HMaM Global Mod
Post by GL on Jan 1, 2014 13:09:29 GMT -5
Again, never a genre that really ever gets a just due here in the US but which still has some of the best music of the year overall with several of the top choices here being dangerously close to taking the overall year-end spot but this is still a worthy class filled with powerful, energetic albums that certainly have earned their placement here on these lists. With a lot to like here, it's got some that could've been placed instead of some of these choices which, much like the Thrash list, showcases how good this genre really is and why overlooking it is such a crime, but here goes:
10. A Hero for the World-A Hero for the World
A more-than-worthy offering from this Philippine based one-man act, this release is more for those that enjoy the early Hammerfall era with a pretty patented attempt at that sound. With grooving guitars, up-tempo pace and a bottom-heavy rhythm section that plods and chugs along with a sense of traditional heavy metal melodies but with sparkling melodic vocals and a tougher grit to them rather than the epic clean, soaring vocals populated in the genre which gives it a little extra identity, there’s a lot to like here for those that worship the powerful, heavy-metal based brand of the genre rather than the more epic, symphonic regions that are explored elsewhere in the list and makes for quite an enjoyable release, especially considering it’s a one-man band.
9. Bane of Winterstorm-The Last Sons of Perylin
Quite possibly the most epic release on this list, these Australian Symphonic newcomers are poised to become big deals in the future if this debut offers any glimpse of their future potential. Loaded with galloping rhythms, orchestral keyboards, full-on choirs singing triumphant hymns of victory alongside the epic narration and endless technically-accomplished and dynamic guitar teams that spit out these epic-length tracks with profound ease. This allows for a certain dynamic to creep in that’s virtually missing from the genre as everyone tends to pile on the keyboards and choirs with the speed-drenched riffs to call itself Symphonic Power Metal. It would be nice to see a band attempt more tracks, split some of the longer ones up into separate tracks and put more on there since the album does feel a little on the short side despite being so long, but being so young and able to learn from the masters clearly gives them a spot on the list which is quite well-deserved.
8. Circle II Circle-Seasons Will Fall
Progressive-minded veterans, these guys really hit the mark with this one and delivered one of the most solid, enjoyable releases of their career thus far. Bristling with accomplished and sparkling riff-work that takes the genre as technically skilled and complex as it can go with the unusual rhythms and tones, soaring majestic clean vocals that weave throughout this with great clarity and a thunderous rhythm section that definitely makes the technically-sound riffs that much heavier and harder, it’s got all the elements needed to provide a classy, enjoyable experience. While this can get a bit hefty at times with all the different complex emotions running throughout the songs as it gets a little deeper into the mix, there’s still plenty to enjoy and love with this one and gets a deserving spot on the list.
7. Heavatar-Opus I: All My Kingdoms
The first project from one of the masterminds behind a cappella metal act Van Canto, this is more in line with the stylish, classy brand of Symphonic Power Metal with a generous rhythm section borrowed straight from the German school of metal so there’s a great sense of dynamic on this effort. The faster, grandiose sections are speed-laced gallops with thunderous drumming, majestic keyboards and glorious choirs singing over the top of the effort, while the more muscular sections are generally composed of more meaty, solid structures with bouncy rhythms and solid riff-work that makes for quite a solid, enjoyable outing. There’s a lot to like here with that kind of dynamic at work, important for the future success of the group, but a few sloppy moments when a band of this caliber should know better keep this from going higher on the list.
6. Kaledon-Altor: The King’s Blacksmith
One of the unsung heroes of the epic Italian Symphonic Power Metal underground, these veterans offer what must be their best work yet with one of the best efforts of the year. Running the gamut with what’s considered the norm for the Italian scene, that means we’re graced with impossibly blistering tempos generated from technically extravagant guitar-work, propulsive double-bass blasts that careen through the swirling, medieval melodies and orchestral keyboards that add a cinematic quality to the music that’s graced by crystal-clear glorious hymns of victory shouted over the triumphant music, and that winning formula is carried over here with the tightest performances, most dynamic arrangements and sterling compositions of their career. I’ve been waiting for them to get this far and I knew they had it in them, and even with a special guest along for the ride on a spectacular track among many without all that many flaws within the album as a whole, they really deserve placement on this list.
