Genre: Progressive Metal, Metal Opera

First off, this is a concept album, and a terrific one at that. It very easily fits the category of ‘metal opera’, though the individual tracks on the album don’t easily fit into any one genre; some tracks blend together genres such as progressive metal, folk metal and experimental rock - and it works perfectly! 

For the storyline in Into The Electric Castle, 8 humans are transported from various timelines in Earth’s past and future (Egyptian era, Roman era, 2100 AD, etc) and brought together by a strange entity known as ‘Forever of the Stars’. The characters must reach the Electric Castle, and explore it in hopes of leaving it to return to their respective times.

Every character is voiced by a different guest musician, who protrays the character in whatever songs they may be featured in. There are also numerous instruments used in the album, ranging from electric guitar and drums, to less ‘metal’ instruments like the flute, organ, mandolin and sitar.

Ayreon has done a fantastic job with the album, keeping a perfect balance between storytelling and instrumentals.

I think it’s also important to note that at least half of these tracks don’t have a ‘chorus’ so to speak (think Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen), so the songs aren’t limited by any song structure, which allows the album to flow and tell it’s story much easier.

Here’s how it all breaks down:

Disc 1:

1. Welcome To The New Dimension - Great way to start off the album in my opinion; it’s just the narrator “Forever of the Stars” talking overtop of lots of synthesizers, but it really helps set the tone for the album.
   
   
2. Isis and Osiris [2] - Wow. This track blew me away when I first heard it and still does today. The vocals are terrific, and the instrumental sections have it all, from acoustic guitars to layered synths to even an organ solo! If you’re going to listen to just one song on this album, this should be it.
   
   
3. Amazing Flight - Another perfect song on the album. This song is similar to Isis and Osiris in that it’s 10+ minutes long, has great vocals, and there’s plenty of solos throughout. A 2 minute instrumental starting at 6:35 is simply jaw-dropping, but listening to the whole song makes it even better when it comes up.
   
   
4. Time Beyond Time - A slower, more casual song that features acoustic guitar and flute prominantly. Took a while for me to warm up to the song, but I adore it now. Of course, there’s still a nice electric guitar solo accompianied by synthesizers.
   
   
5. The Decision Tree - Great song. Love the opening part, with synthesizers blended together with acoustic guitar to make a very unique sound. The synthesizer solos in the later part of the song kick ass, as do the lyrics throughout the piece where several of the characters are arguing with each other (about who should have to die; only 7 may continue)
   
   
6. Tunnel Of Light - A much more upbeat song that the previous tracks. Having heard this song enough times, it’s grown on me enough that I enjoy it now, but it’s certainly different than the previous songs on the album so far. The vocals are especially well done, with plenty of harmony that make this piece of treat to the ears.
   
   
7. Across The Rainbow Bridge - Another great song in my opinion; great enough to compete with Isis and Osiris and Amazing Flight. Starts off at a mild tempo, with acoustic guitar and synths leading you into the song. About halfway through, the song picks up with loud drums, organs, synths and electric guitar taking over throughout the rest of the piece.

Disc 2:

1. The Garden Of Emotions - An excellent way to start off the second disk, and one of the strongest tracks on it. I love the organ/synth in this piece especially, but really the whole track is very good; it’s structure is akin to Isis and Osiris and Amazing Flight, where there’s not really a chorus but a slew of different genres played one after another.
   
   
2. Valley Of The Queens - A very short and slow song; personally I think it’s the weakest track on the album, but you can decide that for yourselves.
   
   
3. The Castle Hall - Really good track, both to listen to and rock out to I suppose. Again, great solos in the later parts of the piece, and excellent vocals throughout. The catchy main riff is also a plus here.
   
   
4. Tower Of Hope - It took me many listens to fully appreciate this song; it’s much more upbeat than many of the other track, but the vocals are simply fantastic, and he instrumentals are equally so.
   
   
5. Cosmic Fusion - Not a fan of this song personally. The singing at the beginning turns me off really; the singer is no doubt talented, but in this particular piece it doesn’t sound good to my ears. I don’t particularly care for the death-growls midway through the piece either, but if you continue on with the song, you are well rewarded with a pickup in tempo and nice synth/guitar solos, as well as a very pleasant acoustic/electric guitar riff.
   
