Amaranthe have gone from strength to strength in recent years, particularly with the addition of Dynazty’s Nils Molin in 2017 and the utterly superb Helix album in 2018. And while Amaranthe’s vein of gleaming , electro-fused modern metal mixed with the three pronged vocal attack of Elize Ryd, Nils Molin and Henrik Englund Wilhelmsson is certainly not for everyone. Huge, monstrous riffing collide with the sugar coated choral hooks and, often death metal leanings, all underpinned by pulsing EDM style keyboards. It is an aural assault not often repeated and certainly never bettered, but it can split the average metal fans right down the middle. Some finding it too saccharine and cheese filled, some finding it the perfect tonic to a bad day, uplifting and most of all… fun! So lean back in your favourite comfy chair and dive into the newest release if you dare. This is 100% more of the same from the band, which will either delight or disgust you depending on your stance.
Personally I absolutely adore Amaranthe and their carefully crafted, shimmering world. Manifest kicks off with the excellent Fearless and it is immediately apparent that this is a band who are now firing on every single cylinder available to them. Huge (and I mean HUGE!!!) production values highlight a new, more aggressive sounding unit. Olof Mork’s guitar work has taken a giant leap forwards here, with some genuinely excellent solos and syncopated riffing. Manifest just keeps going with the one two punch of stomp fest, Make It Better and the, more traditionally Amaranthe sounding Scream My Name leading into the epic single Viral. All of which contain the now trademarked Amaranthe hooks and vocal interplay. All three vocalists seem to have stepped up a notch here, most notably Nils Molin, who showcases just what a powerful voice he has, and perfectly illustrates why he is one of the best singers out there right now. Manifest finally takes a breather with it’s first ballad, the emotionally charged Strong featuring the female Dio herself, Battle Beast’s insanely talented Noora Louhimo. An absolute belting track which also showcases how amazing Elize Ryd is as a front woman.
The Game, stripped back slow burn ballad Crystalline and the heavy as balls Archangel continue Manifest’s non-stop rollercoaster each perfectly highlighting the many different weapons Amaranthe have at their disposal, luscious harmonies, more aggressive heavy parts and those choruses! All the while the whole record is brilliantly guided by some incredibly effective and technical drumming from Morten Lowe Sorenson. The final three tracks perfectly complete Manifest. Starting with BOOM!1 (actual name, not joking, there is indeed a “1” at the end). This is a track along the lines of GG6 from Helix, with Wilhelmsson channelling his inner 90’s nu-metal child. It has a full on f**k off breakdown, which simultaneously made me piss myself laughing “Oh wow GG, what else goes boom?” and also get the stank face when something hits just right.
It is absolutely brilliant! Die and Wake Up channels a slightly mid-eastern vibe and Do Or Die completes the album in stunning fashion, although here it is without the empress of death metal Angela Gossow (although I’m reliably informed that the version with her on is going to be a bonus track) Jeff Loomis is on both however, with a typically flamboyant solo. Both versions are equally excellent and perfectly encompass Amaranthe in 2020, a highly honed, more aggressive monster. Manifest is not as immediate at 2018’s Helix, but upon repeated listens it becomes an absolute triumph of cheesy, sugary starship, electro metal. Let’s face it 2020 has not been the best year for… well pretty much anyone! Manifest is the perfect 40 minute antidote. Highly recommended! 9/10
King Mothership: The Ritual (Century Media Records and 3DOT Recordings) [Alex Swift]
King Mothership: The Ritual (Century Media Records and 3DOT Recordings) [Alex Swift]
As I’ve pointed out countless times before, transcending the balance between the compositional and the technical side of progressive music can prove a challenge for the most talented of musicians. Spencer Sotelo has spent his career trying to find that sweet equilibrium. His main project, Periphery – despite spilling into self-indulgence sometimes seeks to bring together the technical versatility of all the players involved with a desire to create something artful and inspiring. King Mothership seeks to continue this mission yet under a different guise. There's a sense of intricacy and imagination at play, yet our frontman placates the visceral screams and turgid rhythms with for a sensation of otherworldly immersion, which draws on influences ranging from emo to classic rock. Almost everything here is still prog, yet feels like the sort of album I would recommend someone trying to get invested in the genre, for which you always want to choose a piece that proves both arresting and excitedly interesting.
After an orchestral intro, Cosmic Meltdown beguiles the listener with jaunty rhythmic textures, beautiful keys, and a sense of optimism which captivates the listener right out of the gate, before surprising them with a speakeasy-style transition into weird territory. Here’s how you make an impression, and start an album that you know will appeal to those who like their complex music to bear a quality of theatricalism. By contrast, Gold inspires with a sinister strut and swagger, which grants the attitude of early 2000’s alternative and the ambition of early psychedelia. That’s another aspect that gives this album character, the personality on display is fiery and ferocious, even if the music may be more soothing than one would expect from this vocalist. This is continued on to the funk-inspired Only You and the eloquently inspired epic of Babby. As our exuberant narrator declares ‘come on, bitches! Sing!’, I immediately realize how much fun he was having creating this piece and how he has not lost his signature sense of humour – an element I’ve always admired about Periphery's off-stage persona.
Death Machine plays out like a visceral juggernaut of an anthem, the riff proving memorable, while the lead guitars alongside Sotelo’s soaring voice climb to gigantic heights.
