Bloody Good News: Divorce Of Bodom, More Crue Drama, & The Who's Dead

Story #1: We may have seen the last of Children Of Bodom. After the band's current lineup imploded, it was widely assumed that Alexi Laiho would recruit some new members and continue on as if nothing had happened. But as they say, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. According to new reports, it turns out the band's name is owned by a company that is owned by the three members of the band who left. Alexi Laiho, despite being synonymous with the band, may be legally prevented from calling his next tour or album Children Of Bodom.

Once again, we reach an impasse where moral and legal issues are in conflict. Legally, if those other members are the ones who registered the band's name, there isn't much that can be done here. Let's just say that it continues to feel weird that bands are businesses that have to be registered to protect their names, with all of the requisite legal wrangling that comes along with that, but that's reality. Morally, something feels incredibly off that the man who is the public face of the band, and who has written the vast majority of the music during their careers, being divorced from his life's work. Alexi, whether you like him or not, has done more for Children Of Bodom than the other members have. Without him, the band not only wouldn't be the same band, but would certainly not have been as successful as they have. Whatever the name is worth, it is mostly due to Alexi Laiho.

So what do we make of these issues? That depends on how things work going forward. If Alexi rebrands himself as simply Bodom, or something of that sort, we can all usually find out what's what and not much will change for him. The issue would come if and when the other members try to do anything with the Children Of Bodom name. While they would absolutely be within their rights to do so, it would feel weird to think of that band without the man who has shaped its sound. It's not unlike the recent news that a version of LA Guns that features neither of the two important members of that band has signed a new record deal.

At a certain point, a name can be so devalued by business squabbles, and everyone trying to get their cut of whatever money is out there, that it threatens to reach backward and sully the better times. Yes, I do think there is a degree to which the drama between the members of LA Guns, or Queensryche, or Great White, or however many other bands have had multiple versions running around, does start to turn the tide against everything they're ever done. Reputations can be damaged in retrospect, and I'm hoping that doesn't happen in this case. We'll have to wait and see.

Story #2: Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars has come under fire, so to speak, for comments people remembered him making on "That Metal Show" when the band was getting ready to retire. Mars said about a potential comeback, ""Let me put it this way: If that happens, I will invite the world to come for free. Free!"

As you would expect, the people who found these comments put them back into the news. So how does Mick Mars handle having this expose the comeback for what it is? He takes the laziest path possible, now saying, "I was clearly joking."

Are we really going to believe that? Or more accurately, are we going to let him get away with that? It's painfully obvious to anyone watching this story unfold that Motley Crue retired because they thought they had reached the end of the road, and the success of their movie made them rethink this (although Netflix not releasing viewership data makes it questionable whether or not "The Dirt" was actually sucessful). They now think there's more money to be made from one more nostalgia run, and they are happy to trade integrity for dollars. It's not like they had integrity to begin with.

I have no knowledge to say anything as fact, but my intuition is that this is Nikki Sixx's doing. He's the only member of the band who tried to keep himself in the spotlight of mainstream success, and while Sixx:AM is a decent band, I have to imagine that Motley Crue would still be dead and buried if that band had a string of hit singles and sold out shows to their credit. Nikki was used to playing big venues to big crowds, and coming down to the reality of getting a new band up to that level has proven to be too much for him. He would rather chase the easy money than do the hard work of building the band that supposedly meant so much to him.

So the evidence we have now is that Motley Crue lied about the biggest moment on their career, and now they're lying about a smaller 'joke' about free tickets. If this was really about the fans, and satisfying their desire, nay their NEED, to see the Crue one more time, they could run the tour at cost. They don't have to charge huge ticket prices, and they don't have to pocket millions apiece. They can't afford to give our free tickets to everyone, but they can make them as cheap as possible. They won't, though. They've made it clear what's most important, and it isn't the fans.

Story #3: Pete Townsend says he's clad Keith Moon and John Entwhistle are no longer with us, saying "It's not going to make WHO fans very happy, but thank God they're gone, because they were fucking difficult to play with."

Immediately, this raises issues about how we speak about the dead. It's considered polite not to speak ill of them, but why? Why is it better for Pete Townsend to say nothing, or to lie about his feelings, rather than let people know that The Who were not a band of brothers as some might want to imagine them as? In some respects, tiptoeing around the truth seems to be more offensive to the memory of the deceased than confronting it head-on. Just because someone has died doesn't make them a better person than they were on earth. It doesn't mean we have to forget their faults and only remember the good things about them. People are complicated, and that doesn't end when their lives do.

In this case, I can see Pete Townsend's point. I'm not saying I agree with it, but he's talking as a songwriter about two players who often put themselves ahead of the needs of his songs, and who were also heavy drug users. They had personal demons, and they didn't fit Pete's intentions for what The Who should have been. I can see why he would be happier playing with a version of the band that is hired specifically to do whatever he tells them to. I can also see why he's happier playing with more timid characters who are sober all the time.

The dead don't mind what we say about them. They can't hear any of it. So the question becomes why we are so offended at the notion of criticizing those who aren't around to defend themselves. Maybe that's the answer right there, that we find it unfair for them not to have the chance to rebut the claims. That doesn't strike me as a particularly strong argument. We crave authenticity from artists, but when they give it to us in a form we don't like, all of a sudden we would rather they not share the truth. We can't have it both ways. Pete Townsend is a cantankerous old man, and I'm sure plenty of people have lousy things to say about him. Let them.

I'm not going to blame him for having an unpopular opinion, especially when it's about his personal experience. He's allowed to feel however he wants about people he had a relationship to. None of us did, so who are we to judge?

