Entry 1519 - Ossaert - Bedehuis

Style: black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Darkness, death, and the world of blasphemy 

Thoughts: Black metal is my favorite genre. It has some of the most powerful music ever created to be held within the confines of its boundaries. Some of the strongest atmospheres in metal or really any genre have come from its humble roots. Some truly amazing bands... Ossaert is not one of those bands.

The four tracks present on this album are about as simple as you can get within the black metal genre. While there is a place for this there are specific things that are required of the music for me to find it enjoyable. 

The music must be well performed, the atmosphere must be top notch, and most importantly the music must be written with a raw primitive emotion that is not found in any other genre. Ossaert has none of this on Bedehuls. 

The music is simple and repetitive but the passion and raw production are lacking. The music has aggression but there is no real fire or vitriol to the supposed hate that is coming from the project. The music is executed well but it feels formulaic and has a black metal by the numbers type execution. 

I'm sure there are people out there that will enjoy this album, but I am not one of them. This is generic black metal with no real redeeming qualities and it's simply not something that I will spend much time listening to, now or in the future.

Entry 1518 - Arstidir Lifsins - Heljarkvida

Style: folk black metal, Viking metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Vikings, their kin, and the vast ocean

Thoughts: There is no band like this. No band on the planet that writes metal in this style outside of Arstidir Lifsins. I have had the absolute pleasure of listening to their music in several of their full lengths prior to this writing and I am always craving more... well I have now acquired more and the quality remains from their pervious works. 

What other band plays songs that are this engaging for this long? I can probably name a few individual examples... but to do it so consistently, for so many albums. I can't think of another band. 

What other band is able to have such an epic atmosphere time and time again throughout multiple full lengths and EPs? Again individual examples exist but nothing is as consistent or as compelling as these guys. The violin mixed with the deep booming spoken vocals transitioning into the insanely brutal Viking laced black metal is goosebump inducing. There's nothing quite like it.

On Heljarkvida specifically the band has produced two twenty plus minute tracks that embody the essence of what the band is about. Sweeping epic black metal that has tinges of folk metal and the atmosphere of a Baltic storm that has come to claim every long ship in its clutches. There is nothing like it. 

I feel like I could write a novel on how much I love this band, but I will refrain for now. Every release I have from them is exceptional and leaves me wanting more. Luckily for me there is a LOT more for me to explore from the band. Simply incredible music.

Entry 1517 - Shadow Dungeon - A Crypt of Mysteriis

Style: dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: the dead, their crypts, and the great unknown

Thoughts: There truly is something wonderful about the dungeon synth genre. No matter what iteration of the music I hear there is almost always something to like. 

Shadow Dungeon is yet another entry into the classic dungeon synth realm. There are two long compositions that fall very much in line with the early Mortiis albums. That being that they seem to be a combination of a bunch of smaller compositions before being combined into the twenty minute long epic that they are in their album form. 

I'm not opposed to this style of creating songs. It forces the listener to take the entire side of the record in at once without skipping tracks - something I am naturally inclined to do regardless. There is a part of me though that would love to have individual song titles and track lengths, if nothing more than to see a bit more into the artist's mind. Song titles go a long way to seeing what the artist intended when they created the music. Though without them I am also allowed the freedom for my own interpretation.

So in the spirit of interpretation A Crypt of Mysteriis is exactly that; an exploration of the unknown, the dark depths of the earth and the realm of the dead. The album is - again - a collection of smaller compositions that range from small musings to epic sprawling opus'. The resultant album does indeed feel like a journey to some unknown destination... a dark destination. 

Perhaps we are searching for a lost relic. Mayhaps an heirloom. Or perhaps we are simply taking a stroll through the more moribund parts of the earth. Regardless the synths and melodies that Shadow Dungeon has produced on these two tracks are fitting for any of the above endeavors and a near infinite more. 

A Crypt of Mysteriis is a fine classic dungeon synth album. It falls in line exactly with what you would expect from the early black metal/dungeon synth movement. Even though this album was written 25 to 30 years after the initial movement the spirit remains the same. Not something that can be said about much modern dungeon synth.  

Entry 1516 - Winterblood - Waldeninsamkelt

Style: dungeon synth, dark ambient, wintersynth

Primary Emotions/Themes: the cold comes for us all

Thoughts: The night slowly creeps over the frozen waste land. Years of ice and frost have covered this tundra, undisturbed by the filthy hands of man. The spirit of Winter lies here peacefully in this tranquil yet inhospitable land. This is the land that Winterblood has created through their music.

The essence of Waldeninsamkelt come in the form of slow, drawn out compositions that range from twenty to forty minutes in length. A minimalistic ambience is the basis for all things that are to come. These solitary tones provide not only the backing but also the atmosphere for the entirety of this eighty minute epic.

Played one solitary note after the other, the basis of the album has a lonely almost forgotten feel to it. It paints not a grim picture, no - but rather a land that has been forgotten by time and more importantly unspoiled by human hands. Yes, there is isolation, there is loneliness... but there is also peace. 

