Singles Roundup: Avantasia, Dream Theater, King Diamond, & The Darkness

The new year is about to begin, and that promises new albums, so let's see what teasers we have waiting in the queue.

Avantasia - Creepshow

It's been a while since Tobi put out a pure, fluffy pop song as the lead single for one of his records. I'm not sure if that is a harbinger of a more fun record this time, but I can only hope so, as the promised theme of dragons is not making the album seem all that attractive to me. I know fantasy and power metal go hand-in-hand, but it's never been my thing. That means this album will likely be a surface-level record, which is exactly what this kind of song is perfect for. The hook is quick and catchy, and even the high-pitched bit right before it kicks in fits with the creepy vibe. It's certainly a better effort than when he led off an album cycle by releasing "Lost In Space". This might not be his absolute best, but it's certainly good enough to keep hopes floating aloft for now.

Dream Theater - A Broken Man

Single number two from the Dream Theater reunion is even more disappointing than the first one. The band is clearly going for their most metallic approach, which is fine, except that it subsumes everything else. They have often talked about how they write the music first, and only then think about the vocals. Never has that been more clear than on this song, where the pounding riffs sit under vocals that are so flat I truly could not tell when the chorus kicked in. Only the second time the lyrics repeated did I realize that section was supposed to be the song's hook. Both songs so far have been far less melodic than during the band's previous chapter, and it's portending a record that is going to make music nerds ecstatic, and me rather bored and numb.

King Diamond - Spider Lilly

We've been promised a new album for what seems like a decade at this point, but now that a song exists, perhaps King Diamond has finally made progress on that. If so, he's got a lot to live up to, given how long this thing has been in the making. Judging by this song... it's a massive failure. So much time spent, and the song is basic chugging and hookless falsetto. It's also repetitive more than it should be for just four minutes, with guitar solos apparently meant to make up for everything King lacks these days. They don't, and this song is like one of those horror movies that thinks half an hour of nothing makes a jump scare more effective. All it does it bore the audience, which is what King is doing here. This is shaping up to be far worse than "Chinese Democracy" and it's delay.

The Darkness - I Hate Myself

After listening to "Permission To Land" several times this year to celebrate its anniversary, it's shocking to hear how bad The Darkness have been ever since. This new single barely rocks at all. It's more fifties rock than classic rock, with horns and a repetitive hook that is old long before the last chorus rolls around. What happened to the campy fun I remember? Instead of being tongue-in-cheek, they fully show their ass. I think I understand the band is trying to have fun, but even if you don't take music seriously, you still need to deliver moments that the audience wants to listen to. I don't hear any of that on this song, or the last few albums. It makes me wonder how they ever managed to make the one really good album.