Hyperia's third album The Serpent's Cycle improves on the techincal thrash/heavy metal that was established on their 2020 debut Insanitorium and their second album Silhouetts Of Horror. Singer Marlee Ryley has been compared to Kyle Thomas but I'd also say she reminds me of Tony Foresta (on Automatic Thrash Machine), but also Holy Moses' Sabina Classen as with tracks such as Psychosomatic, where she really let's the screams go.
Hyperia play thrash that is virtuoso, melodic but also extremely aggressive, tracks such as Prophet Of Deceit are full of twin axe harmonies, shifting guitar riffs and widdly solos, it'll have you getting your air guitar out in no time, but with Spirit Bandit they have also made sure that your neck will ache for weeks. Hammering out three albums in four years is a pretty impressive feat, especially when you consider the quality of these tracks.
The playing is immense, the guitar playing is probably my favourite part of what this bands does, they swirl with complexity and savagery but the vocals are snarling, the drumming lightspeed and the groovy bass riffs are all to be commended. It's got a real feel of Sanctuary before they added the really progressive/introspective parts, the riffs shift at rapid pace on the title track as Trapped In Time puts it foot on the gas for speed metal, a few other cuts remind me of Skeletonwitch.
Rapidly attacking you from all sides The Serpent's Cycle is Hyperia consolidating their sound, the conclusion of the vision, so comfortable now with what they want to sound like they close this album with a cracking cover of Crazy On You, which ups the heaviness but doesn't sacrifice those acoustics, though Marlee is no Ann Wilson, she gives her all within her style. Still love it or loathe it, the rest of this album is ferocious thrash metal with bags of impressive playing. 8/10
Tol Morwen - Rise Of The Fury (Self Released)
Italian Viking Metal, yeah ok I'll go with it, seeing as Roman history had been taken by Ex Deo (though Tol Morwen have a go). Dealing with Emilian (Northern Italian) folklore and a passion for Norse Mythology.
Tol Morwen embrace Yggdrasil and set sail to conquer with a new crew since their 2018 EP. Drawing heavily from Norse mythology and with a melodeath sound, all the songs here can be compared to those of Amon Amarth but with fewer jaunts in to power metal. The EP contains re-edited/remastered versions of singles that preceded the EP along with 2 unreleased songs. Berserkgang is a vicious opener that tells of the Beserker wrath, while Unchained about the giant Fenrir is almost doom at the climax.
All the songs except one are about Viking history and stories, Fate Of The Gods is pure Scandi melodeath while the apocalyptic Ragnar chugs with those early Amon Amarth-isms. The one song not about Vikings or Norse mythology is Terror Of Rome which talks about Hannibal, the Carthaginian (modern day Tunisia) general who marched all the way to Rome over mountains replete with elephants. This is obviously much more Ex Deo in sound relying on a more aggressive style of death metal.
Rise Of The Fury is a great Viking metal EP from these Italians, worth checking out if you want to take a trip to Valhalla. 7/10
Aeolian - Echoes Of The Future (Black Lion Records)
There can't be a massive metal scene in Mallorca can there? Well Aeolian look set to show the world that there is and that they are one of the brightest stars in it with Echoes Of The Future. It's the third part of their album trilogy that is focussed on the future and how humans have to deal with a planet that is dying, they do this through a style of metal that is intense and technical, progressive death metal that hangs it's hat on the guitars of Raúl Morán and Gabi Escalas slick guitar playing.
Aeolian - Echoes Of The Future (Black Lion Records)
There can't be a massive metal scene in Mallorca can there? Well Aeolian look set to show the world that there is and that they are one of the brightest stars in it with Echoes Of The Future. It's the third part of their album trilogy that is focussed on the future and how humans have to deal with a planet that is dying, they do this through a style of metal that is intense and technical, progressive death metal that hangs it's hat on the guitars of Raúl Morán and Gabi Escalas slick guitar playing.
While The Miracle slows with some classic metal in the mid-pace, Her Grief blasts away with Pedro Martinez double kicking the shit out of it until the emotional piano changes the shape of the song. Echoes Of The Future was mixed and mastered by the legendary Dan Swanö and shares a lot of influences with the music he helped pioneer. Acoustic guitars are used brilliantly on Like A Blackened Sun and Into The Flames adding to the melodic elements that are fused with the death metal assault.
Chronicles Of The Fall closes out the album with chunky grooves that come from Leoben Conoy's bass while Dani Pérez doesn't vary his vocals, that harsh scream is definitive, even when put against the trombones and trumpets of the title track. Aeolian conclude their trilogy with a exemplary final chapter that will open up new fans to Mallorcan metal. 8/10
HumanKind - An End, Once And For All (ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records)
HumanKind play metalcore that is as modern as it gets, electronics sprinkled behind the grooving, breakdown driven angsty metal. It’s a throwback influenced by bands such as Architects, Bring The Horizon and others, though the band are less than a year old.
HumanKind - An End, Once And For All (ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records)
HumanKind play metalcore that is as modern as it gets, electronics sprinkled behind the grooving, breakdown driven angsty metal. It’s a throwback influenced by bands such as Architects, Bring The Horizon and others, though the band are less than a year old.
An End, Once And For All is their debut album and it was a difficult album to write, with lyrics inspired by mental health, life experiences and finding catharsis through music; Samuel (vocals), Maria (guitars), Tobias (guitars), Dominik (bass), and Marco (drums) wrote and recorded it over a year and a half, the intention being to have it as an outlet for anyone struggling themselves.
It’s an album about empowerment, a trait so often used in metalcore where the emotional side is linked intrinsically to the heavy music. Tracks such as Shadows are more towards the emotional side as is Dead Girl Walking, however No Man’s Sky brings the punching heavy riffs. The album does linger a bit too much in the mid-pace, choruses that are big and wring out with sentiment, the synth parts bringing melodies leaving the guitars to come in for some palm muted modern chugging when a bit more muscle is needed.
It’s slick but nothing new really, metalcore has been around for years at this point so trying to do something new is often difficult. HumanKind do their optimistic music well but without taking risks. 6/10
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