EP Review: Dendera - Reborn Into Darkness

One thing that has disappointed me is how few metal bands have come up in recent years and made any sort of claim to be the next wave to move the genre forward. So many of them have followed in the footsteps of those who came before, but done little to differentiate themselves. They have spent their time rewriting the classic songs, and that has left a lot of metal feeling rather static and played out. Dendera had the potential to be one of the bands to buck that trend when they released "The Killing Floor", but I will admit they fell off my radar when they released an EP rather than a full album. This next one found its way to me, so let's see where the band is heading now.

Right out of the gates, I'm smacking my head with the decision to start off with an introductory piece. EPs are so short anyway, spending two minutes on a needless bit of instrumentation feels like a waste of my time. If you only have four songs, just give me the four songs. There's no need to pad things out just to make the track listing look a bit longer. Anyway...

"The Void" gets us going with a song full of heavy riffing, a sinister attitude, and vocals that bring to mind Ripper Owens. There is a feeling to the song reminiscent of Charred Walls Of The Damned, with some harsh vocals thrown in for good measure. It's all solid stuff, and certainly not wedded to the past, but at the same time I can't say it has the killer instinct I'm looking for.

"The End Of Days" is a stronger track, with palpable energy from the guitars, a bit more pace, and a far stronger melody. The hints of harsh vocals on this song work better, because there's more melody to play them against. The juxtaposition is much more effective when the two sides pull further apart. This is more in line with the Dendera I remember, where they are a pummeling metal band, but they retain a melodic core that widens their appeal. It's really good.

That continues on with "Endless Suffering", which takes on a slower, more ominous tone. The song pulls back from the onslaught to give a bit more space, and the break is both appreciated and effective. It also provides a backdrop for a fantastic melody in the chorus, although I know I've heard it before. It reminds me a lot of Bob Catley's song, "Win The Throne". That's a great song, so the comparison isn't a negative at all.

After one more solid track, the EP leaves me feeling a bit incomplete. I like what I'm hearing, and I just wanted to hear a bit more of it. There's plenty of room within the framework Dendera is working with to tweak the mood from song to song and put together a cohesive album that showcases the different sides of the band's sound. That's something I would very much like to hear. But, for the time being, these four songs are what we're given, and taking them as they are, it's an easy winner.

Dendera continues to produce modern heavy metal that updates the traditional sound into the current day, with songs that have plenty of appeal for the hardcore and those who aren't. "Reborn Into Darkness" is a nice bite-sized chunk of quality metal.

Album Review: Ocean Hills - Santa Monica

I wasn't going to write a review for this album, or even listen to it, but the end of year slowdown in album releases hit just a bit earlier than I expected, so I had the free space in my schedule to do so. That's probably not a good thing, because the first single that was released from this album angered me tremendously, and I had a feeling the rest of the songs wouldn't do anything to calm my mood. I've written about that song before, so let's get the worst part out of the way first.

"A Separate Peace" is a disgusting song that I felt ashamed to have ever listened to. The narrator of the story, who I assume is the singer himself, as he gives no indication there's a character involved, is telling his son about how he left the kid's mother, and is now dating a woman the son's age. It takes a special kind of asshole to say such a thing, let alone to broadcast it to the world. Think about it this way; when a man says he's dating a woman his son's age, what he's saying is that if he had a daughter, she would be in the demographic he is sexually targeting. That is horrific, disgusting, and rather depraved. The only difference between this song and Donald Trump saying he would date his own daughter is overtness of the deviancy. Then there's a throwaway line about the narrator's other son dying of an overdose. My mind is left spinning, trying to understand how a 'man' can be that despicable. Seriously, and I don't say this lightly, fuck this song.

So what's the rest of the album like? Since the press materials say they want to pay tribute to bands like Nickelback, I think you get the idea. A second-rate version of a band most serious music fans already hate, oh joy.

In addition to the awful family drama, we also get a poorly written political commentary in "Death Or Liberty", which is more of the same 'the system sucks', 'burn it all down' garbage that doesn't actually have a meaningful complaint behind it. There's also the singer's lame attempt at winning over a woman (I'm assuming - the song "Santa Monica" is confusing whether he's singing to a woman, a saint, or the city) by saying to her, "let's make some babies?" Oh, for Christ's sake. This guy is single-handedly writing an entire album of every pathetic cliche of modern 'manhood'.