Of course, Townsend tried to walk back these comments the next day, claiming they are a British sense of irony, but I'm not buying that for a second. It sounded to me like an honest assessment, and that's the story I'm sticking to.

Album Review: The Murder Of My Sweet - Brave Tin World

Here's the thing; a band that is trying to be 'cinematic' has two things going against them. One is that unless they are paying for real orchestras and people who know how to record and mix them, the records are never going to sound as grand and huge as they want. The other is that most metal musicians don't know the finer points of classical composition, so what we're actually getting is more akin to synth-rock, but with better sounding patches. Actually writing something that deserves to be orchestrated, and pulling it off on record, is beyond the capabilities of most metal bands. Even the ones who do it 'best' struggle to write solid metal songs for the foundation. It's just hard to take on big tasks.

The Murder Of My Sweet have done that their entire career, trying to delivering cinematic albums that offer drama beyond the typical melodic metal band. I've heard their last couple of records, and they were.... fine. There were good songs, but if I'm being honest, I really don't remember much of either record I know I listened to.

"Tin Soldiers" finds a trick to make everything work together; it doesn't try to. Opening with pianos, strings, and Angelica Rylin's vocals, there's plenty of drama in those moments before the rest of the band kicks in. When they do, the song shifts into being a standard metal track, until some orchestrated bits pop up again in the short instrumental bridge. The metal and cinema get separated almost entirely, which isn't distracting, but it does undercut some of the band's identity.

Like the previous record, this album finds the band trying to streamline their songwriting, which has two effects. One is that there are less wasted moments, so the record feels tight, despite its length. The other is that there is less room for their cinematic tendencies, so this record doesn't exactly feel like that label should be applied to it. It's far more of a melodic metal album than anything more grandiose. That's not a bad thing, per se, but merely an observation.

As melodic metal, the band does a very nice job. The melody in "Tin Solidiers" does feel familiar, but it's hooky and engaging, as are many of these songs. Especially when Angelica's voice is layered with backing vocals, the band's sound becomes lush, and closer to the goal of what they're trying to achieve. A song like "Reasons To Live", which is ok, would be elevated by adding more voices to really boost the melody. It gets a bit lost in the mix without a stronger indication of what the hook of the song is supposed to be.

As a metal band, though, this album can be a bit soft and billowy. Angelica's voice is naturally smooth, and the band doesn't add in much grit or energy to balance things out. Especially in the middle section of the record, things can get a little bit tired, and in need of a slight jolt that never really comes. They're still good songs, but I need to hear a bit more bite to keep my attention fully engaged.

The album starts off very strong, and it just can't keep that up. The remainder is fine, but like the last couple of albums I mentioned before, it's not nearly exciting enough for me to say I'm going to remember this music going forward. It's a pleasant listen, but is that enough? By the end of the year, my head is so filled with music that I don't think it is. Albums like this are nice diversions, but they aren't what I'm searching for. The Murder Of My Sweet is still a solid band, but they haven't taken the necessary steps forward just yet.

Album Review: Emerson Hart - 32 Thousand Days

What does it mean to get older? For most of us, it hopefully means becoming wiser as time and experience teaches us how to live, and what's truly important. That isn't always the case, but when we try to be optimists, that's where we land. Living shouldn't make us worse people, and having a lifetime of memories shouldn't make us more unhappy. If life is supposed to have meaning, we should be filling it up, drop by drop, as we move forward. Looking back, it might not always seem that way, but there are kernels of wisdom buried in everything we have seen and done. We may not know where to look for them, and we may not recognize them the first time they enter our vision, but eventually we start to figure it out.

Life is the theme of Emerson Hart's new album, named for the number of days one might expect to be on this earth. That's how many opportunities we have to live, learn, and put it all to good use. It's a weighty theme for an album, but given how long Emerson has been in the business of making music, it's fitting. Tonic broke out over twenty years ago, and life has changed immensely even since the last album they put out nearly ten years ago now, which are catalogued in his solo outings. "Beauty In Disrepair" was the segue to this new phase of life, and we now move further in the direction of being experienced enough to embrace who and where we are.

Part of telling an introspective story is finding the right tone, which Emerson does by building the album around his acoustic guitar. That instrument has always been a key part of his sound (the blending of acoustics and electrics are a hallmark of Tonic's sound), but when you hear it lead the way you can also hear how it is vital to the creation of these songs. That instrument has a natural, echoing charm to it that mirrors the reflective theme of the record in a way that a more electric backdrop wouldn't be able to. A true songwriter is able to mold his creations to enhance the message, and that is done well here.

Through his entire career, Emerson has had an innate ability to write simple melodies that are evocative and memorable, even when you may not think they made that kind of impact. Songs like "Lucky One" and "She Makes It Rain" don't make you gape in awe the first time you listen to them, but then you realize you can recall more details of them than you thought, much as some of our fondest memories come from moments in time we didn't think were important when they happened. Art, like life, is funny like that.

Art is also intensely personal, and dependent on our perspective. Will someone in their mid 30s with no family of his own be able to relate the same way to these songs as a 50 year-old father trying to build a better future for his daughter? Of course not, and that's one of the wonderful things about art. "If You Could Only See" is what sparked me to become a musician, and it did so because I interpreted the song in a way that fit my needs, even if it wasn't the intention. It became more fitting later on, which deepened the relationship I have with it. I say that to point out that even if we aren't looking at things from the same angle, it doesn't mean the image is any less beautiful.

This record didn't need a "Casual Affair", or an "I Know". This album is what it needs to be, and for that purpose it is exquisitely crafted. Right out of the gate, this is a collection of songs that feel lived in, worn around the edges like a favorite old blanket. If life imitates art, or the other way around, we hear it in music such as these songs.

