The Crown - Doomsday King (2010)

A decade after The Crown made their 'definitive' statement of fuel injected death/thrash, Deathrace King, they have yet again surfaced their royalty in Doomsday King, which feels as if the years have passed almost without skipping a beat. Of course, those beats did actually pump at the heart of the band, and they cycled through a number of vocalists like Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates) and their original frontman Johan Lindstrand (now with One Man Army and the Undead Quartet), producing decent efforts like Possessed 13 and Crowned in Terror, but despite the presence of yet another vocalist here in Jonas Stålhammar (God Macabre, Utumno), the material feels thematically close to their turn of the century blitz.

The rest of the lineup here is retained from the band's heyday, after transforming from the more melodic/black metal oriented Crown of Thorns. Janne Saarenpää still hits like a motherfucker, Marcus Sunesson and Marko Tervonen focus the impact of their riffing like artillery fire, bassist Magus Olsfelt plodding along, loading up more shells into the gunnery. A lineup this tight and well acquainted have no other option than to execute a solid beating upon the listener, and to that extent, Doomsday King delivers adequate bruises. Doomed tolling and doomier guitars herald the title track, as thick chords broil towards the thrash and thrust of the inevitable blade storm the band are packing in their imaginations. Stålhammar proves very quickly that he is the right person for this job, with a death metal bark closer to Lindstrand than Lindberg, and then we are off to the races with the Slayer influenced (in both title and riffing) "Angel of Death 1839", a volley of brutality that should get get the windmills swinging in the pit.

The rest of the album shifts between two poles. The stupendous, manic thrashing of "Age of Iron", "Soul Slasher" and "Desolation Domain" are all yet again heavily influenced by Slayer, only with this band's thick death metal drive and a dash of the Swedish death of At the Gates, Entombed and so forth. Then you've got your longer, more fleshed out tracks like "From the Ashes I Shall Return" and "He Who Rises in Might, From Darkness to Light", both of which have a number of superb riffs, and atmosphere to boot. "He Who Rises in Might..." comes the closest to sheer death metal brutality, and the drumming here should be pointed out as particularly superb, especially the bridge madness. I feel like my sole favorite on the album would be "Through Eyes of Oblivion", a faster piece with some exceptional riffs that really got the blood flowing through me at an excited pace.

There are not a great number of riffs on Doomsday King which stand out to memory, even after successive spins, but as a whole the record more or less delivers everything this band stands for. As a functional ass kicking, it's easily the measure of their previous two full-lengths and deserves to be placed alongside Hell is Here and Deathrace King as an example of the band's better work. The production is sheer hostility, perfectly married to the warlike riffing as tiny threads of angry melody erupt at the edge of perception. The album is superior to the latest from fellow Swedes Witchery, and it offers no apology in handing you your ass, but the musicality is more violent than durable.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/thecrownonlineswe

The Batallion - Head Up High (2010)

The Batallion is yet another of those projects born of a cross section of Scandinavian metal musicians who collectively have a wealth of experience in the field. Tormod Haraldson has played with Helheim, Taake, Dead to This World and Amok; Ole Walaunet with Grimfirst; Kai K Lie with Borknagar; and Tore Bratseth with Old Funeral. Of course, here in The Batallion, they've adopted pseudonyms that better suit the 'fun' and mock danger of the nasty, black thrashing persona, so here you know them as Stud Bronson, Lust Kilman, Colt Kane and Morden, all strangely fitting for this band and in particular this record, which brilliantly compiles a sound from classic black and thrash metal and executes it with an almost Wild West abandon.

Think of the more modern death/thrash or black/thrash sounds adopted by Swedish bands Witchery, Maze of Torment, Bewitched, The Crown and their ilk, and then season them with the more rustic Norwegian tones of Aura Noir or the latest records from Darkthrone. Liberally add a positive sense for lead dynamics that incorporate classic heavy metal influence, and you've got a stunner of an album that is both fist raging and intensely fun. In fact, the deeper into Head Up High you dare to tread, the more rewarding the experience becomes. Not that the initial tracks like "Mind My Step" and "Head Up High" are necessarily bad, for even these are among the best black/thrash I've heard this year, putting the latest Witchery album to shame. But let's just say The Batallion have not front loaded the big guns on their warship this time around!

