The German gothic metal titans are back with the third part of their trilogy of albums released over the last year. It’s no secret that I’ve been loving them so far, so wanted to finally do a deep dive on the finale and see how it ends. The band are now 12 studio albums deep as of this releasing tomorrow, so to say they have honed their craft would be an understatement. Let’s sink our teeth into this!
The release starts in not only epic, but heavy fashion. Strings build up into a huge scream from Chris, and a massive industrial riff. It picks up right were Vol. 2 left off in the best way. It drops back for the verse, Chris’ powerful vocals leading us through a very LOTL melody and some great lyrics. Surprisingly, the first half of the chorus drops back even more, just some orchestral elements behind the vocals. However, it just means when that riff and scream kick back in, it’s even more massive and impactful than before! I also love the dynamics of the track in that the second chorus keeps the guitars and drums around, keeping it anthemic but feeling HUGE. It’s also a simple song structure, getting in and out after two verses and choruses. However, it works excellently, and sets the tone for the album perfectly! An easy early highlight!
The first of a good few guest-features us up next, with the incredible Alea joining the band for ‘I’m A Diamond’. It starts low, with the drums, vocals and a great, bassy synth. It builds perfectly with the harmonised vocals and guitars, all leading towards the massive, arena-filling chorus! It feels more like a ballad than the previous track, but is still pretty heavy with the instrumentation, following the bands formula perfectly. The bridge was pretty heavy too, at least until it drops out to the beautiful piano melody. It’s very much a radio track, but I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. It was a great choice for a single, and a track that easily makes our playlist!
Single ‘My Funeral’ heavies things back up again with a dark, gothic riff and melody. It follows a similar vibe and structure to the previous track, but doesn’t get quite as big, the chorus staying a little more subdued and industrial. It was a nice touch, changing things up and keeping the dark vibe. It’s a simple track in theory, but is executed to perfection by a band that have really nailed their sound and writing. And we still got some great screams in the bridge, it fitting the track to a T. This time round it was a bit of an interesting choice for a single, it felt slightly album-track-esque, but was still a good song in its own right!
Another single and another guest slot, this one is so Wednesday 13 I’m shocked it landed on this release and not his album from last year. It’s an industrial track full of attitude and venom, and lyrics that skirt the line between cheesy, excellent and relatable. The pair’s vocals fit together perfectly though, and the band do a great job of changing their sound to fit who they’re working with, which is on great display here! It’s another simple track from a structure standpoint, but is a lot of fun, and would go down a storm live! We even get a fun little guitar solo tucked away in the middle, showing off how underrated of a player Pi is. It’s definitely one to check out if you like more of the light-hearted, horror-infused sound Wednesday is known for, but it still has plenty of LOTL staples throughout too!
Tracks like ‘The Shadows Within’ and ‘La Vie Est Hell’ are truly epic ballads. The former, while having some heavy instrumentation still, feels like it is lead by the piano, and the steady pace works perfectly with the soaring vocals. The latter follows a similar vibe, but trades in the piano for a clean guitar and a more driving, plodding drum. It also featured some awesome vocals from Kissin’ Dynamite frontman Hannes Braun, him fitting surprisingly well into the moodier atmosphere. The track being performed and written in French and being a play on the famous phrase was also a nice touch. It’s a great song and another big highlight of the album for me! It was interesting to put two slower tracks one after another though, especially when we’ve had a few heavier ones in a row!
While still on the steadier end pace-wise, ‘Square One’ is a gothic synth track through and through. It reminds me a lot of Smash into Pieces, or at least a combination of them and Birthday Party Massacre. It’s a simple track that still builds to a massive, infectiously catchy chorus, and fits the band and albums style perfectly. It’s a great song that, while does feel slightly album-track-like, it breaks up the album amazingly, and is still great in its own right!
Another ballad in ‘When Did the Love Break’, a brutal breakup song featuring Xandria’s Ambre Vourvahis. It’s yet another example of how well the band work with other vocalists, and this is a truly beautiful, bittersweet duet. ‘Your Love is Colder than Death’ is another moody, gothic-industrial metal track, at least changing things up a little again following the previous track. It’s not a bad song, but was the point that I started to feel just a little fatigue with the album. It’s been a lot of slower paced stuff in a row and, while they aren’t exactly known for their thrash, the opening tracks had so much energy and having another one slotted in later on may have helped. Still, again, neither are bad songs by any stretch!
The final two tracks of the album are two more epic, ballad-like songs. However, both feel unique to each other, as well as the rest of the release. Cats in Space alumni Damien Edward’s kills it on the first, and the heavy, screamed bridge was an excellent touch. Meanwhile, the closer is a truly epic, grandiose soundscape, closing things off rather perfectly! It feels almost ‘Sound of Silence’-like with its orchestral swells and main focus on the powerful vocals and lyrics. The lyrics in particular are horribly relatable. It’s another huge highlight of not only the album, but the trilogy as a whole, and I couldn’t think of a better closing track.
Overall: This was a great album! I do have to admit right out of the gate that I think my expectations after the last two were rather high, and this didn’t quite hit them. However, as an album as a whole, it is still damn good, and serves to cap off the OPVS NOIR trilogy rather perfectly. And, as an album as a whole, it’s still a great Lord of the Lost release, up there among some of their best. I still think I prefer the previous two, with Vol. 1 now firmly being my favourite album from the band, but if you have the chance to sit and listen through all of the trilogy, I would definitely recommend doing so! They really are the kings of their style, and are proving it time and time again!
Just a few days after Charlotte Wessels and her band returned from their biggest tour to date with Epica and Amaranthe, she reveals that she will be taking The Obsession on their first headline tour in 2027, spanning major cities across Europe and the United Kingdom! Not only that, but joining her will be Melissa Bonny, vocalist of modern metal outfit AD INFINITUM!
The tour will kick off on February 4, 2027, in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, and conclude on February 27, 2027, in Charlotte’s hometown of Utrecht, the Netherlands. The full list of dates can be found below. Be sure to grab your tickets quickly at https://charlottewessels.nl/tour/
04.02.27 BE – Sint-Niklaas / Casino 05.02.27 UK – London / Islington Assembly Hall 06.02.27 UK – Glasgow / Slay 07.02.27 UK – Manchester / Club Academy 09.02.27 FR – Paris / La Machine Du Moulin Rouge 10.02.27 CH – Zurich / Komplex Klub 12.02.27 IT – Milan / Legend Club 13.02.27 DE – Munich / Backstage Halle 14.02.27 CZ – Zlín / Masters of Rock Cafe 15.02.27 AT – Vienna / Szene Wien 17.02.27 HU – Budapest / Barba Negra 18.02.27 PL – Krakow / Hype Park 19.02.27 DE – Leipzig / Werk 2 20.02.27 DE – Hamburg / Gruenspan 21.02.27 DK – Copenhagen / Pumpehuset 23.02.27 DE – Berlin / Lido 25.02.27 DE – Aschaffenburg / Colos-Saal 26.02.27 DE – Essen / Weststadthalle 27.02.27 NL – Utrecht / TivoliVredenburg Ronda
Charlotte Wessels on the tour:
“After the unforgettable Arcane Dimensions tour with Epica and Amaranthe, announcing our own headline tour across Europe feels surreal. It’s such an emotional next chapter. The energy we’ve shared with all of you over the past months has been incredible, and we can’t wait to take that even further, with longer sets, new songs, and deeper moments together every night. Finishing the tour in my hometown Utrecht, at TivoliVredenburg – Ronda, is something I’m especially proud of and looking forward to.”
