Naming your band after a book that is so succinctly boring is truly a ballsy move. In fact, because of the band’s name, I never really got around to listening to them for years because of the very fact I fucking hate the book they are named after. However, when a promo for Wuthering Heights’ new album Salt arrived in my mailbox, it was kind of stupid to not at least give these guys a chance. Now, I can say with full confidence, that all high school students should be assigned Salt for their listening pleasure instead of  having to read the dreg that is Wuthering Heights’ namesake.

Leading the charge on Salt is vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson whom I immediately recognized as the leadman from Dio inspired power metal outfit Astral Doors. Upon hearing Nils’ Dio tributed voice, I knew I was in for a fantastic ride. Besides Nils amazing, colorful voice, is the fucking out of this world work of the rest of the band who combine folk power and progressive metal elements into a fucking amazing, tightly controlled sound that would wow me even if it was recorded on a tape recorder. These guys play so well, it makes the sloppy over-technicality of Dragonforce a farce to “TRUE” power metallists, and make no mistake people, Wuthering Heights would aurally beat up just about any power metal band today, they are THAT fucking good.

Salt being my first foray into the world of this band, makes me feel bad that I didn’t pay attention to them sooner. Over the last couple of years I have discovered a few bands like this (Between the Buried and Me and Protest the Hero are just a couple to mention), and it genuinely upsets me that I subconsciously cast such a pre-judgement on a such a talent that I very well could have gone the rest of my life without listening to, and I wouldn’t have batted an eye otherwise. Salt makes me proud to be not only a metalhead, but also a critic, because it’s albums like this that get the mind going and my creativity flowing.

If you are sick of half hearted progressive rip offs, or power metal bands who feel the need to dabble in death metal in order to get attention, then please check out Salt because you will undoubtedly be impressed into buying it.

AMAZING

Similar Artists: Skyclad, Astral Doors, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray

1.    Away!
2.    The Desperate Poet
3.    The Mad Sailor
4.    The Last Tribe (Mother Earth)
5.    Tears
6.    Weather the Storm
7.    The Field
8.    Water of Life
9.    Lost at Sea

Nils Patrik Johansson – Vocals
Erik Ravn – Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Martin Arendal – Guitar
Andreas Lindahl – Keyboards
Teddy Möller – Bass
Morten Gade Sørensen – Drums, Percussion

Sensory Records

http://www.myspace.com/wutheringheightsofficial

Review by CODY

Barren Earth is the superstar band that no one has been talking about. Containing former/current members of Amorphis, Chaosbreed, Swallow the Sun, Moonsorrow, the debut record Curse of the Red River is set to debut at the end of March, and really, after listening to this thing, it should be on everyone’s priority list because this album is downright awesome and a clear challenge to the already great albums heard this year only three months in.

As is clearly evident by the utter variety of the band members involved with their other projects, Barren Earth is/was destined to not be your average band. Curse of the Red River is a combination of gothic metal, melodic death metal, folk metal, stoner metal and progressive metal, which is about as eclectic of an assortment of metal as you can possibly get. Since pretty much the dawn of death metal, we have had bands that have never wanted to settle with the average death metal sound, and Barren Earth is the latest in a line of fantastic progression. Curse of the Red River is so much an advancement in the attitude of heavy musicc, that you don’t know whether to call it beautiful or harsh; its a true juxtaposition that allows for so much art with very little compromise. Whether it be latin guitar strumming in between synth laced balls out death metal, or melodic clean passages dueting with gutterals, Curse of the Red River is a fantastically original collection of music that only adds to the immense metal landscape that is growing by leaps and bounds.

