Album Review: Gravebreaker - Sacrifice

December can often feel like death has overcome the world. Christmas sucks up all the energy we have, and everything else gets subsumed in its massive wake. That makes it a tough month to be a music fan, since the only releases that tend to come out are either fluffy pop artists trying to cash in on stocking stuffer status, or bands that have produced records the labels are trying to hide in the late-year rush. I don't often get much of a selection at this point in what I'm talking about, so I find it a bit amusing that we now get a band called Gravebreaker trying to climb through the soil piled atop 2016's casket.

Gravebreaker is supposed to be a throwback tribute to the classic heavy metal of the past, but at this point, the entire idea of 'traditional' heavy metal has become an entity all to its own, not related anymore to what metal's roots really are. Like we see in the world of retro rock, bands today often lack the devil-may-care flare that made the original wave so unique. When you copy something unique, it's nearly impossible to break the rules the same way they once did.

But let's talk about the music. Gravebreaker certainly has the rough and raw production of an early 80s metal album. The guitars buzz with the tone of amps that were never designed to play heavy music, being pushed too far and sounding brittle. There is some old-school charm in the nostalgia of that, but really, a better sounding amp would have done the same thing while not trying to give me a headache. The songs themselves are he bare-bones metal that you would expect, with a few simple riffs carrying each song, as the vocals don't raise the game. Like many of these bands, the vocals are going to be a deal-breaker for many people. Yes, metal bands from the past had terrible vocalists. That's not a reason for new bands to continue that trend.

We even get two self-titled tracks. There is the one sharing it's name with the album, which tries to capture the black spirit of Mercyful Fate, and does an ok job of it, as well as a track sharing a name with the band themselves. That's a trope I've always hated. Whether it's narcissism or laziness, it's not an appealing trait.

I don't want to slam a band that clearly loves old-school metal and wanted to try their hand at it, but at the same time, I don't want to sit here and lie to you that this is great music. Frankly, it's a bland rehashing of old styles without any of the flair or charisma that could get around the fact that the songs just aren't that good. Vocally, there aren't any strong hooks here, and the riffs all fall into that category of chugging where they don't have hooks of their own in the notes. There just isn't anything memorable about this music at all. It's fine enough, especially if you remember 1983, but it will never make you want to listen to this instead of any of the records from back then. It's tame, it's safe, and it's kind of boring.

And that's something you never would have said back then.

My Favorite Non-Traditional Christmas Songs

As we enter the midst of another Christmas season, one thing continues to annoy me each and every year; Christmas music is terrible. I'm sorry, but I absolutely hate the traditional rotation of songs that get trotted out and played on an endless loop. Apparently, society believes I'm supposed to suck down these aggravating songs simply because they were written with the season in mind. Well, no, I don't buy into that for a second. Christmas music is not something I ever want to hear, and I do my best to hear as little of the standards as possible.

But, lest I give myself a reputation for being a Grinch, let me say that I do have my own rotation of non-traditional Christmas songs that make the season a little bit more enjoyable. Here are six of my favorites:

Alicia Witt - I'm Not Ready For Christmas

The fire-haired actress/singer hits on my feelings for the holidays, namely that I'm never ready to embrace the season the way that television and movies tell me I'm supposed to. This song is a bouncy little number that runs through the frustrations of being the least cheerfully festive person in your social circle, complete with a few choice words. And most of all, it makes the point that I've been making for years; The Grinch was right. If he could hear the Whos from on top of a mountain, they were terrible neighbors who had no respect for noise ordinances.

Theocracy - All I Want For Christmas

While the power metal band has been hit and miss for me with their regular albums, their Christmas outings are always fantastic. The second of their original tunes is a standard around my house come December now, with a thrashing package of riffs, and a story about all the hardships the Christmas characters faced once the economy tanked and the holiday was abandoned. The image of The Grinch as a Wal-Mart greeter is perversely cheerful, and the song itself has all the sugary hooks that make power metal great.