Charlotte Wessels’ latest release, The Obsession (2024), has been widely praised for its dynamic range, artistic growth, and emotional depth. Ever Metal highlighted its “skyscraper melodies” and Wessels’ “masterful vocals,” while Blabbermouth noted the album’s impressive variety. Louder Sound described it as “an auspicious and metallicized spin on her dark fairytale aesthetic,” while Metal Sucks called it “a transcendent collection of moving yet forceful and complex compositions,” further cementing her reputation as a versatile and evolving artist. You can even check out our review of it here!
The mighty Angus McSix and his band of orcs and dwarves dropped his second solo album today! For those of you who remember, we loved his debut back in 2023, and I still listen to a few songs from it fairly regularly now. However, from the moment this was announced, I’ve been excited, so for it to finally have arrived is awesome! There is no one quite like Angus, both in terms of vocals or writing, and if the rest of the album is anything like the couple of singles I’ve heard already, this is gonna be a blast!
While I am usually not one for front-loading an album, I kinda love that the first half of the album is all the singles, in release order. Angus has told a story here (I have only checked out the second track’s video so far, I may have to watch the others after this!) and putting it chronologically on the album makes a lot of sense. Plus, lead single ‘6666’ is absolutely amazing, and such a great way to open the album! Starting on a massive, powerful buildup highlighting Angus’ insane vocal range perfectly before blasting into that massive riff… amazing! The verse is typical McSix in all the best ways; the heavy guitars and drums and plenty of synth backing it. And, of course, the chorus is catchy as anything, just made to be played to huge festival crowds! My only vague complaint of the track is that it’s a touch short, but when we have a full album to check out it’s hardly an issue to be wanting more!
‘The Fire of Yore’ is a track that I’ve been obsessed with since it dropped back in September. We did a reaction back when it dropped, and gushed about it plenty then. It has also been in regular rotation for me since, and been stuck in my head at least a handful of times! That massive intro into the catchy-as-anything chorus is awesome, and the more retro verses fit between them perfectly. And heck, we get a dance-breakdown, so what’s not to love?! It’s just a fantastic modern power metal song, and doesn’t take itself too seriously so is a lot of fun. An amazing song and single, and definitely up there alongside the best of his debut!
The incredible Rhapsody of Fire join Angus and co on ‘I am Adam McSix’. Once again, it opens on a huge, catchy and arena-filling chorus, though it’s a little slower and lower energy than the previous tracks’. However, the riffing definitely feels a little heavier this time! And, Giacomo Voli’s vocals fit alongside Angus’ fantastically, it being an amazing collaboration. It feels more like a ballad track, but done in such an epic, power metal way that the energy stays consistent to the previous tracks. It’s another excellent track, and one that easily makes our playlist! I’m definitely going to have to watch the videos though, because I’m already losing track of the story just a little!
The other two singles, ‘Dig Down’ and ‘Techno Man’, once again feature guests in Van Canto and Turmion Kätilöt, respectively. The former is a fantastic, straight-up power metal track that feels very much built around its incredible chorus. Meanwhile the latter, much like the title suggests, leans more into the electronic elements, almost having an Electric Callboy vibe to it. Having said that, it still has a very typical Angus chorus, in the best possible way. And also, both guests do great, adding a lot to their respective tracks! If I had to pick, I’d prefer the latter, just because it feels a touch different compared to what we’ve had so far, and that heavy bridge with the screams from the Turmion camp are amazing. However, both are great songs in their own right, and fit the album perfectly!
Then, we reach the album tracks. ‘Ork Zero’ is another techno-heavy, high-energy banger that builds to another MASSIVE chorus. The same could be said for ‘Starlight Stronghold’, though it’s a bit more traditional power metal, for the most part. And, after a short interlude track, we get another personal highlight in ‘Let the Search Begin’. While it is still similar to a lot of the rest of the album, there’s just something about it that hooked me in and didn’t let go until the end. All of it is so catchy, from the verse to that huge, grandiose chorus, the harmonies and backing vocals definitely adding to it. Plus, we even get an awesome, technical and harmonised guitar solo tucked away in the middle, something I didn’t realise I was missing so much until I got it! It’s another huge high point of the album, and definitely one to check out!
‘The Power of Metal’ features another guest appearance, this time by Freedom Call. It instantly gives the track much more of a folk metal vibe to it. And yet still, by the time Angus’ powerful vocals come in, it sounds so distinctively McSix, him able to blend these different styles together into his own amazingly. Once again, all the vocals slot together perfectly, like two pieces of the same puzzleLyrically it’s silly but in the best way, telling a fantastic story. Once again I’m going to have to sit down with the videos and lyrics, because I do think the story will be as brilliant as it seems insane. In isolation it may be a little odd, but it fits the flow of the album to a tee, and as I said before, doesn’t take itself too seriously while still sounding excellent and being packed full of talent! Yet another banger!
The closing number, ‘Into Battle’, is another essentially interlude, but is so grandiose and epic I couldn’t not talk about it! It’s a fantastic piece of orchestral music that wouldn’t be out of place on a film score. It does, however, feel like a pretty massive buildup, which is a slightly odd way to end the album. Maybe it’ll fit in more with another listen or two but for now, although it was a great song on its own, I’d have maybe opened the release with it instead of closed it.
Overall: This is a great album, and a damn fitting follow-up to the Sword of Power! Each song is awesome, and the concept and flow to it is pulled off with such care and detail, it begs for multiple full listens and really sinking your teeth into it. While I do still think the tracks individually on his debut are better, there is no denying that this is a hugely strong album overall, and one I will be spinning plenty in the coming weeks and months. And still, there are plenty of solo tracks that stand up as some of his best work, from any band! I do kinda wish there was a bit more of a slower song on here; 41 minutes of similar sounding stuff can get old eventually, but there isn’t a song that I’d take away and replace with something else. If you are at all a fan of Angus, his past projects or power metal in general, this is definitely a release for you!
The Italian power parody metal band have gained a lot of momentum and a cult following over the last few years, including us here at Overtone! Not only did we love their last album, but had the pleasure of seeing a lot of it live, too. So, to say expectations around this EP are pretty high would be a bit of an understatement. Still, I have no doubt the band will deliver, and am excited to dive in and check it out!
The (I guess) title track opens things up in pretty epic, Nanowar fashion. Some great vocals, backed by some ambient sounds, builds rather perfectly, especially when the guitars and drums come in. The band immediately infuse the comedy too, fitting in far too many words and syllables and getting a chuckle out of me. Still, the lyrics are fantastic though, and it instantly gives Iron Maiden history teacher vibes! It all builds to an awesome Egyptian-style, heavy riff, and we even get a return of some screams from them for the first time in a while, sounding awesome. A typically massive chorus is another high point of the song, firmly routing the band in their power metal roots, still. And of course, we get some awesome soloing in the middle, showing off why Mohammed is one of the most underrated players around today. It’s silly, epic and fantastic in a way that really only Nanowar can!