Once the turrets of "Within the Fame of the Graveyard" explode their shells across your face, the album becomes enormously entertaining, with riffs like a more polished Aura Noir, harsh barking vocals and boundless momentum, not to mention the highly impressive lead sequence around 2:30 in the track. "Thick Skinned and Weatherbitten" continues this trend, excellent but simple old school thrash metal guitars breeding forceful unrest, hammering through each riff pattern like a crew of undead Civil War soldiers intent on finishing what they started. "20 Paces to Death" is another stomper with impressive leads and flawless riff cycles, and the final trio of the album: the Hellhammer meets dirty speed of "Where There is Smoke There is Fire", the steady bombast and bizarre vocals of "The Roaring Grandfather", and the ripping punk/speed of "Bring Out Your Dead" should secure the impression that you've just been fist fucked mighty hard by the spiked gauntlet of old school perdition.

There are flaws here, minor nicks in the bullet belt strewn leather armor of The Batallion that hold it back from complete praise. Stud's vocals are excellent, but they do become monotonous in a few of the verses. The style of the band is obviously not even hinging on unique, but for what it's worth, they mix up the various influences nicely. A few of the songs near the beginning of the album are not as memorable as those deeper in. All of this considered though, Head Up High is still an album well worth owning, a lovable visitation to the realms of the dead if not forgotten tones of the band's influences, thrilling through a large number of spins. It's easily better than the band's debut Stronghold of Men from 2008, so if you fancy a blast from the past in the face of the present, have at it.

Verdict: Epic Win [8.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/thebatallion666

Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini (2010)

While many did not take to the Norse legends' previous effort Vertebrae, I found it a flawless presentation, a proof of concept to where the band had been steering for a great many years as they grafted a myriad of progressive rock influences into their core Viking black metal aesthetics, exploring their culture and roots in ways few if any bands had dared to tread. I still listen to that album on a regular basis, along with many in the band's history, yet they've already delivered a follow-up here that will also serve me for many years to come, a step backwards and forward simultaneously. Yes, Axioma Ethica Odini has a clear possibility to reinstate those that were dispossessed with the prior record (their loss!), as well as continue to breathe new life into the band's evolving mythology, as a wealth of new fans are bound to pour through the floodgates.

This is a heavier record than Vertebrae, and as I have said, somewhat a step back to other records like Ruun or Isa, in that the band better envelop the progressive rock influences of a Pink Floyd, etc. with more aggressive guitars. However, at the same time, this has the best clean vocals of any Enslaved effort to date, and the consistent lineup here (now four albums deep) ensures that this is perhaps the most coherent writing and execution of their career. Many have complained before that the harsh and clean vocals of the band created a bizarre dichotomy that did not sit well in their ears, and while I've never had this problem myself, I feel like the naysayers should be pleased here, since they are fused together wonderfully. The guitar tones here are brilliant, thick and punctual while incessantly manifesting mood through the well placed chord changes, and Grutle's bass and Bekkevold's drumming are likewise impressive, tethers to the world of iron and bloodshed that the band's dream-like vistas threaten to escape.

You're still running the gamut of the band's sonic exploration here, with numbing, Roger Waters style vocals and an almost jazzy undercurrent to some of the guitars, but Axioma Ethica Odini offers to steer this into newer, bolder territories. "Night Sight" offers mellowing folk extractions that loosely congregate to the foothills of a gathered storm, erupting into a brilliant sequence of jarring rock guitars and then the escalation of granite through earth, as if a mountain to were rise straight from the crust, rather than wait out the millenia for the natural process of erosion. "Lightening" circles about one of the most eerie and fluid guitar riffs the band has written before it slams you straight in the chest with sheer melodic force. "Giants" emphasizes strong Sabbath influence, organs grazing in the distance before the elevating, trippy verse that yet again births a thundering depth and force, as if the leviathans of the title slowly strode across a primordial landscape. "Axioma" itself is a brief yet scintillating, proggish ambient piece, quirky little guitars and echoing narrative placed against the searing, lush synthesizer.