The only accompaniment to these lonely tones is a bright and echoes melody. Melody is a bit of a misnomer here - for the music does not follow traditional melodic structure. Rather the tune is carried by a strikingly similar cadence to the lonely tones of the backing notes. The only differentiation is the brightness and tamber of these higher melodic notes to the more somber tones that came before. 

The melody acts more like a counterpoint to the backing tracks. Together they complete the picture painted of these frostbitten landscapes. Slowly painting a picture of loss and death... yet still maintaining tranquillity above all. Yes, there is sorrow. Yes, there was once suffering... but no more. Now there is only stillness, now there is only calm. 

Entry 1515 - Vrorsaath - Moonlight's Wrath

Style: dungeon synth with black metal elements

Primary Emotions/Themes: a tribute to the early days of the genre mixed with a tinge of blackened vocals

Thoughts: I've started to really dig deep into the dungeon synth genre the past few years. The deeper I dig the more interesting music I find. There are things hidden in these synth laden passages that I have not heard in any other genres. There are also new takes on old concepts that make them feel fresh again, and it's in this realm that Moonlight's Wrath falls.

Vrorsaath takes the dungeon synth of the early to mid 90's as the base to their debut album. To this basis we occasionally had distant guitars and quite frequent black metal vocals. There isn't enough black metal here for it to be the dominant genre, but it is an ever present force... at least for most of the album.

As with many albums Moonlight's Wrath tells a story through its music. The start of the album is decidedly darker and contains much more black metal. As the album progresses the black metal elements become less pronounced eventually ending up with the final track containing no black metal at all. The progression is subtle and I normally miss the inflection point where the album switches over to pure dungeon synth, and that is one of the primary drivers as to why I like this album as much as I do.

As I listen to Moonlight's Wrath I'm not just listening to an album, I'm going on a musical journey. A journey to a place that is far off from the horrors of this world, a place where fantasy rules supreme. A place where The Night's Dream, Vague and Pale comes to life with the ethereal synths that it brings. A place where the horrors of this world are no more and there is only me alone in nature. This is the place of dreams.

Entry 1514 - Aara - Eiger

Style: black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: cold unrelenting mountains

Thoughts: Oh man do these guys know how to write a black metal album. There have been so few bands in the last decade that have written music so consistently and so incredibly well as the enigmatic Aara have. 

After finishing up their trilogy the band has released their longest record to date. They have not only taken the lessons learned during the past few albums but they have expanded on them in directions I did not expect the band to go. Eiger shows all the power and intensity of the past few albums, but it also has this cold calculated precision to each of the songs that fits the theme of snowy mountains and their brutally inhospitable climates perfectly. 

I've said before that Aara play black metal with a death metal intensity to their riffs. There were stand out points during all of the previous albums, however on Eiger it seems like those moments are on every single song. These riffs are as massive as the mountains they depict. They are as brutal as the frostbite that comes from an ill prepared climber. They are as ruthless as an unstoppable avalanche. At moments they are even as tranquil as a gentle breeze blowing undisturbed snow. 

This album is possibly the best thing the band has ever created. The speed at which the band executes these riffs is blistering. The intensity that  Fluss delivers the lyrics is unmatched. Her voice pierces the air like a screeching bird of prey. The drums are so precise and so fast that they sound nearly inhuman. 

To top all this off the album is absolutely greater than the sum of its parts. The lasting effect that these songs have on me is incredible. It's the kind of album that I can close my eyes and get lost in its clutches. 

I've been reflecting on the bands discography the entire time that I've been listening to this album. I think outside of the debut record that this is indeed their finest moment. This is the perfection of the direction that they were taking in the Triade trilogy and adds both more intensity and tranquility to their already refined sound. For fans of black metal this is indeed one of the best releases to come out in the last few years. 

Entry 1513 - Kamelot - The Black Halo

Style: Epic power metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Faust, divinity, the devil, and mankind 

Thoughts: I've listened to this album nearly a hundred times. I know most of it like the back of my hand, it is likely one of the best power metal albums ever written. It's been one of the greatest searches of my vinyl collecting career to find this at a reasonable price... and then out of no where Napalm repressed it. 

I immediately ordered it and waited. When the fateful day arrived I immediately put the record on expecting to jam out to March of Mephisto. What I got though was something I had never heard before... there was some distant talking and faint music, but no sign of the epic slow build that I expected. Did I have the right record? What was going on here?

After another minute or two the intro to the album faded and I was greeted by the expected march. I knew I had the right record, but what was it that I was hearing before?  Apparently the vinyl release has some extra interludes on the track list that were never included in the CD release. Who knew? Well now I do, and I enjoy the fuck out of it.

As for the actual album, this is Kamelot's finest hour. This is the perfect blend of theater, power, aggression, and melody. The band defied all my expectations with the opener, not once but twice now. The origional opening to the album I expected a scorcher of a track. Instead we get a mid paced march that rakes our emotions over the coals as we see the pain that the main character is going through. Expectations reset from the very start.