To my shock, ‘Feet & Greet’ immediately changes the tone, leaning more into an electronic-based intro, giving off not just industrial metal vibes, but clearly very much inspired by Rammstein. It also features some fantastic screams from the incredible Mikael Sehlin of Amaranthe. He fits the band and sound like a glove, and I love the alternating between them and the cleaner, robotic vocals. And, of course, it’s got another infectiously catchy chorus, one that I immediately want to see live! The lyrics are as silly as you’d expect from the band, and honestly that bridge had me laughing out loud. It’s another absolutely incredible song, and one that easily makes this years playlist!
‘IRIDE’ changes pace a little again, fully leaning into the cheesy power metal stuff. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still some heavy Priest in there, but it’s much more Dragonforce. Not that any of that is a bad thing! It’s the closest to their older music, I’d say, but it’s still a damn good song. If you like a more straight-forward sound, this is definitely a song for you! Then the closing track, ‘Kotlin’, stays power metal, but a lot more Sabaton in its tone. It’s another fun track, but isn’t quite as quirky as the first two. They’re just different, and it’s great that Nanowar can do both so well! They’re also both so damn catchy!
Overall: This is an awesome little release! All four songs are awesome, with the first two being up there with anything they’ve put out recently. I’m impatiently waiting another full-length release from them, but this is very much a great way to fill the time before that happens. If you are at all into the band power metal in general, check this out, as they are far more than just a comedic band at this point! And truly, we now cannot get another Genghis Khan EP.
A quieter but still pretty stacked week of new albums for us to check out!
HARDY: COUNTRY! COUNTRY!
The third album we’ve checked out from the (shock) country star, and thank god it’s at least better than his last one! I was so obsessed with Mockingbird and the Crow, so Quiet! felt like a bit of a letdown in comparison.
This release very much does a good job of getting him back on track. There’s a LOT of fantastic stuff on here, from the opener through ‘Luckiest Man Alive’ and ‘Girl With a Gun’ to the likes of ‘Who Don’t’, ‘Gun to my Head’ and the wonderfully tongue-in-cheek ‘Y’all Need Jesus’ (though I did get called out by a line in it too, lol). And honestly, having named a bunch, I still wouldn’t say any of the other tracks are in any way bad! For an album that’s 20 tracks and 69 (nice) minutes long, that’s a pretty fantastic achievement! Don’t get me wrong, that is too damn long, and it definitely could have done with some of the fat trimmed, but that’s more of an issue with country in general still, so I’ll let off one of the most prevalent songwriters in the genre the last decade plus. And that hour was still a damn easy listen and went by in a flash!
I think he leant too much into the rock side of things with his last release, while now he’s managed to find that perfect balance between that and country, like he had with THE CROW. As I said, while not as groundbreaking as that release, it’s still a damn good album, and one I’d recommend to anyone who’s a fan of his, or into country or rock at all! HARDY is back with a vengeance, y’all, and I couldn’t be happier! I’ll be spinning it a lot for the rest of the year, I’m sure. 8.5/10, though it may grow on me even more with more listens!
Amorphis: Boarderland
I remember checking out the bands last studio album a few years ago and LOVING IT, so my hype heading into this was pretty high already. Safe to say it didn’t disappoint! Right from the offset ‘The Circle’ is an epic prog metal banger. That’s swiftly followed by the heavier melodeath single ‘Bones’, and tracks like the grandiose ‘The Strange’ and ‘Light and Shadow’ are also massive personal highlights. However, the whole album is excellent, there really isn’t a bad song on it! It’s a great continuation of the band’s discography, fitting in perfectly next to Halo. The band are incredible songwriters and musicians, and that is very much on full display throughout this release. If you are at all into prog, power or death metal, this is well worth checking out! 8/10
Foreign Affairs: Brothers
We’ve already checked out this album. Check out our full review of it here.
Beyond Extinction: Where They Gather
The debut album from the Essex death metal band goes hard throughout. The first thing I noticed was the amazing production, the release sounding and feeling MASSIVE. It somehow makes it seem even heavier too, in the best way possible! I haven’t actually checked the band out much since we saw them a few years back, but they have grown into a force to be reckoned with on record. From the brutal opener to ‘Seven Spears’ to ‘Earthmurk’, there’s a lot of awesomeness. And that’s not even mentioning the two amazing tracks featuring guests. Both Alex Teyen and Josh Davis kill it on their tracks, making both ‘Tyranny’ and ‘Apache’ (respectively) huge highlights, too. If you’re into the heavier end of metal I cannot recommend this enough! It’s easily one of the best death metal releases of the year, and will definitely be one I revisit when I need a heavy fix. The band are destined for big things sooner rather than later thanks to this album, and it gets an easy 8.5/10 from us!
Colbie Caillat: This Time Around
The eighth album from the folk-pop-rock singer-songwriter feels like it takes a bit of a country twang to it this time round. That’s hardly a complaint, I saw her at more of a country festival last year and she fit in there perfectly. This style is very much what she was made to release, as this is an incredible album, honestly! It maybe helps that it’s packed full of massive and awesome country guests, with every track feating someone, but that shouldn’t take away from Colbie’s immense writing and vocal talents. But yeah, the guests are great too, even Walker Hayes! Of course a lot of the songs are tracks that she’s released previously, but the guests add a great new twist to it all and leave it feeling still fresh! ‘Bubbly’ is always a great song, but Amos Lee makes it somehow even better! Between that, the opener, ‘Lucky’ and ‘I Never Told You’, there are plenty of amazing songs on this album. However, every song is pretty great, and makes for a fantastic 40+ minutes of chilled out country-folk pop! Plus, her cover of Posty’s ‘Circles’ is excellent! If you’re into more of a pop-country sound, or like Colbie’s music in general, I’d definitely recommend giving this a spin. It’s a great reimagining of her hits, and the original songs are definitely up there alongside them! It’s a fantastic duets album, and I’m shocked she’s never done one sooner! 8/10
Revocation: New Gods, New Masters
Album 10 from the tech death band, following up 2022’s massive Netherheaven. I remember checking it out but somehow didn’t write about it, so I’m glad I finally get to do that with this release. Especially when it’s an absolutely fantastic album like this is. It’s 44-minutes of heaviness and brutality and utter brilliance and some of the best drumming and guitaring I’ve heard all year. It’s honestly impossible to pick highlights as the whole thing is as amazing as it is similar, piecing together perfectly.
It certainly isn’t going to be for everyone reading this, but if you are at all curious it’s well worth spinning at least once in full! The band are all working their asses off throughout and have crafted something truly special with this release! The multiple guests also once again add so much to the release, with Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation being a particularly awesome guest! I loved this, and will definitely be listening to at least the individual tracks a lot moving forward. 8.5/10
Rage: A New World Rising
We’ve also checked this one out previously, aren’t you lucky?! Check it out here.