Of course, this wouldn't be an Enslaved record without a few more glorious, direct undertakings, and these populate the rest of the album. "Ethica Odini" transforms from creepy, creaking intro to a surge of driving if predictable chords that foster a highland majesty in between the wild and mighty guitar fills inextricably linked to the soaring cleans. "Raidho" seems a little less stunning at first, but once it builds to the clean/snarl trade-off at its core, you can feel all the pieces to its puzzle locking in step and rapture welling inside the chest. "Waruun" steps carefully, as if through a landscape of sharp rock, creepy chords ringing off against the rhythmic undertow, a minimalist intent betrayed by the sheer sense of adventure this band provokes, while "The Beacon" plays it fairly straight with savage, driving force and another dreamy bridge sequence. "Singular" builds calm but cresting onslaughts of guitar, clean vocals coming at the peaks of waves and the listener can feel the temperature shifting with each rhythm, easily the most interesting guitars on the entire album.

Considering the stunning level of grace and power the band balance here for nearly an hour of playtime, I have had no choice but to become increasingly absorbed into the longing flood of emotion here that achieves almost mythical proportions. My first few runs through its content were met with mixed levels of adoration. I felt it was a far less dry sound than on Vertebrae (which never dulled my appreciation), but wasn't sure if it took me to quite that same level of investment. Having now listened through over a dozen times, finding new steel glinting upon the curves of each consecutive dive, I can once again see that the band have managed to carry the essence of their entire discography forward into a new clime, not shedding their former skins but devouring them, like fine chefs so confident with their previous culinary masterpieces that they have no choice but to once again define themselves, best themselves and blow the tastebuds of every attentive glutton that walks through their kitchen doors. Axioma Ethica Odini deserves top honors. The fact that it is not the first Enslaved album to achieve this is testament to the band's commitment to music above all else. To greatness.

Verdict: Epic Win [10/10]

http://www.myspace.com/enslaved

Algaion - Exthros (2010)

Algaion have now been around for quite some time, nearing 20 years, in which they've only produced three full-length efforts and a few EPs. In fact, since the sophomore offering General Enmity, it has now been 13 years. To be fair, the band have never really broken up in this time, they simply have other projects they've all worked with, and Algaion itself is a tasteful endeavor which will simply manifest when the core duo of Mårten Björkman and Mathias Kamijo feel like they've actually got something to write about. If more bands had this attitude, well perhaps we'd be less knee deep in shit, and only ankle deep, but I suppose concessions must be made for those wishing to use their music to put food on the table.

Nevertheless, each manifestation of this Swedish mainstay has arrived with a new evolution of sound, tracing its core back through their early 90s demos and debut album. Speaking of which, Oimai Algeiou is a favorite of mine among cult Swedish black metal releases, an incredibly vicious affair with disgusting levels of vitriolic vocals meshed with an amazing atmosphere. But there is no doubt that the band have held melody as an integral component of their compositions, and even in those savage, halcyon times, the band could conjure something beautiful. So, despite Exthros being less of a traditional black metal record and more of an interesting, melodic black/death curiosity, it is by no means a surprise that they are heavily focused on mesmerizing the listener through the guitar patterns, a feat which they more or less succeed in here.

I am most reminded of the more recent efforts from Rotting Christ, which use galloping or charging blast beats with choppy, hammering guitar patterns. It's a little ironic, since Exthros contains a cover of "Sign of Evil Existence", from back when Rotting Christ sounded quite different. This inherent influence is felt in "Theos Tou Aimatos" and "Nature Our Slave", both of which pound pretty hard, the melodic infusions like nails shoved uncomfortably into the ear drums of the surprised listener. Tunes like "We Are the Enemy" take this style even further, so directly and intent that you feel the drummer is about to fall off his kit, every string in the band about to snap as each rhythm persists in pounding your head. Robert Eng (Corporation 187, Satanic Slaughter, etc) is like a tightly wound cobra here, constantly striking a different target with each flick of the wrist and ankle.

Thankfully, the pace is changed often enough that the technique never becomes a complete headache: "The Last of Cursed Days" straddles a middle pace, Björkman's vocals conjuring up some of the band's early years, and "This is Our Temple" another graceful departure which should satisfy any fan of thriving, desperate melodic death/thrash (or black) metal. "House of War" has a similar sadness in the intro, with a fine swagger to its verse riffing. The Rotting Christ cover, "The Sign of Evil Existence" is taken from Thy Mighty Contract album (1993), and wedged together with another Greek classic cover, "The Era of Satan Rising" via Thou Art Lord. Both are tidily performed in just over three minutes, and they fit in rather well with the current style Algaion have extracted from their brains here.