If this was satire, it would still fail, since there isn't any humor to be found in any of this. But I get the impression this is all done from the heart, and all of this is what they consider to be cool. It's an indictment of modern society that men would ever feel proud of these thoughts enough to put them out in the open, or that there are apparently fans who think telling a woman how much you want to get her pregnant is a compliment. Rock has never been known for respect, but I hate how there seems to be very few who have grown and evolved with the times. This album is so backwards, so regressive, I hardly know what to say about it.

In fact, there are only two positive things I can say about Ocean Hills. 1)They haven't written a song *yet* about forcing an addict into sex, presumably in exchange for drug money, as Nickelback did. 2)Ocean Hills is easy to avoid, since this album will never be popular.

You can save yourself the trouble of ever listening to this tripe. I took the bullet for you.

Bloody Good News: Fear Factory Shuts Down, and Taylor Swift Sells (Again)

Our Top Story: We've seen enough bands break up over the years to no longer be surprised when personalities and money get in the way of the music. The business is a business, and we are seldom allowed to forget that fact. However, there are times when the moves made by people still stand out as being either underhanded, petty, or just plain weird. The motivations of people are difficult to figure out, and we can spend a lot of time sorting through the psychology of 'why'.

Fear Factory has both returned and blown up in recent weeks. The story started with the band announcing they were starting a crowd-funding campaign to update and improve their new album, which is scheduled to come out next year. This was already a questionable development, since the album is, even by their own admission, done. Dino Cazares no longer wants to put out an album with programmed drums on it, despite having done so before. Perhaps this is understandable.

Burton C. Bell, the band's singer, immediately spoke up, saying he knew absolutely nothing about this development. This is where things started to get awkward. In the years since we last heard from the band, Dino had purchased the entirety of the band's name, meaning he is now in full control of all business decisions. That might be legally right, but there is something rather off about not informing the only other member of the band what is going on, to avoid that very scenario of the two being at odds. Burton accused Dino of trying to profit off the money, and there was no single voice to speak on the band's behalf. It was terrible management on Dino's part, and made the band look foolish and greedy.

They went back and forth online, another sign of decay, which ended with Burton leaving Fear Factory. The album is still scheduled to be released next year, with Burton's vocals, and presumably with new and live drums. This coming despite the band no longer being together.

Things get further complicated when Dino announced he also intends to update one of the band's older albums with live drums as well, without any explanation for how he will have the money to do that, but not the money for the new album. It's a curious thing, one that does seem to play into Burton's theory that Dino was intending to pocket some of the money raised from the fans.

But what makes this episode sadder is Dino's attitude toward Burton. Regardless of the current situation between them, Burton is the voice of Fear Factory, and has been there the whole way through, even when Dino was gone. Dino has written him off, going so far as to say to the fans it doesn't matter who the band's singer is. Yes, it does. For more than twenty years Fear Factory has had a signature sound, and a big part of that is Burton's voice. I understand Dino owns the name and can do what he wants with it, but there's something seedy when a band tries to tell the fans what to think.

Fear Factory may return, but given what we've just seen, do we even want that?

In Other News: Taylor Swift's catalog has been sold once again. Not long after having her life's work sold out from under her to a man she is actively at odds with, he has turned around and sold her master tapes to a new group, once again leaving Taylor without control over her own work.

According to her, she was given a chance to purchase her tapes, but before any negotiation could even begin, she had to sign an NDA barring her from ever speaking negatively about the new former owner. I know that litigation is baked into the American system at this point, but the idea of using legal documents as a cudgel to prevent your own toxic life from being exposed is unseemly. And to hold someone's work hostage for that goal, even when they are willing to pay you an astronomical sum of money, shows what kind of weasel was allowed to get the tapes in the first place.

The good news of this story is that Taylor has indicated she is indeed following through on her threat to re-record all of the albums that fall under this deal. New versions will be coming, and she can use her substantial leverage to push those wanting to license her music to use the versions that put money in her pocket, not an investor's. While I have no intention or interest in ever hearing those recordings, I applaud her for using the levers of power to stand up for herself as an artist. It was never right for the label system to be set up where an artist had no control over their own work, and taking back what she can is an important step for Taylor.