   
6. The Mirror Maze - Another laid back song, similar to Time after Time, however this song I don’t particularly care for. The vocals at 2:50 are beautiful though, and everything after has plenty of diversity to it. Only the beginning few minutes of the song I really like.
   
   
7. Evil Devolution - I absolutely love the main chorus/riff of this track, as well as the overall ‘futuristic’ sound of everything thanks to the many different synth tracks. 
   
   
8. The Two Gates - Not a favourite of mine really, but don’t let that deter you from giving it a listen; it’s still a really good track which has a sweet main chorus. It really deserves more plays than I give it…
   
   
9. “Forever” Of The Stars - Not a song per se; similar to Welcome To The New Dimension, where it’s simply narration. Pretty trippy to listen to nonetheless.
   
   
10. Another Time, Another Space - A nice conclusion to the album, though nothing particularly stands out. I do like the part from 4:20 to the end though; it basically replays the defining lines of each character/singer. Besides that though, it’s not a particularly special track. It’s there more or less to finish the story of the album, and not too much else.

Very well done album overall - many different instruments and vocalists are blended together in a plethora of genres, making this album a must-listen-to. I highly recommend it, not only for the individual tracks but for the album as a whole. It all flows together seamlessly (except maybe Valley Of The Queens), and the storyline that accompianies the tracks is entertaining as well.

Overall rating: 9.8/10.0

(Behind The Scenes Part 1a / Part 1b / Part 2)   <—— Pretty interesting stuff (and humourous too!), with Arjen talking about the work involved getting the album together, as well as each individual vocalist who contributed.

Love this song, even though it’s heavy on the growling - it’s just addicting to listen to. The guitars are just so damn heavy, and the beginning riff is just so killer that I can’t help but love this song. Plus the chorus has clean vocals, which noticeable contrasts with the rest of the song (in a good way though). Give the whole goddamn thing a listen before you judge.

Genre: Progressive Metal, Instrumental Rock

Let me just say off the start two things. First - these guys are fairly new; this is only their 2nd studio album. Second - these guys are great. Absolutely great, considering how young they are (last.fm reports their combined ages average out to only 22 years old - though it could just be that three of the guys are 29 and they just have a 2 year old playing too) *laughs*

Having not heard their first album ‘Monument’ (2007), I can’t compare them, but this album does a lot of things right. The band has no vocals (hence the Instrumental category above), and consists of a drummer, a bassist and two guitarists (7-string and 8-string guitars). There is a lot of technically challenging rhythms these guys play, but they pull it all off fantastically.

Track breakdown:

1. Bloom - At only 2:09 minutes in length, its the shortest track on the album, but also one of the best; in those two minutes it basically sums up exactly what the rest of the album will be; pure technical instrumentals with great tunes and rhythms.
   
   
2. Sargasso Sea - My least favorite track on the album, and ironically I think I don’t like it simply because the opening deviates from the feel of the rest of the album. Once the intro’s done though, the technical skills of the band kick back into progressive mode, but not on par to that of every other track.
   
   
3. The Great Plains - Due to my (relative) dislike of Sargasso Sea, I tend to skip right from Bloom to here, and the two tracks merge together perfectly; it’s doesn’t lose any momentum like it does in Sargasso Sea, and keeps the good times rolling.
   
   
4. Dunes - More technical playing, but not as interesting as songs like City In The Sky or Bloom. Still great stuff, just not terribly much variety.
   
   
5. Age Of The Tide - Very fast, splashy drum playing in this song, combined with the dual guitars playing off each other makes this track a great listen. There’s plenty of variety throughout this track compared to other songs on the album too, so I’d say it’s worth listening to.
   
   
6. Glacial Planet - The main riff in here is terrific, and the dual guitars make it a very easy way to spend 5 minutes. Recommended.
   
   
7. City In The Sky - WOOOO! Love the opening riff at the beginning, and the song just continues it’s route of fantastic-ness with plenty of quick, pleasing notes in a very ‘progressive’ style with changing time signatures. Definitely worth a listen.
   
   
8. Giants - Another great song, but of course there isn’t anything brand new being done here. The style and basic rhythm are still the same, but the riffs and guitar playing in general are simply enchanting to the ears.
   