Sloan: Based on the Best Seller
The second album we’ve checked out from the alt rock/punk-pop band after 2022’s Steady. Honestly, I can’t remember anything about that album, but apparently I rather enjoyed it! This release is no exception, a fun, easy-to-listen-to old-school rock album. From the opener to ‘Baxter’ to ‘So Far Down’ to ‘Here We Go Again’, there is plenty to love on this release. While it’s not typically my sort of thing, I really enjoyed not only these tracks, but the album as a whole, it being another fantastic release to just sit back and chill out with. It’s easy to hear why they’re such a big band in their native country, and I would certainly make the case that they are somehow only getting better with age, as I enjoyed this more than their last release. If you like more bluesy, poppy rock, this is certainly the album for you! 7.5/10
After last week off due to being at The Long Road, we return this week with a massive two week edition of New Music Mondays! With so many awesome albums out in that span, let’s check them all out!
Deftones: Private Music
So, I’ve made little secret to it over the years that, outside of a couple of tracks, I don’t ‘get’ Deftones. I’m going to preface this by saying that this is better than Ohms. I remember reviewing that at my old place and hating it. However, that isn’t saying much. It’s weird too, as I like a lot of the elements on their own. The guitar tone is incredible and some of the riffs are great. The drumming is solid. There are even times I don’t mind Chino’s breathy, whining vocals. But put it all together, and it just feels so incredibly dull to me. Very little stands out from not only each other, but the rest of Deftones’ discography. It makes it feel monotonous, and for me it’s only really good for ambient music in the background. So, I thought it would be easier for me to list the parts I liked than keep being negative: the Soft Play-esque ‘locked club’ was alright. The riff from ‘infinite source’ was good. ‘Milk of the Madonna’ is the most Deftonesy track I’ve ever heard and was probably the best song on the album… and that’s it.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine. There are a lot of people who will surely love this. I just don’t quite get how they’re this massive, arena-filling band when they put out the same boring thing over and over. If you like this, awesome, but it sadly isn’t for me, no matter how hard I try to get into it. I can’t give it any more than 5/10; completely average and unremarkable.
Russel Dickerson: Famous Back Home
We’ve already checked out this album! Check out our full review of it here.
Bryan Adams: Roll with the Punches
The Canadian arena rock legend continues to be one of the most underrated studio performers in the world this late in his career. This is a 35-minute masterclass of 80s sleaze-drenched, arena-filling rock that honestly holds up against any of his younger peers. Heck, I’d argue album opener ‘Rolling with the Punches’ stands up there among his extensive greatest hits catalogue. Then you have songs like the blusey ‘A Little More Understanding’ and ‘How’s That Workin’ for Ya” that are also big highlights. However, the album is pretty damn short and packed full of highlights. We enjoyed his last release, but this somehow feels like it’s on another level again. He has no right still putting out music this good when he’s going on 70, but I’m so glad he is because I loved this and am such a big fan of his entire catalogue. If you are at all a fan of the guy, I cannot recommend this enough! A very solid 8.5/10 from us!
Dinosaur Pile-up: I’ve Felt Better
The return album of the British alt-rockers has been a long time coming. Matt Bigland struggled extensively over the last few years with a chronic illness (which he explained in length on their socials), so not only is this him returning to the music landscape after that, but a lot of it details his feelings surrounding it over the last few years. A lot has changed for him and the band, but one thing is for certain: DINOSAUR PILE-UP ARE BACK. Heck, we checked out and reacted totheir debut single, so knew it back then, but the whole album is a true testament to not only their talent, but resilience. The title track is a great punk track. ‘My Way’ is back to the bands classic sound in the best way. ‘Big Dogs’ is silly heaviness in the best ways. ‘Quasimodo Melonheart’ is a ridiculous love song, and definitely the name of my next dog.
There are so many highlights, but there really isn’t a bad song on the album! The 40 minutes went by in a flash every time I’ve spun it, and it somehow keeps growing on me. It somehow feels both nostalgic, but completely fresh, like only Dinosaur Pile-Up can do. It’s the perfect area of a heavier, punkier Foo Fighters, but with some hip-hop influence thrown in for good measure. If you’re a fan of the band, or any of that sounds good to you, I cannot recommend this album enough! I’m so glad they’re back, and it’s an easy 9/10 from us!
Helloween: Giants & Monsters
Album 17 from the German power metal legends is just as awesome as one would expect. It’s that early power metal sound that is rather removed from its modern counterpart, sounding somewhere between Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and H.E.A.T.. Still, they have plenty of similar contemporaries now, and have stayed on the same great trajectory as bands like Accept and Hammerfall. This is a fantastic album, and goes to show why they are regarded as one of the best in their scene. From the opener to ‘We Can be Gods’ to ‘This is Tokyo’, there is so much awesomeness on this release! However, there really isn’t a bad track on it. It’s 10 tracks and almost an hour in length, but a must listen to for any metalhead out there. The band are insanely talented and the sheer fact that they’ve got such a killer discography that keeps growing in size and quality speaks for itself. In a time where power metal is arguably stronger than ever, Helloween have still set themselves apart here and put out something different and great! 8/10
Three Days Grace: Alienation
The first studio release from the TDGX2 era is somehow still exactly what you’d expect from the band, thirty years into their album-releasing careers. Somehow Adam and Matt’s vocals, while just about distinguishable, are so similar that it doesn’t really feel like the two singers thing was needed at all. So, while it’s a novel idea for an alt/dad rock band to have two leads like they’re a European power metal band, it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference to their sound. They could have put this out with either Adam or Matt and it would have been the exact same. Tracks like ‘Mayday’ and ‘Deathwish’ are still good songs, and up there alongside some of the bands more recent hits, but as someone who’s not a huge fan of them as is, it’s nothing that’s made me want to listen to them any more than I already do. I remember checking out their last album with just Matt and, honestly, they’re about on the same level. It’s another solid but slightly forgettable 7/10
Old Dominion: Barbara
When I first checked this album out on the way to Long Road, I have to say I wasn’t hugely into it. I think it may be because I loved their last release a lot. And, while this one isn’t a huge step away, there are certainly differences. It feels a little more mature in terms of writing; it feels less trying to get a radio hit and more chilled-out and old-school/Americana based. Having said that, there are still some amazingly catchy choruses, even if they don’t feel as big. But there are also slower, more introspective tracks like ‘Man or the Song’ (my favourite lyrics on the album) that I feel we didn’t get as much of on their last record. So, while I don’t think it’s quite as good as Memory Lane, it has grown on me a lot on a second and third listen. From the opener to ‘Talk Country’ to ‘Sip in the Right Direction’, there are plenty of massive highlights on here. None of the tracks are bad though, the album is just different and needed a little adjusting. Matthew Ramsey’s vocals sound better than ever, and the instrumentation throughout is great! I’d recommend it to any fan of the band or country in general, as it’s still a solid release. It may grow on me more still, but for now it gets a solid 8/10
We Came as Romans: ALL IS BEAUTIFUL… BECAUSE WE’RE DOOMED
The seventh album from the US metalcore titans is a pretty damn solid modern release. It’s very Bad Omens or BMTH and honestly… meh. I completely get that I am in the minority here, the band has so many massive fans, but from the basic dropped riffing, heavy synth-focus and weird screams, it’s just not my thing. Tracks like ‘lake of fire’, ‘Red Smoke’ and ‘no rest for the dreamer’ are pretty good and definite highlights. However, it just feels a tad… bland? Why would I listen to this when I could be listening to something a bit more interesting like Architects or Electric Callboy or (pre-controversy) I Prevail? Everything on this album has been done before and arguably better by other bands. And that isn’t inherently an issue, as I said at the start it’s still a solid modern metalcore album. It’s just not for me, and not one that I’d hurry to listen back to. I’m just trying to justify the score so I don’t get too many angry WCAR fans in the comments… 7/10
Nova Twins: Parasites & Butterflies
The third album from the alt rock duo dropped this last Friday. It’s no secret I’m not really a fan of the girls’ work. So who knows, maybe I’m in a good mood this weekend… but I actually quite liked this! The opener was meh but ‘Piranha’ is a fantastic alt rock track, packed with catchy hooks and heavy riffing. It sets up a run of mostly pretty enjoyable songs for the next half an hour. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all great, but stuff like ‘Soprano’, ‘Sandman’ and ‘Hide & Seek’ are all pretty damn good tracks! I’m not sure if I need to go back and revisit their previous releases or if this is actually a marked jump in quality, but either way I wouldn’t be opposed to listening to a good half of this again, and a fair bit of it made it onto our playlist. It’s still not fully my sort of thing, but I certainly get the hype around the band a little more now. If the album was a little more consisted for me, it would get higher, but for now a solid 7/10. It may grow on me with more listens, too!
