It's seriously one of the most inconsistent albums I can think of. You'd think that those early USPM albums were just about metal-till-you-drop but no. There's also one song on the album with harsh vocals that don't make things much better, either!

Anyway, I've been getting a huge kick out of Cauldron Born, Vicious Rumors, Sacred Oath and Heir Apparent lately.

"Holy" is a praise song.

Ity's not like anything else on the album.

Drop it and I think you have unquestionably a great album from start to finish. So in that regard it's not inconsistent, it just has one song as an outlier.

Some other songs are bad too, I'm afraid. ''Beyond the Mountain'' lacks some real bite and is more fluffy happily sing along stuff. ''Unfailing Love'' reminds me that some bands just aren't made to do ballads. ''Paradise'' has those Iron Maiden dual-leads-gone-wrong and ''The Flood'' is hilarious with harsh vocals that you'd expect from mid-90's melodic death metal instead - no thanks!

It's always a good time for CB. \m/ \m/

"Unfailing Love" is sappy but not bad per se.

"Paradise" is an excellent song. One of my friends who loves death metal and black metal really loves that song too.

"The Flood" to me is not a real song, just a fun "jam" among friends in the scene so I don't score it the same.

"Beyond the Mountain" is also very good.

I prefer the heavier tracks in general too, but softer melodic metal can be great too if done well while staying away from generic patterns.

BTW I checked out that first Pharaoh song and .... yeah .... the riffs and guitar patterns are just so generic to me. It's part Maiden (but not their best riffs) and part Euro-flower metal, at least in the guitar playing.

I like Aymar's voice a lot but just think he fits better in Psycho Scream. The music on that release was a lot more interesting to my ears.

I appreciate the recommendations though. This band is just not for me.

I got back into Argus in a big way and whoa! This way way better than I remember. There are doomy tendencies but lots of classic NWOBHM sounds, Thin Lizzy (a lot of Lizzy!), classic rock galore etc. Great band and I do not know why I overlooked them.

interesting. When I think Euro-flower, I immediately think of the fast palm-muted stuff (Usually with prominent keys) that bands like Sonata Arctica and Rhapsody are known for. Pharaoh sounds like an entirely different beast to me, but opinions and all that.

Yeah, I don't get a Euro-flower power vibe from Pharaoh at all. I get much more of a muscular German power metal sound from them, albeit in a very slick and modernized package. I'd also say that their songwriting is quite a bit more involved and detailed than a lot of the modern sounding power metal bands, which places them above a generic descriptor for me.

Fun speed metal from China, some pretty nice riffs on this, nice chunky production, great bass. Vocals are...whatever, but it's speed metal.

Dressed to Kill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YJ3VMjwL5Q

I tried to get into this but it did not grab me in any way. The vocals are not a problem it just sounds unremarkable compared to say the new Diabolic Night.

I linked that album earlier. The first song is fun, but the rest not so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvstQaJcDgw

New stuff from Crystal Eyes - old school power metal that has been moving in a more traditional, Dio-Sabbath kind of vein for years now. Digging this. Just unpretentious, ass-kicking stuff.

This album was always my favorite by them. Just my kind of shit.

I never got into this band. I do not know why - something about them sounded like flowery, Euro-style stuff. This new track is not that but...I don't know. Something is lacking there.

Their brand of power metal with that smooth, heavy guitar tone and that kind of just a little gruff but hyper melodic vocal style is basically exactly what I like.

I think it just lacks a little more oomph and power in the riffage. The melodic ideas are good and the execution is pretty spot on but I would prefer for it be a little more driving and pedal-to-the-metal.

Been listening to Beyond The Martyrs. Pretty good tbh.

I tried the first Sacred Warrior album and the first few tracks seem alright. I was convinced this would be a much more consistent album than the one that followed but then it the ballad appeared and the cringe factor went up a 100%. Seriously, how do you go from

to

????

Their last one "From Fields Of Fire" is also pretty great. Good vocals too!

Yeah, the vocals are the highlight for sure. Will check that one later thanks.

Also, what is the general opinion on the new Atlantean Kodex now? I was a bit underwhelmed when I listened to it but only gave it a couple of spins.

I wasn't into Argus last time I tried - pretty boring to me.

New Atlantean Kodex is spectacular. It's kind of a lot, being so long and much of it a bit slower paced, but the writing is fantastic and they're really pushing things forward with every album.

Shit, I've been revisiting Skullview's debut and it seriously captures the essence of a band you don't want to mess with. The raspy vocals wail over booming riffs and that guitar tone is one of the heaviest I can think of as far as heavy/power metal goes.

The first song has an intro that could be a death metal intro while the riff at 4:15 seems to lifted straight off Awaken the Guardian.



This one's more instant.



I also like how fucking Bolt Thrower are on their similar artist page.

So I've just stumbled upon a band that blew me away called Twilight Kingdom. Think of debut-era Dream Theater if they were a bit more USPM oriented, with much better vocals and choruses that would make most Euro power metal bands envious.

https://fullcircle2.bandcamp.com/album/ ... e-guardian

Track 2 and 5 should give a good impression.

