If something is labelled as for fans of Dream Theater, Rush, Toto and even mentions Enchant then I'll be listening to it. So it turns out I'm a little late to the party with Primaluce, formed in Paris by Stefano Primaluce (rhythm guitars, keyboards, backing vocals, programming), back in the 90's.
The band is an outlet for his creativity, founded as a long-term compositional project rather than a fixed band, with this new album, they have written songs that all link conceptually featuring vocals for the first time to add more emotion to their songwriting, sacrificing some of their heaviness to make sure that the melody is just as important as the complexity.
Way Of Perfection is the band trying to achieve just that, the previous album saw them shedding their experimental project, skin to become more song driven entity, adapting the songs to feature broad soundscapes and cinematic moments over technical virtuosity. That's still there, obviously, with Stefano a one man band himself but Andrea Rocchi's guitar playing is impressive a lot of the time but at moments it's also beautiful.
The rhythm section of Marco Adami (bass) and Michele Avella (drums) has a mind of it's own, driving these songs with shifting time signatures and immense skill. Way Of Perfection begins with The Wind Remains, brilliantly modern prog, like Van Halen meeting The Dirty Loops, the instrumental side absolutely mind blowing but also filled with groove, that danceable thump comes again on the hip shaking Countdown At Dawn.
However like I said this is their first record with vocals and singer Falco (not that one) is a powerhouse in the Myles Kennedy meets Ted Leonard via Joseph Williams vein, he soars above the music adding the emotion to the dynamic virtuoso playing with tracks such as Back Into The Blue that don't play safe, with some power metal meets AOR elements to it, keys duelling with guitars.
Heart Of The Moment and When The Light Returns are both strongly AOR, the one a punchy rocker while the other is a perfect American FM radio ballad from the likes of Daughtry or Shinedown, this has to be a single, though I'm sure it will confuse anyone who loves this track but hates prog, Standing In My Name keeps this style coming with a bit of keyboard friendly Alter Bridge.
Running Out Of Yesterday enters into the Dream Theater zone, returning to prog, angling in a bit of Toto as well. On Black Static Halo it hits me, Primaluce sound like Ra, and I love Ra (you should too), the personal lyrics, the complex compositions it's all very close to Sahaj Ticotin and co, which for me makes me love it more. Synthwave dominates Echoes Of Tomorrow, the riffs (and solos) come back for In The Tides Of Time and the modern prog sound returns for closer Where The Water Meets The Stone.
It's all brilliant, I don't care that it's 12 songs and over an hour, The Way Of Perfection is exactly my sort of album, prog meeting AOR colliding with metal and alt rock. Creating a magnificent musical journey performed with incredible skill. This isn't The Way To Perfection, it's about as close as you can get, keep the vocals, with them, Primaluce should dominate the prog world. 10/10
Kröwnn - Santa Somnia (Subsound Records)
Formed back in 2012, as a doom trio, Kröwnn have been kicking out riffs since then, with inspiration from Robert E Howard, Michael Moorcock and George R.R Martin their first two albums brought the sword and sorcery through thick psychedelic doom riffs. Just before their third album they added another guitarist to expand their sound further and with a change in drummer they now are primed to release their fourth record Santa Somnia.
The bastard son of Conan and Nightstalker, Kröwnn wear their influences proudly, heavy doom riffs that are all fuzzy and fury but with this fourth record they also envelop classic/thrash metal and even punk (SkullKnight) to further widen their sonic power. The band features Michele Carnielli (vocals, guitar), Silvia Rossato (bass), Nicola Bordignon (guitar), and Mimmo Bennici (drums), this thundering foursome have diversified but never pull too far away from their epic doom beginnings. With Mastodon elements coming on Morirdormire and or the blackened venom of Respawn.
The album has been inspired by video games such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and as such has the same level of dark and brooding intensity as these games, it's a more mentally fractured Kröwnn here, letting the madness overtake them and lead them down a path of loss and hope. These topics are hard to digest sometimes but get easier with a spoonful of riffs helping the medicine go down. Heavy is the head that ignores the Kröwnn. 8/10
Mount Palatine - Wormholy World (Argonauta Records)
Originally known as The Paladin, this Finnish trio now go by Mount Palatine but their modern psychedelic metal style still persists. Taking you into far fling worlds with fuzz that will melt your brain the trio are inspired but the likes of Elder, Stoned Jesus and Mastodon, playing riffs that will shift continents while never truly fixing themselves to anywhere on Planet Earth.