Theocracy - Wynter Fever

What would you call a ten minute, multi-scene, progressive power metal song about the love affair between Santa's son and Frosty's daughter? If you said genius, you're right. This song takes you on quite the journey, culminating in the glorious image of Festus Clause holding his girlfriend, who is now a carrot in a glass of water, all the while the melody builds to a swelling crescendo. It's epically beautiful, even though it's also insane.

Weird Al - The Night Santa Went Crazy

Speaking of insane, how about we enter the mind of Weird Al, who in this song tells the tale of a murderous Santa taking out the frustrations of the job on all the poor souls who happen to be around him. The inventive ways Santa disposes of them is hilarious, as is the ending note, that at least the movie rights will bring a lot of money. Truly in the spirit of the holiday.

Blues Traveler - Christmas

The most traditional song on the list, by far. If you don't listen carefully, you might think this is just a beautifully soft-rocking Christmas track, with lovely melodies and overlapping counterpoint melodies. But the reason this song sticks with me, in addition to being from a band that was incredibly important to my youth, is the opening salvo; "Comes a time for Christmas and I really have to ask, if this if feeling merry how much longer must it last?" I've asked the same thing many times.

Gunther & The Sunshine Girls - Ding Dong (Christmas Song)

But perhaps the most fun Christmas song of them all comes from the most unexpected of placed. Gunther's one hit, "Ding Dong Song" was a staple of my college dorm, and his Christmas track is even better. Every year, I put this on and it brings a smile to my face. The sarcastic techno beat, the complete lack of effort to the vocals, it all works as a great joke. And then the Sunshine Girls come in and deliver an exceptional Christmas chorus, which elevates the song into a real treat, and makes it work on more than one level. It's patently ridiculous, but it's oh so fun.

And that is what makes my Christmas more enjoyable.

Album Review: Hevidence - Nobody's Fault

One of the more under-appreciated bands of the power/prog scene is DGM. They bubble below the surface of bands like Symphony X, but they are often just as good. In fact, the record they released this year is one of the better that genre had to offer. Their former guitar player has been busy since leaving the band. Hevidence is the newest incarnation of his new band, and aims to throw a bit more rock into the mix, as opposed to the cold technicality his former mates are frequenting. Questionable name aside, what do we get from the music?

"Dig In The Night" stars off the record in Yngwie Malmsteen fashion, with blazing arpeggios that go by in such a blur it's hard to know what you've just heard. They don't necessarily fit in with the rock song that comes after, nor do the guitar runs that pop up here and there in the background. It's hard to meld head-spinning guitar playing with concise songwriting, which pops up on this occasion. Even Yngwie has never figured out how to do it. Four chord songs and mile-a-minute solos just don't fit together, no matter how many times he's written the same song.

Back to Hevidence, though. Like a lot of bands, they fall into the category of talented in all but the most important way. There is clearly a lot of instrumental ability on display, as the guitar work has enough solos and technique to put rudimentary players like myself to shame. The problem, though, is that it comes in the context of a record with little to offer in the way of songs. The songwriting on this album is trying to be a hybrid of styles, with an eye towards the melodic metal of the 80s, but the melodies here are bland and forgettable. Coupled with a mix that puts the vocals too far in the background to be understood all the time, and you get a record that is about as lackluster as the "Sin City" clip-art cover.

There's an amateurish quality to the record that I can't quite put my finger on. This just doesn't sound the like polished finished product of a band that is ready to release records on a real label. The thought I keep having is that it sounds like what a cover band would be producing when they first decide to start writing original material. There are little hints of the music they learned to play, but no inspiration to create anything of their own.

If the band loves what they've done here, more power to them. I'm not going to say they're wrong to be happy as artists, but I can say that I'm not happy as a listener. This album doesn't live up to the standards that I expect of anything, even self-produced and released albums. It's just there.

Album Review: Eternal Idol - The Unrevealed Secret

It seems like every time I turn around, there's something brewing with Fabio Leone. The former Rhapsody singer has split his time between Rhapsody Of Fire and Angra, while doing multiple guest spots and even filling in for Kamelot for a while. The guy is practically everywhere in the power metal world, which surprises me, since I don't get what's so great about him. But, I can put that aside to give a listen to his newest project, a band that combines his voice with Hollow Haze singer Giorgia Colleluori to make something a touch different than we might be expecting.