5. Vandroya-One
Brazilian female-fronted newcomers are rapidly growing on me, and with their sparkling combination of Helloween-styled theatrics and Kamelot-ish symphonics, there wasn’t much in the way hindering them in any case. That’s partly the reason for such a high-ranking case here, as the expert mixture of the two with the female vocals causes a lot to like as the sparkling keyboards dish out one glorious hymn after another while the thunderous rhythm section keeps the effort thrashing away at generous gallops while the hard-hitting guitars display the kind of technicality and speed produced by their Teutonic forefathers making for an incredibly smooth and listenable sound when combined with the soaring, easy melodies generated from the female vocals. This is all pretty exciting to see from such a rookie band and shows a strong hint of what they can do in the future.
4. Derdian-Limbo
Out of the numerous Symphonic Power Metal acts from Italy, these guys were always the one poised to make the leap from the minors to the majors with just that one special album to propel them out with, and with any luck it’s going to be this one. Usually reliant on sparkling speed and neoclassical melodies to launch themselves along the galloping tempos throughout, there’s a restrained nature here that comes from a profound sense of maturity that becomes all the more appealing on repeated listens. Pounding drumming galore, orchestral keyboards and frantic, thrash-laced guitars bristling with melody, class and power weave throughout this one and make the album shine with a light and warmth that wasn’t there in their previous works and allows for a profound sense of class to spotlight the movement and make this one of the more impressive and enjoyable releases in the genre in a long time.
3. Gloryhammer-Tales of the Kingdom of Fife
Symphony-drenched glory from Scotland that’s based on the legacy and history of their home-country makes for quite a rousing offering, and this debut release is stunningly enjoyable at accomplishing that task. While it’s technically a super-group consisting of scene veterans coming together in a side-project of sorts (for those interested, the main groups of members include Emerald and Alestorm which should give an idea of what goes on here) as indeed we get somewhat of a mixture between the main groups of the stars here with sparkling, soaring vocals (the Emerald influence) with the folk-laced symphony led by raging keyboards and atmospheric guitars (straight from Alestorm) into a harmonious, collective whole. It’s enjoyable enough without the extra, outside influence of its members but they help make this one climb this high on the list.
2. Helloween-Straight Out of Hell
Another year, another stand-out and strong Helloween release and this one might end-up being the best of the current reign with Andi Deris on vocals if you choose to split up the eras by vocalist. That alone is an indictment of how strong this release is, with so much to love about the music within that it makes for a strong overall effort anyway with a wide variety of tracks that run the gamut from sterling speed-drenched thrashers to varied, multi-textured epics and even a few mid-range pieces thrown in as well, along with a fine ballad amongst the ragers. It’s as well-stocked and generous as most of their usual efforts, the production job is generous and amounts to plenty to like within and overall is a strong, worthy slot anyway, but the main focus here is on the fact that this might be the apex of the bands’ writing so far as even the speedier songs are packed with a strong set of melodic interludes, atmospheric intervals and dynamic variations that allow these to offer a great range and scope beyond just the track at face value, and that in itself is a value hardly placed within the past efforts and therefore makes this one of their best.
1. Stratovarius-Nemesis
Well, it took a while to do so but finally these guys have figured out how to get along without Tolkki in the mix as this is album #3 without their legendary figurehead and it’s been steadily improving since he left and finally culminating in this dynamic, multi-textured effort. Gone are the days of plodding, mid-paced heavy metal with weak riffs and fiery solos to amount to the only semblance of power metal still in the bands’ ranks for now they seem to straddle the line quite nicely with the grandiose, classy bombast of the earlier days when they initially spearheaded the Neoclassical Power Metal movement with the more mature, reserved amount of mid-tempo work that seems to function off what they had accomplished in the last few records, and the result is a vibrant offering of fresh, energetic power metal the band has been missing since the turn of the millennium with these utterly brilliant tracks in fine form keeping these tracks barreling along nicely. It’s a bold, encouraging record and definitely shows the band hasn’t forgotten their past entirely yet wants to move forward in the future, and as a mission statement it certainly announces the future is going to be promising indeed.