With each moment the musicianship on the show keeps the listener locked in a spiral of fascination, of the tone of the songs constantly shift and swell, certainly past my expectations. Be clear though, the second half of this record is where King Mothership's weird and wonderful captivations pour out. Take The Ritual – an illustrious lamentation on the perils of fame and superstardom, featuring the characters of the enthused explorer and the twisted villain. A riotous replica of musical theatre such as this may not seem an easy sell, yet sell they do, in such a fashion as to make the listener spellbound to hear more! Ego 101 is another rambunctious rager of a track, with the instrumentation firing on all fronts, creating a feeling of sonic absorption, of being lost in the music and surrendering yourself to its spectacular movements. On an equally outstanding note, The Devil's Train is a demonic and seething number, reminiscent of a soundtrack to gothic horror fiction, or an equally imposing elegy to debauchery.
Finishing on the eight-minute I Stand Alone, the cascading cavalcade of notes and dramatic elegies, conveys the impression that these musicians have succeeded in the task of combining colourful melodies with complicated deliberations. This may not be the greatest album they have been or will ever be involved in but The Ritual definitely shows musical growth and showcases many of my favourite aspects of the progressive genre as a whole. 8/10
Emerald Lord: Quest For Immortality (Self Released) [Dave Marcovecchio]
Quest For Immortality is the first release from enigmatic Indianapolis based death metal mystics Emerald Lord. Beyond the band name and artwork there is precious little information about this group, their members or their history. Of course, this just lends an extra layer of curiosity to proceedings and intrigues the listener about what is yet to come. Unfortunately, the album stumbles from the starting block straight away with an unforgivably long and repetitive ambient noise intro. Guitar feedback and stock sound effects clash over the course of 3 minutes that feels much longer than it really should, bafflingly the rest of the introductory track (Ironically titled Intolerable, Burning Pain Of Ignorance) is actually a very decent moody slow opening riff, reminiscent of Nile in their slower moments. Why this alone was not the albums opening is a frankly baffling choice, unfortunately one of several the album commits.
Quest For Immortality is the first release from enigmatic Indianapolis based death metal mystics Emerald Lord. Beyond the band name and artwork there is precious little information about this group, their members or their history. Of course, this just lends an extra layer of curiosity to proceedings and intrigues the listener about what is yet to come. Unfortunately, the album stumbles from the starting block straight away with an unforgivably long and repetitive ambient noise intro. Guitar feedback and stock sound effects clash over the course of 3 minutes that feels much longer than it really should, bafflingly the rest of the introductory track (Ironically titled Intolerable, Burning Pain Of Ignorance) is actually a very decent moody slow opening riff, reminiscent of Nile in their slower moments. Why this alone was not the albums opening is a frankly baffling choice, unfortunately one of several the album commits.
Musically, Emerald Lord have the chops, this is abundantly clear. Monolithic slams clash with ghoulishly spacey riffs, that channel enough cosmic horror to make H.P Lovecraft blush as well as some absolutely fantastic lead work (Highlighted in particular on the excellent Relentless Suffering, arguably the albums high point). Regrettably this talent is not mirrored in the song-writing department, which is sadly where they shoot themselves in the foot. Arrangements vary massively from tight song structures to prolonged instrumental sections that frustratingly seem to serve no purpose other than to push tracks past the 5 minute mark.
Structurally the album is somewhat confused with what it wants to be. The handful of memorable tracks on offer show some spectacular promise, the (I'm assuming) bedroom production is punchy and above its weight and I am a big fan of the overall cosmic and esoteric Death Metal vibe that they're shooting for. While Emerald Lord may indeed be a band to keep an eye on, in trying to brute-force this release into album-length it has been diminished with unnecessary bloat which, much like space itself, is mostly an empty void. 4/10
The Erkonauts: I Want It To End (Self Release) [Lucas Tuckwood]
Fresh from the Swiss prog metal wizards The Erkonauts is their latest album, I Want It To End. A notably darker record than their previous outings, it still bleeds that distinctive proggy edge, blended seamlessly with a crushing heaviness that scorches the ears. Here you’ve got thrashers, hard rockers and slow ballads alike, each track performed with masterful precision and skill. Blasting out of the gate with a slap bass infused thrasher named War Flamingos, this album lays its cards out early; It’s controlled chaos, fused with fierce aggression. Be it the dark yet anthemic The Future Ends With You, the slow, sombre It Could Be Over Soon, or the melodic Caravaggio, this album seldom fails to deliver razor-sharp prog metal, aided by a healthy shot of thrash.
Fresh from the Swiss prog metal wizards The Erkonauts is their latest album, I Want It To End. A notably darker record than their previous outings, it still bleeds that distinctive proggy edge, blended seamlessly with a crushing heaviness that scorches the ears. Here you’ve got thrashers, hard rockers and slow ballads alike, each track performed with masterful precision and skill. Blasting out of the gate with a slap bass infused thrasher named War Flamingos, this album lays its cards out early; It’s controlled chaos, fused with fierce aggression. Be it the dark yet anthemic The Future Ends With You, the slow, sombre It Could Be Over Soon, or the melodic Caravaggio, this album seldom fails to deliver razor-sharp prog metal, aided by a healthy shot of thrash.
What stood out to me however was the presence of lightning fast slap bass, giving the few tracks that feature it an almost Primus-like feeling, exemplified by the hectic, free-flowing form that the faster songs take, particularly exemplified on Losing Is The First Step. The bass is paired with ferocious vocals, sharp riffs, and utterly crushing drums. It’s a match made in heaven, and these tracks are my absolute favourite on offer here. The two slow tracks, albeit expertly performed, and according to the band far more emotionally driven, tended to drag a little for me, despite both featuring hard and heavy riffs interwoven with the slow melodies.
The other heavy tracks in-between, while still excellent tracks, felt a little out of place when paired with lightning fast scorchers like War Flamingos or The Curse Of Scotland. In all, this is a bitingly heavy record that’s bursting at the seams with that funky prog goodness, masterfully mixed with thrash that, while it features a few slower tracks, still kicks all kinds of ass. 8/10
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