust me I really wanted to like this album more, but it really is like a hit or miss album that only has a few good songs. "Here's My Hell", "Head Up High", "Million", and "The Trail of Monsters" are the best and the only songs that seem to stand out to me. Besides those songs, the rest is either filler, average, bland, or just not good like "Distain" or "Kill Me with Silence" is for example. I am a bit disappointed because I really think Floor is a great vocalist that really needs some better material to work with. I am going to have to give this a horns down unfortuneatly, even though I really do not want to. /w\ I see what they want to do with what they got as they tried to put some "edge" into the music, but this is really just an average and bland symphonic/gothic metal album that isn't much different than what other bands in the genre are doing. It's not the worst album and it is only their first release, so I have to give them a little slack. I do think they can and will make some better material in the future. Only time will tell. So listen and buy at your own risk!

Overall rating: 2.5/5

CD Review: Avantasia's Angel of Babylon

Well, I can give you a much more definitive assessment of Avantasia's Angel of Babylon.

It's bad. Really bad.

With this album, I feel like someone just stuck a sharp object in Tobias Sammet & crew and deflated them into something vaguely resembling a flat tire. The energy just isn't there in any song. It's bland, it's boring, it's almost bizarrely lame & cheesy. The only song I remotely thought was OK was the first track, "Stargazers," but even that was one of Sammet's weaker offerings here.

I didn't have super high expectations after listening to TWS, but this was surprisingly awful. Holy shit, Tobias: what were you thinking?

This CD and TWS were released together, but I don't think that was a good idea. My sense it that Tobias ran out of steam and just wanted to get this over and done with, because the quality of this album is just not up to his usual standards. It's half-assed-ness is very apparent in each track. I think all of Tobias's creative energy went into TWS and when it came to AOB, there wasn't anything left in the tank.

At least, that's how it felt to me.

And if there was any iota of a concept in this so-called trilogy, it is now as clear as sludge.

There is a female presence here, in the form of a certain Cloudy Yang. I had never heard of her before this album, and I am not terribly inspired to hear any more. Her song on AOB, "Symphony of Life" is one of the weakest songs on the CD. And that is all I'm going to say about that.

So, this is one unfortunate release, I am sorry to say. Even the cover art is not up to par with the previous two albums! I feel like I've wasted an hour of my life listening to this and I am upset!

A definite horns down. /w\