10. A Hero for the World-A Hero for the World
A more-than-worthy offering from this Philippine based one-man act, this release is more for those that enjoy the early Hammerfall era with a pretty patented attempt at that sound. With grooving guitars, up-tempo pace and a bottom-heavy rhythm section that plods and chugs along with a sense of traditional heavy metal melodies but with sparkling melodic vocals and a tougher grit to them rather than the epic clean, soaring vocals populated in the genre which gives it a little extra identity, there’s a lot to like here for those that worship the powerful, heavy-metal based brand of the genre rather than the more epic, symphonic regions that are explored elsewhere in the list and makes for quite an enjoyable release, especially considering it’s a one-man band.
9. Bane of Winterstorm-The Last Sons of Perylin
Quite possibly the most epic release on this list, these Australian Symphonic newcomers are poised to become big deals in the future if this debut offers any glimpse of their future potential. Loaded with galloping rhythms, orchestral keyboards, full-on choirs singing triumphant hymns of victory alongside the epic narration and endless technically-accomplished and dynamic guitar teams that spit out these epic-length tracks with profound ease. This allows for a certain dynamic to creep in that’s virtually missing from the genre as everyone tends to pile on the keyboards and choirs with the speed-drenched riffs to call itself Symphonic Power Metal. It would be nice to see a band attempt more tracks, split some of the longer ones up into separate tracks and put more on there since the album does feel a little on the short side despite being so long, but being so young and able to learn from the masters clearly gives them a spot on the list which is quite well-deserved.
8. Circle II Circle-Seasons Will Fall
Progressive-minded veterans, these guys really hit the mark with this one and delivered one of the most solid, enjoyable releases of their career thus far. Bristling with accomplished and sparkling riff-work that takes the genre as technically skilled and complex as it can go with the unusual rhythms and tones, soaring majestic clean vocals that weave throughout this with great clarity and a thunderous rhythm section that definitely makes the technically-sound riffs that much heavier and harder, it’s got all the elements needed to provide a classy, enjoyable experience. While this can get a bit hefty at times with all the different complex emotions running throughout the songs as it gets a little deeper into the mix, there’s still plenty to enjoy and love with this one and gets a deserving spot on the list.
7. Heavatar-Opus I: All My Kingdoms
The first project from one of the masterminds behind a cappella metal act Van Canto, this is more in line with the stylish, classy brand of Symphonic Power Metal with a generous rhythm section borrowed straight from the German school of metal so there’s a great sense of dynamic on this effort. The faster, grandiose sections are speed-laced gallops with thunderous drumming, majestic keyboards and glorious choirs singing over the top of the effort, while the more muscular sections are generally composed of more meaty, solid structures with bouncy rhythms and solid riff-work that makes for quite a solid, enjoyable outing. There’s a lot to like here with that kind of dynamic at work, important for the future success of the group, but a few sloppy moments when a band of this caliber should know better keep this from going higher on the list.
6. Kaledon-Altor: The King’s Blacksmith
One of the unsung heroes of the epic Italian Symphonic Power Metal underground, these veterans offer what must be their best work yet with one of the best efforts of the year. Running the gamut with what’s considered the norm for the Italian scene, that means we’re graced with impossibly blistering tempos generated from technically extravagant guitar-work, propulsive double-bass blasts that careen through the swirling, medieval melodies and orchestral keyboards that add a cinematic quality to the music that’s graced by crystal-clear glorious hymns of victory shouted over the triumphant music, and that winning formula is carried over here with the tightest performances, most dynamic arrangements and sterling compositions of their career. I’ve been waiting for them to get this far and I knew they had it in them, and even with a special guest along for the ride on a spectacular track among many without all that many flaws within the album as a whole, they really deserve placement on this list.
