Entry 1179 - Orphaned Land - Unsung Prophets and False Messiahs

Style: Progressive metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A huge return to form, the band welcomes back some extreme elements to the mix after spending several albums exploring the lighter side of progressive rock/metal

Thoughts: It's rare that I listen to an album and I feel like I'm welcoming back an old friend. Orphaned Land released one of the finest albums in the progressive metal field over 20 years ago with Mabool. Ever since then they have not released anything anywhere near that caliber. Every album I listened to was lacking in one way or another... that is until this album. 

Finally, finally the band has created an album that is a worthy successor to Mabool. The variety that I expected from the band is here. The highly emotional melodies and guitar leads are back, the massive choirs are once again utilized in excellent fashion, and Kobi is growling again. On top of all of this the band has ramped up the folk elements even more than I would have expected. It's all wonderful. 

Dead Prophets and False Messiahs' may be the most diverse album the band has created. It's as aggressive as the debut at points, it's as mellow and atmospheric as Pink Floyd in a lot of places. It's exactly what it needs to be at any given moment, and it's glorious. If this is the last album that the band releases then I'm content with it. It's a beautiful album that deserves more recognition than it's received. 

Entry 1178 - Orax - Cometa

Style: Synthwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: Simple yet effective synthwave

Thoughts: This was one of the first synthwave albums I bought when I was getting into the style. I didn't know it at the time but it would also end up being one of the best ones in my collection. 

This is about as basic as it gets when it comes to synthwave. Drums, a main melody and some backing instruments. The main instrument throughout most of the album is the piano; one that has a lot of reverb and a pension for knowing what notes to play at exactly the right time. The backing instruments also will know exactly the correct notes, what order to play them in, and when to stop. The drums are the same thing... everything knows what it is and when to engage and when to stop. A rare quality in music these days.

The tracks on Cometa are elegant in their simplicity. Regardless of what the melody or instrument is, it always seems like it's the correct choice for the music. It's deceptively simple, yet so damn effective. Something that most albums miss.