All About The Metal

ALBUM REVIEWS: May + June 2020

 I originally meant to write separate chapters for May and June, but by the time I got around to starting this chapter, it was already June, and as you can tell by the looking at the calendar, I'm finishing this a lot later than I meant to. But anyway, here we go:

Leaves of Yesteryear by Green Carnation (May 8th)

 This was Green Carnation's first new album in fourteen years, and I don't think they disappointed. I originally started listening to them because their singer is Kjetil Nordhus, one of the current vocalists of Tristania. Leaves of Yesteryear was a good album, but I think the downside was that there were actually only three new songs on the album; the other two tracks were a Black Sabbath cover and a re-recording of "My Dark Reflections of Life and Death" from their first album Journey to the End of the Night. But it was still enjoyable, and I would recommend them if you like progressive metal. 

The Song of Desolation by Thy Despair (May 8th)

 Thy Despair are a symphonic metal band I recently discovered, and The Song of Desolation is their debut album. I wound up liking this one a lot more than I was expecting to. The songs were good, and their singer has a beautiful soprano voice. They actually remind me a bit of early Theatre of Tragedy. 

Obsidian by Paradise Lost (May 15th)

 This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2020, and I was not disappointed. Although it's mostly doom metal, there are also some gothic metal elements involved, and Nick Holmes made good use of both his clean and harsh vocals. For me, this is definitely among their best albums (there's still two or three I like better, but this definitely up there), and it's currently one of my top albums for this year. 

ECLYPTIC: Wake of Shadows by Illumishade (May 15th)

 Illumishade is a new band founded by two members of Eluveitie, singer Fabienne Erni and guitarist Jonas Wolff. I liked Eluveitie's last album and Fabienne Erni is among my favorite female metal singers. I thought the songs they released as singles were all good, but the album as a whole was a bit underwhelming to me. But it's only their first album, so I might like the next one better. If you like melodic metal with symphonic elements to it and/or concept albums, I would recommend Illumishade. 

The Broad and Beaten Way by Sinisthra (May 15th) 

 Sinisthra are a gothic metal band from Finland, fronted by Amorphis frontman Tomi Joutsen. The Broad and Beaten Way is their second album, and it was the first time they had released any new music in over a decade. I hadn't expected much from this one, but I really liked it. It has to be one of the best gothic metal albums of the year so far. To me, Tomi Joutsen sounds sort of like a cross between the singer of Gloom and Marko Saaresto of Poets of the Fall (I haven't started listening to Amorphis yet, but I definitely will if this guy is their singer). 

Her Chariot Awaits by Her Chariot Awaits (May 22nd)

 Her Chariot Awaits are a new hard rock/heavy metal who came to my attention because their singer is Ailyn, a former female vocalist of Sirenia. To be honest with you, I'm not much a fan of the albums Sirenia made while Ailyn was with them (I like Perils of the Deep Blue, but I don't care much for the others), so I didn't think I was going to care much for this band, but they surprised me. Ailyn's voice actually fits this band's style a lot better than she did Sirenia's, and her voice is a lot more powerful than I realized. Basically, this album was really good and I will be listening to whatever they put out in the future. 

Valhalla by Wolftooth (May 22nd)

 Another great heavy metal album on the same day. Wolftooth are a great band from the USA, and Valhalla is their second studio album. This is a band with a more classic heavy metal style, and if that's the kind of band you would be interested in, I would recommend Valhalla and the previous debut album. 

Rise Radiant by Caligula's Horse (May 22nd)

 Caligula's Horse are a progressive metal band from Australia, and Rise Radiant is their fifth album. I've heard songs from previous albums as well, and going by what I've heard so far I think Rise Radiant is probably of their best, if not the best. I don't listen to much progressive metal, and I'm not all that sure how to describe the album other than the music being really enjoyable, and their singer Jim Grey has a really enjoyable voice. 

Lunaris by Moonlight Haze (June 12th)

 This is one I was pretty excited about since their debut album De Rerum Natura was one of my top albums of 2019. I think the band gave us another great symphonic power metal album in Lunaris that's just as good as the first (haven't decided yet which one I like better), with my favorite tracks being "Of Birth and Death" and "Till the End".

Franckensteina Strataemontamus by Carach Angren (June 26th)

 Carach Angren are a Dutch symphonic black metal band, and I happened to discover them by being subscribed to their record label's YouTube channel. I got hooked on "Monster" when it was released a few months before the rest of the album, and that made me decide to definitely listen to the whole thing when it came out. Carach Angren write concept albums, and Franckensteina Strataemontamus was inspired by the life of Johan Dippel. "Monster" is still my favorite track, but the whole album is pretty great, and it's currently my second favorite album by them. 

 I am very aware that is already July, but for me no new albums have come out just yet. So far, these are the releases for the second half of the year I know are definitely coming out this year that I plan to listen to: 

Grim by Dark Sarah (July 17th) 

The Outer Limits by Selenseas (August 7th) 

Manifest by Amaranthe (October 2nd) 

Under a Godless Veil by Draconian (October 30th) 

Hope Springs Eternal by Snow White Blood (November 13th)

TBA by Imperia (sometime this fall)

TBA by Walk in Darkness (TBD)