AMAZING

1.    The Curse Of The Red River
2.    Our Twilight
3.    Forlorn Waves
4.    Flicker
5.    The Leer
6.    The Ritual Of Dawn
7.    Ere All Perish
8.    Cold Earth Chamber
9.    Deserted Morrows

Mikko Kotamäki – Vocals
Janne Perttilä – Guitar
Sami Yli-Sirniö – Guitar
Kasper Mårtenson – Keyboards
Olli-Pekka Laine – Bass
Marko Tarvonen – Drums

Peaceville Records

http://www.myspace.com/officialbarrenearth

Review by CODY

Alestorm are catching a bit of popularity worldwide fueled by the surprise success of their debut record, Captain Morgan’s Revenge, which was a combination of decent folk power metal and pirate theme. Obviously the gimmick alone is something that would catch wind instantly and bring some notoriety to the band, no matter how good they were. Luckily for them, Captain Morgan’s Revenge was a decent effort and put some credibility in the band’s sails. However, I can’t say I was ever really expecting much from this band from a career standpoint. There is only so much one can do when your whole deal is pirates and nothing but pirates. Running Wild are the quintessential pirate band, do you see them dressing up like pirates? Come on now. However, I am giving Alestorm a chance, and have decided to sit down and listen to Black Sails at Midnight purely on the merit of their first effort, which wasn’t that bad. So, without further ado, here is my opinion on these scalawags.

Alright, I am not even going to sugar coat things. Black Sails at Midnight is, quite literally, exactly what I was expecting. This is generic as generic can be with bits and pieces lifted from many bands in the genres of power and folk metal. I hear Children of Bodom, Turisas, Rhapsody of Fire and even the theme song from Pirates of the Caribbean…really now guys? It’s one thing to wear your influences on your sleeve, but blatant unoriginality, especially when you are in a themed band whose sole purpose and approach is to write about the glory of pirating, is not flattering in the least.

I have listened to Black Sails at Midnight and there really aren’t any good songs that I would go out of my way to listen to again. There are too many good bands out there to waste my time trying to like a band that can’t even take the time to break out some stand out tracks. The only song that caught my attention throughout the album was the opener “The Quest,” but even this is completely forgettable.

Essentially, if you haven’t figure it out already, you are much better going elsewhere for your folk and/or power metal needs. This is schlock with no personality. Go check out Swashbuckle’s discography, or look into Turisas’ Battle Metal for music that will undeniably fill the void of what Alestorm could have been. You can thank me later with a stein of grog.

BLASHPHEMY!

Top Tracks: AARRRRGH!

Similar Artists: Rhapsody of Fire, Children of Bodom, Turisas

1.    The Quest
2.    Leviathan
3.    That Famous Ol’ Spiced
4.    Keelhauled
5.    To the End of Our Days
6.    Black Sails at Midnight
7.    No Quarter
8.    Pirate Song
9.    Chronicles of Vengeance
10.    Wolves of the Sea (Pirates of the Sea cover)

Christopher Bowes – Vocals, Keyboards
Dani Evans – Guitar
Gareth “Gazz” Murdock – Bass
Ian Wilson – Drums

Napalm Records

http://www.myspace.com/alestorm

Review by CODY

Remember when melodic death metal used to be original? Remember when In Flames was a name to be reckoned with in the underground death metal community? These days it’s harder and harder to be surprised by melodic death metal; notice I said “death metal.” Playing watered down Gothenburg or melodic metalcore does not equate to death metal, and I have stressed this all too much on this site, so I won’t weigh down this review going off on a subject that has been beaten to death. Nonetheless, true, melodic death is fairly rare so when I discover an album that echoes the true spirit of death metal with creative melodies, I can’t help but take notice. One such recent discovery is in the form of Cormorant from California. Combining Swedish melodic death, Skeletonwitch, and a healthy helping of The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Cormorant and their debut Metazoa have sparked a curiosity on the Web that could lead to some big things for these Californians.