The only downside is that since Scooter Braun has sold the catalog, he will not be the one holding a devaluing asset. He was able to psychologically abuse Taylor, and get out of the deal before the money dried up. Once again, bad people get away with being bad people.

Singles Roundup: Transatlantic, Pale Waves, W.E.T., and Mammoth WVH

 With the year almost over, we have shifted our focus to the next, and today we've got a few songs giving us some of our first hints of what 2021 is going to have to offer.

Transatlantic – Reaching For The Sky

The troubling album is due out at the start of February, and the first taste of it only frustrates me even more. This song is pure Transatlantic, hitting their signature warm prog sound with a lovely arrangement, strong melodies, and an optimistic tone that feels like home. There's a slight issue with the production of the vocals, but the song itself is another wonderful song from them. So why am I frustrated? Because this version of the song only appears on one of the two versions of the album. Depending on which you buy, this might not be the first single from the one you wind up listening to.

Pale Waves – Change

I was quite fond of Pale Waves' debut album, which was a perfect example of what I dubbed 'Daria rock'. The lead single to their upcoming record does shift directions from that, becoming something more emotional and powerful. Heather's vocals are stronger, and the song is a brighter and more energetic affair. It sounds like the band growing into their skin, which is exactly what they should be doing. I'm not sure what a warmer Pale Waves will be, but after hearing this, I'm interested to find out.

W.E.T. - Big Boys Don't Cry

One of the best melodic rock records of the last few years was W.E.T.'s "Earthrage". That record was filled with huge melodies that are everything a fan could have asked for. It was an almost perfect record, and left massive expectations for their upcoming effort. This first single is not encouraging. That's not to say it's bad, but it's not as powerful or hooky a song, sounding more generic than they did before. The decision to push the guitars all the way to the back is especially puzzling, as it leaves the song weak when it needs to punch. I know there will be better on the record, but I can't help but be disappointed.

Mammoth WVH – Distance

I hate being put in this position. Wolfgang Van Halen released this as the first song from his solo project, dedicating it to his father's memory, and putting out a video filled with home movie of the two of them. So how much of an asshole do I seem to be when I say I think the song is incredibly bland and boring? It's the truth, as I see it. I know the story, but that doesn't change what I'm hearing. It's a tepid song without a strong hook, and I don't feel the energy or emotion coming out of it. It might make me a lousy person to say something negative about this, but hey, I'm used to it. I hope he can do better, because this didn't impress me at all.

Album Review: Communic - Hiding From The World

Communic has always been one of those bands that sounds like they try a bit too hard. It started right out of the gate, when their first albums were chock full of Nevermore-esque songs that regularly stretched from seven to ten minutes long. Even on their magnificent "Waves Of Visual Decay", songs persisted longer than they perhaps should have. That makes Communic a band that takes patience to listen to, which came to a crashing halt on their previous record, where the length struggled to justify itself across multi-part songs that didn't need to be segmented, songs that weren't interesting enough to spend that much time with.

That dynamic comes into play once again, with the shortest of the non-segue tracks clocking in only a few seconds under seven minutes. With the band being only a trio of guitar/bass/drums, that's a lot of time to fill with a limited sonic palate. Nothing has changed about their sound, which still features a mixture of chugging riffs and baritone vocals. There's an inherent drama to their sound, which is the saving grace that can carry them through these lengthy songs.

This album gets them back on track towards their glory days. The construction here features stronger melodic writing, and more than a dash of the formula that made "Waves Of Visual Decay" so great. This album sounds more like that one than any that have come since, which is a more than welcome development to my ears. Communic is able to balance almost thrashy sections with laid-back ones, letting the album ebb and flow with a more natural feeling than some of their other works.

So what we have here is an album of two perspectives. On the one hand, "Hiding From The World" is a successful album that hits all the right marks for Communic. It's full of heavy riffs and solid songwriting. On the other hand, the album is incredibly similar to what has come before. That doesn't bother everyone, and it doesn't always bother me either, but there are certainly passages on this record where I can hear in my mind songs from "Waves Of Visual Decay" picking up where they leave off.

If you don't mind more of the same, Communic's latest offering is a very good album. This one rights some of the problems I've had with the last couple, and is close to the band being at their absolute best. I'm still going to hold to the opinion that "Waves Of Visual Decay" is their best album, but this could very well slot in behind that. That's nothing to slouch at, so there's no complaining going on here. "Hiding From The World" is a fine addition late in the year.