5. Vandroya-One
Brazilian female-fronted newcomers are rapidly growing on me, and with their sparkling combination of Helloween-styled theatrics and Kamelot-ish symphonics, there wasn’t much in the way hindering them in any case. That’s partly the reason for such a high-ranking case here, as the expert mixture of the two with the female vocals causes a lot to like as the sparkling keyboards dish out one glorious hymn after another while the thunderous rhythm section keeps the effort thrashing away at generous gallops while the hard-hitting guitars display the kind of technicality and speed produced by their Teutonic forefathers making for an incredibly smooth and listenable sound when combined with the soaring, easy melodies generated from the female vocals. This is all pretty exciting to see from such a rookie band and shows a strong hint of what they can do in the future.
4. Derdian-Limbo
Out of the numerous Symphonic Power Metal acts from Italy, these guys were always the one poised to make the leap from the minors to the majors with just that one special album to propel them out with, and with any luck it’s going to be this one. Usually reliant on sparkling speed and neoclassical melodies to launch themselves along the galloping tempos throughout, there’s a restrained nature here that comes from a profound sense of maturity that becomes all the more appealing on repeated listens. Pounding drumming galore, orchestral keyboards and frantic, thrash-laced guitars bristling with melody, class and power weave throughout this one and make the album shine with a light and warmth that wasn’t there in their previous works and allows for a profound sense of class to spotlight the movement and make this one of the more impressive and enjoyable releases in the genre in a long time.
3. Gloryhammer-Tales of the Kingdom of Fife
Symphony-drenched glory from Scotland that’s based on the legacy and history of their home-country makes for quite a rousing offering, and this debut release is stunningly enjoyable at accomplishing that task. While it’s technically a super-group consisting of scene veterans coming together in a side-project of sorts (for those interested, the main groups of members include Emerald and Alestorm which should give an idea of what goes on here) as indeed we get somewhat of a mixture between the main groups of the stars here with sparkling, soaring vocals (the Emerald influence) with the folk-laced symphony led by raging keyboards and atmospheric guitars (straight from Alestorm) into a harmonious, collective whole. It’s enjoyable enough without the extra, outside influence of its members but they help make this one climb this high on the list.
2. Helloween-Straight Out of Hell
Another year, another stand-out and strong Helloween release and this one might end-up being the best of the current reign with Andi Deris on vocals if you choose to split up the eras by vocalist. That alone is an indictment of how strong this release is, with so much to love about the music within that it makes for a strong overall effort anyway with a wide variety of tracks that run the gamut from sterling speed-drenched thrashers to varied, multi-textured epics and even a few mid-range pieces thrown in as well, along with a fine ballad amongst the ragers. It’s as well-stocked and generous as most of their usual efforts, the production job is generous and amounts to plenty to like within and overall is a strong, worthy slot anyway, but the main focus here is on the fact that this might be the apex of the bands’ writing so far as even the speedier songs are packed with a strong set of melodic interludes, atmospheric intervals and dynamic variations that allow these to offer a great range and scope beyond just the track at face value, and that in itself is a value hardly placed within the past efforts and therefore makes this one of their best.
1. Stratovarius-Nemesis
Well, it took a while to do so but finally these guys have figured out how to get along without Tolkki in the mix as this is album #3 without their legendary figurehead and it’s been steadily improving since he left and finally culminating in this dynamic, multi-textured effort. Gone are the days of plodding, mid-paced heavy metal with weak riffs and fiery solos to amount to the only semblance of power metal still in the bands’ ranks for now they seem to straddle the line quite nicely with the grandiose, classy bombast of the earlier days when they initially spearheaded the Neoclassical Power Metal movement with the more mature, reserved amount of mid-tempo work that seems to function off what they had accomplished in the last few records, and the result is a vibrant offering of fresh, energetic power metal the band has been missing since the turn of the millennium with these utterly brilliant tracks in fine form keeping these tracks barreling along nicely. It’s a bold, encouraging record and definitely shows the band hasn’t forgotten their past entirely yet wants to move forward in the future, and as a mission statement it certainly announces the future is going to be promising indeed.
