As a fan of Jeff Loomis, both his solo stuff and his work in Nevermore and Sanctuary I jumped at the chance to review this album, and by god I was not disappointed with his latest output. This is his first release post the Nevermore split, although hearing his work as a session musician on 7 Horns 7 eyes, I had an inkling of what to expect.

Opening up with two guest spots to make any guitar player’s wet dream look mild, a duo with first Marty Friedman and then followed by Tony MacAlpine, these are two tracks which are an exodus in guitar mastery.

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Having not heard off this guy before, I went and did a little research before listening to the album, and found out he was the composer of cinematic metal band Ayreon. Therefore I was expecting something that run along the lines off such bands as Nightwish or Biomortal. I don’t think I could have been more mistaken.

When the album opens up to spoken word, I do wonder what the hell it is I’m listening to as It is all about the future with head DNA transplants. Then after more research I discover he has a penchant for concept albums.

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Progressive metal is becoming a rather over-saturated genre, and it’s unfortunately bands like The Safety Fire who are providing a watered down take on it that is beginning to make the genre a dirty word, at least in my books.

I like my progressive metal exciting, giving me something a little different, a little progressive, whereas The Safety Fire and merely doing a watered down version of Sikth, slower tempo’s and less crazy vocals, but all the basic elements of a band who did it first and a hell of a lot better are there.

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Vallenfyre is the new project formed by Greg Mackintosh from Paradise Lost, incorporating members from My Dying Bride, Doom and At The Gates. Whilst the band was incorporated during a shroud of dark unpleasant times for Greg, the music is brutally heavy and unrelenting. This marks a significant departure from the music Greg is known for making. Scratch the Surface caught up with Greg himself to find out more.

Hey Greg how’s everything going?

“Yeah, it’s fine. I actually moved house two days ago so that was a bit stressful but all living out of boxes right now, but yeah, it’s all good.”

Your debut album with Vallenfyre is about to be released, can you describe the sound of the music?

“Well I guess its very specialist music. It’s influenced by stuff that I used to listen to between 1984 and 1991. A mixture of early death metal from that time and a mixture of doom metal from that time and crust punk. Stuff like that all mixed together really, into a filthy package.”

You say that the music written on this album was never meant for public consumption, what made you change your mind?

“It was a gradual thing I guess. It started out as something that was kind of a catharsis and when that become less of a catharsis and became more self-destructive I just decided to get friends involved one at a time, start a gradual process and just to try and turn something that was becoming a bit destructive into something that was productive, and I want to make it fun, and it’s always more fun when you’re with your mates. I just got a load of mates involved and we turned it into a band and we started knocking some songs out. Then a couple members of the band said send this to your mate over at Century Media, which I did. He said he really liked it and did I want to put an album out. So it was all very off the cuff. There was no big plan behind it, It just kinda happened slowly over the course of 2010.”

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Djent maestro’s Vildhjarta have pulled it out of the bag again with their latest offering “Masstaden”, with their music uttering bowel-moving lows and riffs which are complemented by some discordant beautiful melodies which prove to show both a light and dark side to the band.

The riffs are brutally hard and the melodies are haunting, this is exactly the remedy the already over saturated genre of djent needed. Their mix of harsh brutality and melody brings a breath of fresh air to the listener and whilst it pummels them from one side, it gently soothes the wounds on the other.

“Nojja” is a perfect example of the melody side with a hauntingly dark section which then goes into some blistering full on metal which will break your eardrums if listened to too loudly.

“Eternal Golden Monk” is another example of beautiful meets deadly with a brutal opening and then going into a beautiful melodic section.

The only thing I could ask for from these would be to have some more clean vocals in over the melodic parts as it starts to sound a bit formulated only having vocals over the heavy and nothing over the melodic.

Overall this is a brilliant album and one of the best of its genre. Nearly flawless. (9/10)

James Merrett

Band info: www.vildhjarta.com

Label info: www.centurymedia.de

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When “Five Scars”, Night in Gales first album in 10 years, kicks in, you do wonder if you’re listening to a metal album here, or if it is the start of a weird classical album as the first track has only orchestration, no vocals no guitars or drums, just classical music. However once the second track “This Neon Grave” kicks in, you’re left with no doubt as to if you’re listening to a metal album. You are and you’re in for a break-neck ride.