"32 Thousand Days" is as much a whole as it is a collection of songs, a fact that is another strength. Telling this story of life couldn't be done in a more kaleidoscopic sense. Having obvious singles would have diluted the point. That this album is best experienced as an album reinforces the theme, and reminds us each time that each song brings something important to the table. The story would be incomplete without all of them, as would our experience.

For the third time, Emerson Hart has made a solo album that delivers us something different, and something different than what he made his name on. I appreciate songwriters who challenge themselves to explore every side of their personalities, and the great ones are able to do that without ever failing. I may not be at the point in my life where this kind of reflection strikes a chord in me, but I can feel what it means to Emerson, because of the quality of these songs. Emerson Hart taught me to be a musician, and he had never failed me. He still hasn't.

Bloody Good News: Taylor Swift's Battle, & Motley Crue's Lies

Story #1: The ugliness of the music business has once again reared its ugly head. Taylor Swift found herself in an even more untenable position than we have previously encountered, after her catalog was sold by her former record label to a wealthy investor Swift absolutely loathes. It was beyond shady for her former label to sell the work of Swift's career to someone they knew she believed would use that power to damage her. To take such an action against an artist who made them so much money was unethical, but expected. Also expected was Swift's announcement that she would be re-recording most of her prior albums as soon as she's legally allowed to, to cut into the value of her catalog's sale. What wasn't expected is what just happened.

Although the matter has been settled for the moment, let's look at what we were facing. Under the original scenario, Taylor Swift would have no longer been allowed to play her own songs, the songs that she herself created, on television because someone who wrote a check doesn't want her to. I won't be using his name, since all he deserves is derision.

Here's the situation; the investor is taking the position that playing a song live on tv constitutes a re-recording of the song, and Swift isn't allowed to do that legally until sometime next year. I don't know if there is a technical legal point buried somewhere in copyright law to explain this, but I can talk about it on an ethical level; this is cruel, vindictive bullshit. As Swift herself said, they "are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote", and "the message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up".

As tasteless as the decision to strip an artist of the rights to her own work is, there's another dimension to this story that needs to be addressed. Taylor Swift is as rich and powerful as any modern artist, and even she doesn't have the clout to stop a rich man from believing he can control every facet of a woman's life. This 'man' has done nothing to deserve a say. All he did was put up a pile of money to buy the blood, sweat, and tears of another person. He is a vulture, pecking away at the very idea of artistic integrity, completely oblivious to his sense of entitlement. It is very clear he believes that because he has money, Taylor Swift should be under his thumb. She should be grateful someone wanted to buy her career out from under her.

Of course, none of that is true. This pathetic weasel is yet another data point showing how money corrupts, and the rich feel no shame about anything. The truly disgusting look of how a man telling a woman how she can perform her own songs is so retrograde it makes me wonder if his next act will be to try to extort her to vote for Donald Trump in return for some relief. It's already bad enough that he has reportedly offered Swift the ability to put her own music in a documentary about her, only if she promises not to re-record those songs and lessen the value of his investment. That's not going to happen. I can tell you that.

But what does this say about the music industry? Like other businesses, it was set up generations ago by sleazy people who took a mob mentality to the exploitation of workers. Music is a trickle-up business, and the people who find money falling into their laps for doing nothing are deeply uncomfortable with artists not only wanting, but demanding to control their own careers. The single most important thing an artist can do is own their own music, and thanks to Taylor Swift's very public fight, I feel we might be heading in a direction where the next generation is no longer willing to play by the rules. Thank you, Taylor.

Story #2: Ugh. Here we go again. Motley Crue is one of the few bands that have handled their old age well, and they are now hinting that any good will they have accumulated will soon be flushed down the toilet. Their official Twitter account shared a petition started by a fan calling for the band to return to the road. That was followed days later by a report that a tour has been put together where Motley Crue, Def Leppard, and Poison will head out on the rod in 2020.

Let's remember that Motley Crue signed a "cessation of touring" contract that meant the end of the band's time on the road. But now that more bands are on the reunion bandwagon, now including The Black Crowes, Motley Crue is testing the waters to break their word, become hypocrites, and have their lies suck more money out of the poor unfortunate bastards who like their music. Please tell me we are getting to the point of treating rock stars the same way we do politicians, assuming they are lying every time they open their mouths.

But could we really have expected anything more from a band that is most famous for their singer killing a man by driving drunk, and their drummer's penis? I had hoped that thirty years of growth and learning would have put us in a different place, but that sadly doesn't seem to be the case. We should not be welcoming back Motley Crue. We should not have swallowed the PR campaign their recent bio-pic was either. Motley Crue were a band of bad people who did a lot of bad things, and rewarding that decade of deplorable behavior by propping them up now that they have nothing else sends the wrong message.

The 80s glam/hair metal scene needs to be reckoned with. The rampant drug and alcohol abuse, and the marginalization of women into nothing but sex objects, cannot be ignored in a cloud of nostalgia. Those were ugly times that produced some ugly music, and we're better than falling back into that quagmire. When Motley Crue ended, it was the right time. Mick Mars can barely get to the stage anymore, Vince Neil's voice is shot, and the band is the concert version of Viagra for their fans of a certain age. There is no compelling reason for them to ever play another show, let alone to break a promise they rubbed in the face of other bands who couldn't live by their word.

So let's tell Motley Crue what's what. Have some integrity and keep themselves on the sidelines, where they belong. We don't need to see middle-aged men singing about "Girls, Girls, Girls" anymore. "Dr. Feelgood" is closer to being their hospice care-giver than their drug dealer. We need to make sure their career stays in the grave.