Pendulum: Inertia
The electro-rock masters are back with somehow their first studio album in 15 years. We’ve had a couple of EPs to fill the gaps, but it’s nice to finally have a nearly hour-long release to sink our teeth into! If you know the band you know exactly what to expect, and they don’t at all deviate from that. It’s both a good thing and a bad thing, I’d say. The tracks without guests are your standard drum-and-bass Pendulum affair; not bad but would be far better live than on track. Having said that, the heavier ‘Save the Cat’ is pretty sick. The real greatness comes from them working with guests, as it arguably always has. From Wargasm to Scarlxrd to Bullet for my Valentine, their collabs are all pretty awesome. However, the latter reminded me that I’d heard it before, and when I did some research it did put a slight sour taste in my mouth. Half of this album is their previous two EPs. It’s a long album so isn’t a huge issue, but does feel slightly unnecessary. Especially when said tracks are some of the best on the release. On top of that, we’ve had four new singles pre-release, so actually out of 16 tracks, we’ve only gotten four new ones. I know that in this tiny attention span day and age, singles are sadly king, but I find it hard to get hyped about listening to a new album when I’ve heard a lot of it before.
As I said, it isn’t a bad release, and fans of the band will most likely love it. But at this point I’d have happily taken another EP with some of the decent new songs, over an album that just mushes everything from their reunion together. It’s not bad and well worth a listen, but as someone who much prefers this style live to on track, it doesn’t do a great deal for me. 6/10
Feurzchwanz: Knightclub
Another album we’ve already reviewed in full, aren’t you lucky?! Read it here.
Margo Price: Hard Headed Woman
An album I’ve been pretty hyped for since I heard of its release due to how much I loved her 2023 output, the outlaw country/Americana once again knocks it out of the park here! It’s 40-minutes of amazing neo-traditional country music, written and delivered perfectly by Margo. From the opening couple of tracks to things like ‘Losing Streak’, ‘Wild at Heart’ and ‘Kissing You Goodbye’ there is so much awesome, high energy and tempo country-Americana. Also, her duet with Tyler Childers is amazing, their voices and styles meshing perfectly together! From all of that, it does make it sound like there is a bit of a lull in the middle, which isn’t untrue. There’s a couple of slower ones together which, while are both excellent songs, do grind the album’s pace to a halt when paired together. Still, it barely affected my enjoyment of the album at all; it’s an enjoyable listen throughout! If you are at all into Margo’s music or just country in general, I cannot recommend this release enough! She’s one of the most criminally overlooked artists in the genre, and I’m so glad she’s back with more awesome new music! 8.5/10
Walker Hayes: 17 Problems
Four years on from his massive breakout hit ‘Fancy Like’, I’m still not sure if Walker is an industry plant or not. Firstly, did bro country not die out with Florida Georgia Line? And plus, what makes the pretty cringy lyrics even worse is that the guy is going on 50 now, but still writing/singing like a teenager. What’s worse is that there is actually probably all the elements of a great country-pop album in here, just hidden under all the rubbish. There are flashes of Old Dominion at times, which y’all know I love already, but the pop and vague hip-hop elements ruined all of that. There is clearly a big market for this kind of country still, but it’s not even particularly well-done bro country. Like if it was new FGL I may have fucked with it, but this really was a struggle to listen through, especially for 17 tracks. The opener was probably the best track on it, and that was kinda just passable for me. If you like it more power to you, but I can’t give it any more than 4/10. In hindsight, me giving his last album7/10 was rather generous, but it’s at least less cringy than this!
Hot Mulligan: The Sound a Body Makes When it’s Still
This is a real mixed bag for me. I remember checking them out in the lead-up to Slam Dunkthis year and enjoying them, so was at least a little hyped for this album. However, yeah, it’s kinda just there at times. It combines some of my least favourite elements of the genres it draws from; Midwest emo, punk and indie. Heck, there are some awesome math rock guitar licks… in 4/4. However, having said that, as an album as a whole I found myself having a good time listening, even if at times I was surprised by that fact. It starts a little rocky, but tracks like ‘Island in the Sun’ (not that one (woop woop)), ‘Monica Lawinskibidi’, ‘Cream of Wheat of Feet Naw Cream of (feat.)’, ‘Carbon Monoxide Hotel’ and the beautiful, bittersweet ‘Slumdog Scungillionare’ all big personal highlights. I also love that at least bands like this are carrying on the trend of absolutely wild, nonsense and hilarious song titles.
Despite my complaints, the more I listen the more I enjoy this album. It’s not completely my bag, and it is a touch long at 16 tracks. However, I had a good time listening to most of this once I settled into it. It’s certainly not bad, and the band are clearly talented. I probably wouldn’t spin this often aside a random track every so often, but if I was in the mood I’d probably still chuck this on and just get lost in it. It may grow on me even more, but for now it gets a pretty decent 7.5/10
Wolf Alice: The Clearing
The alt/indie rock Brits have become a force to be reckoned with in the scene in the decade that they’ve been releasing music, and this album really demonstrates their size and the reason they are at that point. It’s a massive, sweeping, ambitious release that honestly tops their previous ones with relative ease. This is coming from a guy that didn’t really consider himself a fan of the band either, so the fact that they’ve impressed me this much shows the quality of this release. It just feels BIG, from the production to the quirky writing to the impeccable use of the instrumentation. And Ellie Rowsell’s vocals here… DAMN. Talk about an underrated vocalist! She may be what has drawn me into this album the most, honestly. As I said, everything about it is technically great, but Ellie’s vocal range, power and delivery, coupled with a star power that shines bright through the music, had me hooked. From the absolutely incredible opener to the folky ‘Passenger Seat’ to the heavier ‘White Horses’, there’s plenty to love here!
Is it perfect? Not for me personally. However, they’re another band that I very much ‘get’ now, and had a good time sitting back and appreciating everything this had to offer. It’s another album that does have a significant lull in the middle, but I think it’s less egregious with a band like this that are a little more both chilled-out and experimental. I’d definitely recommend this album, and will definitely be spinning the tracks I’ve named previous, if not the whole album, a good few times over the coming weeks and months. A very solid 7.5/10 from us, and clearly I need to give the bands back catalogue another try!