Exthros has its qualities, and it's largely a pleasant listen if you don't mind the melodic nature being driven through your mind like a piton that the band is scaling up some windswept mountain wall. However, it hasn't had the same effect on me as the disturbing debut or its more melodic, glorious thrashing and rocking successor General Enmity. That said, it's still worth a listen, whether you appreciate Algaion of years past or you fancy Rotting Christ's recent catalog (Khronos, Genesis, Theogonia, etc.), and I'm glad they haven't forgotten about this band in the intervening years since they last spoke out.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://www.myspace.com/algaionofficial

Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra (2010)

Depending on which side of the spectrum one lies, Dimmu Borgir is either the most loved or most loathed of Norway's black metal exports, having ridden the road to popularity without any of the usual apologist backpedaling, firmly ignoring the necro diehards that think of them as the very symbol of what they never wanted to happen to the genre. Through it all, the band have consistently written albums that have by no means sucked as hard as they are given credit for, arguably peaking creatively with 1997's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant and making budgetary allowances with the formula since, since the band can now afford to work with actual choirs and orchestras rather than just a keyboard player.

On the other hand, they've not been quite as good as some make them out to be, either, at least not for a decade plus change. Oh, they'll occasionally have a song on their hands that is difficult to deny, like the catchy "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse" which has been used in numerous films, commercials and whatnot. I even found the previous album In Sorte Diaboli to have its moments, but despite the band's ability to create massive, sweeping orchestral black metal epics these past few forays, they never seem able to nail a true masterpiece. Their latest album, the tragically (to some) titled Abrahadabra, we have another case of a symphonic tour de force, that despite all its best intentions and the efforts of the remaining Dimmu core (Shagrath, Silenoz, and Galder), just doesn't really last well beyond the initial impressions made when anyone hears the simmering strings, serious business choral sections and creepy organs.

Since the band parted ways with bassist/clean vocalist ICS Vortex and synth player Mustis a year or so back, there were a few holes to fill here, and they did so using Snowy Shaw for both bass and vocals. Shaw's been quite the metal mercenary of late, working with the recent but sadly mediocre Therion outfit, and he's certainly an adequate replacement here. Drums are played by Darek 'Daray' Brzozowski (Vader, Vesania, etc), with the professional thunder expected of anyone to wield that seat in this band, and there are additional vocal guest spots here from Agnete Maria Forfang Kjølsrud and Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver). Andy Sneap is in the mixing both, and the band have chosen to use the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Schola Cantorum Choir to round out the proceedings.

I'll add that never before has a Dimmu Borgir record been such an ambitious undertaking. Most of the prior albums had their 'symphonic' element, but this is actually pretty evenly a symphonic black metal record, with the former just as pronounced as the latter. There is so much to take in at any given time that I often found myself listening back through specific segments of tracks to listen for particular melodies I thought I heard. The production is stunning, integrating the orchestra with the largely Spiritual Black Dimensions core of the songwriting. A few of the songs carve out an even further ambition, like Silenoz having his way with some shredding in "Renewal", or the bleak an intriguing dark ambient intro to "Ending and Continuations", with its creepy Shagrath narrative.

But the bulk of the record is sheer drum & orchestra driven fare, like a more distinctly aggressive, black metal alternative to Therion (circa 1996 and beyond), and this is where it both excels and begins to fall apart. Rousing monoliths like "A Jewel Traced Through Coal" and "Born Treacherous" center themselves around traditional Dimmu blasting rhythms and thick, charnel house chords, but the metal riffs themselves almost never seem to be nearly as interesting as what is going on around them, serving only as vehicles to the next sweeping vista of grandeur. This is not for lack of riffs, mind ye, for Silenoz is often churning out a dozen or so per individual song, and he's developed a proficient technical ability. But for some reason, you get the feeling that if you stripped out the orchestra and choir shouting 'Born treacherous!', it would be a middling affair at best, with fast and frenzied but ultimately forgettable guitar lines.

There are a number of 'treats' on the album, so to speak, tracks where the hard work here really comes together, like "The Demiurge Molecule", which has a fresher, more spontaneous feel as the guitars crash along to Shagrath's snarling, subtle currents of symphony choosing submission to the simplistic, slow escalation of diabolic majesty. The pure orchestral pieces like "Xibir" and the bonus track version of "Gateways" show a clear influence from a Hans Zimmer or John Williams, and both make suitable soundtracks to whatever grandiose fantasy you're about to indulge in. Huge choir-driven tracks like "Dimmu Borgir" and "Chess With the Abyss" have their moments of bristling cheese, but despite Silenoz' great playing in the latter, and the mountain high majesty of the former's bridge, they just didn't resonate with me for very long.