What we get here is a mildly symphony brand of power metal with an emphasis on retaining strong melodies. It's easy for music with flair to forget about that aspect, but it's crucial to not get bogged down in all the fancy and ornate details that can be put on the music. The core of the song is still the most important thing, and thankfully Eternal Idol is a project that recognizes this. Fabio has provided a strong melodic base for these songs that instantly elevates them ahead of much of the competition.

The downside of the album is that the actual music isn't as memorable as I would like. Power metal is always difficult in this respect. The riffs lack the internal melodies that make them air-guitar favorites, and none of the orchestral parts come through with their own unforgettable hook. The backdrop is a bit bland, but can be overcome with a remarkable vocal performance. The melodies here are solid, but also not as sharp as I would like them to be. They are certainly enjoyable, but not the kind of hooks that are going to leave a lasting impression.

And then there are the vocals themselves. The project is ostensibly a showcase for Fabio and Giorgia, but it doesn't work for me. There's nothing at all wrong with their performances. They do a fine job of pushing the material, but their tones are not the most pleasing to my ear. Everyone has their own preferences, and mine simply run in a different direction.

Ultimately, "The Unrevealed Secret" is a perfectly fine album of mildly symphonic power metal. It certainly has enough going for it to give it a listen, and if you're a fan of Fabio, I'm sure you will like it far more than I did. I've never bee a fan of his voice, which makes it hard for this album to crack through. It didn't, but I can still hear that there's enough good writing here to say the album is successful in what it's trying to achieve.

Album Review: Fatal Fusion - Total Absence

This year in prog has been disappointing. The big names that were supposed to carry us through the year fell flat on their faces. Dream Theater made a double album with a story that could have been written by a twelve year old, for all the nuance it showed. Haken followed that up with a love letter to 1985, which is a puzzling decision, since 'real musicians' are supposed to hate that synth filled era. Bubbling in the underground wasn't much of note either. Prog has had a down year, and as we get set to round it out, Fatal Fusion is throwing their hat in the ring. Just on the surface, they have a shot, since they are deeply influenced by the sounds of the 70s, which as we all know, is just what works for this kind of music. Synths will never replace the Hammond organ.

After a two minute instrumental opening that introduces the album with a marching drum-beat and organ swells, we hit the meat of the record. "Shadow Of The King" is the stereotypical Egyptian motif, but it's a trope that usually works. It's just different enough that it makes almost anything sound more dramatic than it would with a more standard scale being used. There's a feeling that isn't entirely removed from "Stargazer" to the song, but the band lacks the fire and flare that Rainbow used in creating their masterpiece. Neither the riffing here, nor the vocals, can reach the heights they would like the song to achieve. It's a decent piece of music, but you can hear they wanted something truly grand, and just aren't quite capable of pulling it off.

There are moments on the record that could be the building blocks of something great. The dark riff leading into a flute line in "Forgotten One" is the kind of musical bit that twists what you expect on its head enough that it's inherently interesting. But the rest of the song lets it down, not delivering anything else of note. It's almost as if the band decided that once they had the one riff to build from, the rest of the song didn't matter.

But the biggest issue with the album is that the vocals kill it. The vocal lines aren't particularly memorable to begin with, but the actual performance isn't up to par. Not everyone is a great singer, I know, but a band needs to know when a member isn't good enough to put on record. That's the case here. Whatever little momentum some of the songs can get going, the vocals are like quicksand, trapping them and dragging them down into the abyss.

While I appreciate the vintage sound that Fatal Fusion is trying to bring back, and I think sonically the album is quite interesting, it lacks the songwriting to be anything but a nostalgia piece. Prog lets you get away with more self-indulgence than most genres do, but you still have to produce songs that have something to say, and something to offer. Fatal Fusion doesn't do that here, and the album suffers for it.

Album Review: Sister - Stand Up, Forward, March!