Finding The Rainbow Where "Oil Meets Rain"

There's an old saying about a great song being a great song, or to put it another way, a great song can be stripped down to just the melody and either a guitar or piano without losing anything. That is the essence of songwriting; to create a song that doesn't need the adornment and ear candy that producers can layer on while in the studio. We love hearing those details, and they add color and nuance, but the core of the song is the most important thing. Without a song, everything else is empty calories.

Normally, that entails hearing a song on record, and sometime down the line then hearing the band play a stripped down performance that highlights the underlying composition. That's when you get to peek under the hood, per se, and get a clearer picture of what songwriting is all about. For fans of The Spider Accomplice, that is reversed in this case, as we have previously heard the band play an acoustic arrangement of "Oil Meets Rain", which since then has been a song that stood out in my mind, even among their own impressive run of songs.

There was an optimistic melancholy about the song, which is an oxymoron I have been using more often lately, as I find myself drawn to songs that find the silver linings in the clouds. Or as VK Lynne sings in this song, "there's a rainbow when the oil meets rain/the light finds beauty in the pain". I feel like we forget that sometimes, that there is something positive and uplifting about looking at a clean cut and seeing how the scar heals with time.

For this version of the song, we get transported back to the late 90s, when pop/rock was able to find its way to the charts. If you remember the days when songs like "Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)" were in rotation on VH1, you're in the right target audience for where The Spider Accomplice is coming from. The song bounces along with an almost joyous energy, while the big guitars in the chorus are almost panoramic in how wide they are able to stretch. Arno throws in bits of slide guitar as well, so there are also some echoes of the pop/country movement lying underneath.

This year has been one we would all rather forget, but there is one thing to remember about it more important than everything else; we endured. Or, maybe I should say 'we persisted'. Regardless, as the song is telling us, there is still something positive for us to take from this experience. We (ok, many of us, but certainly not all) have shown ourselves able to adapt, able to cope, and willing to sacrifice some of our own wants for the needs of others. That might not be a full-scale rainbow, but like the shimmering arc of an oil slick in the summer sun, it's still a colorful reflection of our best.

This year, The Spider Accomplice has given us three songs that show different aspects of their sound and their identity. "Enough" was the aggressive rocker tired of playing nice, "Crawl" was the introspective song about finding yourself, and now "Oil Meets Rain" tells us the fights to understand ourselves and our places in this world are going to be worth it. We're ending on an upbeat, and isn't that what we all need right now?

 "Oil Meets Rain" will be available everywhere Friday.

Album Review: LA Guns - Renegades

Among the things I hate about the music industry is the drama that bubbles up and threatens to swallow the music whole. In the majority of these cases, when you boil it down, it's all about money. Yes, bands are businesses, but the public posturing to put money ahead of everything else gets old for us. There's no need to give us reason to think less of you; many times we already have a low opinion.

I have made no secret about my thoughts regarding the recent LA Guns albums. They were somewhere between mediocre and terrible, and in no way lived up to the band's status as 'legends'. But that's now what we're talking about here today. No, we're talking about the OTHER LA Guns. Yes, there are now two of them, and isn't that a depressing thought?

This version of the band is led by guitarist Steve Riley, who was jettisoned from the other version of the band, but claims partial ownership of the name. Hence, LA Guns joins the infamous list of bands that have existed fractured, confusing fans and watering down whatever legacy they once had. It's a joke, and not a particularly funny one. But is the music any good?

I can dispense with that question quickly. No, "Renegades" is not an album you need to hear. That being said, it's still better than the other version of the band, for the simple reason that this record doesn't sound like a home demo. The straight-forward rock being played here is at least played and recorded competently, which I suppose is an accomplishment. Not to speak ill of the dead, but both the other LA Guns and Quiet Riot are veteran bands that put out some truly horrendous, embarrassing sounding record in recent years.

These ten songs offer nothing of note. Riley and his cohorts don't have much songwriting to rely on. These songs have boring riffs that lead to vocals without any sort of hook at all. They come and go before you even realize what was going on. There is music that's subtle, but this kind of rock and roll isn't supposed to be that. For an in-your-face rock band, LA Guns has absolutely nothing to say. This version of the band isn't filling big clubs, and this music is exactly the right soundtrack for this. It sounds like the original material your local bar cover band trots out. I won't use the term 'piss break', but someone else might.