Metazoa isn’t just a melodic death album as I so diligently expressed, it also contains doses of folk and classic metal elements that add some lovely layers to the album as a whole. “Salt of the Earth” is very much reminiscent of Opeth’s finest work, while “Uneasy Lies the Head” exacts positive influence from fellow Californians, Slough Feg, who are known for melding folk and traditional elements into a form of metal that few have really perfected. I don’t know if Cormorant have taken Slough Feg’s music as a direct influence, but the fact that they are able to, consciously or not, combine traditional influences with the extreme so seamlessly is by far the band’s biggest draw. As far as Opeth goes, the progressive downplay that they are so good at is also notable on Metazoa. Another influence that stands out quite broadly for me is that of Skeletonwitch. While a relatively new band themselves, Skeletonwitch have honed their art of thrash and black metal while maintaining the swing and swagger of traditional metal. For Cormorant to bring so many great influences together under one roof, how could they possibly fail?

What I find absolutely shocking is that this fantastic album is self released. I know I bring this up quite a bit, but it never fails to surprise me when a superb album is brought into the limelight by a band and no one else. Yes, the production suffers a bit from this, but even that gap of self financing vs label financing is growing smaller with access to quality personal recording technologies. In the right hands, a small time underground act can release a quality product that the average consumer will appreciate as much as the highly polished efforts of bigger acts on major labels. Metazoa represents a new age in metal, and in all truth, is the essence of what metal is; putting out a product that has NOTHING to do with mainstream success, but rather what the band and like minded appreciators want to hear.

Cormorant are set to do big things with or without a label, but truth be told, I highly doubt these guys will be without a label come winter. In fact, I bet there are labels pining for these guys as we speak, before this album is even set to hit the shelves. Should they take a deal? Well, let’s put it this way, the negotiations will be in the favor of Cormorant, because they have shown they can release a fucking beauty of an album without “The Man” butting in to take their share of the profits, which could very well be all of it depending on the size of the label. I can’t recommend Metazoa enough, this could re-shape the future of melodic death metal in America, simple as that. Fuck melodic Christian metalcore clones! Buy Metazoa instead!

AMAZING

Top Tracks:  Salt of the Earth, Hanging Gardens,

Similar Artists: Slough Feg, Skeletonwitch, Opeth, Gandalf

1.    Scavengers Feast
2.    Uneasy Lies the Head
3.    Salt of the Earth
4.    Blood on the Cornfields
5.    Hanging Gardens
6.    The Crossing
7.    Hole in the Sea
8.    The Emigrant’s Wake
9.    Sky Burial
10.    Voices of the Mountain

Nick Cohon – guitars
Brennan Kunkel – drums
Arthur von Nagel – bass and lead vocals
Matt Solis – guitars/backing vocals

Self Released

http://www.myspace.com/cormorantmusic

Review by CODY

Italian metal enthusiasts Ethereal Faun and their 2009 self released debut The Nightlitany, bring forth the energy of power metal with the mystique of European folk metal. Creating a metal record without the financial support of a label is always more difficult, however, these days it seems more and more artists are exploring this avenue with critical success. With The Nightlitany, we have the culmination of a band’s first official full length venture into the critical world of metal, yet unfortunately unlike many of their peers who have pulled off bringing elements together on an independent level, Ethereal Faun fail to meet the standards expected of a modern, well produced album.

Now, before the band and its fans strike out at me, I have to state that the largest drawback on this album is the absolute piss poor production job. Every member of Ethereal Faun are obviously very talented musicians. There are good riffs in each song, and some original moments that you rarely hear in metal (i.e. the non-distorted guitar tone on “The Afternoon of a Faun” I thought was awesome). In addition to the instrumental work, vocalist Marta Pierdominici is a legit singer, which is also demonstrated on “The Afternoon of a Faun,” however the vocals and the instrumental portions sound like crap when combined together, and this greatly disappointed me. That this qualified band all packaged together with some incredible artwork, allowed such an under-produced album to be released under their name is almost a crime.

At first, the production seems fine with crisp instrumentation, however, it becomes very clear by the time the first song is over that the mixing was horribly done. Each instrumental recording are spliced together to such a haphazard degree that it becomes a labor to get through each song. Very rarely on modern albums do you encounter such bad mixing. I’d almost prefer that Ethereal Faun show off their talent by releasing a live album instead of another album produced like this!

