Six years since their 2019 debut Union, which was re-issued by Kscope last year, in preparation of this new album, UK proggers Ihlo look to deliver another record of impressive modern prog.
Their debut scored highly here and while that was the story of four talented musicians unifying together to create music with Legacy it's the same four guys defining who they are as band. Written both in the studio and remotely by Andy Robison, Phil Monro, and Clark McMenemy, the foursome really focussing on the music they want Ihlo to be connected with, from the pulsating electronics that oscillate though Cenotaph as the guitars meander between ambient melodies and chuggy modern prog riffs, the leads/solos brightly shining between the low end bass throb.
Inspired by Tesseract, Leprous, Caligula's Horse and others, there's that influence of Djent, but like so many bands associated with that genre, Ihlo move further away into a more defined sound of modern prog metal, the vocals particularly affecting on the huge hooks and when the emotional weight is increased on the futuristic Source, which is one of the many songs that highlight the synthwave-like features throughout which set a futuristic tone.
Opener Wraith for instance conjurers images of Tron or Blade Runner, the album itself about how hollow technology makes the human experience, so this leaning on synthetic against the organic is very deliberate. The percussion is such an important part of Ihlo's sound, using a lot of the style originated by Baard Kolstad on the title track, it's a off time drum beat that keeps the track moving beneath a slow burning groove, layering as it progresses towards the end.
Union was an instant eruption of modern prog that served as way for Ihlo to announce themselves, Legacy takes more time to fully appreciate as it's the sound of a band maturing and cultivating who they want to be. 9/10
Sweet Freedom - Blind Leading The Blind (Frontiers Music Srl)
Ready for some swaggering heavy rock ala Rainbow, Whitesnake or Europe? Well Sweet Freedom have got you covered with their new album Blind Leading The Blind, they call it "classic rock with a progressive twist" and that sums up what you get on these ten tracks that ring out loud due to Stefan Boman's production. Formed by keyboardist Jörgen Schelander, as his solo project, but this Swedish now go under the name Sweet Freedom.
Sweet Freedom - Blind Leading The Blind (Frontiers Music Srl)
Ready for some swaggering heavy rock ala Rainbow, Whitesnake or Europe? Well Sweet Freedom have got you covered with their new album Blind Leading The Blind, they call it "classic rock with a progressive twist" and that sums up what you get on these ten tracks that ring out loud due to Stefan Boman's production. Formed by keyboardist Jörgen Schelander, as his solo project, but this Swedish now go under the name Sweet Freedom.
They have released an album before this with Stefan Nyqvist on vocals but with Blind Leading The Blind, vocalist Matti Alfonzetti (Skintrade, Jagged Edge and Talisman) takes the mic here and his unmistakable power elevates the band into the next step of their existence. With tracks such as Skin And Bone and Innocent Child, Matti's voice carries huge choruses, in the same vein as David Coverdale, Jeff Scott Soto, Danny Bowes and Neville MacDonald, he's imbued with a set of pipes that were infused with soul and so prominent on that early 90's hard rock era from the UK and Europe before grunge changed it all again.
Jörgen Schelander's organs/keys come from the Jon Lord school duelling with Håkan Nilsson bluesy guitar lines which are Blackmore meets Morley on track such as Live From The Heart. In the backroom Jan Lund's bass rubs some funk on Skeleton Key as Håkan Rangemo's drumming channels Bonzo's breadth and feel on Solid Ground or the mammoth Outcry. Fans of classic hard rocking will love this new record from Sweet Freedom, it's got one foot in 70's dinosaur rock and a second in that glorious 90's revival of proper blues rock.
A classic rock fans dream, with Matti behind the mic Sweet Freedom have their eyes wide open to their future and it features some brilliant hard rocking. 9/10
Rising Steel - Legion Of The Grave (Frontiers Music Srl)
How about a bit of French heavy metal? Oui? Great! Rising Steel are here to scratch that classic metal itch with their fourth record Rising Steel, their third with Frontiers Music they're inspired by Judas Priest, Saxon and Accept, they play a harder, more metallic style of traditional heavy metal like Accept in their modern day, or Priest post Painkiller with some Grave Digger too.
Rising Steel - Legion Of The Grave (Frontiers Music Srl)
How about a bit of French heavy metal? Oui? Great! Rising Steel are here to scratch that classic metal itch with their fourth record Rising Steel, their third with Frontiers Music they're inspired by Judas Priest, Saxon and Accept, they play a harder, more metallic style of traditional heavy metal like Accept in their modern day, or Priest post Painkiller with some Grave Digger too.
Kings Of The Universe for instance is nastier, Emmanuel using his lower tones over the high shrieks as the rest of the band lock into Bailey-era Maiden riffs. The band have deliberately returned to an old-school metal style with this album, bringing in NWOBHM, speed metal and thrash on Nightmare and going further down the extreme path on Messiah Of Death, Legion Of The Grave continues to take Rising Steel down a heavy path, their steel sharpening as they progress through these ten tracks.
With this look back to where they started as a band, the French band are putting the heavy back in their metal. 6/10
Unén - Forever Winter (Frontiers Music Srl)
A debut album from a Finnish melodic metal band Unén now as Forever Winter features twelve tracks that are there to display the talent of the band and the vocals of vocalist Stina Girs, it was her joining the band that set them on the path to this debut, they and a collection of instrumentals but with her singing they adapted these to fit her expressive vocals style, the result is an album that reminds me of the more emotional offerings of Evanescence, Within Temptation and Delain where the symphonic metal, gothic rock and pop collide.
Unén - Forever Winter (Frontiers Music Srl)
A debut album from a Finnish melodic metal band Unén now as Forever Winter features twelve tracks that are there to display the talent of the band and the vocals of vocalist Stina Girs, it was her joining the band that set them on the path to this debut, they and a collection of instrumentals but with her singing they adapted these to fit her expressive vocals style, the result is an album that reminds me of the more emotional offerings of Evanescence, Within Temptation and Delain where the symphonic metal, gothic rock and pop collide.
Stina's versatility coming from her finishing 5th on the Finnish Idols show, so she can easily sing any style, her technique bolstered by her being a solo artist before joining Unén. Tracks such as Forever Winter are keening ballads built around strings and piano but even on the heavier tracks there's always that ear for melody and a emotive tone, while Game Over channels the drama of fellow Finns Sonata Arctica, Ice Queen bewitches with some modern pop rock and Spoil Me has a progressive stop-start riff.
It's this mixture of styles that makes Forever Winter an enthralling record for fans of gothic symphonic metal, plenty of potential for grandiose things to come. 7/10
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