Playing under pseudonyms Jean the Baron (Guitars), Count Boogie (Bass), and Lord Of The Groove (Drums), kick out heavy jams ready for your relaxation agent of choice, but don't be surprised by the headache these spiritually aligned grooves may give you. It's heavy, moody and groovy too, vocals that croon and snarl, riffs that hammer and weave and while the band conceive these songs as cohesive jams they are built upon to make towering cuts of psych metal that takes you through auditory journeys.
Wormholy World has Mount Palatine streamlining their cosmic flight, with hypnotic repetition on Whispers Of The Holy Land, the swirling Panther Eyes, through the doom of The Dreaming and Ethereal, psychedelic heaviness coming from Helsinki you need to get on your ears. 8/10
Infinite Misery - Altar Of Extracted Teeth (Iron Fortress Records)
Another release of disgusting death metal from Iron Fortress Records? Oh go on then, and if you like Cannibal Corpse then you'll be grabbing your Hawaiian shirt and get ready to mop up the blood and gore as Infinite Misery are murderous death metal from Connecticut and they unleash absolute hell with their new EP Altar Of Extracted Teeth.
Five tracks of surgically precise, bludgeoning death which also features intense riffs, furious vocals and punishing grooves as well as some guest spots from Undeath and Damnations Domain. Torture Rack begins the violence, opening up the pits early, the drumming takes no prisoners and the riffs rip and tear at the flesh, moving between blasting flurries and bone crushing grooves.
The title track, and frost single features In death and has the creeping, slimy beginning that band does so well before the violence begins again, Cadaver To Carrion meanwhile brings guitar solos that lead into the bounce of A Virulent Sadism and the final vile expulsion that is Lacerated Viscera.
Infinite Misery bash you over the head with this new EP, it's Cannibal Corpse-like death metal that doesn't skimp on the brutality. 7/10
The album has been inspired by video games such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and as such has the same level of dark and brooding intensity as these games, it's a more mentally fractured Kröwnn here, letting the madness overtake them and lead them down a path of loss and hope. These topics are hard to digest sometimes but get easier with a spoonful of riffs helping the medicine go down. Heavy is the head that ignores the Kröwnn. 8/10
Mount Palatine - Wormholy World (Argonauta Records)
Originally known as The Paladin, this Finnish trio now go by Mount Palatine but their modern psychedelic metal style still persists. Taking you into far fling worlds with fuzz that will melt your brain the trio are inspired but the likes of Elder, Stoned Jesus and Mastodon, playing riffs that will shift continents while never truly fixing themselves to anywhere on Planet Earth.
Playing under pseudonyms Jean the Baron (Guitars), Count Boogie (Bass), and Lord Of The Groove (Drums), kick out heavy jams ready for your relaxation agent of choice, but don't be surprised by the headache these spiritually aligned grooves may give you. It's heavy, moody and groovy too, vocals that croon and snarl, riffs that hammer and weave and while the band conceive these songs as cohesive jams they are built upon to make towering cuts of psych metal that takes you through auditory journeys.
Wormholy World has Mount Palatine streamlining their cosmic flight, with hypnotic repetition on Whispers Of The Holy Land, the swirling Panther Eyes, through the doom of The Dreaming and Ethereal, psychedelic heaviness coming from Helsinki you need to get on your ears. 8/10
Infinite Misery - Altar Of Extracted Teeth (Iron Fortress Records)
Another release of disgusting death metal from Iron Fortress Records? Oh go on then, and if you like Cannibal Corpse then you'll be grabbing your Hawaiian shirt and get ready to mop up the blood and gore as Infinite Misery are murderous death metal from Connecticut and they unleash absolute hell with their new EP Altar Of Extracted Teeth.
Five tracks of surgically precise, bludgeoning death which also features intense riffs, furious vocals and punishing grooves as well as some guest spots from Undeath and Damnations Domain. Torture Rack begins the violence, opening up the pits early, the drumming takes no prisoners and the riffs rip and tear at the flesh, moving between blasting flurries and bone crushing grooves.
The title track, and frost single features In death and has the creeping, slimy beginning that band does so well before the violence begins again, Cadaver To Carrion meanwhile brings guitar solos that lead into the bounce of A Virulent Sadism and the final vile expulsion that is Lacerated Viscera.
Infinite Misery bash you over the head with this new EP, it's Cannibal Corpse-like death metal that doesn't skimp on the brutality. 7/10
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