The German medieval metallers have been hugely busy the last few years, this being their sixth release in as many years. We sadly missed their last release but did get to review the awesome Fegefeuer and loved it. Being a pretty big fan of the band at this point, I have been eagerly anticipating this release, and knew I wanted to give it my full attention. Also, the hype around it has been pretty insane, so I really can’t wait to dive in!
The album opens with the insanely catchy album track. The party vibe that felt a little missing from the band’s previous couple of albums returns with a vengeance here in the best possible way, and makes for maybe the perfect album opener. The insanely catchy chorus opens things up, even having some growls to accompany it, while the verses feel almost rap-inspired, giving off Electric Callboy vibes as well as the heavy power metal. It still blows my mind that this didn’t go all the way in Eurovision, it’s easily the best song entered this year! Dang von SDP does a great job on the second verse, fitting the tone of the track perfectly. It’s a simple arrangement revolving around that incredible chorus, and is certainly an early highlight!
Up next is another single we are very familiar with, the Doro-featuring ‘Valhalla’. When we spoke to Ben this track had just come out, and we later filmed a reaction video to it. Of course, we love it! It’s a little more traditional folk/power metal leaning than the previous track, but still has a slight party vibe and a really call to arms feel. The guest once again does incredible, Doro not able to do any wrong really, and fits the tone of the track perfectly. And once again, it has a massive, arena-filling chorus that is so very catchy, being stuck in my head a lot since I first heard it. It’s the perfect power metal track, everyone working their ass off as every element is excellent. Another highlight for sure, and a track already on our playlist!
We got silly next, with a cover I never knew I needed and now can’t get enough of! I feel like I’m in the minority at this point who likes the original PSY version, but this is every bit as good! It transposes surprisingly awesomely to European metal, and the band once again kill it with the arrangement. It’s of course catchy as the original was a huge ear-worm, but heavy enough that it fits perfectly alongside the rest of the album! Probably not one for the serious metalheads out there, but I loved it and it’s yet again another huge highlight on an album chocked full of them so far.
The first non-single of the album, ‘Name der Rose’, is a jump back into the folk side of their sound. It’s similar to ‘Valhalla’ in its feel, and still has just as massive and catchy a chorus! The slightly slower pace also makes it feel a bit more ballad-like, which is hardly an issue! The riff for the bridge is also SICK. It does feel slightly more album-track than the previous songs, but that may just be because of the lack of guests or it not being a massive cover; it doesn’t at all reflect on the quality of the song. Another excellent track!
‘Testament’ starts with a dark, folky riff before the metal quickly comes in over the top. It has a similar tone and feel to it than the previous track, but on the faster side. It’s nice to hear them singing in German, it fitting just as well as their English tracks. They’ve not long started singing in English, I believe, so it’s nice to hear they still go back to their roots a bit, too! The same can be said for ‘Eisenfaust’ and ‘Tanz der Teufel’. All are primarily German-sung folk metal songs. All are fantastic, with the latter being another big personal highlight of the album, but are fairly similar and easier to lump together so this review doesn’t get repetitive and boring. I’d recommend checking out all three of them, still!
The next song (two of you count the intro monologue setting it up) has my whole heart. I LOVE Lord of the Rings, so to have a song about ‘Sam the Brave’ is amazing, and the tale fits the bands style perfectly. And the verses are in German too, which is honestly a bonus. The band switching between both languages is awesome! It’s heavy, folky and catchy as anything yet again, the band really finding their style and playing it to perfection again and again. It’s an amazing folk metal song, and yet another huge highlight of the album for me. I am desperate to hear this live, so I’m gonna have to go over to Europe, I think!
‘Drunken Dragon’ is another fun, catchy folk-metal track that has almost a breakdown in the middle which was awesome, easily making it one of the heavier tracks on the album. The same can be said for ‘Avalon’. Again, both are awesome songs that fit the style of the album and the band well. We even get a guitar solo in the latter, something that is surprisingly rare on the release. As I said before, the band are now so damn proficient at making incredible music in this vein that even the ‘album tracks’ are amazing!
The closing track on the album is the huge collaboration single, ‘Lords of Fyre’. The song was worked on hand in hand with Lord of the Lost, and very much feels like a 50/50 split akin to ‘RATATATA’. It has a gothic edge to it from the other band, while still having a distinct folk edge still. Plus, Chris’ low, powerful vocals fit perfectly alongside the other two’s. We also get an incredible extreme metal breakdown in the middle, complete with awesome riffing and some great screaming. And the fact that it drops out to just piano, violin and Chris’ vocals for the chorus is phenomenal, *chefs kiss*. It’s yet another insanely catchy song, another highlight and a truly epic way to close out the album!
Overall: This is everything I wanted from the album and somehow even more! Every song on this is amazing, and even with it being front-loaded with three massive singles, it still stays awesome and memorable throughout. The band have been amazing for a while now, but have really been gaining a lot of traction and momentum with these last couple of releases, and this has the real possibility to propel them up another step or two in the industry, into true international stars. I honestly cannot recommend the whole album enough. It’s my favourite release the band have put out, and will surely be being spun a lot in the coming weeks and months!
We sat down to chat to the wonderful Ben of Feuerschwanz the other day about their upcoming album, Knightclub, their first time playing in the UK and their upcoming tour with Lord of the Lost. Check it all out below!
The new album, Knightclub, is out next month, right? It feels like it’s got a bit more of a party vibe to it than your previous work?
We’re in July now so yes, next month!
We’ve always been a band with lots of party vibes. We’ve made a few albums, two or three, which are a bit more… not that much partying. Fegefeuer and the last album have quite a few depressive songs. That’s because of the pandemic. I’m quite a jolly person and like to party and have a good time, but the pandemic was a real downer. We’re in the aftermath now and I can see it in my music that the songs which I wrote then and which came out a year or two later are not that happy. They usually are so that’s the reason we came back to our normal sound. It’s how we are!
The title track was written for Eurovision, right?
It was not written for Eurovision, we had it before the application. We wrote the song last summer and the application was December or something. We absolutely did not have Eurovision in our minds when we wrote it. I’ve tried it before, to write a song like that. You have to come to this idea at some part of your life as a band to ask yourself like ‘oh, we could try Eurovision. We need a poppy, catchy Eurovision tune with this and that and…’. And I tried this and it was shit! Complete nonsense and it was bad. I can’t do it so I just wrote a party song about knights, about things I love, and it turned out to be a quite decent Eurovision song! That’s how it should be; it’s authentic.
I imagine a lot of the album was written before you’d even gotten to the Eurovision stage, then?
Yes, every song! Way before it!
I have to admit I’ve become a little obsessed with your Gangnam Style cover.
A lot of people hate it! I can understand, it’s crazy. Some people can’t stand it! It’s like we put worlds together which don’t really belong together, which is why we were also having great fun and feeling… when we did this and shot the video we were saying to ourselves ‘are we fucking crazy? Are we doing it?’. But that’s why we did it, we wanted to do something really crazy. To make the least appropriate song for a folk metal band!
It works really well!People may be annoyed because it was massive and everywhere when it first came out, maybe brought people’s minds back to that instead!