The second time was what was described at the start. The vinyl release starts off very quiet and does nothing to show you that you are in the right place until the song starts up two to three minutes later. It's masterfully done. Expectations reset once again.

This sense of defying expectations continues throughout the album. The band has their "mega hit" on the third track called Haunted. Even here the duet between Khan and Simone from Epica has an interplay that acts out more like lovers talking to each other than a metal song. Again, it's incredible.

There are of course typical power metal scorchers on the album, Soul Society being first and foremost amongst them. This song... oh this song. It encapsulates everything that I love about the band: the drama, the emotion, the speed, and the fury. It's not just that Kamelot play power metal, it's that they play it in such a way that no other band can match them (at least in this point in their career). 

Soul Society starts off with sirens and an orchestra playing one of the many melodies of the album. The guitars come in and slowly drive the song upwards in speed, melody, and power. By the time the chorus comes in the song is in full force. Khan's voice soars above it all in rare form even for him. The orchestra returns to compliment the guitars and drums... the whole thing is a testament to how there are always exceptions in every music genre. I typically don't like power metal... but I fucking LOVE this.

The band continues at this high level throughout the entire album. An hour plus of incredible music that I wish would never end. I've been a huge stickler lately about preferring single LP albums as they are nice and succinct. It takes something truly special for me to enjoy more than that... The Black Halo is just that and more. I wish that this album went on for two hours if it retained the quality that we have here.  

The Black Halo is the highest point in the band's storied career. The only other album coming close to this level of quality if Karma, and that one has not received a repress as of this writing.  Until that happens I'll be spinning The Black Halo and reveling in its darkly sweet tones. 

Entry 1512 - Dark Funeral - Where Shadows Forever Reign

Style: black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: ....satan

Thoughts: Holy fuck what an opener. 

Not sure I can think of another Dark Funeral song that starts out an album as strong as Unchain My Soul. In fact it's hard for me to think of many black metal songs that are as good of an opener as this song. The band has found the perfect formula on Where Shadows Forever Reign and they exploit it to maximum effect.

What is that formula you may ask? Well it's simple. Blistering fast riffs, blast beats, and incredibly well executed vocals. Except when its not. Some of the album is blisteringly slow riffs, well executed drums and menacing vocals. The band switches between these two throughout the whole album. 

What's that? It sounds like normal black metal? Yes, you would be absolutely correct in that assertion. This is black metal through and through. There is nothing original about this in the slightest... but there doesn't need to be. This is a classic case of a genre being executed to perfection - it's so good that it's impossible to ignore. 

These riffs have power to them. These riffs have purpose. The music energizes me like so few other things do. It's easily one of the most generic black metal albums I own, but that doesn't matter at all because it's easily one of the finest examples of how to write good black metal in my collection as well.

I love it when one of the classic bands in the genre create something worthy of their early works. Where Shadows Forever Reign is exactly that. This is up there with Secrets of the Dark Arts and Vobiscum Satanas. God I love this album. 

Entry 1511 - Ayreon - The Human Equation

Style: progressive metal, metal opera 

Primary Emotions/Themes: what makes us human? what happens when we are in a coma? emotions and coming to terms with mortality

Thoughts: I think I would normally write a huge epic summary for an album like this, I'm going to try and do the opposite. Simply put The Human Equation is the best metal opera that I have ever heard. The combination of singers gathered here and the depth of emotions displayed is incredible. I've never heard anything like it. For anyone that has ever enjoyed metal in any capacity whatsoever you owe it to yourself to listen to Ayreon's magnum opus. To do anything less would be uncivilized. 

Entry 1510 - Runespell - Verses in Regicide

Style: Melodic black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: regicide, the destruction of authority 

Thoughts: Runespell. Likely the best black metal band I've found in the past five years. Certainly the best melodic band I've found in metal in that time frame. The way that these melodies cut through the air combined with the blasting and unmatched atmosphere is what drives this project from good to elite.

The first time I heard Verses in Regicide I knew that it was very much a continuation of the previous album. A huge amount of acoustic work mixed with the excellent melodic black metal with some minor tweaks from the Voice of Opprobrium: the songs are shorter and the album is more diverse than the previous opus.

For the most part nothing has changed outside of those two minor details. The album still blasts away at full speed while the melodies guide the music through all sorts of peaks and valleys. The acoustic guitar provides a great contrast to the constant battering of the metal and the vocals wrap everything together nicely with a raw reverb filled production. This is still very much Runespell.

What does differ though is the song order. It's not acoustic followed by metal followed by acoustic wash and repeat. The album flows a bit better, the acoustic sections are spread across the tracks less evenly, providing a bit more variety than previous entries into the Runespell discography. Nothing much has changed to the formula, rather it has been fine tuned to fit the music better.