In addition to the horrible mixing, we are also presented with the OVER-produced vocals. Marta, as I mentioned earlier, is clearly a capable vocalist, but almost every track on this album features horrendous layering. Why can’t we just hear the vocals as they are?! Ethereal Faun needs to have faith in their singer, because the moments on this album when she can express her art without being subdued by technology are by far the best parts. Trust in your abilities Ethereal Faun, and hire a proper producer to demonstrate the wonder that a regular old guitar chord can produce, or the beauty that the human voice can create.

If each song on The Nightlitany was badly written, I would have no problem writing off this band as being un-talented, however, the songwriting is there, this band just doesn’t seem to have the know how to bring it all together to make album magic. There is a reason why bands pay producers good money, because you need a professional who can construct a well produced album, which in itself is just as much an artform as the music being produced. Despite how disappointing The Nightlitany turned out to be, I find myself eagerly awaiting future releases (or even a well produced version of this CD) from Ethereal Faun, because, and I repeat myself, this is a talented band and they deserve to demonstrate that at a standard befitting of them.

EH…

Top Tracks: The Afternoon of a Faun, Dewforged Fairy

Similar Artists: Elvenking, Battlelore, The Storyteller

1.    The Macabre March
2.    Suffocating Night
3.    Archways of Stars
4.    The Afternoon of a Faun
5.    Ambiguous Greeds
6.    Dewforged Fairy

Marta Pierdominici – Vocals
Marco Parlapiano – Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Lorenzo Marcelloni – Lead/Rhythm Guitar/Backing vocals
Francesco Capomagi – Bass Guitar/Backing vocals
Alessandro Manoni – Drums

Self Released

http://www.myspace.com/etherealfaun

Review by CODY

Eluveitie have been a very busy band as of late. Having taken part in a ton of touring in North America to take advantage of this latest American interest in European folk metal, Eluveitie are already out with another release and have begun to play dates for the 2009 edition of Paganfest USA. This is a big deal for a band of Eluveitie’s stature, who belong to a genre who have only recently found international success. This is the perfect time for this band to release a killer album, and lucky for them (I guess luck doesn’t have much to do with it), Evocation I is a killer album on a mass murdering scale.

What separates good folk metal from other genres, is their seamless portrayal of atmosphere through the use of traditional folk elements often from their country of origin. In this regard, Eluveitie have not formulated anything particularly new, but their execution is top tier and really deserves recognition as some of the best in this kind of music. Evocation I – The Arcane Dominion is only the third album for Eluveitie since 2006, which also includes a fourth live album. Its clear this band is riding on a cushion of creativity, because for most bands to keep up that pace with a full time touring schedule is kind of rare and usually spells burnout. 2008’s Slania, which was reviewed here at AMR and received high acclaim, however, unlike Slania, which included a large amount of death metal influence, Evocation i has taken a much more subdued direction with a higher value placed on folk elements and acoustic tribal beats. This album plays out more like a soundtrack to a movie than it does a metal album which is a total compliment.

For those worried, don’t fret, because this is the band’s fray into the world of acoustics and probably doesn’t represent a perminent change in the band’s primary death metal focus. There are far less growls on this album, and the little that are present are very well placed. Still though, if you are looking for Amon Amarth on this album, look elsewhere, because you will probably be disappointed. Evocation I is not meant to be an extreme metal record masked in folk, no, this is Eluveitie the metal band, showing off their chops with high folk elements. If you are looking for sheer aggression, look elsewhere, or if you are a new fan, look into Slania and Spirit which are far more metallic offerings from these guys. This is a great acoustic album, and fans of Eluveitie should find this to be a great addition to their collections.