   

While there isn’t much variety in this album in terms of style of playing, that’s not a bad thing at all. Every song is very easy on the ears and pleasant to listen to, which makes listening to this album front to back several times in a row easy to do without even realizing it. Each song (except 2 :P) keeps up the momentum of the album, to the point that it really just sounds like one really long song the band decided to split up into seperate tracks.

Every song on the album is uplifting, which makes it a great listen if you’re in the mood for metal but not something ’heavy’. I don’t know if there’s a term for it, but at it’s roots the band is doing a series of arpeggios from various chords, and my god is it ever beautiful.

With that all said, there isn’t any particular track that stands out above the rest, to the point that I can only pick out Bloom if I was actually asked by someone which songs were which. More variety, or at least more recognizable and stand-alone riffs, would be welcomed.

If I were to recommend specific tracks that summarize the album, I’d have to say tracks 1, 3, and 7. Tracks 5 and 8 are very well done too, so I say they should be your next choices if you’re going to continue listening to the album. 

Overall rating: 8.0 / 10.0

(Studio Footage - Making of Album) <— I threw this in; it’s interesting once you’ve already listened to the album

Genre: Power Metal

This is a concept album, and as with every Sabaton album, its source of inspiration is war. Each song on this album centers around a historical battle, with a few minor exceptions.

The majority of songs on the album are bridged together by a female voice, who usually quotes from Sun Tzu’s “The Art Of War”. It’s an interesting concept, but it tends to break up the momentum when one track ends and the next begins.

The vocalist, Joakim Brodén, may take some getting used to. His voice is a little grating/gravelly, but I’m at the point where I no longer realize it unless someone  points it out to me. I’m giving you a fair warning; it may take some getting used to, but it is power metal, so you shouldn’t be hoping for some kind of angelic voice to begin with.

Here’s the track breakdown:

1. Sun Tzu Says - This is just a very short intro to the album; with the female voice saying a quick quote from “The Art of War”.
   
   
2. Ghost Division - My favorite track on the album, besides Cliffs of Gallipoli, this song starts off strong, and never lets up. At a length of only 3:51, it’s shorter than I care for, but it fits plenty in, making you wish it was longer. Based on Germany’s 7th Panzer division in WWII.
   
   
3. The Art of War - This song is fairly well done too; not as strong as Ghost Division or 40-1, but its certainly better than most of the stuff on the second half of the album. Worth a listen.
   
   
4. 40-1 - Definitely worth a listen, and maybe even being added onto any regular metal playlist you use. Starts off driving, and keeps it that way until 3 minutes in, where it quiets down considerably for a moment, with vocals gradually adding over other vocals, building up the tension until it continues on with the original riff.
   
   
5. Unbreakable - The guitar riff in the piece is pretty catchy, but overall the song’s nothing overly spectacular. Still stronger than most of the stuff from track 8 and beyond.
   
   
6. The Nature of Warfare - An interlude, solely featuring that woman’s voice again. It’s at least got some tension-ish music in the background though, which leads into the next track, Cliffs of Gallipoli.
   
   
7. Cliffs of Gallipoli - YES!!! Terrific song. Love the guitar riffs, the piano, the drums; everything! Probably the strongest track on the album, and one of my favorites on it. Full of emotion, full of awesomeness, full of diversity in music style, this track has it all.
   
   
8. Talvisota - Oh god. Here marks the beginning of the more generic Power Metal tracks on the album. The lyrics are interesting, and the tempo driven well by the guitar and drums, but there’s nothing really setting this piece apart from most of the other tracks on the album.
   
   
9. Panzerkampf - Interesting, but not really entertaining. Not something I’d recommend, but you can make your own mind if you don’t want to believe me. There’s not much to really talk about with regards to the song; got some some guitar-driven choruses and some loud drum. Classic Power Metal.
   
   
10. Union (Slopes of St. Benedict) - Another generic Power Metal piece. Nothing really interesting to report in it either. Based on the Battle for Rome during WWII.
    
    
11. The Price of a Mile - The beginning riff is actually pretty cool, and the chorus is interesting, but it just doesn’t compete with songs like Cliffs of Gallipoli and Ghost Division. Probably the strongest track from tracks 8-13 though, so that’s something I guess. Worth at least one listen.
    