Runespell remains one of my favorite modern black metal bands. I love how they seem to get better with every album yet never forget the sound that brought them to where they are. They are a testament to how black metal can still be engaging and interesting without resorting to gimmicks. 

Entry 1509 - Rapture - Silent Stage

Style: melodic doom/death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: loss, grieving, life not being fair

Thoughts: There are a bunch of bands that I have enjoyed over the years. Most of those bands were forgotten to the anneals of time and unless a specific memory triggered a recollection of their music I wouldn't think about any of them. Rapture is one of those bands.

I found this band when they were first releasing albums twentyish years ago. I really enjoyed their three albums and the melancholy take they had on melodic doom/death. Silent Stage is their final album and it shows the most streamlined writing as well as being the easiest album to get into from the band.

If doom/death metal could be accessible, this is that album. The music has a ton of hooks, the melancholy is there but it's not crushing like so many bands in the genre are. The tempo is slow to mid paced but never once approaches funeral doom levels. The vocal interplay between Henri's harsh vocals and Petri's cleans are executed to near perfection here. As far as the genre goes this is easy listening.

That said this is still a metal album, a doom album, a death metal album, and above all an album filled with melancholy. Listen to the lyrics on The Past Nightmare.. they talk about witnessing a murder and the mental toll that it takes. The loss of meaning in everything. 

These types of lyrics combined with the overt melancholy of all the riffs and melodies are what differentiates this album from "poppy" metal. Silent Stage unapologetically treads in the mire of human misery - and it's a better album for it. 

Rapture's discography getting a vinyl release was not on my bingo card for any time period. I was shocked when I saw them for sale at an online distro. I grabbed all three full lengths without a second thought. Revisiting their discography has been a trip down memory lane, proving once again that music can trigger all sorts of memories - good and band. In the case of Rapture most if not all of them are great. 

Entry 1508 - Jessica Moss - Galaxy Heart

Style: neo-classical, ambient, noise

Primary Emotions/Themes: Abstract themes, musical variations, experiments

Thoughts: Jessica Moss' music is odd to say the least. I've quite enjoyed some of her earlier works as they were abstract ambient pieces with classical instrumentation. Galaxy Heart is a bit of a harder nut to crack though. 

Where this album differs from the earlier ones that I've heard is that the experiments seem to be less focused. One composition will be experimenting with feedback from a violin while the next feels like an abstract classical piece. Distorted guitars are used with industrial noodlings thrown in, droning tones are overlaid with odd vocal harmonies. It's all very strange... and not in a way that I enjoy.

There is a place for experimetnal music in my collection. However, sometimes that experimentation does not resonate with my tastes. I simply think that is what's going on with Galaxy Heart. I respect the music for what it is, but this likely will not be seeing much in thew ay of rotation on my turntable outside of this initial listen.

Entry 1507 - desert sand feels warm at night - 暗​涙​に​咽​ぶ

Style: vaporwave, slushwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: slow reflections of life

Thoughts: Slushwave. A genre that I really enjoy in small doses. Small doses is key.

Desert Sand is one of the better slushwave artists that I've heard. Even so there is only so much that I can take before the music wears thin on me. Half an hour long songs that don't really have any progression are great sometimes but eventually I will need a bit more activity in my music. Even ambient music evolves more than slushwave at points, it's a really curious genre. 

Musically however I don't know if I can think of a bigger discrepancy between cover and music than I have with 暗​涙​に​咽​ぶ. At least within the vaporwave genre. You see, the cover screams sci-fi, dreampunk, lonely rainy nights in a neon drenched city. What we get is a slow nostalgia filled, slushy, sparkly, phased walk through nostalgia. It's quite the difference. 

For those familiar with Desert Sand's slushwave albums this one is very similar. The songs are long and feature a constant phasing of the music - like it's coming and going throughout the entirety of the album. The vocals are a slowed down moaning that blankets the melodies and exceptionally slow percussion. The melodies themselves seem to have this sheen and sparkle to them, similar to that heard in city pop... except at about one quarter the speed. 

I'm a bit torn on this release. Part of it I truly enjoy, especially the later half of the album. The melodies take on a more mournful tone which I feel fits the music better. The start of the album isn't as great however. I find myself wanting to skip the tracks as they are overly long (especially the 15 minute one) just so I can get to the stuff I know I enjoy. Physically this means that I typically will start the album on side B instead of side A and listen from there.

Desert Sand Feels Warm at Night is a highly talented individual. Making sample free slushwave is a skill that few have, and to do it with such consistency is a skill fewer poses. In the right moments this album is absolutely indispensable. It's the very definition of an album that I have to be in the mood for... but when that mood strikes I absolutely have one of my go to albums ready.

Entry 1506 - My Dying Bride - Like Gods of the Sun

Style: doom metal with gothic notes

Primary Emotions/Themes: romance, loss, vampirism, eroticism

Thoughts: There is a moment in time. Where guitars play a massive riff. A pipe organ builds to a mighty crescendo. A moment in time that is so undeniably powerful that it defines an entire album. That moment is Like Gods of the Sun.