VERY GOOD

Top Tracks: Omnos, The Cauldron of Renascence

Similar Artists: Elvenking, Korpliklaani, Ensiferum, Finntroll

1.    Sacrapos – At First Glance    02:01
2.    Brictom    04:22
3.    A Girl’s Oath    01:17
4.    The Arcane Dominion    05:42
5.    Within the Grove    01:52
6.    The Cauldron of Renascence    02:03
7.    Nata    04:03
8.    Omnos    03:48
9.    Carnutian Forest    03:16
10.    Dessumiis Luge    03:29
11.    Gobanno    03:14
12.    Voveso in Mori    04:09
13.    Memento    03:20
14.    Ne Regv Na    05:07
15.    Sacrapos – The Disparaging Last Gaze    02:42

Christian “Chrigel” Glanzmann – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Uilleann pipes, Bodhràn, Tin and low whistles
Ivo Henzi – Guitars
Simeon Koch – Guitars, Vocals
Kay Brem – Bass
Merlin Sutter – Drums
Meri Tadic – Fiddle, Vocals
Anna Murphy – Hurdy Gurdy, Vocals
Patrick “Päde” Kistler – Bagpipes, Whistles

Nuclear Blast Records

http://www.eluveitie.ch/

http://www.myspace.com/eluveitie

Review by CODY

Chaos, chaos and more chaos. Unlike the band’s 2005 effort The Empire of the Worlds, the groove, extreme melodies and chaos (on a controlled level) are far from being as apparent on Biomechanical’s latest album Cannibalised. It seems the band has gone off the deep end in terms of bringing as much unpredictability to each and every song as quickly as possible, with as much frequency as possible that can be squeezed onto one disc. This reminds me of a little kid on his new bike who gets so much speed going on his bike, which is fun for a little while, but then he loses control of it and crashes. Cannibalised is chaos personified, Biomechanical needs to reel in the beast a bit on their next one. (Pantera, Darkane, The Haunted) GOOD

2. Asmegin – Arv (2008)

Oh man, yet another absolutely incredible folk album that very few people will get a dose of. I love tht this sub-genre of music is becoming more popular because much of the creative spirit in metal today is really being taken advantage of by the folk bands in Europe. Combining clean and harsh vocals, female vocals and instrumentation that ranges from jazz to traditional folk as you’d expect to hear, all with death metal stylings throughout, both vocally and instrumentally. This is simply a great folk album, simple as that. If you are still on the fence about this form of metal, check this one out, it might convince you that this really is some good shit. (Similar Artists: Korpiklaani, Finntroll, Ensiferum, Turisas) VERY GOOD

3. Tyr – Ragnarok (2006)

Despite appearing on the first Paganfest to the United States, I think Tyr’s lack of harsh vocals has caused their popularity to suffer a bit here, which is unfortunate because this effort is quite good. Containing some very subtle melodies that just kind of sneak up on you during anthemic parts of songs (which is almost always it seems), Ragnarok, despite its title, is a relatively jovial sounding album with upbeat instrumentation and vocals that are clean through and through with very little in the way of melancholy. I won’t say this album is poppy or even cheerful, but it is consistently upbeat with its folk rhythms and riffs. Ragnarnok is a catchy good time with the typical epic feel of most good folk albums. (Similar Artists: Turisas, Slough Feg, Wintersun, Eluveitie) AMAZING

4. Nocturnal Rites – Shadowland (2002)

Power metal with power? That’s right, Shadowland is an unrelenting powerhouse of melodic metal, and one of my personal favorites of the 21st century thus far. Despite being fairly popular in Europe, Nocturnal Rites has largely gone unnoticed in America largely because of their lack of evolution into progressive metal which seems to be the latest trend in power metal. Shadowland represents an outpost of quality power metal in a constantly shifting sea of bands and albums vying for the constantly changing new order. Nocturnal Rites knows their place, and Shadowland is a quintessential example of power metal done right, without pretending to be something else. (Similar Artists: Shaaman, Kamelot, Sabaton, Brainstorm) VERY GOOD

5. Solstice – Pray (1995)

1995 was a good year for death metal, and Solstice is a fantastic, underground example of death metal’s invasive, uncompromising style at the time. This is pure, speedy unrelenting death metal with no stops in action. Despite it’s heaviness, Pray does not feature an over-abundance of blast beats, instead the aggression is focused more in incredible bass lines and in the rhythm guitar which is more in tune with early Iced Earth than any death metal peer. This is one of those albums that very few people know, but should be owned by all. (Similar Artists: Sadus, Torture Squad, Demolition Hammer) AMAZING