    
12. Firestorm - Blah. When will it end?! This track I’d say has the fastest tempo on the album, but that’s about all it has going for it. One of the weaker songs on the album, which can be said about pretty much anything from track 8 onward.
    
    
13. A Secret - Outro of the album, with that female voice quoting once more from Sun Tzu. A little bit after she speaks though, a robotic voice comes on and says “Illegal Download Detected”, then goes on to say that it’s successfully released spyware throughout your computer. *laughs* I’ve probably got a fair bit already on my computer and don’t even realize it.

An album that’s fairly well done, but not excellent. Quite a bit of the songs sound terribly similar, and even though there is a common theme they all revolve around, that shouldn’t be any excuse. That doesn’t mean they’re all ‘bad’; it just means that some more diversity would be welcome.

That being said, there are several tracks that stand out in the album, mainly Ghost Division (2), 40-1 (4), and Cliffs of Gallipoli (7). The Art of War (3) and The Price of a Mile (11) are also worth a listen, at least compared to everything else on the album.

Now, I said above that Brodén’s voice tends to turn some people off from continuing to listen, but I urge you to at least listen to tracks 2, 4, and 7 before giving up on him and the band entirely. I certainly wasn’t a fan of his voice at the start, but I’m glad I stuck through, since there are tracks on here worth listening to.

Overall rating: 7.0 / 10.0

Amorphis is a Finnish Death Metal band that’s been blasting metal tunes since 1990. In 2005 they switched vocalists from Pasi Koskinen to Tomi Joutsen - in my opinion a fantastic change.

Ever since Joutsen’s been part of the band, these guys have basically morphed from being just another run-of-the-mill Death Metal band to a unique, yet perfect, blend of Power/Death Metal.

- - - - -

As for the album, personally I think it’s their best one yet, and that’s saying something - I thought Silent Waters (2007) was just spectacular, and I’ve heard great things about Eclipse (2005).

Now because these guys still have strong Death Metal roots, you can expect to hear some death growls in most of the songs. Normally I’d be turned off about this, but the album’s probably about 80% clean vocals and only 20% death growls.

Also, it’s important to note that this is a concept album, and like most of Amorphis’ work, it draws from stories from the Finnish epic poem ‘Kalevala’. This album in particular focuses on a mythological blacksmith (Ilmarinen) who, among other things, forged the Sampo and crafted the dome of the sky. (Hence ‘Skyforger’)

Onto the track breakdown:

1. Sampo - A strong contender for best song on the album; just over 6 minutes long, this track lures you in with 4 minutes of gentle vocals and terrific guitar, followed by a minute of intense singing/growling, then back to the clean vocals. It pulls it off fantastically, and is set up this way to mirror the story of the Sampo (look it up if interested; I’m not explaining it)
   
   
2. Silver Bride - Another great song, which they released as a single before releasing the album. Probably about 95% clean vocals, and a chorus that’s very pleasing to the ears.
   
   
3. From the Heaven of My Heart - Not as fond of this song; it’s still well done, but some of the guitar riffs are lacking (at least, compared to the rest of the album). Overall, a good song; just not a great song. On most other albums I rate it higher, but it’s got a lot of competition with songs like Sampo and From Earth I Rose.
   
   
4. Sky Is Mine - Great song; absolutely great. 100% clean vocals, and the guitar riffs mix perfectly with Joutsen’s voice. There are some parts where I feel the songs loses a bit of momentum, but it quickly picks right back up. Also of interest is a synthesizer solo followed by an electric guitar solo - very well done.
   
   
5. Majestic Beast - Hmmmmmm. This song’s got some good stuff in it, but I always have trouble getting through the growling vocals in it. In addition, the rhythm guitar does this muffled fast picking during the clean vocals portion that is f#*king annoying when you’re listening with headphones and can distinguish it. Definitely a weaker track of the album, unless you’re a fan of death growls, in which case you will probably call it a stronger one.
   
   
6. My Sun - A more laid back song, with clean vocals and a strong chorus to keep it all together. There’s nothing much to say about this track; all clean vocals, and Holopainen is great on the lead guitar, but there are more interesting songs on this album.
   