The guitar tone on this album is probably the thickets and beefiest that the band has ever done... at least to this point. The songs are significantly shorter than any of the previous three full lengths. For the first time there are zero growled vocals from Aaron. It's also Martin's last album. 

Like Gods of the Sun is a time of change for the band. With the shorter songs comes more focus. They are less a collection of riffs and ideas to more of a focused effort with repeating melodies and even some verse/chorus structures. For a band that has thrived off of linear song writing to this point this is a huge change.

With all this change though there is one constant: the quality. Like Gods of the Sun is undoubtedly one of the finest My Dying Bride Albums in their entire discography. The riffs - while more simplistic - thrive off of melodies and deep emotional que's that the band hadn't explored to this extent before (See For You for a prime example). 

For the longest time I didn't care for Like Gods of the Sun. Like so many things though age does make a difference. My Dying Bride has matured here and is showing it in their song writing. The songs have more focus, deeper emotions, and are honestly more instantly memorable. 

The moment in time that I referenced at the beginning here is the title track. There is a moment right before the chorus where the band builds into this mighty crescendo with a furious riff and a pipe organ. It was the moment on the album that I knew the band had changed. This was a different side of the band than they had shown at any point previous. It's a microcosm of things to come. 

My Dying Bride has never been a stagnant band for better or worse. Their first four albums are arguably their golden era. They could do no wrong. While the next four albums were all interesting in their own wright the strength of the early albums is undeniable. Like the closing of an epic, Like Gods of the Sun closes the book on My Dying Bride's more important era.

Entry 1505 - Khold - Masterpiss of Pain

Style: black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: bitterness, pain, despicable emotions

Thoughts: Filth permeates this world. Most music won't touch the depths and the depravity that humanity has reached. Some will glimpse into it and will acknowledge that humans are flawed. Other bands though... bands like Khold stare into this mire and filth and embrace it. 

Masterpiss of Pain is exactly what it sounds like. A miserable, lithesome album that does not pretend that everything will be alright. The music is slow, grinding, filthy, and filled with bitterness. The guitar tone is more like what you would hear from a sludge metal album rather than black metal. The bottom end is as heavy as most death metal bands... yet despite all of this the music is solidly black metal. 

The vocals are a huge contributing factor to the anger and disgust on this album as well. They are a scratchy wheezing that aren't trying to impress anyone. In fact none of this is written to impress. It's about as simple as black metal can get. The riffs are slow (with minor bursts of speed) and ooze putrid filth with every note. The drums are nothing special either, they merely keep time... everything is barely functional, and that is the genius of Khold. 

By keeping things as simple as they are the band tears away all distractions and lets the nastiness of the music to speak for itself. The music is barely holding its own, yet it drags me down into its mire with every single note, and I love it. Masterpiss of Pain is aptly titled, it tells the listener exactly what they are in store for: piss, pain, and the mastery of it.

Entry 1504 - Lost Horizons - Medieval Might and Destiny

Style: dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: the majesty of nature and the futility of man 

Thoughts: Sometimes you find a record that hits just right in the exact moment that you need it. Sometimes when you go back to that same record you don't understand why you got it in the first place. Sometimes though, just sometimes  you get that same glimpse of when you first heard it. Those fleeing moments are exactly why I have Medieval Might and Destiny in my collection.  

Lost Horizons plays a slow and atmospheric version of dungeon synth. The melodies are relaxed, never in a hurry, enveloped in reverb, and for the most part extremely pleasant to listen to. Most of the time that's al that there is when I listen to either Under the Perpetual Sky (Side B) or Enchanting Reflections (Side A). Other times though there is something more.

This morning happens to be one of those other times. A time when the music coming from my speakers echos a bards tale from eons ago. Recounting stories of ancient forests, vast landscapes, bustling towns, and mighty battles. A lute plays as the minstrel recalls his tales. A flute passes by as the jester crosses the town square. The imagery is so vivid that I understand why I bought this album and I enjoy every single moment of it.

There are other times though when I just hear the music and it doesn't resonate with me at all. Those are the moments where I wonder why I got the album and question my own sanity. So this day I am chronicling to my future self exactly why I have this album in my collection.

Days like today serve as a reminder that music is a subjective experience. I can listen to something that someone else (even myself) may consider "objectively good" and feel nothing. Nothing at all. Then I can revisit that exact same album a few weeks later and feel that it's one of the best things I've ever heard. Such is the mystery of the human mind.

I wish I could enjoy this album to the fullest every single time I put it on. That would fill me with so much joy. However that does not seem to be what is in store for me with Lost Horizons. This album will remain an enigma to me for the remainder of my days, and for that reason alone it shall remain in my collection in perpetuity. 