The only thing worse than one LA Guns is two. Neither version of the band is worth listening to these days, and the fact that there is still money to fight over amazes me.

Give it another record or two like this, and maybe both versions of the band will fade into obscurity, as they should.

Album Review: Pyramaze - Epitaph

I'm just going to get this out of the way early; Pyramaze have always been incredibly bland to me. Whether it was their earliest work when Lance King was their singer, or the album they made with Matt Barlow, or their current (and finally stable) lineup, it's always been rote power metal that doesn't move the needle. They at least garnered my attention when they had notable singers, but now that they are a relatively faceless band making predictable music, I can't say I have been moved or impressed by them. They're a perfectly capable band, but the blueprint of power metal is so played out for me, I need something more to get excited about.

Cliche #1: The album starts with a two minute instrumental. These pieces rarely have strong enough elements to make them worth listening to on their own, and this one is no different. It wastes time that doesn't add anything to the rest of the record.

Cliche #2: Eastern motifs. Once that intro is over, "A Stroke Of Magic" opens with a guitar melody from the old bag of tricks, adding a 'foreign' mood to the otherwise standard djent-ish track. I'm not sure why the song is supposed to echo that culture if the lyrics have nothing to do with it. That makes it a gimmick, and not something that makes sense, such as when Rainbow did "Gates Of Babylon" all those years ago.

Cliche #3: Knights. As the title suggests, we get medieval themes in "Knights In Shining Armour". Power metal is so littered with songs about knights, swords, dragons, and battles that I have never been able to figure out the attraction. Power metal and fantasy go hand-in-hand, and as I have mentioned in other reviews (including Serenity's "The Last Knight" early this year), all the singing about warriors and jabbing swords through people and mythical creatures renders the songs completely unrelateable.

Cliche #4: A ten-plus minute epic to end the album. Bands have been doing this forever, trying to end their albums with massive statements that they aren't just bands, they are artists. As if length has anything to do with being artistic. Inviting their past singers back (Cliche #5), they spend twelve minutes playing sections of music that don't tie into a predictable structure, which means the band doesn't bother trying to write a solid hook. It's a trapping of being 'progressive' that is ridiculous, but common.

There is something a bit different about this record, though. Over the years, Pyramaze has updated their sound to reflect the times. That means this record isn't the old double-bass variety of power metal, but instead has guitars chugging with djent tones and rhythms. That does reduce the generic quotient, although it puts them firmly in league with many other bands, so it doesn't separate them as a unique entity. Listening to this record, even during the parts that are good, this could be a Dynazty album, or several other bands playing this style. There is a standard sound all these bands go for, and so many doing exactly the same thing has dulled the impact any one of them can make.

'Dull' is the operative word here. Pyramaze is a solid band, and there's some good songs on this album, but the whole thing feels flat. The songs hit all the familiar marks, and while that can be a good thing at times, it can also mean I'd rather listen to the countless songs that have done the same thing beforehand. There's nothing wrong with "Epitaph", but there's nothing about it you have to hear either. Being standard means everyone might like it, but few people need it. Such is the danger.

Transatlantic's Journey Crashes & Burns

Transatlantic is my favorite prog band, and has produced by favorite prog album, but I am not one of those people who considers artists who make good music to be above criticism. Making an album I love is not going to win me over on a personal level, nor is it going to insulate someone from being called out when that is necessary. I make it a point to tell the truth on these pages, whether it is good or bad, because integrity is about the only thing we actually have that's worth a damn.

I say that to preface the news of the day. Transatlantic has announced their new album, "The Absolute Universe", will be released on February 5th 2021.

The announcement also said the following things about the record:

-There will be two versions; one sixty minutes long, and one ninety minutes long.
-They will not be the 'real' album and an abridged version
-Each version will include different takes, instrumentation, vocalists, and even some lyrics
-You will either have to buy both versions, or the more expensive set containing both

My initial reaction to all of this was anger, which then mellowed into a simmering disgust. Let me explain why.