But not everyone agrees. Former Skid Row drummer Phil Varone crawled out of obscurity to weigh in, saying both “My 3 Cents: If you're angry that a band is going to tour, even after a farewell tour, then you're not a fan,” and “The only betrayal I see is from the so-called fans talking shit about the band. For that, shame on you."

This perfectly illustrates the entitlement that many people in entertainment fields feel. Varone completely dismisses the issues of the band going back on their word as nothing. The fact that people paid huge sums of money to see what was billed as the last time Motley Crue would ever play live is just money out of their wallet, so who cares? The band showing no remorse whatsoever for lying to their fans, flaunting their moral superiority, and now kicking the fans when they're down? That's right, we're supposed to be grateful that the band cared enough to lie to us in the first place.

Sorry, Varone, but we don't owe bands anything. They don't owe us either, so let's be clear about that. It is not a betrayal for us the fans to not like what a band is doing. It is not a betrayal for us the fans not to shell out money for every product a band puts out. It is not a betrayal for us to hold bands accountable when they insult us. Being a rock star doesn't entitle you to anything. Bands have to earn our good will every step of the way. The relationship between band and fan is not one where we are on a leash, obediently doing whatever is asked of us. We have minds of our own, and not all of us are going to be like Varone, happy to get kicked in the balls just so we can feel another human's touch. There are delusional ways of rationalizing just about anything. I'm not going to do it, and I would encourage everyone else to follow suit.

These bands like Motley Crue, and people like Phil Varone, don't give a damn about us. Let's not give a damn about them.

Album Review: Skyblood - Skyblood

Mats Leven is a guy who has been around for decades, has appeared on countless records, and has never for one second been of any note. He is the ultimate utility player; someone who can fill in for the actual star, but whom no one cares enough about to learn his name. I know I've run across him several times over the years, but the only one I can recall with any clarity was on a Candlemass EP, and that's only because of how pissed off I was that Candlemass hadn't retired like they promised. Mats surely did nothing to make me take note of him.

So I'm going to power through this one quickly. Skyblood is Mats' solo project, christened with a name more notable than his own, I would guess. Eschewing his own personality, maybe some people will be tricked into thinking this is an album important enough to listen to. I can assure you it isn't.

We get an album over overblown music devoid of interesting ideas, with the songs growing longer as they go along, starting with the two minute waste of time introduction, and ending with a ten minute 'epic'. No matter how long the songs are, they share a common trait; they lack much of a reason for existing. Mats made his name as a hired gun, singing the songs of whomever needed a voice. Why he thought any of the ideas he collected over the years that make up this record were so worth recording he started a new project for them is beyond me. Even when we hit one of the better moments, like "The Not Forgotten", it's rather bland radio fare.

Mats vocals often venture too far into screaming territory for my taste, and don't sound at all like someone who is "one of the most influential and illustrious names in Swedish metal." He still sounds like the kind of singer you bring in when your band's actual voice isn't available. There isn't any distinct or charasmatic about Mats; he's a voice you're going to forget after you hear it. His screams are generic, and his softer tones have a croaking quality to them that isn't appealing either.

I don't need to spend much more time going through this to get to the main point. Mats Leven might be on everyone's speed dial, but it's not going to be their first call. This album is passable, but that's about it. There's a couple of decent songs, but enough mediocre material and questionable vocal performances to make me wonder who thought this album was worth a label contract. It's not offensively bad, but that's even worse, since at least I'll remember those terrible albums from this year. I'm never going to remember that I listened to Skyblood.

Album Review: Avatarium - The Fire I Long For

Though he is but a small part of Avatarium at this point, Leif Edling still casts a shadow over everything the band does. The doom legend is largely the reason the band got so much attention right off the bat, but as he has receded into the background, and his own band has faded into irrelevency, we're left with a doom outfit that is fresher and more interesting than its roots. And while Leif does contribute three songs to this new album, Avatarium's calling card is not him, but instead the vocals of Jennie-Ann Smith, who gives the band a sound unique for the world of doom.

"Voices" opens the album with a big, fuzzy riff that screams doom, but Smith's vocals are able to be both smoky and a bit bright, so the song doesn't get bogged down in its own morass. Avatarium's sound is more nuanced because of it, and they are able to play somewhat outside the lines of traditional doom and get away with it. There is more classic rock creeping in around the edges than you might be expecting if you haven't already heard Avatarium. "Rubicon" has a sinister slither to it, but it also has melodies that could have come off the first Blues Pills record. It's what makes Avatarium something special.

A song like "Lay Me Down" is the best example of why Avatarium stands above most other doom bands. At least among those I've heard, I can't think of another singer who could pull off such a searing vocal. Doom singers so often are either clones of Ozzy Osbourne, or operatic belters. We don't get many doom singers who are as comfortable singing the blues as they are Black Sabbath. Smith can do it all, and that opens up a world of possibilities for Avatarium.

To go back to the beginning, the difference between Avatarium and their Candlemass roots is stark. Candlemass' most recent album was a one-note affair. Doom lovers thought it was great, but it was a reversion to the bare basics of the genre, and I speculate a lot of the praise was based on a nostalgia for a singer's return. Avatarium, with this album, have a better, more diverse, and frankly more interesting album. They mix doom, rock, and blues into a stew that has layers to it.

I love the moments of the record, as I did the previous one, that are more somber and emotional than purely foreboding. Avatarium is so good at writing that kind of music, and Smith sings it so well, it's when they are not only at their best, but when they are doing something new and amazing with the doom genre. Listen to the title track and you'll hear what I'm talking about. That song is a sad and depressing ballad, but resonant with power. Doom of the traditional sense can't match the impact.