Entry 1503 - Angel Dust - Enlighten the Darkness

Style: power metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: war, loss, religion, futility, family, marriage

Thoughts: What a difference a year makes. The year prior the band had released their excellent Bleed album which was already a huge step over the year prior. Now a few short months later we get Enlighten the Darkness which is another huge step up in quality from the previous album. 

The album starts out with the one two punch of Let Me Live and The One You Are. Both of these are highly melodic yet exceptionally heavy power metal songs. They have the constant double bass that the genre is known for but it's that heaviness that drives the songs for me... not just these songs but the entire album.

One of my biggest issues with power metal in general is that it's too happy and too poppy. It feels like happy go lucky music with distorted guitars.... which is exactly what it is in most instances. Not so with Angel Dust. The band still incorporates melody, but for the vast majority of the album the band is squarely in the minor key and deals with subjects that most don't dare touch within the context of power metal.

The toil and loss of war rather than the glory? Yes, they have multiple songs about loss and the separation of man and wife during times of war. The ruthlessness of religion and it's intolerance? Absolutely. The futility of life and fighting against things greater than yourself? Yeah, that's here too.

The whole album flows from one song to another and it truly feels complete. The interaction of melodies between the keyboards and the guitars is near flawless. They will be heavy when they need to be. They will have atmosphere when it's needed. Speed. Rage. Hope. Whatever the emotion is needed the instrumentation delivers. 

With all this Dirk's vocals again are tastefully done and match the requirements of the instrumentals perfectly. Playing the aforementioned husband with an accompanying female vocal is used during multiple songs (Fly Away, The One You Are, Still I'm Bleeding). He is a constant highlight throughout the album and is one of the primary reasons I enjoy this band as much as I do.

Enlighten the Darkness is the finest album the bands discography. The follow up saw the departure of Bernd and his excellent guitar work. Unfortunately Of Human Bondage did not hit nearly the right emotional notes for me despite being a much darker album than this one. Regardless, the fact that we got this album and Bleed and the incredible albums that they are is to be celebrated. Even more so now that they have gotten repressed and are available to a new generation of metal fans.

Entry 1502 - Hallmark '87 - A C A D E M Y

Style: vaporwave, ambient, mallsoft

Primary Emotions/Themes: vast open spaces, liminality, hyper surrealism

Thoughts: Dedicated to the dead malls throughout the world. 

A C A D E M Y chronicles vast open spaces that once showed great life but have now become abandoned and desolate. A strange sense of eerie nostalgia permeates the music contained on these two records. A familiarity for something that was once common, yet somehow has faded into the ether.

Mallsoft is a genre that I will typically not listen to. I've heard some of the staples such as Palm Mall Mars and they have simply left me wanting. For whatever reason though Hallmark '87 has filled that gap. The music on  A C A D E M Y is both interesting and bizarre in a near other worldly manner.

Sure there are elements of walking through a dead mall and the odd slowed down muzak that would have played if this were only mallsoft... but it's more than that. There is a distance to this music, like we are hearing it from a place that we typically would not - such as another building, or passing by on the street. We only get glimpses of melody, the rest is shrouded in reverb and ambience.

I think that this is the differentiating factor for  A C A D E M Y. It's not just an album about dead malls, it's an album about discovery and the great unknown. We only get to hear moments in time ranging from a few seconds to over ten minutes. Each song is a window into another world for a few fleeting moments before it is lost again. 

I don't know if this will launch me further into discovery mallsoft of if this is going to remain one of the very few entries into my collection. I guess time will tell, but if I had to venture a guess this will be the exception to the rule. Most genre's have albums like this, that I enjoy despite their ties to music I typically don't get into. In this case I'm glad I finally got something in the mallsoft genre that I can enjoy.

Entry 1501 - Soul Reaver

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: loss of self, rebuilding from nothing, vampirism  

Thoughts: Legacy of Kain. What a legacy indeed. Not only was the world doomed by his decision, he feared that which surpassed him. Without a second thought he cursed his first born and threw him into an abyss of eternal torment. Razael's flesh peeled off of him as he suffered an eternity of burning agony. Not living, not dying... forever in limbo. Then came the voice...

"Serve me and you shall have your vengeance." These were the only words needed. Without knowing what would become of him the former vampire rose from the dead a second time... but not as a vampire. No. He was something more, his hunger deeper than that of blood. He required the very essence of life itself... he required souls. 

Soul Reaver is a game that follows Razael as he tries to regain and rebuild his former self. His brothers have all evolved into fiends beyond recognition, just as he has. The premise is utterly unique, and the only logical conclusion would be for the music to follow suit.

The music in Soul Reaver is unlike any other soundtrack... no unlike any other music that I have heard elsewhere. There is obviously melody and structure to the music but there is also this distant feeling to it. Like we are hearing an echo of what the music once was and what is coming through the speakers is but a flicker of a memory of the original version.  

For lack of a better comparison this soundtrack is largely ambient, but again not in a traditional sense. The music has much more structure than typical ambient music yet it still retains the slow and brooding pace that you can only find in ambient and dark ambient music. 