Reviews by CODY

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVUL9byb5Qg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFp4x6kkw0

Album: Among Beggars and Thieves
Label: Metal Blade Records
Year: 2008

Falconer, perhaps one of the most original and talented power metal bands of the 21st century, and are unquestionably at their best with vocalist Mathias Blad. The folkish power metal combined with Mathias’ uncharacteristic sweet voice that is noticably devoid of yells and shrieks like many of his operatic counterparts, provides the muscle behind some incredible riffs that are just as good slowed down in a ballad from their native Sweden, or a double bass entrenched speed metal epic. Simply put, Mathias Blad is the anti-metal metal singer singing for a metal band, and it provides some of the best experiences in the genre today. 2006’s Northwind represented a fantastic comeback for this band, and 2008’s Among Beggars and Thieves is a suitable follow up.

Northwind was unabashedly folkish at its most raw state, with some heavier tunes, but mostly a collective of ballads sung in the band’s native tongue. Among Beggars and Thieves on the other hand, while containing obligatory soft spots, is definitely a balls out power metal album with no compromise. It seems that in the last couple of years, traditional modern power metal has been laughed at, with many in the genre choosing to be referred to as progressive metal when in fact their true nature is that of a power metal band. Falconer on the other hand, is proud to strut its heavier stuff as a tried and true power metal act. You want to laugh at this band? Go for it, but you’ll look like a fool considering there are a bare few who can match the songwriting and vocal capabilities of this band, including the major power metal outfits still making solid records.

With all that said, I can’t go on without commenting on a few negative blips. Despite Falconer having an incredible ensemble of songs for this album, there are a few with relatively weak choruses (and I emphasize relative), most notably on “Man of the Hour,” which really doesn’t strike my fancy until the song kicks it up a notch during the middle section. Is this nitpicking? Perhaps, but one of this band’s strong points is its immaculate use of catchy choruses that really bring color to the term “chorus” like few others can. Finally, before my closing, I also want to mention that the songs “Pale Light of Silver Moon” and “Vargaskall” are uncharacteristically reminiscent to the moody dual guitars of Dissection in several portions including the intro to Pale Light. I find this to be very original, especially for a power metal band (although, many of the band’s founding members belonged to Mithotyn which was definitely heavier and darker than Falconer).

When purchasing your power metal albums this year, please make an effort to check this one, as well as 2006’s Northwind if you were a fan of their first two. Among Beggars and Thieves is not the best piece by Falconer, but does that really matter? This is a solid album with not one “bad” song throughout its 57 minute running time. With folk metal’s popularity on the rise in the States, its only just that us Americans give more attention to one of the genre’s best this year.

VERY GOOD

Top Tracks: Pale Light of Silver Moon, A Beggar Hero, Vargaskall, Carnival of Disgust

Similar Artists: Wintersun, Dissection, Mago de Oz, Tyr

1.    Field Of Sorrow    05:35
2.    Man Of The Hour    03:56
3.    A Beggar Hero    02:08
4.    Vargaskall    04:19
5.    Carnival Of Disgust    04:04
6.    Mountain Men    04:39
7.    Viddernas Man    03:43
8.    Pale Light Of Silver Moon    04:05
9.    Boiling Led    04:58
10.    Dark Ages (bonus)    03:30
11.    Skula Skorpa, Skalk    03:51
12.    Dreams And Pyres    07:48
13.    Vi Sålde Våra Hemman (bonus)    04:30

Mathias Blad – Vocals, Keyboards
Stefan Weinerhall – Guitar, Keyboards
Jimmy Hedlund – Lead Guitar
Magnus Linhardt – Bass
Karsten Larsson – Drums

Metal Blade Records
http://www.falconermusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/falconermusic

Review by CODY