Like any release from this particular band, message boards will flare up, virtual battles being waged between the firmanent & purgatory of the bands' lyrical Acheron by anonymous twats and cable modem scholars the world round, Abrahadabra being either praised as the second coming of Death Cult Armageddon or blazed into the cinders of the same prepackaged hatred that always follows the big Norse acts like this around. In reality, it's an album the band have put a great deal of work into, which sadly is just not all that great. Individual components meet their polished prime, perhaps, and one cannot really fault a lack of musical skill or foresight in the structure of such an undertaking, but the moments that lapsed me into an inattentive coma sadly outweighed those of edge of my seat rapture.

If you truly appreciated the band's past catalog beginning with Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, and you've hung on to the edge of your own seat through offerings like Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, then you'll likely wrench an appreciation out of this roiling mass. If you hate the unconsecrated ground the band walks on, well then take a number, and if you're lucky you'll get to voice a complaint at the front desk before you're forced to shift over to the Cradle of Filth line. Personally, I'm not impressed other than the palpable amount of effort here, but neither will I greet its yawning, pseudo-Satanic eaves with an unending tirade of expletives.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

http://www.dimmu-borgir.com/

Mega Slaughter - Calls from the Beyond (1991)

Swedish death metal is a fascinating territory to explore, for not only do you have the multitudes of 21st century wannabes riding the train, many of whom are surprisingly adept at aping their idols with the same level of menace and atmosphere, but you've also got the wealth of bands that arrived in the original generation, but never got much attention. There was already an Entombed, a Dismember, a Grave, an Unleashed...so who in their right mind would have needed a Mega Slaughter to boot? Well, as it turns out, there are those of us out there who constantly seek more of what the Swedish bands were giving us, a darker and meatier alternative to much of the early Florida scene that was rapidly giving way to the faceless, brutal tech gore porn hordes of the mid 90s.

From what I've already tossed out there, you can gather what this band Mega Slaughter sounds like. They use the thick, bludgeoning Swedish tones of Carnage, Dismember, and Entombed, not only in the actual distortion but the weight given to the huge chords. After a demo, they were signed by the small time label Thrash Records who released some other, similar groups like Epitaph, and Calls from the Beyond shows this young group peaking often, a worthwhile investment of time and energy for the rabid fan of this particular strain. Perhaps the barking grunts of Jens Johansson don't offer the same personality as a Matti Kärki or L-G Petrov, and perhaps even by 1991 the riffing does not feel so original, drawing more heavily from the US forebears than many of the other obscure Swedish hopefuls like Gorement and not always ripping along like a Left Hand Path or Indecent & Obscene. But in the end, there is a stark and primordial feel to the band's riffs which, coupled with the atmosphere and leads, truly delivers.

"Shreds Left Behind" seems a prime example, a mid-paced shuffle of wretched, rotting flesh guitars that draw on old Death and Carcass to produce morbidity. "Into the Decay" channels the warlike, tank treads of Bolt Thrower into a grinding hostility. "False Paradise" which features a riff eerily similar to one found in Pestilence's godly "Echoes of Death", but also some great intro guitars and scathing before the thrashing finale. "Death Remains" leads off with bells and horror before a series of shambling thick chords and then the festering momentum of an early Entombed/Nihilist track, and "Calls from the Beyond" itself is grisly and warlike, down tuned guitars stomping over double bass before the grooves set in. I doubt any of the band's rhythms took more than a few moments to piece together, but despite their crude barbarity, I would find it hard to stand still in their presence.

Mega Slaughter were of course playing it 'safe', and despite its suitable aural oppression, there is nothing about Calls from the Beyond which eclipses its influences by any stretch. This was simply a band wishing to pool together its influences from both shores of the Atlantic into a palpable, crushing testament. I'm not sure how much appeal the record might have had outside of the European death metal fan, and since the album was barely promoted, it never ended up mattering. Another demo was produced, but the band would not survive much longer, another victim of disinterest and overcrowding. Today, those seeking out obscure Swedish death acts like some I've mentioned here (Gorement, Epitaph, Uncanny, Interment, Crematory to name a few) will find just as much to like about this as most of the 'retro' bands like Rogga's Paganizer or Ribspreader, so let the exhumation begin.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

Maceration - A Serenade of Agony (1992)

Maceration was the work of Jacob Hansen and Jakob Schultz, the two 'Jakes' of Danish death/thrash cultists Invocation, and a friend, guitarist Lars Bangholt. The sole official release from the project, A Serenade of Agony, was released in 1992 between the Excursion Demise and Weave the Apocalypse albums, and after a few listens, it becomes evident why the project was left on the shelf: it's passable but generic death metal that, for its day, was not offering a lot of new ideas to the genre, whereas the members' main band Invocation was an explosion, a storm of riffing and energy that blitzes past this record without ever turning back to offer condolences.