There are also elements of field recordings in the tracks. Distant cries of what was once a human. Growls of what is left of the vampire race. Water flowing through the aqueducts. Small details that are easily lost while playing the game, but while listening to the music on its own they stand out and add an additional layer to the ambience. 

Soul Reaver is at it's heart a puzzle game. Trying to figure out how to traverse the spiritual realm and the physical one without getting lost is the core premise of the game. It's in this exploration and puzzle driven world that we are tasked to find the bretherin of Razael and ultimately Kain himself.  

The legacy of this game is undeniable. One of the finest Playstation and Dreamcast games to come out.  The music matches this legacy perfectly. Unique, eerie, macabre. 

Entry 1500 - Barak Tor - Regal Hymns of Blood

Style: epic dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: the absolute glory of battle, the horror of defeat

Thoughts: Horns call out. The call my brethren to war! War! Ride now! Ride to glory and death!

Barak Tor is a project I know nothing about other than the music. I don't know who created this music nor do I really care to find out. I love moments in time where the music is simply music. Nothing else bound to it... it's pure and simple.

In this instance that music is epic dungeon synth. These hymns chronicle battles of a fantastical nature in lands forgotten to time. These synthesizers evoke feelings of glory, violence, and most of all triumph. Swords clash, horns bellow, armies march, heroes rise, nations fall. This is the path of the Regal Hymns of Blood.

The music itself is solidly within the realm of classic dungeon synth. Rather than taking on the long form songs of the early 90's Norwegian founders these nine songs are complete compositions from start to end. Each one offering a slightly different take on the genre than the last

King of Thurian Age takes us straight to the battlefield where no mercy is to be had. Thresholds of Ancient Sorcery take us deep into the unknown wizarding realm so that we may beseech those who know these ancient incantations. The sprawling epic Echoes of Valor tells a tale of a nearly impossible quest. 

This is all conjecture of course, there are no lyrics so I can't garner much outside of the track titles. What I can discern though is that this is excellent music. There is a large variety of music on here ranging from ten minute epic journeys to small moments of solitude by a fire. Each take on the genre is exceptionally well executed and enjoyable, making this an easy recommendation to anyone of the genre.

Entry 1499 - Root - The Book

Style: epic heavy metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The dark lord below - Satan and his host, all things unholy and blasphemous

Thoughts: There's something about going back to old records that I loved when I was younger. Sometimes they reveal that I had rose tinted glasses on... nostalgia is a bitch. Other times though an album or band does live up to the fond memories I have of them. Root's The Book is one of those albums that withstood the test of time.

I feel like every fan of metal needs to listen to The Mythical Words of the Wise. This song is an absolute masterpiece and it exemplifies why Root is so damn good.  Keyboards and acoustic guitars grace my ears as the song starts. Not long after the rest of the band comes in. Boss' vocals are low and have a deep sense of venerability to them. The acoustic guitar leads the song along with the vocals for the first minute or two before the song shifts into a decidedly heavier direction. 

It's when the song shifts that the band takes on it's true form. The mystery that oozes out of the first two minutes of the song are now revealed. Boss' vocals transition into his typical bombastic near operatic style. The distortion is full open chord riffs that encapsulate the wall of sound effect. It truly feels like the song has shown it's true colors and in doing so revealed the soul of the band. 

There is so much in just this one song that I could go on for ages about how intricate it is and how well crafted every single not is. The thing is that this is one of eleven songs. It is likely the best song on the album, however it is not a fluke. The band does this over and over again, every song has it's own identity yet they all emanate the same aura of mystery and discovery. 

Root didn't always play epic heavy metal, they started out as a primitive proto-black metal band. They evolved into this unique beast that their middle period albums would exemplify. There is nay a single bad song on the album. Everything here is worth your time and mine. There are so few albums that speak to me like The Book does. This and it's follow up are some of the finest heavy metal in my collection.

Entry 1498 - Loop Hero

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: round and round we go... until the boss stops us

Thoughts: Boy do I love this soundtrack. Not only does it work well within the excellent game, the album stands head and shoulders above most video game music that's being released these days. Let me explain.

Loop Hero is a game about walking around a track with different interactions with tiles that get placed along the way. The game play is strategic and requires a lot of planning to get done correctly. It's one of the most unique experiences I've had in gaming for a long time and it's simply excellent.

The music follows suit in every facet of the adventure.  The graphics are pixelated so the music is solidly in the retro chip tune style. The adventure repeats over and over so the music takes the same concept to heart with leitmotifs. There is an air of foreboding around the game. The music follows suit once again and reflects this with both the note selection but also a tinge of reverb on the instrumentation. 

I've been on record many times saying that just because music is good within the context of the game does not make it good on its own. It takes a special album to do just that. Loop Hero is a special album. 

Not only does the music work well within the game itself, the music also makes for an excellent album. The tracks are paced in a way that they blend into each other. The music is allowed to tell its own story within the concept of the records. The way the tracks flow and the various moods that arise is quite frankly masterfully done and arranged. 

