Category: Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW – SONATA ARCTICA

Sonata Arctica – Clear Cold Beyond

Reviewed By: Georgina Strilakos

Review Score: 9.0

Finnish Power Metal combo Sonata Arctica formed in 1995, and it didn’t take long for the group to jump to the forefront of the Scandinavian scene.

The group’s complex and ambitious sound is quite remarkable, especially considering the band actually started as Tricky Beans when they were playing hard rock tunes! Needless to say, they eventually settled into a different musical identity, fully embracing their power metal persona to great effect and acclaim.

Led by vocalist and songwriter Tony Kakko, Sonata Arctica‘s music continued to evolve, embracing traditional heavy metal elements with power influences, meaning a stronger focus on melody and song arrangement. Inspired by fellow Finnish bands such as Stratovarius, the group combined their metal core with other elements, including grandiose orchestral scores, symphonic arrangements, and even synthesizers, in order to add more layers to its sound.

The group’s most recent studio work, Clear Cold Beyond, Is a perfect example of the band’s ongoing search for size and depth in its music. The album is going to be the group’s eleventh full-length, marking a huge milestone for the band.

Clear Cold Beyond features eleveb songs, including the single ‘First In Line’, which was actually released on October 12, 2023. With this record, the band expressed a desire to return to a heavier sound after exploring more of its textural side in some of its previous works. In light of a return to live performances, the group especially felt the need for some high-energy material that would have an impact on stage.

The single ‘First In Line’ is a perfect example of how the band approaches their aforementioned mission statement, as it packs a huge punch from the get-go. The fast-paced drum intro follows a melodic yet energetic segment, where orchestral elements blend in with big rhythm guitars and roaring bass tones.

The vocals come in at about thirty-eight seconds in, soaring through the big guitars and choral parts, echoing the old-school sound of the band but not necessarily going for a nostalgic vibe.

In conclusion, Clear Cold Beyond is a very diverse album, which seems to be an attempt from the band to look back on all of its era, and create something that would accurately represent all the creative nuances that made its sound and legacy so enduring.

The Clear Cold Beyond drops on March 8th via Atomic Fire Records.

2024 ALBUM REVIEWS

Coffin Storm - Arcana Rising

ALBUM REVIEW – THE RODS

The Rods – Rattle The Cage

Reviewed By: Tom Elke

Review Score: 8.5

The Rods

The Rods are a U.S. metal band that was started in late 1979 by drummer Carl Canedy (who was the first drummer for Manowar) and lead vocalist/guitarist David “Rock” Feinstein (Ronnie James Dio’s cousin). Adding bassist Garry Bordonaro to complete the lineup, they put out six albums, one EP and one live album through the 80s. While still remaining friends and always keeping in touch (and perhaps playing a gig here and there) the band finally reunited in 2008 to play a festival in Norway (The Rods are one of those bands that has always had that “street-cred” aura attached to them.) This prompted them to record the album Vengeance in 2011 and Brotherhood of Metal in 2019.

The Rods are now joined by bassist Freddy Villano and have a new a studio album entitled Rattle The Cage, with a release date of January 19th, 2024 on Massacre Records. The album is produced by The Rods (which of course includes Carl Canedy, who has forty plus albums to his producer credits) while being mixed & mastered by Chris Collier… giving Rattle The Cage a modern sounding metal album that still possesses The Rods’ style of traditional metal music. It sounds great!

The album features ten tracks, with a running time of approximately forty-nine minutes. It’s a mixture of tempos from slower, to mid-paced, to up-tempo tracks. There’s even some organ/keyboards spots that are sprinkled in by guest musician Lonnie Park, but it does not take anything away from The Rods classic sound… and classic sounding The Rods it is! Whether it’s great songs like ‘Hell Or High Water’, ‘Play It Loud’, ‘Now And Forever’ or the excellent title track, The Rods bring the same passion and power they brought back in their early days of existence. This is an excellent album of modern-sounding, traditional metal music.

Rattle The Cage track-listing:

Now And Forever
Wolves At The Door
Cry Out Loud
Rattle The Cage
Can’t Slow Down
Metal Highways
Hell Or High Water
Play It Loud
Shockwave
Hearts Of Steel

ALBUM REVIEW – SAXON

Saxon – Hell, Fire And Damnation

Reviewed by: Tom Elke

Review Score: 8.5

Saxon has been putting out albums for a lot of years now. And after such a while, you’d think that a band would run out of ideas and material. Well that is definitely NOT the case with the mighty Saxon.

Their 24th Studio Album – Hell, Fire And Damnation has a release date of January 19th, 2024 on Silver Lining Music. It’s produced once again by Andy Sneap and lead singer Biff Byford, with Sneap handling the mixing & mastering duties as per usual. Hell, Fire And Damnation has a running time of approximately forty-two minutes, which features nine tracks along with just over a minute opening/narration to lead off the album.

There’s a new band member playing on the album. Brian Tatler of Diamond Head fame joins Doug Scarratt on guitar. They join the aforementioned Biff Byford on lead vocals along with Nigel Glockler on drums and Nibbs Carter on bass. This lineup is rock solid, and all play great on this record.

Hell, Fire And Damnation is filled with great guitar riffs on tracks such as ‘Pirates Of The Airwaves’, ‘1066’, ‘There’s Something In Roswell’ as well as the title track. Another standout throughout the album is the trading off of lead solos between Scarratt and Tatler. It’s like they’ve been playing together for a long time… it sounds great!

Biff’s vocals have not lost anything. He’s still as strong and impressive as ever, and it shows in his performance. Very well done. Saxon wouldn’t be “The Mighty Saxon” without one of the great rhythm sections in all of metal. Nibbs Carter and Nigel Glocker are in lock-step with each other, once again delivering the goods with power and precision.

All in all, Saxon gives us yet another excellent album in Hell, Fire and Damnation. There is no filler on this Record. It is quality metal music from start to finish.

Hell, Fire And Damnation releases on January 19th, 2024 via Silver Lining Music.

ALBUM REVIEW – THERION

Therion – Leviathan III

Reviewed by: Georgina Strilakos

Review Score: 8.5

Therion is one of the foremost bands in the symphonic metal scene, and it’s easy to see why. The group made a huge impact on the genre with its contribution, pushing the envelope and setting the bar higher with its massive wall of sound. The band emerged in the early 1990s when metal acts were experimenting with incorporating orchestral and symphonic elements into their music. However, Therion took the concept further by blending metal with classical and operatic elements. This is something that we kind of take for granted today, and it’s partly due to the impact of this band!

With such a significant background, a new release from Therion is always exciting. Their upcoming album, Leviathan III is yet another chapter in the band’s saga. Therion is renowned for creating concept albums and ambitious projects that go beyond the typical structure of metal albums, and this is no exception. This eclectic studio work features 11 tracks, marking the band’s progressive leanings and constant willingness to embrace new challenges while staying true to its aesthetics.

📸: Mina Karadzic


Available through Napalm Records, the album is the third installment in the “Leviathan” trilogy and perhaps the longest and most intense of the three releases. The sonic variety is truly impressive. Not only is there room for traditional metal influences and large symphonic sections, but The band also explores unique ideas, such as a the flamenco-tinged melodies of the song ‘Duende’, which are completely unexpected. The song ‘Twilight Of The Gods’ offers a brooding, doom-infused arrangement, serving as a truly ethereal and raw segment on the album.

Overall, Leviathan III denotes Therion’s willingness to evolve and experiment with its sound. With so many years under its belt, the band doesn’t need to prove anything, but it’s still eager to make steps forward and enhance the creativity of its vision.