Grave Digger - The Clans Will Rise Again

Grave Digger

The Clans Will Rise Again

2010

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An introduction for Grave Digger is probably not necessary, being one of the most well-received, respected and enduring German heavy metal bands ever; right up there with Accept and Running Wild, Grave Digger is a band the fans can count on and, likewise, a band that can count on their fans. I am not sure whether I have reached fan-boy status with Grave Digger, however, I've yet to feel they've to release a sub-par album and, though their last few offerings are as close to that tag the band has come to yet, their 2010 release - The Clans Will Rise Again - has reinvigorating my excitement and faith, being their strongest record since 2003's mighty Rheingold.

Grave Digger's music is rather immediate and concise thus, to follow in their footsteps, I plan to write my review here in similar fashion. The opening trilogy of songs (Days Of Revenge/Paid In Blood, Hammer Of The Scots and Highland Farewell) start the album off beautifully, being all exceptionally powerful, catchy and undeniably Grave Digger; there's something about them (as well as this whole album, really) - the riffs, the solos, the execution, Chris' vocals - that possesses a kind of renewed energy I have, again, not really heard on a Grave Digger record since Rheingold. I imagine that the addition of Domain guitarist Axel Ritt has helped matters, perhaps enticing a new chemistry we can hopefully hear more of in the coming years.

Rebels is a strong tune with a driving rhythm and awesome chorus whilst The Piper McLeod/Coming Home is a truly winning duo; The Piper McLeoud is a nice bagpipe piece that leads into Coming Home, which is probably my favorite song on The Clans Will Rise Again, being anthemic, strong, uplifting and epic; "... cause I'm the piper and I'm coming home!" Aye, it's awesome. ;) Watch Me Die, the digipak bonus song, is quite good too, being perhaps slightly different atmospherically than most of the album, however, despite this, it's definitely album material, not just some b-side cast-off.

The production deserves a quick mention, also, done by none other than Grave Digger's own Chris Boltendahl; it's crunchy, thick, clear and well-balanced/mixed, so that all of the instruments can be heard with clarity, none casting shadows over the other.

All-in-all, this is Grave Digger in all their glory and strength, once again ensuring us that they're a heavy metal force to be reckoned with; sure, their 2010 offering may not be quite up there with the likes of The Grave Digger (my personal favorite) or Excalibur, but that doesn't mean that it's mediocre, either. I've a feeling the band is fully out of their short-lived drought (not that it was even that bad) and thus I am, already, excited for what they've to offer us next; until then, however, The Clans Will Rise Again shall undoubtedly satisfy! Prepare to be crushed by the hammer of the Scots, brothers and sisters! ;)

7.75 // 10

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The Truth Is Out There ...

... and/or is the truth here? Read this book; seriously, read it.
If you do, get back to me and let's talk about it.
:)

Wow, Last Tribe!

All right, so it's pretty rare that every single song from a band makes me raise my eyebrow and look it up, but that's been case lately with Sweden's Last Tribe. This band is dead, and actually only lived for three or four years, releasing 3 full-length albums before they broke up. Its former members are now scattered across the European metal scene (Primal Fear and Meshuggah, to name a couple).

But what music they made! Progressively-tinged power metal that is devastatingly catchy. I'm rather surprised that I haven't heard this band mentioned more often in circles of the power metal elite. It's about time for me to thoroughly examine all three of Last Tribe's offerings, and start looking for elusive hard-copies of their music. For the time being, here's a taste of their work, hope you dig it as much as I do!

EDIT: "The Uncrowned" kept me up half the night last night. This is damn good.

These aren't the songs I really wanted to share, but there's not that much of this band up on YouTube. These songs are still very enjoyable.

"The Uncrowned"

"Dreamer"

Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra

Dimmu Borgir
Abrahadabra
2010

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I suppose I should start by saying that I am going to try hard to make this review specifically about Dimmu Borgir's latest monster rather than a critique on the behavioral tendencies of metal listeners and all that comes with the intense, often groundless prejudices developed within the underground movement; yes, I am irritated by all of the crap the band has already taken for what is clearly their most, personal tastes aside, ambitious, sprawling and grandiose recording ever. Dimmu Borgir are, at long last, back (and truly with a vengeance, I might add)!

I already feel so attached and enthralled by this particular album that I am not quite sure how to structure this review, though I am just going to follow my impulses and see where it leads me. I guess, for starters, we should look at the album as a whole, and what that entails in generalized terms; Abrahadabra, as hinted-at in the aforementioned paragraph, is strikingly dense, with the compositional complexity reaching heights the band has only flirted with in the past. The songs are structured quite progressively, never really following any kind of verse/chorus pattern, venturing into all sorts of little nuances that truly stand as a testament to the band's growth and strength as a relatively small unit (Silenoz, Shagrath and Galder). The composition of a song is often like an architect's blueprint whilst the arrangements therein serve as the construction and completion of the monument, being a significant injection of life into an already worthy piece; needless to say, especially if you've already heard the album, the arrangements on Abrahadabra are huge. The orchestral element of the band's music has never been explored more thoroughly and exceptionally than it has been here, possessing a quality and fire rarely heard in most artist's experiments with genuine orchestration; it's everywhere yet it does not overwhelm, accenting the blueprint in each and every song.