I have liked Avatarium before, but this album might even be a step above for them. Doom isn't a very welcoming genre, but Avatarium is the sort of band that feels comforting on a cold, dark night. The fire they long for is one we can all sit around and enjoy. Avatarium is doom at its current finest.

Album Review: A Killer's Confession - The Indifference Of Good Men

Of everything that has happened in music over the last ten years or so, I think what has depressed me more than anything is the success of Five Finger Death Punch. Sure, it's easy enough for me to avoid them, but their influence has seeped beyond the outlines of their tattoos, and has infected so much of the mainstream of rock music. Nickelback was not fun either, but they didn't drag rock down the way that FFDP's roid-rage bro-metal has. I feel dumber every time I come across one of their songs, and I feel sad every time another band has taken up that mantle, rather than making music that has more feeling, more appeal, and more artistic merit than that dreck.

A Killer's Confession does follow in some of those footsteps. Their music is aggressive radio rock that features some gruffly growled vocals, a song about doing drugs, and one titled "H.C. T**s", which shows you where they're coming from.

They are a band of two minds. They have songs like "Numb", which is a hit in the making. It's got a good sound, solid hooks, and an appeal that's easy to see. But then they follow that up with "Trust Me", which is a dirty wash of buzzing guitars and oddly barked vocals that doesn't sound one iota like the same band. The former is a good song that makes a strong case for the band, and the latter is a noisy waste of my time.

I've never used drugs, but I wonder if "Cocaine" is something a band member heard after getting a bad batch, because it's one ugly song. I can't make out enough of the lyrics to tell if it's a drug anthem or a warning, and I didn't like the song enough to bother looking it up. If you can't make it clear without a lyric sheet, you haven't done a good enough job as a vocalist.

There are a couple of solid radio singles here, in the aforementioned, "I Wish", and "Reanimated", although I could well do without ever hearing the trap percussion on that one ever again. So there are some songs here that could get some attention, and that show potential, but they get lost when the band seems unclear of their own identity. I don't hear how those good songs connect to the more angry and violent numbers, nor do I quite get the appeal of that style. I am not an angry person, and I have never felt the need to rage against anything, so that entire approach is completely lost on me. Factor that in to whatever else I have to say.

So what it comes down to it this. For me, there are a couple songs that show me A Killer's Confession can write the sort of mainstream rock the charts are looking for, but there's also plenty here that isn't intended for me. Not one bit. If you like FFDP at all, this will be far more up your alley than mine.

Album Review: Cyhra - No Halos In Hell

When a band declines in the eyes of fans, they usually want someone to blame. It's easier to say that everything is the fault of one person who we can write off, and that our favorite member was always fighting against the backslide. We don't want to admit that an entire group simply decided they wanted to move in a different direction than we wanted from them, because if we do that, it severs the connection we had with those people in the first place. So it's funny that for a decade now people have blamed the collapse of In Flames in everyone but Jesper Stromblad, who was saved from that band's most embarrassing moments by leaving before them. He is still well regarded, which is hard to come to terms with when you hear Cyhra, which does all the same things bad In Flames did. Sure, they do it better, but it's the same approach everyone claims to hate.

Featuring Jesper alongside former Amaranthe singer Jake E, Cyhra is yet another band taking on the task of making thoroughly modern pop-metal. And since I have yet to hear an album that does it better than the latest from Jake's former band, my use of that as a measuring stick is a coincidence, not a conscious choice.

Making pop-metal can lead to accusations that the music is bland. That can be true, but usually what is meant is that the music is standard, that there aren't any risks being taken. That is also true of Cyhra. This album doesn't do anything that would be surprising, and there aren't any musical elements that stand out from the myriad other bands that do this sort of style. In fact, if we're going to use Amaranthe as our comparison, Cyhra is even more sanded down and polished. There aren't any occasional growls, the riffing is more melodic and less aggressive, and the choruses lack the punch the triple-vocal attack can provide.

But following the playbook doesn't mean you're any lesser, and disregard anyone who tries to tell you different. Have you ever stopped and wondered why certain conventions become standards? It's because they work, and so too does Cyhra's approach. These guys have been around long enough to know how to put together a song, and that's exactly what they do here. It's smooth, and it's polished, but it's also lovely melodic metal that has a lot of charm. It would be hard to play this album and not at least nod your head along. You may not headbang, but you'll enjoy yourself.

Being conventional does leave me with less to say, however. If you already know this style, you know what you're going to be getting from Cyhra. There aren't that many ways for me to say that they make melodic metal with solid hooks and enough crunch. This is a consistent album that doesn't really have any standout songs, so running through the track listing isn't necessary either. Basically, we can just say that Cyhra is good at what they do, and leave it at that. But to go slightly further, I would say that Cyhra slots in somewhere in the upper-middle class of pop-metal. They aren't the best, but they outclass a whole host of others. I think they could use a little more bite to the songs, but I don't have any complaints. I don't have any rapturous praise either, so there's your picture of what Cyhra is.

Album Review: Leah - Ancient Winter

One thing I have noticed from this perspective is that the more music I listen to, the fewer artists stand out as having something special about them. I'm not saying there aren't myriad enormously talented musicians, or that they don't create great music, but so many of them are interchangeable and relatively anonymous. Even when you find someone who is great, there's usually someone else who can do pretty much the same thing in the same way. That's not a knock, just an observation. Leah, though, has something special. In a world of symphonic singers, he voice has qualities to it few others do, which means even if I haven't spend much time listening to her music, I remember her and her voice. That's a good starting point.

With this new album, the symphonic rock/metal parts from her history are toned down, with the album's feeling relying more on atmospheric elements and lush soundscapes. What this does is give yet more room for Leah to shine.