But despite its shortcomings, which are largely reserved to its songwriting alone, A Serenade of Agony is least a competent middle of the road death metal record which owes some of its charms to that 'other' member joining the Invocation blokes: the unstoppable Day Disryaah, who most know as Sweden's Dan Swanö. Aye, he of Edge of Sanity, Bloodbath and a hundred other bands, in addition to his well regarded production and mixing resume. He operated here under the same pseudonym he would use in some other, earlier projects like the bizarre Pan.Thy.Monium, and his role was that of vocalist and keyboards. The latter appear only briefly throughout the album, in particular the morbid piano intro to "Silent Lay the Gentle Lamb" which then leads into a riff reminiscent of the first few Death albums.

In fact, most of the material bears a similarity to the Florida gods, both Death and Obituary, as opposed to the Swedish flavors of the month. Sporadic bat flights of evil leads grace the very simplistic, bass-thick morass of old school death metal and Dan's full frontal guttural barking, and the tones are consistently pummeling and punishing through tracks like "The Mind Rampant", "The Forgotten" and "Transmogrified". The real issue here is that so few of the songs seem capable of anything more than this vocal atmosphere and passable riffing. There is never a welcome surprise awaiting around any corner, and though the 'menace' of the guitars is clear and present, it never feels so effective as something from Cause of Death or Leprosy. From a proficiency standpoint, the band is well behind Invocation, though that was likely the intent, to create a pure, old school strain of death metal before we had even deemed it 'old school'.

Sadly, for every brief flash of brilliant, wild soloing or insurmountable evil, there are a half dozen or more dull, numbing riffs that feel as if very little effort were placed in their conception, and Maceration ultimately fails to make much of an impression beyond those intrigued by the lineup. The songs had even less of an impact on me than the Edge of Sanity debut Nothing But Death Remains (decent, but not memorable), and when so much fascinating death metal was exploding from European territories, this was very likely to be abandoned by the attention spans of anyone who visited it, despite its few ghastly and morgue-infused moments of depth. I could see someone obsessed with Swanö's many brutal projects tracking this down just to hear his performance, which is adequate as usual, but anyone seeking a riff storm of diabolical potency had better turn elsewhere down the retro path.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

Mania - Changing Times (1989)

Changing Times was the first and last full-length effort released by the sadly obscure German act Mania, following up the Wizard of the Lost Kingdom EP from early 1988. It could easily be considered both a triumph and a tragedy, because while it improves upon the prior release in both the songwriting and production territories, it leaves the scar of potential upon the listener's ears, never to be stitched (unless you count Klauke's later, similar band Abraxas), only scratched until eternity has come to pass or some grandiose reboot of the material universe. 'Changing Times', indeed, for once the album had seen its limited release through Noise Records, tucked into the shallow end of a roster of overwhelmingly talented bands, three of the members would evacuate Mania, leaving behind just a few to struggle and ultimately fail to produce.

A few of the qualifying hurdles from the debut remain, manifest primarily through Klauke's vocals, which retain their nasal and often nauseating approach. However, when the man is on fire, he truly destroys any of his work on the previous EP, and you really get the sense that he's a knife waiting to be sharpened (which he is, to an extent, in Abraxas). The guitar tone, on the other hand, has readily improved since Wizard of the Lost Kingdom, with a less processed distinction that gives a warmer appeal to the songs. The segues between cleaner guitars and distorted guitars as in "No Way Back" seem to function well, and Didy Mackel remained one of the more interesting bass players in the prototype years of the modern power metal genre, hammering his strings with beautiful ballast, clearly born of progressive leanings.