Night in Gales claim to be melodic Death metal, but some of their music has more in theme with Metalcore heavyweights Atreyu and Killswitch Engage. Even so much so as I kept on picking out similarities to Atreyu’s classic album “The Curse”. Whilst no bad thing as I love The Curse, it feels like they’ve slightly missed their target demographic with it, and with ten years’ worth of catching up to do, this could be a crucial mistake.

This is by no means a bad album, and it mixes classical instrumentation along with metal brilliantly, which provides a nice change. The music seems more like Atreyu meets Cradle of Filth meets In Flames. Not a bad mix, but one that doesn’t flow brilliantly.

When this album started up I really wanted to love it after the beautiful intro, but everything became too generic and I could start spotting similarities to other albums that I already liked.

Stand out tracks include “The Tides of November“and “The Days of the Mute” but they weren’t enough to help move this album above mediocrity for me.

This is an album for fans only I’m afraid. (6/10)

James Merrett

Band info: www.facebook.com/nightingalesmusic

Label info: www.lifeforcerecords.com

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As a long time Lacuna Coil fan, I have been looking forward to this album since its announcement. This excitement was tampered however, with a bit of trepidation as I wasn’t a huge fan off their previous album Shallow Life. This trepidation was unfounded however as for me this sees Lacuna Coil back at their best, and may be their best album yet.

Listening through it seems like they have expanded their sound, now encompassing influences from other popular female fronted bands such as Within Temptation and the Annette fronted Nightwish whilst still putting their own darker twist on the music.

Christina is on top form with her vocals as always with her soaring melodies cutting right through and providing a very enjoyable listen. This is also the best I’ve heard Andrea, with his vocals taking a larger part in this album. The band had mentioned that this album was going be heavier and darker than their previous efforts and they weren’t wrong, this is definitely the heaviest I have ever heard them and they do this much better than their lighter songs.

My favourite songs are “Kill the Light” and their cover of REM’s “Losing my Religion”. These songs showcase Lacuna Coil’s extreme talent; especially the latter as they have taken a good rock song and have made it into something that is entirely something darker and heavily put their own twist on it.

This is a brilliant album with very few flaws, I would recommend it to everyone. (9/10)

James Merrett

Band info: www.lacunacoil.it

Label info: www.centurymedia.com

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Horror Movies and Music. These are normally things people assume would go hand in hand, and sometimes, they go absolutely perfectly, like Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and Murderdolls. Sometimes it can go very badly like much of the entire Horror Punk scene. Thankfully, Zombie Inc. fall into the former category and their brand of Horror Death Metal is a kick that a dying scene really needs right now.

With sound-bites from old horror flicks accompanying some old school death metal styling’s, this is one bizarre combo that is not to be missed. With songs such as We Must Eat! And Planet Zombie, we are left under no illusions where this music is going. Brutal American Death Metal accompanied by horror lyrics.

My only problem with this album is that it is mostly a gimmick, and that runs fast pretty quickly. There is very little variation so the music can become very stale very quickly unless you are a huge fan of Death Metal, then the gimmick lasts a little longer.

Overall this is a good album, which runs out of steam fast. If you’re a fan of death metal, pick this up as it is an amusing take on death metal, but if you only have a passing interest, you won’t get much from this. (7/10)

James Merrett

Band info: www.myspace.com/zombieinc666

Label info: www.massacre-records.de

Read full issue here.

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Pain of Salvation is a weird one. It has elements of Blues, Old school prog and Zeppelin era Rock n Roll whilst also featuring orchestration in parts and syncopated and polyrhythmic rhythms. Basically it’s an explosion of musical styles, and it does it well.

At first the music swaps styles so regularly it’s quite confusing to follow, but when you start concentrating on the music, it’s a beautiful journey delving into the soul. The varying musical styles also add to this effect and the journey just feels magical. There is no other word for it really.

This could quite literally be a soundtrack to a completely epic film, with tracks such as To the Shoreline having quite a Celtic sound, whereas Softly She Cries is very old school blues. There is more variance in one song that most bands manage to get onto an entire album.

The variance can be a bad thing as the music does sometimes feel fairly schizophrenic as it sometimes seems like the music doesn’t know where it wants to go next. Also as it has come only a year since Pain of Salvation’s last release (Road Salt One) it may be all too much for some people.