What is rock and roll anymore? It's a question I often ask myself, since there doesn't seem to be an easy answer. If you listen to the radio, rock is anything that has even one real instrument playing the music. If you pay attention to some other places, rock is all about being a testosterone-flooded neanderthal who can't form a complete sentence without cursing. And then there's the attitude that rock never evolved past 1979. We lose sight of this, but perhaps the reason we find so few good rock bands these days is that we no longer even know what one is supposed to be.

Sister's answer to the question is to try to fuse a couple of the options together. They take the sleazy Sunset Strip sound, and pump it up to modern levels of heaviness and aggression. With snarled vocals and overdriven guitars, they border on being a metal band, but there's a focus on giving every song a strong melodic chorus to raise your horns to, which feels like a throwback to the 80s. Just listen to "Carved In Stone", and the appeal of Sister is clear. The riff has swagger, and despite the vocals veering from sneering to almost growling, the hook is absolutely irresistible. It also sounds a bit like something that Avenged Sevenfold would write, if they weren't concerned with thinking of themselves as the saviors of the world.

Sister's dedication to making sure rock maintains within spitting distance of the mainstream is something to be commended. Focusing on having songs with strong hooks is not just a way to broaden your own appeal, but a way to retrain our attention on what rock music used to be, and as such why it is no longer popular with the masses.

That sounds like I'm putting a lot of faith in Sister, but let's take a step back here. While I'm commending their approach to rock and roll, the fact of the matter is that the record doesn't live up to those lofty ideals. There's plenty of good music that is enjoyable enough, but there are also problems that keep the record from being what it should be. First is the writing, which doesn't deliver sharp enough hooks. There is certainly an attempt to make every song memorable, but not enough of them follow through. Secondly, and most grating, are the vocals. The insistence on snarling through gritted teeth through most of the songs is a huge mistake. Those kind of vocals are difficult to swallow all the time, and sound completely absurd when done over a lone acoustic guitar passage. You can't take it seriously.

So what I have to say is that Sister is another band to throw on the growing pile of young guns who have a solid idea of how to do something compelling, if not always completely original. There is plenty of promise here for them to make the kind of rock music that can cross over a bit and become successful. The problem is that they have the idea, but not quite the skills to get there. Maybe they'll get there someday, and I hope they do, but right now Sister is still falling a bit short of being appointment listening.

Album Review: Enbound - The Blackened Heart

There is an odd crossover between rock/metal and the theater. They don't seem to be at all connected, but we've now seen singers who have stepped foot in both worlds. Dee Snider, Sebastian Bach, and James Labrie have all taken their turn on stage, and on the stage. Enbound, a newer entry into the world of melodic metal, is another band with a singer who has plied his trade in that other world. What is interesting is how the two are entirely different approaches to singing, and yet the singers return from their sojourns without having learned anything they can apply to their bands. It certainly brings questions to mind.

But back to Enbound. Their style of melodic metal is one that is thoroughly modern, which means the melodic component is up for debate. We get deep, chugging guitars that borrow the rhythmic approach of much of modern heavy metal. Everything locks together into a pounding fury of instruments, but that nature makes it hard to be melodic. There isn't any melody to rhythm, so all of the heavy lifting has to be done by the vocals. That doesn't leave much room for error, so there is a definite tightrope Enbound needs to walk.

The opening "Falling" shows a good example of what I mean. The basic foundation is what you would expect from a modern metal record, but the vocals are never able to find a spot to throw in a melody. They sound good enough, but there isn't a hook to the vocal line at all, and the song feels far longer than its under four minute running time. This is the danger in playing this kind of music. If you falter slightly in the hook, there's nothing to fall back on.

The next few songs remedy that fault, but not as much as necessary. The melodic component is stronger, and there is more of what would qualify as classic hooks, but they still don't have the gripping power that they need to. This is mere conjecture on my part, but I wonder if the time spent on the theater stage has something to do with this, where projection and vocal power in telling the story can sometimes overwhelm the need to have memorable songs. That's the feeling I get from listening to this record.