We get this right off the bat when "The Whole World Summons" opens the album with strings, winds, and bells chiming in the background. Leah's collaborators have given her a more organic, more folk-influenced sound than ever before. Much like the cold and bleak landscape of a snow-covered horizon, this record lives in the sullen feeling of longing that comes with knowing Spring will not come for months yet. It is a somber listen, indeed.

The record is billed as a different approach to 'holiday music', which it most certainly is. For those of us who don't enjoy Christmas music, or find our hearts growing three sizes when the Calendar gets to its last page, it's interesting to hear an unusual perspective on that time of year. It's a reminder that the human experience is not one of unbridled happiness for months at a time. I doubt many will listen to this record and come away feeling happy. It's not that sort of music.

In fact, it's hard to get much an impression at all from it. By pulling back on the guitars her previous albums used, the sound becomes so soft that Leah reducer her voice to a whisper in many places, and writes melodies subtle enough to match the proceedings. That takes away the biggest appeals of her past works. We don't hear enough of her voice in its best range, and her songs don't sound big enough for the talent I know she has. Everything is so restrained that it gets boxed in, and can't run free long enough to make a statement that has impact.

Maybe that's fitting of the season. Winter is a depressing time, trapped indoors while watching the sky fall day after day. This might capture that feeling, but it doesn't make for much of an album. I have liked Leah before, but this album is too nice. I don't need to be punched in the face, but a gentle wind isn't going to catch my attention. Especially not when all the windows are closed and locked for the season.

Album Review: Marisa & The Moths - Marisa & The Moths

Several times this year, I have lamented the obsession with 80s nostalgia our culture seems mired in. That was not my decade (despite arising from it), and why all these bands who are even younger than me seem to love the dated sounds of a decade they never knew is something that baffles me. My musical identity started in the 90s, and if I have nostalgia, that is where it is aimed. So it's refreshing to see a band like Marisa & The Moths come around, a group who claim influence from the era of grunge. I may not have been big into that scene at the time, but it feels far more like home than the 80s do.

To be fair, grunge probably isn't the best touchstone to be pointing towards. Marisa & The Moths are as much indebted to the later 90s alternative scene as anything that came out of Seattle, which works in their favor, since it gives them more colors and textures to play with. The opening "Needy" has the soft/loud dynamics of The Pixies, with Marisa switching between crooning verses and full-throated choruses, with plenty of crunch in the guitars. Actually, the tone she and the band have on their instruments is one of the highlights. It's a perfect amount of crunch without sounding flat, flabby, or fizzy. It rocks.

There are hints at their influences in the writing in addition to the production, such as the way the guitars start and stop in the bridge of "How Did You Get So Weak". It's a throwback to an older version of rock, which just so happened to be a time when rock was actually popular, so ask yourself why so many bands follow the modern blueprint when all it achieves is diminishing returns. There's more life to Marisa & The Moths' songwriting, where the band is able to create a more textured sound than we typically hear today. Having three guitarists allows for detailed playing that fills the space with more than one steady groove. By giving us more than one place to put our focus, it not only invites more listening, but more attentive listening as well. Clever.

From a modern perspective, there are also hints of Halestorm in the band's sound. Marisa's softer vocals have similarities to Lzzy Hale, and combined with the band's intent to deliver rock music with ample hooks, it puts them in good company. Plenty of these songs have strong radio appeal. I can easily hear "Choke" sitting comfortably alongside many of the bigger hits of today. Rock in the mainstream is so cliche that hearing something fresh like this makes you question the taste of the streamers and programmers who have made certain bands I won't name the biggest things going.

What makes Marisa & The Moths so enjoyable is what might make that kind of success more difficult; they don't follow a formula. The songs on this record have ebbs and flows, they balance quiet moments with the rock energy, they require some thought and patience instead of just screaming and trying to dislocate your own neck. As society gets more dumbed-down, I worry there might not be enough room for music that doesn't play to the lowest common denominator.

Being a debut, the band is still coming into their own and finding their sound, but they do an admirable job of establishing themselves with this record. For those of us in our 30s, who live in the middle ground where we aren't modern enough for the current day, and not old enough for nostalgia to be sold to us, Marisa & The Moths are a nice reminder that our youths existed too. Close your eyes and you could be persuaded it was 1998 all over again. And really, given the state of the world, wouldn't that be a nice thing?

Good job Marisa & The Moths.

Album Review: Edge Of Paradise - Universe

There is a trend that has been sweeping through music for years now, and it has been slowly driving me insane. I don't know exactly when it happened, or why it happened, but every type of music under the sun is now in a place where more and more emphasis is being placed on the rhythm, instead of the melody. When it was limited to pop music, that was fine, since I could avoid most of it. But as it has been creeping into the music I listen to, it has been frustrating. When it even hits melodic metal, it's become unbearable. So when Edge Of Paradise mention their symphonic metal is mixed with "industrial and electronic" influences, I shake my head and ask myself, "Why?"

That makes the opening track, "Fire", completely unexpected. Those influences mentioned aren't present at all, but the song isn't symphonic in the traditional sense either. While there are hints of classical instrumentation in the background, the song actually come across as a snotty brat-punk song, especially the way the vocals are delivered. It is certainly not a beautiful song at all. There is something catchy about the vocal pattern, but the whole package is incredibly odd for a band that describes themselves as they do.

"Electrify", you would expect, would have more of those rhythmic influences. It does, but still not enough that I would make it a point of telling the audience that's a main part of the band's sound. Where it's more true is in the songwriting, where Margarita Monet's vocals alternate between modern pop rhythms and long held belting. Neither one of those options is the kind of interesting melody I expect from a melodic metal band, so much of this record comes across feeling dull. The aspects of the songs that are supposed to grab you, the vocal hooks and the guitar riffs, and both chugging along without a lot of development to capture your attention.