Given the nature of the music business in this current climate, I understand that steps need to be taken to generate sales and revenue. But there is a difference between making money and gouging the audience. I thought it was ridiculous when Serious Black put out two versions of "Mirrorworld", and claimed that only the expanded edition was the 'real' album. It smacked to me of gouging the audience to ask them to pay more for the full version of the album, when the argument that they wanted to put out a lower priced version was laughable. CDs can be priced at whatever point you want.

This move by Transatlantic has echoes of that, but it goes further. There is the disappointment of the band telling us we are going to have to spend more, or buy two copies, to get the full picture of what they recorded. That is insulting to the audience, which along with lying are the two cardinal sins for artists.

Beyond that, the band is telling us there is no singular version of the album. "The Absolute Universe" is two completely different recordings, and thusly when we talk of the album, it is a nebulous entity that doesn't actually exist. Like Schroedinger's cat, it both exists and doesn't exist, depending on your philosophical bent. To me, this decision feels like the band did not know what they wanted to do with their own music, and rather than make the hard decisions that you're supposed to, they punted, threw their hands in the air, and told us to figure it out for them. It's not a good look.

There is also another apsect to this. With different versions of the songs available to us, what do you think are the odds that one version of the album, as the band is presenting them, will contain our favorite versions of each song? I place them at nearly zero, which means the band is going to ask us to buy two different versions of the album, when neither will be the collection of songs we actually want to listen to most. Many of us will assemble our own compilation of preferred takes, which renders the entire idea of buying these albums on CDs or vinyl completely idiotic. Why should we buy physical copies we will rarely listen to, because they don't give us what we want?

And then there is also the hubris involved in all of this. Between the two versions, we will have to listen to the same songs multiple times, and at two-and-a-half hours to hear everything, just to begin making the decision of what we do and don't like about it. To absorb both versions of the record, to pick and choose which takes are best, will take an enormous amount of time and effort that I feel is asking far too much of us. It's the band's responsibility to make these decisions, not the audience. Transatlantic likes to work without a producer, and this is the anger in letting artists run free. They do stupid things that sabotage themselves.

I can say this already, before the first single is even released. As much as I love Transatlantic, I will never buy a physical copy of this album. I may only be one sale among a growing audience, but I refuse to spend my money buying an album whose physical product will not be what I want to listen to. There is no reason for me to spend more than usual to get less than expected. I feel insulted, I feel gouged, and Transatlantic has lost a lot of the good will they have built up over the years.

Even if "The Absolute Universe" is a masterpiece, I don't know how to judge it. They have set up a scenario where criticism and second-guessing are inevitable.

What a damn shame.

Singles Roundup: Soen, Greta Van Fleet, Dream State, & Make Believe Friends

 The year is winding down, but that doesn't mean music is stopping just yet. We've got a few new one-off songs to talk about, as well as one signal to the future. Let's see what's on the docket this week.

Soen - Antagonist

The last two Soen albums both won Album Of The Year from me, and they just announced their newest will arrive in January. Obviously, that means my expectations are massive. This first single... nails it. Soen has been on a roll where they have found their sound, and are using it to write great song after great song. This song balances their aggressive and groove-heavy riffing with moments of calm, with another subtle but memorable melody. No one else balances interesting rhythms with strong melodies the way Soen does, and even with a dirtier production, this song is pointing toward a third straight album as good as modern metal can be.

Greta Van Fleet – My Way, Soon

All the whining about Greta Van Fleet sounding like Led Zeppelin miss out on something; they're good at it. The world is full of bands that sound like other bands, most of whom are awful, and yet these guys are the ones who get dumped on for it. I don't know. They were hinting at their next album taking a different turn, with different influences, but this song is more of the same. That's not a bad thing, but it doesn't live up to what they were promising. I like it, but it's disappointing because of the framing they put up. They'd might as well lean into being a modern Zeppelin.

Dream State – Monsters

I loved "Primrose Path" last year, and was not expecting a new song anytime soon, so it was a nice surprise to hear Dream State had something in store for us. The song carries on from where that album left off, once again blending energy, shouted hooks, and plenty of attitude. They do a great job of making a post-hardcore sound more mainstream and appealing. It isn't pop, but there's a similar addictive quality to their music that belies the heaviness and grit they put forward. They continue to intrigue me.