Yes, the songs; I've said it before and I'll say it again, song-by-song reviews are bad news and typically are the result of a lack of creativity so, as much as it pains me to not mention particular songs here, I am going to do my best to keep those ramblings at bay. Xibir opens the album on a particularly epic note, ascending from the moment it begins, eventually giving way to the mighty Born Treacherous; the guitar-tone is gigantic and sharp, Shagrath's vocals being the strongest they've been since Enthrone Darkness Triumphant in terms of harshness and delivery and, as detailed earlier, the orchestrations are just exhilarating, rolling over the listener like waves upon stones. Oh, and the song is magnificently catchy, and I reckon you'll be singing "Born treacherous!" along before the song's duration is even through! ;)

Typically a song named after the band itself is something you would generally see on a debut album, however, Dimmu Borgir decided the time was now for such an endeavor and the result is quite spectacular, displaying a melodic side of the band we really haven't seen thusfar in their career. Dimmu Borgir (the song, of course) is incredibly anthemic - almost uplifting - and is rather vigorous in its statement and delivery; indeed, it reeks of their strength and commitment to their art and I love it.

Ritualist and The Demiurge Molecule cannot go without mention, being the album's darkest and, if you will, most black metal moments; Ritualist hearkens back to even their Stormblåst days in terms of its melodic sensibility, arrangement and overall atmosphere, which is swirling, wintry and, unquestionably, extremely special. The Demiurge Molecule moves along at an almost doomy pace, really showcasing the album's occult theme atmospherically with its impenetrably dark vibe and density; the orchestrations on this track are truly stunning, also, and are given more room to breathe more than on the other tracks due to the song's more minimal nature.

Endings And Continuations concludes the album almost symbolically (the namesake of the song making this even obvious), and not without a bang; from the choral "Abrahadabra!" chants (which are almost ritual-like and most effective) to the absolutely colossal arrangements, this song somehow summarizes the album's purpose, feel and statement in such a way that, even if you had no tracklist on hand, you'd realize you were at the album's end. Brilliant!

The packaging for the album is beautiful and, at least for the first pressing of the US edition, comes in a fold-out digipak with no less than a 30+ page booklet, full of wintry imagery and theatrical portraits of the masters themselves. All of the lyrics are included and I do recommend one takes the time to explore their depths, regardless of his or her own personal spiritual creed, as they apply just as much to what is beyond the individual as they do to the individual him/herself; aye, the quality of the lyrics mirror of the quality of the music.

I personally have not been so moved nor exhilarated by an album since Sonata Arctica's The Days Of Grays (which was released last year) and am quite grateful for Dimmu Borgir's unfettered dedication to their craft and purpose. Abrahadabra transcends being merely an album but is, additionally, a glistening testament to the strength of unity, perseverance and growth, almost prophetic in its vision and perfect in its execution; yes, this is, without question, my album of the year. Thank you Dimmu Borgir, the true kings of Norwegian metal.

10 // 10

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The Protagonist's Album of the Week 10/10-10/17

Gaia Epicus

Satrap

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Yes, taking the award for my album of the week for our first week of the blog is one of Norway's (admittedly few) premier power metal acts, Gaia Epicus. "Satrap" is the band's speedy debut from 2003 that boasts a mixture of metal influences, but comes out thoroughly Euro-power. Competent and progressively tinged in places, this album has caught my ear and been monopolizing my iPod's play time this week!

Recommended listening:

"Keepers of Time"

"Heaven's Gate"



New Falconer album announced!

 Here's a post from Blabbermouth announcing the upcoming Falconer album "Armod". I'm very excited for this album as I'm a fervent follower of Falconer's work. This album seems like it will have a very interesting folky flavor, and indeed be more of a folky offering in general.

I'm also pleased to see that it will be sung almost entirely in Swedish. I really dig it when Scandinavian bands sing in their native languages, it just feels more natural (see Hevisaurus' entire catalog, Excalion's "Yövartio", and many more). I guess we'll have to see how this slower, more acoustic offering from Falconer turns out. It reminds me in spirit of Elvenking's recent "Two Tragedy Poets..." album, which was good, but unspectacular. Anything Matthias Blad sings will be glorious though, he completely saved "Scepter of Deception" for me from the awful vocals of Kristoffer Göbel.

I then, am looking forward to it. I'm sure it will be an excellent musical offering, and those open-minded enough to accept the turn away from the band's traditional power metal offerings will hopefully be completely satisfied.

Oh hi there Skywings, didn't see you there!

No, I am indeed lacking in knowledge when it comes to J-rock. Indeed, Japanese music has been a blind spot on my radar in general. However, given my maddening addiction to power metal, and the quality of a couple of Galneryus releases that I've heard, I decided to check out Japan's power metal offerings a little further.

I have thus far been blown away by what I've found! I'd like to share one of my first discoveries: a band called Skywings, and a couple of tracks off of their sole studio album "Advent Melody". I'm going to review this album sometime soon, but let me give you an idea of just what you're in for, this is quality melodic power metal!