Taking a break for a moment to yak, as I like to do every so often. It's the time of year we're all so wrapped up in shopping, school finals, holiday events, etc., and I'm no exception. Something that is exceptional is the difficulty I've been having getting back into Trans-Siberian Orchestra, normally my favorite Christmas music and experience. Perhaps it'll happen soon, who knows, but I had some trouble getting into Night Castle.
My busy schedule doesn't allow me to review and comment on so many new releases that are constantly arriving on my electronic doorstep, so I want to point a few out quick. The Instanzia album that I got swept up in was a brief obsession, and that came through. Most albums are not so lucky. Here's a list of others that I've been enjoying thoroughly lately, but may not necessarily be so lucky as to be chosen for review in the near future:
Delirion- Lotus (Really excellent symphonic power metal, so catchy!)
Silverlane- Above the Others (Just discovered this today, and it's pretty catchy and entertaining so far, though I've yet to hear the entire album)
Signum Regis- The Eyes of Power (respectable neo-classical power/prog)
Since the Blind Guardian Concert, I've also been on a bit of a BG kick, and have listened to about half of their discography in its entirety in the past week or so, including A Twist in the Myth, Imaginations from the Other Side, Nightfall in Middle-Earth, At the Edge of Time, and Battalions of Fear. There's been a discussion running around the forums at the Metal Crypt that started when someone asked for a rec on which Guardian album to check out next. Pretty soon of course, every album in their catalog was recommended twice. Is there any other band that has so many great albums and such a division amongst fans as to which is the greatest? None comes to mind.
I realize that I've really been on a melodic power metal kick lately (heck, when am I not?), but my everyday listening has been including a bit more folk/viking metal and melo-death lately. I should try to get around to a newer release in a different genre soon, just to spice things up a bit.
There's a Christmas concert this Friday evening that I'll be attending, and so another concert review will be forthcoming soon. There are seven local bands playing, and so it promises to be a fair amount of work. I'm also collaborating with a couple of the fine fellows from Dawn of Valor to work on a website to enchance the web presence of the local scene. Twin Cities metalheads rejoice!
Also hoping that Oakenson will return at some point soon. Our modest little blog continues to grow in terms of readers and popularity, but it's not the same without him around. In the meantime, thanks for the emails and occasional comments. Contact is encouraged, and feedback is humbly requested. A good evening to all of you, stay warm and merry this cold winter's eve.
-The Protagonist
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