The "Prelude" here is not so cheesy as "Muffty's Arrival" from the EP, instead offering a warm and welcome sequence of clean guitars joined in brooding synthesizers and a tranquil but cautionary lead before the listener is confronted with the brick house, dark power metal of "The Expulsion". Mackel's contorted bass lines give the track a similar feel to Watchtower, who would release their amazing Control and Resistance this same year (same label), though Mania is not nearly so complex or as adept at dragging you into the world of the lyrical theme. Still, the chorus is great here, and Klauke gives a quality performance throughout. "Turn Towards the Light" joins writhing, speed metal mutes to bigger emotional chords to create an effect not like the material on Scanner's sophomore Terminal Earth, but the vocals are inconsistent.

This is followed by Mania's first power ballad, "No Way Back", which is competent for this style of song, somewhere between Scorpions and Queensryche, with Klauke lending some of his lower range, frankly superior to most of his shrieking heights. "Be Strong" is an average speed metal number with some of those very shrieks. I like the darker feel to the chords and the sharper, piercing vocals, but the track is probably the weakest on the album and never really goes anywhere you'd like it to. "To the End of the World" opens with a Judas Priest bass pump, and you don't hear many power metal tracks about Arctic expeditions, so there is some novelty, while "The Vision" sees Klauke screaming at a Warrell Dane pitch, though he can't seem to sustain it for all that long. Ditto for the venomous "Violent Time", and I'd also point out the corny if well-meaning "We Don't Need War" as a strong point, though "Gambler" is average at best.

There is a far greater level of consistency to Changing Times that makes it the pick of the band's litter, though Mania produced so few offspring that this might not be so much of a compliment. If you can track down the CD version, you will conveniently also have access to the band's Wizard of the Lost Kingdom EP, all in one place. There are a number of small details I really love about this album, like the great cover art, a robotic fist drawing down the veil of history to reveal a glimmering future scape of steel monoliths. It lends the impression that this might be a science fiction speed metal epic like a Hypertrace. That's not exactly the case, sadly, but the lyrics do dabble in several adventurous subjects, despite their largely generic, cliche titles. In a year that produced great Noise titles like Terminal Earth, Fool's Game or Secrets in a Weird World, it is easy to see how many would pass Changing Times by. It's not nearly as catchy, well-written or distinct, and yet I've always valued it as the curious catalyst to a grand career that might have been.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

Mania - Wizard of the Lost Kingdom EP (1988)

Having been an extremely avid collector of the Noise Records roster in the 80s, I often found myself salivating over every release the label would muster, and thus every new band name to appear was a thrill to seek out. Mania was not one of their most successful outfits, but nonetheless when their name appeared on the Doomsday News II compilation in '89 alongside some of my favorite bands like Rage, Watchtower, Coroner, Mordred, Vendetta, and so forth, I was compelled to immediately track down their records, beginning with their EP from the prior year, Wizard of the Lost Kingdom (this had the song "Break Out" from the compilation).

While I wasn't as bowled over by this as most Noise releases of the period, I found a tasteful and competent effort of melodic speed/power metal with some similarities to label mates Scanner, but with an added level of intricacy to the guitars and less of that raw, shrieking power that dominated that band's debut Hypertrace. Another obvious comparison would be Helloween, also from the Noise roster, but there are some differences in the vocals and bombast of the riffing. Speaking of the vocals, they may prove the one barrier to entry for new fans exposed for the first time. Chris Klauke has a high, crystal range which is slightly marred by his accent and an oft overblown tendency to remain in the same, higher register when a more diverse span of octaves might have better suited a song. Once in awhile he'll spike up into a higher pitched scream, but for the most part he's wandering just below the shrieking of say, Peavy of Rage.

Wizard of he Lost Kingdom features five originals, book-ended by an intro an outro known as "Muffty's Arrival" and "Muffty's Departure". "Arrival" is driven by synth sort of like the intro to Helloween's "Halloween", bridging into a sequence of chords and pumping bass line that herald the fairly fast, melodic rush of the title track. While perhaps not so endearing as the work of the band's closest peers (all mentioned in the previous paragraph), the track soundly engages the listener from the verse to the chorus, in which Klauke climaxes with a shriek. The lead sequence cycles a little too briefly through a classical influence, and I don't love the vocal lines through the entirety of the track, but otherwise it's decent. "Night of the Blade", on the other hand, is superior, a slower paced, slamming power metal warning in which Klauke's soaring, biting vocals seem better suited.