Make Believe Friends – Scream

This song comes from Laura, the songwriter and guitarist from Lunden Reign. Unlike that band's two albums, this song is darker, and sounding less optimistic about our future. The guitar intro is slinky like a snake coiling before it strikes, which is what happens when the chorus hits. The layers of Mindy's voice jump out of the speakers, giving the hook power and grace. You can hear bits of modern pop bleeding into the sound, and that makes it an interesting turn.

Album Review: Lords Of Black - Alchemy Of Souls

Speculation is just that; an attempt to infer from the facts we know something we don't. It is an exercise in trying to make sense of things that don't, because we have trouble dealing with black holes of information. Se here we have Lords Of Black, who on the surface are no different than the last time we heard them. However, in that time Ronnie Romero left the band, was replaced, and then came back. I find this curious, and have my own ideas of how and why all of this happened. I find it hard to believe it was coincidence that Ronnie's departure coincided with him having the gig singing for Rainbow, as well as three or four other bands, while he return coincides with none of those projects getting any more attention than Lords Of Black ever had. I'm speculating, of course, but that's what makes the most sense to me.

The album gets off to a great start with "Dying To Live Again", where the guitars give us heavy riffs and neoclassical solos, while the hook Romero sings is metal at its best. The song blends heaviness and melody beautifully, and showcases the best aspects of Lords Of Black. Unfortunately, it only lasts the one song, as the following "Into The Black" is a number built on the generic riff and almost no melody at all being sung. It's one of those songs Primal Fear has made a career out of, which I have complained about all along. The shift in style, and quality, between these opening two songs is massive.

Romero continues to use his raspier delivery for most of these songs, which you might think is fitting because this is metal we're talking about, but it actually serves to hinder the songs. When the choruses hit, that rasp doesn't play as well with backing vocals, so he is left mostly alone, and the songs sound smaller for that choice. We don't get many of the massive choruses you expect from an epic scale metal album, for the simple reason that you can't track a choir of rasps and have it sound good.

The band's explanation is that Romero returned when he heard the songs that were being written, and they were too good to pass up the chance to sing. I don't hear those songs when I'm listening to this record. There are a couple of good ones, but more of this record is generic metal than even the last time I heard Lords Of Black. I wasn't bowled over by it, but even the second album from The Ferrymen had more consistent quality than this record does. This album is just... flat.

For as heavy as they try to make the guitars, and for as hard as Romero pushes his rasp, the album doesn't doesn't come across as a metallic beast. The guitars have a hair too much gain to hit with a real chunky sound, and Romero has always sounded like he's trying way too hard, and what that does (at least for me) is leave everything sounding like a facade. The fact that Tony Hernando made an album of melodic rock songs last year further leads me to question whether this is actually the kind of music they really want to be making. Maybe it is, but I'm not hearing the passion in it.

Lords Of Black have always been one of those bands people praise, and I don't hear what all the fuss is about. That trend continues here, as this album continues to do a few good things to go along with a few on the other side of the ledger. It's a decent record, and it isn't a bad listen, but I've heard enough from them to think they're never going to make a truly great record.

Album Review: Jeff Scott Soto - Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)

Over the last few years, Jeff Scott Soto has been a busy guy. He has made two albums with Sons Of Apollo, one with his own SOTO band, one with W.E.T., and a solo album. The results have been, let's say, mixed. The fact of the matter is none of those outfits have great songwriters in them, so while there have been some good songs here and there, they don't work as entire albums you would want to sit down and listen to. Soto is far from the only singer who needs help getting enough good songs together, and perhaps this time he has managed to do that.

What's different for this album is that he has teamed with Frontiers Records' in-house songwriter, so there is a certain level of quality to be expected. There is also a downside to this, however, as he has written so many songs for so many bands I have covered, his style is incredibly played out at this point. Soto is signing on for a better album, albeit a more generic one.

That's exactly what we get. If you've heard any of these melodic rock albums being churned out, you know exactly what this album has in store. There aren't any surprises, but that's ok if the songs are still good. They are, although they aren't at the level I would call great. It's perfectly fine melodic rock with a little extra vocal charisma from Soto, who continues to sound far better singing anything and everything other than Sons Of Apollo music.