The band have recently been on the road with the likes of Dream Theatre and Opeth, and this is very apparent in their writing style that these two bands are huge influences on them, as the band seems like a blues version of Opeth.

Overall this is a pretty amazing album, and one I would definitely recommend to people who want a bit of everything from their music. (7/10)

James Merrett

Read full issue here.

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After it’s slow and stagnant death in the late 90’s and early 00’s Thrash music is having a large revival across the board, and I fear that it’s going the same way it did before it died last time. The scene is becoming oversaturated with bands that have leapt onto the bandwagon, had a hit album or two, and then fallen off the radar completely. Untimely Demise seems like it will be one of these bands.

They have tried to inject some different elements into the music, but it just sounds like Kreator and Sodom done badly. There is a bit of melody played throughout, but it doesn’t give the music much of a boost. I expected something much better when it’s been produced by Ex-Megadeth and king Diamond guitarist Glen Drover.

With song titles such as Virtue in Death and Bloodsoaked Mission, it feels like they’ve gotten a thrash by numbers book on writing lyrics and music, there is nothing new and nothing original here.

There are some redeeming points however, the music does get better as the album progresses, but still sounds all slightly disjointed, and the melody I mentioned before puts the band apart slightly from the rest of the pack.

I was extremely disappointed with this album, as even with its few redeeming points, the music feels like recycled riffs from bands that did this much better at the forefront f the thrash scene back in the 80’s. This is definitely an album I would not recommend. (4/10)

James Merrett

Read full issue here.

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There are very few albums that can be classified as both beautifully melodic and gut crushingly heavy. One for Sorrow is one of these albums and it is absolutely brilliant.

The melodies are constant and flowing against the backdrop of heavy metal which creates a beautiful atmospheric sound which can lift you up and carry you away. When the heaviness kicks back in it brings you back to earth with a jolt into some bone crushing riffs which are fast flowing and make you just want to jump into the pit.

There is a mix of melodic death metal, thrash metal and operatic classical music in this album which is melded together to create a sonic soundscape for the listener. Every track on this album is absolutely brilliant and everything feels new and relevant to today’s music scene. There is definitely something for everyone in this album.

There are some dark lyrics and it feels like Niilo Sevanen is baring some open and festering wounds on this album, with lyrics such as “And I feel tired, empty and hollow, heart-broken inside/

And I feel this life has nothing for me anymore” from "Through the Shadows" showing that there isn’t any happiness on this record.

Songs such as "Through the Shadows" and "Every Hour Wounds" will leave the listener in no doubt that Insomnium have returned once again with a brilliant album and it won’t let the fans down. (10/10)

James Merrett

Read full issue here.

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Black metal is a genre of music which is thought off as solely coming from its bleak homeland of Scandinavia, far in the north and cold. Wolves in the Throne Room have set out from Olympia, Washington to disprove this theory and they do it with gusto, whilst also incorporating other elements into their music.

For example, take the opening track Thuja Magus Imperium which has a beautiful melodic opening with some clean singing before kicking into a ferocious attack of Black metal. The two styles of music weave together brilliantly and create a sonic landscape of a bleak winter night.

There are a couple off odd little filler tracks spread throughout this album though, such as Permanent Change in Consciousness and Rainbow Illness which seem to break up the flow and could really have been left off this album as there isn’t much purpose for them to be there sonically and at 1 and a half minutes each, they just seem to be put on to reach the requisite number of songs needed.

The majority of the songs on this album however is absolutely brilliant with tracks such as Woodland Cathedral and Subterranean Initiation creating some amazing sonic landscapes that just drag the listener into the music.

Wolves in the Throne Room are a band that have taken Black Metal rule book that the majority of bands live by and ripped it to shreds and then progressed onto making their own form of Black Metal the way they want to. By doing this they have escaped the usual limitations of the genre and managed to push through and become something more akin to Opeth than Emperor or Immortal. (8/10)

James Merrett

Read full issue here.

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Iced Earth is known for writing some epic music, and this album does not disappoint in that respect. With new vocalist Stu Block (From Into Eternity fame) on board replacing former vocalist Matt Barlow, the pressure was on.

Featuring songs such as the full on thrash attack of the opener and title track Dystopia, the beautiful ballad that is The End of Innocence and the power metal vibe of V, this is an album that showcases everything that Iced Earth was known for, and puts a new twist on it.