On top of all of this the album has one final quality that differentiates it: chip tune ambience. There are multiple tracks on the album that sound like they are off of an ambient album... only the instrumentation is completed with chip tunes. I've never heard anything quite like this before or since. I absolutely love these tracks and I would adore it if an artist explored these concepts further. 

Loop Hero is one of those rare video game album that not only works in the game but on its own as well. Every time I listen to it I'm reminded of why I enjoy it so much. Maybe I should start up another run here sometime, I feel the looping path calling to me. 

Entry 1496 - Phlebotomized - Immense, Intense, Suspense

Style: symphonic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: man, god, the devil, spirituality

Thoughts: Some albums are way before their time. Some herald the coming of a style eons before it becomes known to the masses. Phlebotomized's debut album is one such instance in the lexicon of death metal.

Death metal with classical instrumentation is nothing new these days. Bands use violins, brass, and other instruments from hundreds of years ago along side the distorted vocals and guitars. This was not the case in 1994. 

Immense, Intense, Suspense liberally utilizes both violins as well as classical song structures and composition. These two elements are core to what makes the album so special. The violin is used liberally, however it never overstays its welcome. It's used very much in the same way a lead guitar would be used to usher in and direct melodies along with the rest of the band.

The song structures are another thing all together. Instead of the standard verse/chorus structure that so much of the genre uses, Phlebotomized has taken a more linear writing technique with their debut album. The sections of songs rarely repeat and the music keeps progressing towards a logical conclusion rather than a known one. If a section does repeat the song often will utilize an A-B-A structure, where the song will end in the same fashion that it started.

I could keep going on how well this album is written, how well the vocals are executed, how much I love the violin interplay with the rest of the band... we would be here for hours. In stead I urge you dear reader to make up your own mind. Listen to this classic and see for yourself. Maybe one day this album can get the recognition it so justly deserves. Until that day I will continue to enjoy it and spread the good word of Immense, Intense, Suspense.

Entry 1497- Obtained Enslavement - Soulblight

Style: keyboard driven black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Incredibly complex and intricate black metal that deals with the obscurity of that which is less savory in life

Thoughts: Where do I start with an album like this? There are so many things going on at all points that I am lost in the torrent of Obtained Enslavement's finest album. 

Obtained Enslavement play black metal, keyboard driven black metal to be exact. This is not a new thing by 1998 when this album was released, quite a few bands had explored this style during most of the second wave. The thing is, no one did what Obtained Enslavement was doing. 

Obtained Enslavement's sound can be summed up as such: blast beats, scratchy vocals, layers of riffs, and even more layers of keyboards. There are so many things going on at any given moment of the album that it's hard to keep track of it all. 

The guitars will have two to three leads playing throughout the album. The keys will overlay that with a piano sonata or other accompaniment, the drums back is all up with near constant blast beats. On top of all that Pest screams in a way that only he can: a half scream half howl of pain with a snarl that I have yet to hear anyone match.

What Soulblight does better than nearly any other black metal is the continuous string of riffs and concepts. The band is nearly a constant string of riffs that never seem to run dry. No singular concept is repeated more than a few times before it is discarded and the band moves on to the next. 

If this was done in a hap hazard way the album would sound terrible, yet it does not. This is a masterclass of composition. The riffs and sections fit into each other effortlessly. The songs move like a flowing river rather than a chopped up mess. I can't get enough of it. 

It's a damn shame that Obtained Enslavement ended when they did. Who knows what would have happened if the band continued. On the other hand bands like this breaking up only adds to the legend, and we have some of the finest albums in the black metal genre as a result. Either way between Soulblight and Witchcraft the band released two of the finest albums in all of black metal. 

Entry 1495 - Castlevania - Lament of Innocence

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: the vampire has risen once again

Thoughts: The Castlevania series is home to one of my all time favorite games: Symphony of the Night. Everything about that game is a timeless classic and in my personal opinion the best game in the Metroidvania genre. A bold claim yet one I will stand by.

The games that came after Symphony though are... a bit lacking. The series tried to go in several different directions at once. Some of them did well, namely the ones in the handheld category. The 3D ventures however were not nearly as good... some may even say that they are bad games. Lament of Innocence is one of those 3D games.

The game itself may be lacking... but what about the music? Well... I hate to say this but it's lacking as well. The music feels like it's all over the place. The majesty that made some of the earlier soundtracks memorable is here is small doses (See Garden Forgotten by Time)... but most of the album feels lost. 

You have techno tracks, some drum n bass influenced tracks. Some odd ambient music, some weird nearly pop music thrown in. Only a handful of tracks have that majestic Castlevania feel to them, they are so far and few between that I am surprised when one does come on. I forget I'm listening to a Castlevania soundtrack. 

Lament of Innocence is just that... a lament. I wish that this game was better, I wish that the music was better. I wish so many things... they will remain just that though: wishes.