"Alone" is the one song where things come together in a more traditional sense, and it stands out as the best song on the album. On that one, the band's simple musical backdrops and Margarita's vocals are supported by a stronger melodic hook. When I hear that, it becomes very clear that it's needed, because the songs where the band is relying on their charisma to carry the day reveal they don't have enough of it to pull off the trick more than once. It's not that they are bad at what they do, but they aren't interesting enough on their own to be the focus of the spotlight. They need great songs, and they don't have enough of them.

The worst example of this comes on "World". For three and a half minutes, Margarita tries to coo in a register that is not her best over a dull backdrop that never develops into anything. It's a one-note song that doesn't even hit that one very well. It sits in the middle of the album, so I assume it's meant to be a palate-cleaner, but from what? This record isn't long enough to need one, and even if that's the aim, it doesn't do so in any way that warrants replay.

There have been a lot of metal albums over the last couple of years that have tried to incorporate lessons from modern downbeat electro-pop.... and this is one of them. If we're holding up Amaranthe as the standard for mixing pop and melodic metal, this album wouldn't even be in the second tier. The idea isn't without merit, but the execution is severely lacking. No matter the style, you have to deliver great songs to make a great record. Edge Of Paradise don't do that, so there's no getting around the fact that this album doesn't make a good argument on its own behalf.

Album Review: The Flower Kings - Waiting For Miracles

Sometimes, I wish prog wasn't as confusing as the music itself can be. Take The Flower Kings as an example. A few years back, they had revitalized their career with a couple of good albums, and then they disappeared. There were some rumors about rancor in the group, and Roine Stolt stepped out to make a solo album under the name of Roine Stolt's The Flower King (gee, I wonder why he called it that....), and now they're back again. And the weirdest part is that they've never bothered to let anyone know why they disappeared, why they're back, or why things have changed. We're left sitting here in the dark, not knowing anything, other than the fact that another long album is ready for us.

This time around, the band is restrained, as much as they can be. These fifteen songs (only twelve are 'real songs') all clock in at less than ten minutes, thankfully saving us from having to sit through another half-hour long epic. I have found that my patience for such things has been dropping precipitously as I get older. Maybe I've just heard too many bad ones to waste that much time on a single song.

But even in more condensed pieces, The Flower Kings are not about being straight-to-the-point. They don't write songs so much as put together movements. There are a couple of melodies that will tie it all together, but even a shorter song of theirs tends to wander around the axis, indulging whatever whim Roine and company had at the moment. That gives their music a live, improvisational feeling, but it also means it can be a chore to sit through if you aren't ready to be detoured this many times. I suppose that's why I liked "Desolation Rose" as much as I did; the nature of that record forced them into a bit more structure.

Let's look at the first real song on the album, "Black Flag". It clocks in a shade under eight minutes, but there are only a few vocals during that time. The majority of the song is a string of instrumental themes that ebb and flow, but branch off without ever returning to the main road. Musicians can find it entertaining and interesting to play music that never repeats, to challenge themselves to always keep moving, but listeners like having a hook they can come back to. There's a reason why the conventional song structure exists. That's what works, and while I'm all for taking diversions from time to time, wandering into the desert without a map isn't a solid plan.

The biggest problem I have with the record is that when they take these paths, there aren't enough big, bold, interesting ideas to keep me interested. There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of instrumental passages, and almost none of them contain any themes or playing that stick in your head. You don't have to have the main vocal by the hook of the song, but you have to have something, and so many of these songs have nice playing. But what is nice? It's a word we usually use to describe something pleasant we aren't really excited about. That's what The Flower Kings are.

Everything about this record is pleasant. The production is warm and... pleasant. The playing is diverse and... pleasant. The melodies are smooth and... pleasant. Everything is nice, but there isn't a single riff, or vocal, or moment I would say I ever need to hear again. It all goes in one ear and out the other. Everyone does a lot of playing, but it doesn't amount to anything.

The other thing is that this is an incredibly soft album. I know The Flower Kings never rocked very hard, but an album of this length can't be this slow, and this soft, for this long. It loses my attention many times as it moves along, and the experience of trying to stay engaged with an album that isn't giving me a reason to, is quite frustrating. When we get to "Ascending To The Stars", we're treated to nearly six minutes of instrumental work that spends nearly half that time merely building up to the point of the track. When I have probably a dozen other new records I could be listening to instead, I can't be asked to spend so much time waiting for something to happen.

Ultimately, what we have here is twenty or thirty minutes of lovely prog that gets bloated into over an hour. If that sounds like your cup of tea, enjoy yourself. I was alternately bored, frustrated, and depressed listening to an album that delivered me little more than a reason to keep looking at my very beautiful watch. Thanks for that, Roine, I guess.

Album Review: Pretty Maids - Undress Your Madness

This is a bit of an uncomfortable album to review. No, there's nothing about the bnd themselves that gives me pause. Though I don't have a lengthy history with them, I did enjoy their last album a fair bit, and singer Ronnie Atkins has been part of two of my favorite melodic rock/metal albums of recent years as a member of Nordic Union. It's Ronnie that makes this tough, as in the time since this album's release was announced, he has disclosed his diagnosis of lung cancer, and has shuttered all band activity while he receives treatment. Frankly, I was surprised to hear the release was still scheduled, given that news, but that's where we are. I'm not sure exactly how to mesh that news with the album itself. One might alter my thinking on the other. But let's give this a shot anyway.