Vocalist Stu has stepped into the admittedly large shoes that were left behind when Matt left and he fills them perfectly, with a huge vocal range creating multiple dynamics throughout the songs, going from really clean, to growls, to a Rob Halford esque shriek that fits the music perfectly.

Iced Earth has never been shy about releasing concept albums and that doesn’t stop here, with another brilliantly constructed album about a Dystopian future. The music brings this concept to life, with songs such as Boiling point and Tragedy and Triumph giving the concept life.

This is an album that stands proud and tall next to Iced Earth’s extensive back catalogue and ushers in the new era of Stu Block. This is a must buy for all Iced Earth fans and it could quite easily pick up many new fans as well. (10/10)

James Merrett

Read full issue here.

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Pioneers of the Gothenburg Death Metal scene In Flames have done it again with their 10th studio effort. Aside from the slightly creepy album name, this is an effort that stands right up there with their widely considered masterpiece "Come Clarity". This is also the first album the band has released without any of the founding members as Jesper Strombald left in February 2010.

Even without Jesper, the band has proved that they can still write some brilliant Melodic death Metal and the band aren’t resting on their well-earned laurels, with them still experimenting and trying to push themselves further with some electronic sections with tracks such as The Jester’s Door and the opening of Deliver Us.

There are some tracks that are slightly different from what fans are originally used to, such as the mid-paced "All For Me" and the after-mentioned "Jester’s Door", but overall the band retain their early sound which has made them this popular.

James Merrett

Read full review here.

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StoneLake are a band that although having only formed in 2002, have been around in one form or another on and off since 1984. This 27 year partnership is extremely apparent on this effort, with the guitars and the vocals complementing each other very well.

Marching on Timeless Tales is their 5th effort, and the title does seem to suit this band perfectly. With lyrics touching on fantastical battles and daemons the band very much go into Power Metal territory, with tracks such as Red Canyon and Sound of a Whisper.

Whilst listening through I got a sense that this band haven’t particularly left the 80’s in a musical sense with the music hitting a rather nostalgic spot of a poor man’s Seventh son of a Seventh Son or Painkiller. Whilst not a bad thing, Stonelake seem more like a nostalgic act than an act ready to take on the 21st century.

James Merrett

Read full review here.

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European Death Metallers Nightrage have friends in very high places as they are getting some very big names in metal right now to guest on their latest effort Insidious. Although this isn’t to surprising as this is one of the many bands that now Ozzy/Firewind guitarist Gus G has played in.

With members of Firewind (including the legendary Gus G himself), At the Gates, Evergray and Deceptor, this is a star studded affair, but it is still a brilliant album. Listening through, this album reminds me a lot of Arch Enemy but featuring a more melodic flair.

This is a band who don’t tend to stick with just one genre within just one track, let alone a full album, with the title track Insidious and the track Wrapped in Deceitful Dreams featuring some nice acoustic playing right up next to some brilliant Melodic Death Metal.

James Merrett

Read full review here.

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Evile started out as one of those bands that were caught up in that whole “thrash revival” movement that was going on a few years back. With this, their 3rd effort, I believe that they have finally shed away any forms of “thrash revival” and become a pure metal band.

"Five Serpent’s Teeth" is an absolute ball’s to the wall metal album, which will definitely stand up there with their contemporaries and cement their place into metals history. There is a fair amount of variety in the album with the melancholic song In Memoriam, which is a tribute to their late bassist Mike Alexander, to the complete and utter insanity of Descent into Madness.

James Merrett

Read full review here.

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Everyone knows the lyric’s to Edwin Star’s classic War (What Is It Good For) War/ Huh/ Yeah/ What is it good for/ Absolutely Nothing. This may not be strictly true as Warbringer have taken their musical and lyrical influence from wartime and have done now for 3 full albums.

The main focus here is on the brutal assault of the ears with their violent brand of thrash metal. Most songs on the album are blisteringly heavy and fast, but with no two songs ever sounding exactly the same, there is enough variety here to keep the fans banging their heads well after the first play. With tracks such as Living Weapon and Wake Up… Destroy being two good example of the more heavy side, they literally pour energy into the listener’s ears.

James Merrett

Read full review here.

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