There are songs here where the main melody is a simple chant, and others where the chorus is the softest and most subdued part of the track. These decisions put all the focus on, puzzlingly, the guitars. That sets us back to a place where everything is about the rhythms, and the simple chug a few notes riffs. It doesn't feel like an approach that understands songwriting works best when every part of a song brings something memorable to the table. These songs are, for lack of a better way of expressing the thought, forgettable.

So what Enbound have done is something countless bands have done this year. They've delivered an album that is competent, and well played, but offers little to nothing that will stick out from the hundreds of albums we will be exposed to. There's certainly a place for a band that can make decent music, but it's hard to get excited about something quite so bland.

Album Review: Metallica - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct

The last eight years have not been kind to Metallica. After releasing an album that was botched by a humiliating production job that spurred protests, then releasing a movie that was a bomb, and an album with Lou Reed that has become internet shorthand for a disaster of epic proportions, Metallica has spent much of that time endlessly touring their songs from the 80s to make up for the horrible decisions they keep making. It's amazing to me that despite their success, they haven't managed to find anyone in their inner circle who can tell them when they're speeding down the wrong road. They must be surrounded by yes men, because that's the only explanation I can figure out.

This new record comes after eight years of doing everything but making new music, and arrives in the most infuriating way possible. This is a double album that doesn't need to be one. These seventy-seven minutes of music could easily fit on a single CD, but for the purposes of being able to double the number of sales when the Billboard numbers come out, it's split onto two discs. So not only do you have to stop and change discs for no reason as you listen, but the music you do hear follows the Metallica tradition; bloat.

Yes, these twelve tracks average out to over six minutes each, and with the opener only being three minutes long, that makes it very clear that the rest of the album is going to fall into Metallica's habit of writing songs that are too long for their own good. Often, we cycle through three to four different riffs just in the introduction, drawing the songs out for minutes before even hitting the crux of the song. That's fine if you're writing epic prog, but for a metal album like this, doing it on nearly every song is overkill.

Metallica needs an editor, and this album continually proves it. As we move from one mid-tempo song to the next, there is nothing approaching the needed diversity to stretch out over the course of two discs. Every song plays with similar dynamics, and with the exact same guitar tones, which turns the entire thing into a nearly eighty minute dirge.

There is some good material here, but there are two things to note about it; 1) It gets bogged down by the amount of lackluster tracks in between, and 2) Even the best moments here aren't as good as the best from "Death Magnetic". That album had the storytelling through sound of "The Day That Never Comes", the stomping groove of "Cyanide", and the best song they've written in decades, "All Nightmare Long". This album has none of that. The riffs are more forgettable, and the songs themselves more generic than before. If you asked what a Metallica album should sound like at this point, you would get exactly this.

And that's the problem.

Metallica sounds like they're giving us what they think we want, not what they themselves want to do. The way they defend "Lulu", it's clear they have artistic ambitions well beyond making simple heavy metal. So when that's what they deliver us, after this long, it's hard not to see it as pandering. I don't hear any sort of spark in the music, nothing to make me believe this is a passion for them. It sounds like Metallica going through the motions, and since I thought they were overrrated to begin with, that's nothing I'm going to be excited about.

Album Review: Freedom Call - Master Of Light

As the year winds down, we can now assess the trends of how music has unfolded. One of the easiest for me to see is that this was a terrible year for power metal. In fact, the only album I can think of from the style that has made a dent with me is Avantasia's "Ghostlights", and I think it's safe to say that they have branched out well beyond the confines of the genre by now. That leaves us in the position of wondering if power metal is in its second death spiral. There was one after the Helloweens of the world ended their glory days, and it didn't come back into vogue until Hammerfall and Edguy really broke through. Freedom Call has been chugging along this whole time, making bright and uplifting music, but can they prop up an entire year of disappointment?

The album gets off to a rocky start with "Metal Is For Everyone", which continues the long-established trend of songs written about metal being awful. I keep saying this, but it doesn't seem to sink in; if you have to talk about how great metal is, or how metal you are, you're trying to convince of something that isn't true. It's a terrible lyrical conceit, and the song itself isn't any better. It uses the cliches of metal in place of better writing, and it comes off sounding cheesy, and not in the tongue-in-cheek sort of fun way.