Yeah, lots of flashbacks! And maybe some people have bad flashbacks to 2012, so I can fully understand that. But I can only say that it’s a great song, and as a songwriter I must confess it’s a great song, I liked it 13 years ago. It hits different and doesn’t follow any strict rules. The riff is crazy and nonsense but still catchy, so it’s really cool!
You’ve managed to work with so many amazing artists over your time, most recently Doro. How did that come about?
The start of the song, ‘Valhalla’, was actually when we covered Manowar, ‘Warriors of the World’. I think the only thing… I love the song, I love Manowar, that’s why we covered it a few years ago… but the only thing missing from a 2025 point of view is that it’s only “Brothers Everywhere”. I know that sounds a bit icky and stuff and I’m not the wokeness police or anything, but it feels off to exclude 50% of the population in a song, why only the brothers? I know it’s about warfare and soldiers and stuff, but we make music, not war. So when I’m up there singing it, it always feels like ‘yeah and the sisters too’ but it doesn’t fit into the song! So we wanted to make our own song, our own ‘Warriors of the World’, explicitly for the brothers and the sisters. We called it ‘for the Vikings and the Valkyries’ as it sounds cooler.
That was the beginning of the song and it has this hard rock/classic metal vibe. We thought about different guest musicians and stuff but we always came back to Doro. She is the mother of all metal, she’s a very brave woman and had the balls to sing in an 80s metal band. That’s so cool! She paved the way for many women today, including Schildmaid from our band. That’s why she was the one and only best choice to participate in this song. Also, she has quite a low voice for a woman, which was cool as for other female artists the song would be to low, it wouldn’t fit that well musically. Doro could really nail the same melody that I did! It fit really awesome, still sounding very different to us, and she has endless attitude which is so cool to hear!
It looks like you’ve got quite a big festival season planned, including Bloodstock, right? Have you done the festival before?
No no no, Bloodstock will be our first show in the UK. We’ve never made it over the Channel. We’ve played in Spain and in Miami but not in the UK. It’s time to change that! It’ll be our first run with British metal fans, and I’m really excited to be honest! It’ll be a really cool experience.
The cool thing is our music works… we played in France last week and the crazy thing about the French is they don’t speak German, but they don’t speak English as well either. We sing in German and no one understands one word, and we try to communicate in English between songs and we don’t speak perfect fluent English and the people in the crowd don’t understand what we are trying to tell them. We come down to a non-verbal communication because you want to understand and make a party and have fun but you can’t express it very exactly. That’s why you’re always like ‘scream!’ and ‘yeah!’. That’s what matters most in the music, energy and the emotion, not the exact words. It’s about energy and emotion. That’s why I like playing in foreign countries, they’re more like ‘let’s go for the party’.
I think it’s quite wholesome to see that metal music can connect people on such a deep level. On festivals you can spend the whole evening without understanding one word, it is possible! Through music you can understand each other without knowing the words.
Have you got much planned for the end of the year?
Yes, we have a tour booked with our friends from Lord of the Lost. We announced quite a few big shows in Germany together with them, and they’re releasing their album as well in July or August. So there will be quite a cool synergy effect. We really like each other and made the song ‘Lords of Fyre’ together last year. But our music is quite different, which is cool. Like same same but different. They are somehow a metal band but not that classic. We come from the medieval side into metal, they come from the gothic side. We meet somewhere; heavy metal, hard rock, wherever. It’s quite cool because it’s special.
Is there any chance of Lord of the Lost coming on to of ‘Lords of Fyre’ on the tour with you?
Oh of course, we will play it! We don’t know exactly how to do it because it will be like 14 people on stage, but we will just stack onto each other or something! We will play it and have a good time, maybe for the last song or something!
A pretty quiet week for new music, but what we did get is all awesome! Let’s check it all out!
Dropkick Murphys: For the People
Firstly, I’ll stand with you, Dropkicks! Ken for President!
But no, in all seriousness, this was exactly the sort of album the world needs right now. And, with it being an incredibly quiet week for new releases, it almost feels like a sign for everyone to listen to it! Whether it’s punkier stuff like the opener, ‘The Big Man’ or ‘Kids Games’ or more Celtic-folk stuff like ‘Chesterfields and Aftershave’ and the closer, there is so much awesome stuff on here. We also got a FANTASTIC reappearance of legend Al Barr on ‘The Vultures Circle High’. After two other albums, it was nice to hear him back, even just for a singular track. Having reviewed Ohemah Rising on this site a couple of years ago, as well as being pretty familiar with their couple before that (as well as their big ones), I have to say this might be my favourite release from them since SIGNED and SEALED. It feels the most confident and sure of itself; the most classic Dropkicks album yet still feeling modernised. There isn’t a bad song on the album and it’s consistently interesting and fun through its 43-minute runtime. If you’re a fan of the band, the Celtic style or just punk in general, I cannot recommend this enough! I’ll definitely be listening to it plenty over the next few months, and it could end up pretty high on our list of albums of the year, come December! 8.5/10
Warkings: Armageddon
We’ve already checked out the awesome album! Read our full review of it here.
Jesse Welles: Pilgram
The third album from one of the hardest working folk/country rock artists around just this year dropped last Friday. It marks his 18th across the 13 years he’s been actively releasing stuff, a hugely impressive feat. What makes it even more impressive is that the quality is still there; this is a great release! From tracks like ‘Change is in the Air’ to ‘Forever, Whatever’ to ‘GTFOH’, there are so many powerful, impactful and unique tracks that are definitely highlights! Then you have his tracks with guests; both Sierra Ferrell and Billy Strings do awesome and add so much to the already awesome songs they are part of. I discovered him earlier this year through TikTok, reminding me a lot of a big favourite of mine, Beans on Toast, and I have to say that the first full album I’ve managed to check out has impressed me massively. His lyric writing is incredible, as is his vocal style, and the simplicity of the tracks only make them more impactful! The folky style isn’t for everyone, but I cannot recommend this release enough to anyone. I loved it and will certainly be listening to a lot of it plenty again. Another 8.5/10 from us!
Rimmar: Raises
The debut album from the Italian visionary guitarist Marco Rinaldi is a solid first release! Not only written and arranged by the guy, but also produced by him too, it’s a testament to the sheer talent of the man. And the quality of the album, an epic concept centred around rebirth and transcendence, combining classic and prog metal with synthwave and electronic elements, is damn high! It feels like the perfect blend of Iron Maiden and Queensryche, but modernised at the same time, and really takes you on a journey from the first note until the last. Songs like ‘Mighty Messenger’, the stomping ‘Planet Mars’ and the more industrial ‘Vortex’ (feat. Fabio Lione) are all personal highlights. However, the whole album is pretty great, and fits together perfectly as a whole concept. If you are at all curious it’s well worth checking out, it’s a fantastic album and yet another amazing debut release! Marco is a very talented guy and has put together something special here. I can’t wait to hear where he goes from here, but for now this album gets a solid 8/10 from us!