After this, the EP continues to pick up, with the delightful power anthem "Gods of Fire", spears of ascending and descending neo-classical guitar lines drawing out a glorious mysticism, while "Under the Sign of the Cross" presents a volley of mid-paced, thrashing fare with some interesting time breaks and a bass that crashes right up against the processed guitar tones. "Break Out" follows, and it's arguably the best track here, with some fluid bass and an edgy, progressive tone to the opening chords before the almost creepy verse patterns erupt. Klauke's vocals are a little loose here, and might have used an additional layer of polish, but despite the strange nasality I find the chorus and riffs here most effective of anything on the release, in particular the bridge and leads.

Mania were not quite up to the level of their close neighbors here, but as a fresh burst of proto-modern power metal, it's a worthwhile curiosity to anyone not put off by heavily accented vocalists or the production of the day. The guitars do feel rather too processed through the album, and might have benefited from more of a raw power that Rage or Scanner was using, but at the same time they give the EP a pretty distinct feeling, and jive well with both Klauke and bass layer Didy Mackel. Wizard of the Lost Kingdom has its small, characteristic flaws, but since it was later released as ad addition to the following, better Changing Times album, then it is worth checking out if you're fascinated by melodic German speed metal with imagination, like Scanner or Reactor.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

Montany - New Born Day (2002)

The uproar of melodic European power metal in the late 90s and on into the 21st century was riding on the back of the genre's most popular acts at that time, namely HammerFall, Helloween, Blind Guardian, Primal Fear, Running Wild, Gamma Ray, and Rhapsody, and sadly most of the passengers were naught more than disposable garbage, including the wealth of the bands out of Italy and a load of the German hangers on. Into this mix we cast the band Montany, who despite a very long history (begun in the late 80s) were unable to produce anything of merit until the turn of the 21st century, when their demo Evermore arrived. There were not a lot of Dutch bands astride this wave, so the band's nationality alone was a point of minor interest.

Their skills were tight enough to land them a deal with Limb Music, one of the forerunners in melodic power/progressive metal the world wide, and with New Born Day we got a reasonable effort that was simply not standout enough to stir up the checkbooks and ATM cards of those well into debt with the band's more famous contemporaries. That's not to say there is not a considerable amount of effort here, but I feel it falls squarely on the shoulders of the guitars. The vocalist has a silky and somewhat seductive tone, but not so smooth as say, Andi Deris of Helloween. When the higher ranges are explored, the vocals seem to drift off, losing power at a rapid rate, so he's forced to spit some acid into his mid range, and this is where he seems to fit perfectly. As I mentioned, though, it is the guitars that truly explode off this record, with thick and constant rhythms chugging along below the synthesizer tones, often cut apart by wells of rich melodic rain that mesh in well with the refreshing atmosphere.

The material is highly accessible, like a HammerFall with a touch of 80s hard rock radio nostalgia provoked through the far out of date synthesizer pads, but really the influence is taken from the same source as any other power metal band of this period. Standout tracks include "New Born Day" for the incorruptible, enthusiastic energy of its chorus; "Here in the Light" for the catchy 'whoah oh' backing vocals in its own chorus; "Pyramid of Cheops", which made it here from the demo, a more moody, elegant and progressive piece with a good balance of dense, heavy guitars and mid-paced momentum; and a few more tracks like "Sentenced" and "Deep Water Rising", which remind one of Gamma Ray's output from a few years prior. Despite their similarities to a wide range of peers, though, Montany deserve a little credit for never sounding too much like any one in particular, though individual tracks differ in their level of tribute. "Back from the Sky" sounds very similar to Helloween, Freedom Call, etc, while the riffing on "Higher and Higher" would fit in directly with a Glory to the Brave.

If the pumping heart of the sub-genre suits you, and you don't find yourself pining for anything more than a stock, melodic chorus and some uplifting guitars, New Born Day is probably enough to satisfy your cravings. It sounds professional, the songs almost all tend towards well written, or at least well enough written to survive a brush with mediocrity, and the band is well practiced, though the guitars tend to spasm over everything, occasionally leaving the rhythm section and even the keyboards in their dust. Several things could be better: the vocals, the character of the riffs being the foremost. It's good enough, and a strong enough foundation to build upon, but unfortunately the band split after this release, the flying sarcophagus coming to a halt in some distant galaxy, perhaps never to return...unless their recent reformation and gigging decides otherwise.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/montanyband