The string-heavy ballad "Without You" is a dramatic piece that I enjoy, but I also can't help but compare it to the extremely similar "You're Not Alone" from the first Revolution Saints album, from the same pen, with a similar vocal, which is a far better song. It's a simple fact that after writing hundreds of songs you either start repeating yourself, or you run through all your best ideas. Both seem to be happening, which is why the genre has felt stale this year, in particular.

Toward the middle of the record, we get a couple of songs in "Paper Wings" and "Love Will Find A Way" that raie the bar. That section is the best the album has to offer, with both of those tracks being strong efforts that stand out from the others. The latter, in particular, has a chorus that has a familiar echo. It's probably the best moment on the entire album, and it's a song I would certainly recommend checking out. If there were a couple more at that level, we would be telling a different story right now.

As things stand, this album is another middle-of-the-road Soto album. It's not as good as the fabulous W.E.T. album, but it's also not as rough around the edges as the dreary "MMXX" from Sons Of Apollo. It fits comfortably in the mix with the rest, which means that despite the change in writers, the end result is much the same. Soto deserves to have an album to himself that is befitting his voice, but this isn't it. This one is fine, but it could (and should) have been much more.

Album Review: Fates Warning - Long Day Good Night

Over the years, I have tried many times to get into Fates Warning, since they are one of the fathers of progressive metal. What I have found all along is that they are a good band, and they have moments that transcend into greatness, but so much of their catalog gets bogged down in esoteric atmospheres that I never find myself pulled back. They have plenty of beautiful guitar textures throughout their records, but not nearly enough great songs for their more adventurous playing to be anchored to. I've enjoyed some of their recent albums when I reviewed them, but I'll be honest and say I haven't listened to the last couple since I finished writing those words.

And it's something specific about Fates Warning's writing, not their sound. Last year, Ray Alder put out a solo record that has the same feel and sound, but contains far more dynamic songwriting. I absolutely love that record, and put it on my top ten list for 2019. The first two songs released from this album were more direct than usual for Fates Warning, which could have been a signal the band realized they needed to up their game. After all, it's not good to be outshined by a side-project.

That immediately fell by the wayside when I saw that this record is 72 minutes long. Indulgence is hard for a lot of musicians to curb, and Fates Warning is no exception. While I do not pine for the days of vinyl whatsoever, I do appreciate that records had less time available back then. I'm sorry, but asking me to stay focused through more than an hour of any music, let alone slow-developing, atmospheric metal, is a tall order. Just look at how the record opens. "The Destination Onward" goes through building sounds, to an ethereal riff and vocal, with the band not kicking into gear for three minutes. Think about that; the first three minutes we hear is a toothless introduction. There's easing someone into an record, and then there's boring them.

When the band kicks into gear, things are much better. Fates Warning are good when they decide to forge ahead with more energetic, for them, songs. "Shuttered World" is just that, and it's great. Ray Alder's voice has aged into this beautiful instrument, and the melodic edge of his solo album rubs off on the heavier material here, giving Fates Warning some great material to work with. "Alone We Walk" is another track that doesn't waste time, doesn't mess around with texture at the expense of melody.

But then there are songs like "The Way Home", where things move along incredibly slowly. The initial melody is so soft as to be invisible, then we get a section of one-note riffs I assume are hinting at a non-standard time signature. All I know is hearing two random notes pulsing for a stretch of time is not interesting songwriting. The fact that the song resolves into a lovely melodic section five minutes in isn't a catharsis, but a frustration that the time leading up to it were so lackluster. They prove it wasn't a bad song, merely a song they didn't give enough care in the first half.

For most of the record, the band stays invested, and the songs are clear and concise. As a straight-ahead metal band, Fates Warning is very good. They have a different approach, and a different tone, that works incredibly well for that. However, they can't help but also put a song like "When Snow Falls" into the mix, where almost nothing happens, and whatever momentum the album was building grinds to a complete halt. It's that allergy to being 'normal' that always keeps Fates Warning from getting where they want to go. If we were to cut out the couple of softest and most untethered sections, we would be left with a very good metal album that would still be plenty long enough.

Ultimately, we wind up with another mixed-bag album from Fates Warning. There is a lot of good on this record, but there is also a need for some additional editing. As it stands, they are asking a bit too much of me. There's a good ten track, fifty minute album here. As it stands, Ray Alder's solo album is still the best Fates Warning album they never made. But this is a more valiant effort than I was expecting, so I'm not disappointed.