I finally gave Sanctuary's Into the Mirror Black a chance and it seems quite decent so far. The debut seemed boring from what I remember, so I never bothered to try this one out before.

Its a lot better!!

Regarding Argus - always liked Boldly Stride the Doomed, though it's been quite a long time since I've heard it, not sure how it would hold up nowadays. I liked Beyond the Martyrs too but never as much as BStD. Nothing mind-blowing but pretty solid stuff.

That Crystal Eyes song Empyreal linked had a cool first verse and I thought it was gonna be some cool later-Sabbath-ish stuff as he said, but then the riffs totally dropped out in the chorus and it sounded just like a Europower chorus. So not really too keen I'd say.

That Twilight Kingdom song is definitely not my cup of tea, but given the Dream Theater comparison I'm not exactly surprised.

Been a long time since I heard Sanctuary's second album, I probably ought to give it another try. The first album is pretty decent but I really dig the 'Inception' version released a couple years ago, it has the two awesome tracks from the demo and removes some of the weaker cuts. Insane, Dream of the Incubus, Die for My Sins, Battle Angels, and Veil of Disguise are all excellent. Still not totally consistent, but more so than the original debut. Into the Mirror Black I just remember not really clicking in the past. But who knows, maybe it could this time!

I was listening to the Zion's Abyss album the other day and I realized I'd forgotten how awesome it is. White collar USPM but one that doesn't really sound a lot like any other band I've heard. Fates Warning might be the closest but even then it doesn't really sound similar to Spectre or Awaken overall, just shares the same complex riffing and vocal structures I'd say. It's a bit more muscular than a lot of those types of bands, maybe closer to Enchanter in that regard, but it's a lot darker and sleeker than Enchanter. Anyway, excellent stuff. I've always liked the album but it really blew me away this time around. Highly recommened to any who haven't heard it.

Also just heard the new Demons & Wizards track. I know most of the regulars aren't into 'em, but anyone have any thoughts? I thought it was pretty good but definitely not a home-run, a bit longer than it needed to be but of course Hansi's vocal lines are fantastic and the riffing isn't bad for the most part. I expect I'll get some enjoyment out of the album, at least.

Oh, and the new Blind Guardian album...I like it quite a bit actually, but it's in a weird place for me because when I'm in the mood for Blind Guardian I want to hear actual riffs and that classic Olbrich/Siepen harmonizing, so I really have to be in a different kind of mood to listen to it. Some great tracks like In the Red Dwarf's Tower and Beyond the Wall, but I have to be in more of a soundtrack type of mood to listen to it. I've only heard it about 5 times and I understand many being disappointed. I can't say I'm not a little bit disappointed as well, but if you go into it expecting something other than metal, I think it still holds up fairly well (if you're into that sort of style). Time will tell my ultimate feelings but I've enjoyed it whenever I've listened to it.

I've revisited Mercury Rising's Upon Deaf Ears and it's cool. Sort of the thing Fates Warning perhaps could ended up with if they kept some of the USPM mixed with their proggy thing they did in the late 80's.

Anyone here familiar with Catharsis? They're basically what I want early Psychotic Waltz to be (their debut certainly has its moments, also has some filler I'm afraid) with perhaps some more USPM thrown in.

The second Sanctuary album is an absolute classic of dark, moody yet heavy USPM! Everybody should check it out.

Yeah it's definitely in the Europower mold. Something about the way they write these days just reminds me of 80s style classic metal, albeit a more poppy kind, than straight up fantasy Europower though.

That is the problem I had with it! It reminded me of the Europower stuff I used to hate.

Haha, I got into some Dream Theater songs a while ago again. The demo version of ''A Change of Seasons'' is probably the riffiest DT ever got. Definitely resembles Perfect Symmetry era FW at times, just with a gnome on vocals instead (and that's a compliment!)




That riff at 5:02 in the second link reminds me of Adramelch even, out of all bands.

As a general recommendation, the new Sardis EP is really fantastic. It's balls-out heavy metal and a ton of fun. There's not a weak song on it.

That Sardis song sounds pretty good. The vocals are quite cool too. Gotta look into it.

Wow! Sardis has always been a solid band but this is excellent! They've really taken it to the next level. I'm definitely getting this.

Reminds me a bit of Dofka.

So I'm looking for something along the lines of Vicious Rumors' Digital Dictator. Ballsy power metal that also has a slight sci-fi vibe. The title track and ''Worlds and Machines'' capture best of what I'm looking for.

What do you lot make of Chevalier? Definitely the most interesting heavy metal album I've heard in a while. Hearkening back to the dungeons of the 80s!

I like the music a lot but the production throws me off. I can understand raw and lo-fi but this just sounds...off at times. The music itself is great!

For me, the production is ace. It's proper dungeon metal ala Griffin's second album or Attacker's debut (albeit better than the said album). It's super evocative and I love the way the drums just jump out at you at certain points.

We're on the same page about Chevalier. My favorite trad album of the year. They seem to have a singular vision for what the final product should sound like. And the instrumental skill to follow through. It's not just raw speed for speed's sake. The riffs are robust and the compositions are dense.

One of the very last great dream theater tracks.