Things get better when Freedom Call remembers what made them an enjoyable band in the past. When they stick with making positive, cheery metal lush with sing-along choruses, they shine. Their shorter, snappier numbers are still exactly what you would expect, but in the good way. When you put on a power metal album, you want to hear some speedy, happy music with big melodies. Freedom Call can deliver that, when they aren't trying to do something more grand. The pluralized title track is an example of what I'm talking about. It takes an extra minute or two, and tries to be a dramatic epic, but there isn't any immediacy to the track, and it feels a bit subdued, which is the opposite of what they wanted to achieve.

I get that after as many albums as Freedom Call have made, there's a yearning to do something a little bit different and change up the routine. I totally respect that, but I think more often bands that take risks need to have some additional perspective and understand whether those new attempts have worked or not. In the case of Freedom Call, there is a path forward here that would have worked. When the band adds in orchestrations, those moments are dramatic, epic, and tend to elevate the songs. If they had decided to become more of a symphonic band, I think it could have given a fresh coat of paint to their music.

Look, there's nothing wrong with "Master Of Light", aside from the horrible cover art. They make solid power metal, and in a year where that has been in short supply, it's nice to hear a band that keeps doing what they do best. I'm not overly fond of the detours like "Ghost Ballet", but there's enough here to make a solid album. Freedom Call has always been solid, and they are again here.

Album Review: Sirenia - Dim Days Of Dolor

I sometimes struggle to remember all of the music I've heard, considering how much of it there is, and how much of it becomes forgettable. But I seem to recall that there was a time when symphonic metal was actually fun. Not that the music was necessarily 'happy', but there was a sense of enjoyment both in the writing and the performances, where you could tell that the bands loved what they were doing. That, in turn, made the music ever more enjoyable to listen to. But recently, it seems to me as though most of the bands with symphonic elements are throwing them out there because they feel like they have to, and the music has been drained of its color. Perhaps this line of thinking is perpetuated by the title of this record.

Or, it could be that the record itself fulfills the prophecy of the cover. Listening to the opening "Goddess Of The Sea", it's hard for me not to think that way. The song goes through it's dark tones, offering little melodic reprieve. The symphonic parts follow the guitars, which is a waste of that entire array of sounds, and the vocals are utterly unintelligible. I truly can't understand why that track would serve as the opening statement to the record, given how hard it is to get into.

There are better tracks, though, so don't write off the record just yet. The title track is a far, far better effort, with a punchier tempo and a hook that will stick with you. It's not as symphonic, no, but perhaps that's what makes it more effective. There's more of a song behind the lush sounds. It's an approach the band would be advised to take up more often, which makes it more of a shame when they revert to an odd semi-death metal approach for "The 12th Hour". That song not only doesn't have any melody, but the attempts to sound like a Gothic horror soundtrack make it uncomfortable. I'm not sure what makes bands think that string orchestrations and female classical singers should be paired with half-assed death metal, but it doesn't work. Not at all.

Like many bands of this ilk, Sirenia gets caught up in trying to sound grand and epic, and focus more of their attention on the sounds and arrangements, and not on the core of songwriting. The window-dressing is beautiful, but that doesn't matter if the walls supporting the window are on the verge of crumbling. That's an extreme analogy, but the point I'm getting at is that all of the lush instrumental layers you can throw on a song won't change whether it's a good song or not. And unfortunately for Sirenia, the songs they've written here aren't interesting or memorable enough.

There are plenty of moments that are great, and I can hear the ideas that would have made for some great songs, but they aren't carried to fruition. There's a great verse that leads to a lackluster chorus. There's a beautiful string piece that leads to a flat riff. On and on that goes, to the point where I think the band would have been better off focusing exclusively on the orchestrations or the metal, and leaving the other completely off. It's clear to me their focus is split, which leads to songs that don't have enough development.

Look, there's nothing terribly wrong here. The music is fine, but what does that really mean? We're nearing the end of the year, and while my thoughts turn to organizing the lists of music I've heard, one thing is clear; fine music gets forgotten. So what does that say about Sirenia?