Charlotte Wessels - The Obsession (Napalm Records)
"A refreshing blast of melody and power from one of symphonic metal's greatest voices."
As the voice of Delain for sixteen years, fans of epic and symphonic metal are already well acquainted with the tour de force, Charlotte Wessels. Departing the band in 2021, she has been anything but quiet in the time since, having release two solo records to date. Coming in at album three, The Obsession is one part firestorm of pounding instrumentation, and one part cleaning thunderstorm thanks in large part to Wessels' iconic voice and incredible range.
Together with pianist Sophia Vernikov, and Delain alumni Timo Somers, Otto Schimmelpennick van der Oiie and Joey Marin de Boer on guitar, bass and drums respectively, each of the albums twelve songs is a unique and captivating story. From the subsonic tremors crossed with soothing vocals of opener "Chasing Sunsets", to the piano driven number "Soulstice", there is something special within every song, and a few surprises along the way.
Case in point: if the angelic soprano notes on "Dopamine" sound familiar, you can thank another Dutch metal queen, the one and only Simone Simmons of Epica, who joins Wessels and company on the song. Likewise, in addition to syncopated beats, keep an ear open for roar of yet another fantastic guest appearance, Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz.
Having built her career in metal, Wessels reaches out beyond the genre to create epic music sure to appeal to those who are not typically fans of heavy music. Injecting some humor among the heaviness, the video for "Dopamine" is, according a comment from Simone Simmons, 'the most colorful video I have done so far. Amusing in nature but sincere in its message, this concept certainly applies to the rest of The Obsession and demands the album be left on repeat.
Ellende - Todbringerin (AOP Records)
"A grim, introspective trip through lands of fog and shadow."
With the continuing surge in popularity of ambient black metal, the demand for top shelf material has grown over the last 15 years among the extreme metal community. Satisfying this demand, and then some, Austria's Ellende has returned to cast a shadow of melancholy melodies with their fifth album, Todbringerin.
Though technically a rerecording of the band's 2016 sophomore release, Todbringer, the last eight years have given Ellende brainchild, L.G., time to evolve as an artist. The result is a reimagining of already brilliant material in a manner that holds onto the best of the original while adding new details and textures.
Whether listeners are familiar with the previous incarnation of the material or not, the sensational tones of songs such as "Ballade auf den Tod" and "Verehrung" will no doubt be a journey to cold and reflective lands. Appealing to fans of Ghost Bath and Alcest musically, Ellende's strength is the ability to capture the feeling of isolation and channel it from a feeling or surrounding into something almost human - the shadow man that seems to follow you, albeit without menace.
With eight unique tracks totally about 50 minutes of run time, Todbringerin is an excellent companion album to welcome gray skies above autumn's gold and red hues.
Kanonenfieber - Die Urkatastrophe (Century Media Records)
"The essence of a scarred landscape and the shattered youth that wanders there."
For most metal fans, the wall of death is an experience found in mosh pits following a steady, often epic, instrumental build up before either a vocalist yells "go" or drums kick in full speed. But some 110 years ago in Europe, the wall of death was a very different concept - one of dread, beyond which lay a decimated battlefield.
It is this bone chilling environment that comes to mind in vivid colors as the aforementioned build up gives way to a whistle blast - the unmistakable signal to charge, and perhaps one of the last things a soldier of the Great War might have heard - in "Sturmtrupp", one of a dozen blazing songs off Die Urkatastrophe, the sophomore release from Kanonenfieber.
While the concept of war has been woven in metal history lyrically and musically since its earliest years, Kanonenfieber mastermind Noise approaches it in a different manner than most. With stories taken straight from the pages of his great grandfather's diary, written when he was a solider on the frontlines of World War I, the band's sound of a desperation and despair is absolutely genuine.
Forging together melodic death metal akin to fellow Germans Heaven Shall Burn with sharp black metal riffs for fans of Batushka, Gaerea, and BlackBraid, songs such as "Waffenbrüder", "Panzerhenker" and "Ritter der Lüfte" bring to life some of the most horrific moments in human history. To that point, while the war cries in "Menschenmühle" might indicate otherwise, Kanonenfieber in no ways glorifies war and instead focus on the internal conflict within legion of men between the call of duty and the will to survive.
Making a name for themselves overseas from their incredible live performances, Die Urkatostrophe, which translates to "the primal catastrophe", easily comes in as one of the best black metal releases of 2024.
ONI - Walk Away (Ironshore Records)
"A rising heavy metal superstar raising the standard of excellence once again."
Just a few months ago, The Metal Mayan predicted that 'If "Control" is a taste of what is to come, expect huge things this year'. Sure enough, as ONI comes back from tour as support for Crown the Empire, creative genius Jake Oni has just a few short weeks before hitting the road again with hard rock titans Pop Evil and Bad Wolves.
Somehow finding time to drop the follow up single to "Control", the end of August saw the release of "Walk Away", the latest ONI offering. Once again joined by Josh Gilbert (Spiritbox), who lends his production skills to the track, singer/rapper extraordinaire lil aaron makes an guest appearance to deliver an emotionally charged verse, which compliments Jake Oni's tremendous choruses. Ever expanding on the ONI formula of bouncing guitars, stellar electronics and a hook around every corner, "Walk Away" is another winner that reflects the band's growth and identity.
Continuing to crank out hit after hit and now joined on stage by YouTube sensation Jared Dines, who appeared as a guest on "Silence In A Room of Lies" on last year's The Silver Line, there is absolutely no stopping ONI. Standing by our statement of expecting huge things to come, one can only wonder what the next big move Jake Oni has in his playbook will be.
Winterfylleth - The Imperious Horizon (Candlelight Records)
"The wind howls and the ground freezes under the triumphant return of British black metal masters."
As summer fades and the first signs of rust in the forest indicates the coming of autumn in the northern hemisphere, a bitter cold makes it way out of England. Returning after a four year silence, the champions of British black metal known as Winterfylleth have come forth once again with the release of their eighth album, The Imperious Horizon.
Masters of the art of combining icy guitar riffs, lush keyboard textures and just the right amount of ambience, songs such as "Like Brimming Fire" and "Upon This Shore" touch ones soul with passion and precision. While the band should already be long on black metal fans' list since their inception in 2007, newcomers to the genre who enjoy Uada and Wolves In the Throne Room will quickly become believers of the might of Winterfylleth.
Clocking in at nearly eleven minutes, one of the album's centerpieces is "In Silent Grace", which features guest vocalist A.A. Nemtheanga of Primordial. Lending his powerful yet somber stylings to the track, the journey is both reflective and haunting.
Noting the album was inspired in part by the many events that have happened around the world since The Reckoning Dawn was released in 2020, The Imperious Horizon indeed captures a bleak landscape with those who dwell there doing whatever it takes to survive. While far from the only album to have such inspiration at is roots, the signature Winterfylleth sound brings the album to the forefront of this year's black metal offerings.
Advanced copies courtesy of Breaking the Law PR, Freeman Promotions and Secret Service PR
Comentarios