As was the case last time, the sound of Pretty Maids is in the same vain as Nordic Union, but with a heavier, slightly more metallic bent. But between the production choices for tones, and Ronnie's voice, they both fall under the same category. That's a good thing, as it's a sound that works. In fact, sounding a bit more like this is one of the reasons last month's new Eclipse album was a step up from the previous ones. There's something about a sound that's a bit sinister or melancholy that plays expertly against big, melodic hooks.

There's more melodic fare on the album as well. "Firesoul Fly", the second single, is a softer and more polished track. Despite the sort of clunky title, it's a lush song that gives a nice bit of diversity to the album. It isn't what you would expect from Pretty Maids at this point, the surprise of which makes it all the more interesting.

The aforementioned situation pops up on the title track, when Ronnie sings, "I've been to hell and back." It's a well-worn metaphor, but the context changes dramatically, knowing what he is now going through. The rest of the track gives no indication his diagnosis was early enough for the song to be about that topic, but the line sticks out like a sore thumb today. It does two things; it puts a veil of mortality over the record, and it exposes how hollow we allow our music to be. Songwriters throw out cliches like they're nothing, and we seldom know if the songs we're listening to have any real meaning behind them. Or at least that's what I start thinking.

The album hits its highlight with "Will You Still Kiss Me (If I See You In Heaven)", a heavy ballad that is so slickly melodic it could have been a pop hit years ago. I heard "Here I Go Again" on the radio right before I was listening to this record for this first time, and while that song is a rock legend, I would say without hesitation this one has a better melody. We don't always realize that a lot of modern music is better than the 'classics', but will never be able to defeat decades of brainwashing.

The majority of the record is really good, heavy melodic rock. Songs like "Runaway World" have that metallic bite, but a sweet melody to play off it. It's exactly the kind of music I like, so I have no trouble telling you I was enjoying it immensely as song after song gave me exactly what I was looking for. Veteran bands get a bad rap for not having the same spark as in the old days, but Pretty Maids absolutely do. They're not only as heavy as they've ever been, but their songwriting is top-notch. The only reason this won't be as big as their early stuff is the reality of how the business, and the music universe, has changed. I don't think Pretty Maids have even been better than this, so it's not of their doing.

I'm not going to judge yet how it fits in with the catalog of releases this year, but I can tell you it's a great listen. If you like music that's heavy and melodic, Pretty Maids have given us another satisfying album to continue a very strong fall release schedule. Easily recommended.

Album Review: The Dark Element - Songs The Night Sings

Often, we can be too quick to make judgments based on a limited and biased amount of information, not willing or able to seek out more data that could change our thinking. It's a form of confirmation bias, and it's easy to get fooled into thinking we already know everything. After all, if we're talking about opinions, how can ours ever be wrong? They can, and often are, because we want them to be. It's easier sometimes to deny fault where we want to be awed, to place blame in the people who can more conveniently be discarded. I feel like this happened with Anette Olzon during her time in Nightwish. She was given the blame for that period not living up to expectations, which was a form of sexism, but I don't want to go down that road right now.

Those of us who knew Alyson Avenue already were aware of Anette's talents being far greater than perception would tell us, but it was The Dark Element that made it inescapable. The first record from this project was a thrilling affair, twisting the symphonic formula to have far more power. It was dense, heavy, beautiful, and came very close to being the Album Of The Year. Needless to say, a second outing comes with the highest of expectations.

We were treated to two songs before the release, the title track, and "The Pallbearer Walks Alone". Both of these songs showed that The Dark Element was not slowing down, and they had picked up where the left off, but with a few new wrinkles to add in. The latter of those tracks broke in a slower, more pounding type of melody, which is unlike anything on the first record, and feels completely fresh. It's also a great song, regardless.

The formula of The Dark Element is simple; big hooks, detailed symphonic metal, and fantastic vocals. Anette once again sounds amazing throughout the record, with a bright and sharp tone that stands out from the crowd. Her sound is unique, a bit haunting, and a huge reason why The Dark Element is such a captivating listen. It's pure speculation to say, but even as good as the songs are on this record, I don't think it would have the same impact if a different voice was singing them.

With an album under their belt, Jani Liimatainen has a better understanding of what works best for this project, and these new songs reflect that. He's fine-tuned his writing to fit Anette's strengths as a singer, and cut out the one or two experiments from the first record that I didn't think worked quite as well. That turns this into an album of potential singles, where every song is as strong as the others, making for a remarkably consistent experience. Little details even tie both records together into one big tapestry, such as the piano and synth motifs in the instrumental section of "When It All Comes Down" evoking the themes from "Last Good Day". It's a subtle nod-and-wink that highlights the development.

That song stands out as one of the few slower numbers, with most of the tracks utilizing Anette's ability to sing faster, more rhythmic melodies and make them stick. Her vocal tone allows for that kind of writing, which would sound flat with a less piercing voice. That's where experience has shows the way, and how the duo have established a working relationship that is enhancing each other's gifts.

And in the midst of the relentless grandeur of the record, we get a pause in the middle for "To Whatever End", a cinematic ballad that has elements of Broadway, film scores, and of course power balladry. I love that kind of emotional songwriting, and Anette delivers it with such broken passion in her voice that it easily becomes a highlight of the album.

Whether we call this symphonic metal or power metal, in either case The Dark Element has delivered the best album of the year for the genre. No other record in those forms is as well written, well produced, or packed with as many great songs. "Songs The Night Sings" didn't catch me unexpectedly the way the first record did, so it lacks the surprise factor, but the quality is every bit the same. Trading a few more highs and lows for a consistent level of excellence, The Dark Element is one of the best melodic metal projects going today. If these are the songs sung at night, who the hell needs the sun?