We as a Company: First Summer
The Italian stoner/doom/indie rock band made the executive decision to not have this release, or any of their stuff, on Spotify, which given the current climate is admirable. And so, while none of it will end up on our playlist, it is still a damn solid release. It’s like if stoner/doom met Oasis or Enuff Z’Nuff or even Pinegrove, and I’m kinda all here for it! Songs like the opener, the heavy ‘Tears Away’ and the beautiful closer are all personal highlights. However, the whole album has a great flow and arrangement to it, making for an incredible easy full listen. It’s not going to be for everyone, but I found it a fascinating combination of styles and will almost definitely be revisiting this at least once or twice again soon. I’d probably recommend it to an indie fan more than the rest, but if you are at all curious, do yourselves a favour and give this a listen! A solid 7.5/10!
Wytch Hazel: V: Lamentations
The medieval-inspired NWOBHM revival band put out, surprisingly, their fifth album this last week. Honestly, it’s damn good! And while yes, it has elements of early Priest or Maiden, it shares more DNA and sound with the likes of UFO or Uriah Heep. Heck, with the folky elements involved from the old-school theming, it even has riffs and elements that resemble Fleetwood Mac or even Jethro Tull. It makes for a really interesting, unique combination, and an incredibly easy listen. The band are amazing songwriters, the huge choruses in particular being fantastic. Songs like ‘Run the Race’, ‘Elements’ and the epic ‘Elixir’ into ‘Woven’ are all personal highlights, but there isn’t a bad song on the thing! I can’t believe it’s taken me five albums to finally hear this band, but they certainly have a big new fan in me! 45-minutes went by in a flash, and I’ve already listened to it multiple times this weekend. A very easy 8.5/10 from us!
The fifth studio album from the German power metallers sees the band return from their longest gap between releases yet. I remember enjoying their last album back in the day and, now that they have seemingly added Morgana full time, I have to say I’m pretty hyped for this album. I completely get the scrutiny they are under by some in the wider genre, but I am certainly a fan of the band, and am excited to hear what they have, given that I haven’t checked out any of the singles yet either!
The album starts as it means to go on with the epic, Viking-style building intro into the title track. The big, heavy riff is complimented perfectly by the solid drumming and then the chanted, ‘woh’ vocals, something that will surely whip a live crowd into a frenzy right from the offset. The powerful vocals come in and I love the guitars dropping out between the lines in the verse, giving everything time to breathe and build back up perfectly. Speaking of building, it all leads to a HUGE, arena filling chorus that is surely going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day! The high vocals come in for the second verse, but are just as powerful as the lower ones, a damn impressive feat that both Tribune and Morgana are both so good! The bridge riff is stomping and fantastically heavy, and leads to another great intro reprieve! Honestly, this is a fantastic opener and a strong contender for one of my favourite tracks from the band already!
The following song features a guest I’m shockingly not familiar with, Orden Ogan. However, after listening to the track, I’m gonna have to check out some of their own stuff, because I loved this! Don’t get me wrong, a lot of that can probably be chalked up to the vaguely-cheesy power metal masterclass of writing Warkings put on again, but Orden certainly show up here too. From the epic riffing to the incredible, epic vocal delivery and melody overall, it’s European power metal at its very best! It gives off Hammerfall vibes in the best possible way, and I’m here for it! And it’s another massive earworm of a chorus, too. And we also get a fantastic, technical little guitar solo tucked away in the middle, a nice addition to the formula of the previous track. So far the band are two for two on big highlight tracks on this thing!
‘Kingdom Come’ has a bit more of a plodding pace to it, opening pretty quickly into the huge, epic chorus that is made to be played in front of huge festival crowds. I like that it drops down for the verse too, adding some great dynamics to the track and on e again building up perfectly. It almost feels like a heavier ballad-track, and I love it! And the band clearly know the way to my heart, because after a heavy bridge we get a fantastic key changed chorus, guitar solos in the back and the lot. It’s yet another utterly brilliant song, and I’m honestly blown away by this album so far!
After another brief, ominous spoken-word interlude, the incantation leads perfectly into the fast, heavy ‘Circle of Witches’. Honestly it almost feels like more of a thrash track than anything else, and the occasional screams through it were a fantastic touch! And yet it still builds to a massive, catchy-as-anything chorus that firmly roots it to the power metal genre. And that solo, DAMN, *chefs kiss*, that was awesome and fit the tone of the track perfectly! To I’m sure no one’s shock at this point, another excellent song!
Next up is another single, ‘Kings of Ragnarök’. From the riffing to the choir vocals at the start, it begins in the most power metal style possible, and keeps that feeling for the full four minute runtime! It’s of course another fantastic song, but does very much follow the same formula as its predecessors so far. The screams again were a nice touch, and it’s catchy enough that it will surely be another firm live favourite! It almost gives off Dragonforce vibes, being a bit more uplifting than the previous songs, fitting the lyrics pretty perfectly.
After another similar interlude to the previous one, we get the incredibly catchy vocal opening of ‘Troops of Immortality’. It’s an incredible chorus and makes for another memorable song, for sure. However, I was starting to get a little tired of the same formula and style over and over, by this time in. The interludes were helping, as was changing up the song structure slightly. But, even when the songs are absolutely incredible, like they are here, it’s hard for my tiny attention span to not wander after a few of the same. Still, it’s another absolutely fantastic Warkings song, and a brilliant power metal and just song in general!
As if to immediately make me eat my words, ‘Nightfall’ slows things down and drops things down into more of a ballad, at least to begin with. The clean riff is awesome, and the first verse feels more like something Queensryche-esque than power metal. However, it does still build into the typically awesome, epic Warkings sound by the admittedly amazing chorus. And heck, the fact that they manage to squeeze in the most brutal scream on the album on the slowest track is no mean feat! By the final chorus it’s another massive power metal song, but damn did it get there in a fun and interesting way. Another massive highlight!
Next up is a song featuring our friendsin Dominum. It does have a slight air of Dominum in the riffing and general writing too, which was a very nice touch! Heck, the fact that they even use ‘forelorn’ so much almost makes this feel like a continuation of the bands latest albums story, in a way! The song is awesome and the chorus is fantastic, but having Dr Dead on the track just makes it even better. He’s one of the most underrated vocalists around today, and fits in perfectly to this track! Yeah, this is another excellent power metal song on an album packed full of them, and one I’d certainly recommend checking out if you haven’t already!
The final three songs are fairly as expected, except for the epic power ballad, ‘Here Comes the Rain’, tucked away in the middle of them. ‘Varangoi’ is the most standard Warkings you could get, while the closing track features the mighty Subway to Sally in a massive way, having much more of a folk metal leaning. Both tracks are great, with the closer in particular being an excellent blend of the two bands styles. However, that ballad, goddamn, it gave me goosebumps. It was beautiful, powerful and so masterfully written and performed. It was a style that I hoped we’d get on this album and it didn’t disappoint at all. Yet another massive highlight of the album, and one of the best metal ballads I’ve heard in a while.
Overall: I’m a fan of the band, but this was better than I was ever expecting! It was epic from start to finish, and is a perfect example of how great power metal can be in 2025. There isn’t a bad song on this and it’s arranged pretty perfectly with all the interludes (even if I’d have maybe moved ‘Nightfall’ up a touch). If you are at all a fan of the band, genre or just metal in general, I’d certainly recommend checking out this album, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do! It builds on everything they did well on Morgana and they really proved that they are here to stay near the top of the scene!