   
7. Highest Star - The guitar plucking and flute at the beginning of this track do a great job of leading into Joutsen’s soothing vocals, up until the chorus where things pick up a notch. A very strong track, and one I recommend, and yet it’s not even one of my top picks in the album! (The album is f*#king amazing though, so it’s understandable)
   
   
8. Skyforger - The namesake of the album, and one of the best on it too. Like Highest Star, it leads in very quietly, however it doesn’t wait until the chorus to get in your face with it’s awesomeness. The growls in it fit perfectly, and the guitar throughout the track is just spectacular. Highly recommended.
   
   
9. Course of Fate - Not a favorite of mine, although now that I think about it, I don’t know why; the vocals in it are just fantastic, and the riffs equally so.
   
   
10. From Earth I Rose - Holy freaking crap. Now this was the song that I think changed me from disliking death growls to at least making them bearable to listen to in any particular song. This is tied with Sampo I’d say for best track on the album; every instrument does a fantastic job in this song, and because of that I think it’s easy to listen to this track enough times that you’ll eventually get used to death growls if you aren’t already used to them.
    
    
11. Godlike Machine - This is a bonus track on the album, and it reminds me a lot of From Earth I Rose, to the point that when I first listened to this album I actually mistook it for being a few extra verses of it. It’s a good track, but a little heavier in the death growls than I care for. It’s got very solid guitar playing throughout that helps balance this out however.

Overall, this album is very, very  well done. The vocals are never lacking, the guitars are always driving the song, the drums amplifying the strong choruses and supporting any quiet interludes, the bass doing whatever the bass does to help the band, and the piano/synthesizer providing great parts in songs such as Sampo and From Earth I Rose.

If you are lazy and only want to listen to parts of the album, then my recommended tracks are: 1, 2, 4, 8, and 10. You’re doing the album a great injustice though unless you listen to the entire thing; it’s an incredible album that’s well planned out and executed.

Overall rating:   9.5 / 10.0

Before I start blogging about random, obscure metal artists, I thought it’d be a good idea to give you guys an idea of what my music tastes are, so you can better judge my possible bias when I rate albums, praise artists, etc.

1. First off, this is a Metal blog - probably a good hint that my main genre of interest is Metal. I enjoy pretty much every sub-genre, but I’m not the biggest fan of doom/extreme metal (because of the death growls and slow tempos mainly).
   
   
2. Second genre - Classical. Yes, Classical. Some may be surprised, others may not be. Both genres have a surprising amount in common, to the point that I think some classical composers would be in metal bands if they were around today [See Gustav’s Holst’s “Mars: Bringer of War”].
   
   Check out Symphony X’s “The Odyssey” [3 Parts] for Metal emulating
   Classical.
   
   
3. Next up - Jazz. I personally play the alto saxophone, and enjoy the odd break of metal to listen to some jazz tunes. Some progressive metal bands have a strong jazz influence, which usually blend perfectly together [See Liquid Tension Experiment’s “Universal Mind”]
   
   
4. Hard Rock. Metal’s little brother. Or big brother I guess, since it’s the older of the two - Metal was originally just a subgenre of Hard Rock. It’s sometimes hard to tell where Hard Rock ends and Heavy Metal begins; the line between them is significantly blurred.
   
   
5. And finally, I’m also a fan of ‘Electronic’ too I suppose, mainly Trance/House subgenres. I only listen to this stuff in phases though; once every 3-4 months usually, but it’ll be all I listen to for an entire week once I start.

There’s some Alternative bands that I think I would enjoy if I started listening to them, but I just don’t have the time, especially since there seems to be a new popular Alternative popping into existance every 5 minutes. There are even some Pop songs I like. Rap/Hip-Hop I’ll put on occasionally too if I’m like feeling it. 

Basically, in terms of any other genre of music, I barely listen to ‘em, but I certainly do respect them.

Except Country. My god, do I hate that stuff. Like, I’m a pretty open minded person when it comes to music, but there is absolutely no redeeming qualities in Country music. It’s as awful as it is boring - and it is REALLY boring. I just pretend it doesn’t exist.

*laughs*

Hopefully in the next few days, I’ll be posting a review of a Metal album, and since I’ve been listening to metal forever, you can expect the album to be one that I enjoy.

Till then, keep ignoring Country music like I do.