UMUR "PowerNerd" is the twenty-second full-length studio album by Canadian progressive rock/metal artist Devin Townsend (if you include all releases by Devin Townsend, Devin Townsend Project, and The Devin Townsend Band). The album was released through InsideOut Music in October 2024. It´s the successor to "Lightwork" from November 2022 and it´s almost impossible to believe that there´s been almost two years between releases for Townsend, who usually is a very prolific with his output rate. There are several reasons for the break in output though, including touring in support of "Lightwork" and working on what is described by Townsend as one of the most elaborate and challenging musical projects of his career...the forthcoming album "The Moth". But in typical Townsend style he of course found time to write and record a stop-gap release which is "PowerNerd".

After having experimented with using an outside co-producer (Gggarth) on "Lightwork", Townsend is back to self-producing on "PowerNerd". He has said in interviews that it was a great experience for him working with an outside producer, but that he would probably never do it again, because as great the experience was, it was also uncomfortable for him to relinquish control of his product.

"PowerNerd" was recorded by Townsend (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming) with additional performances by session musicians Darby Todd (drums), Diego Tejeida and Mike Keneally (both keybaords), Jean Savoie (bass), Aman Khosla (vocals), Tanya Ghosh (vocals), and Jamie Jasta (vocals). So most of the recording was solely done by Townsend.

Stylistically the material on "PowerNerd" is predominantly melodic heavy rock/metal with huge memorable choruses (I could remember almost every track already the second time I listened to them, so this is arguably very catchy material). Although the music is very well produced, featuring Townsend´s signature multi-layers of instruments and vocals, it´s probably his most accessible and least progressive/experimental release yet. The tracks are all vers/chorus structured, 3-5 minutes long (except the even shorter "Dreams of Light"), and relatively simple, but still very effective and well composed. Think how a combination of the pop metal heaviness of "Addicted" (2009) would sound if you applied it to the atmospheric pop/rock of "Lightwork" (2022) and you´re halfway there. Fans of the most experimental parts of Townsend´s discography might find this a little light weight and maybe even a little shallow, but to those of us who found the two above mentioned albums greatly enjoyable and generally appreciate the more melodic and easier to access material from Townsend, "PowerNerd" is another great addition to our collection.

What´s interesting on "PowerNerd" compared to some of the other more accessible releases in Townsend´s discography is that there are almost no excursions into experimental territories. He usually can´t help himself add at least one or two tracks with an experimental/progressive edge even on the more melodic pop rock/metal oriented releases, but "PowerNerd" is almost completely devoid of that and it´s generally a very consistent release in terms of musical style...at least until the closing track "Ruby Quaker" where Townsend let´s loose with a little eclectic musical madness (mixing a cowpunk main song with death metal and epic symphonic parts). Probably just to remind his audience that he hasn´t lost his edge and have become completely domesticated.

Even within this relatively simple vers/chorus structured format Townsend is able to show his musical ingenuity and geniality. Although it´s not as apparent on "PowerNerd" as on other preceding more experimental releases, it´s still pretty clear that he is a one-of-a-kind genius, who is able to make even relatively staight forward music sound intriguing, energetic, and powerful. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy Chugging buzzsaw guitars, lo-fi production fuzziness, demonic vocal rasping piercing the wall of shadowy din with adrenalized rampages altering with creeping advances. These are the now well established attributes of Tobias Möckl’s one man band PAYSAGE D’HIVER which since 1998 has continued to deliver the sounds of a turbulent winter storm with no end. This Swiss soldier in the black metal army (as well as key member of Möckl’s other well known band, Darkspace), returns with another whopping blast of Arctic chill with his newest release DIE BERGE, the German words meaning “The Mountains” thus showcased on a dismal album cover of grainy black and white vagueness. Unleashing another ferocious attack of ambient atmospheric black metal some 26 years after the debut “Steineiche,” PAYSAGE D’HIVER is up to album #15 this time around and follows in the footsteps of the more modern releases with a sprawling running time of almost 103 minutes.

Despite the lengthy sojourn into the frigid icy sonic swells that rumble on for well over an hour, DIE BERGE features a mere 7 tracks with every single track but one hitting the 11-minute mark with the grandest of sprawlers coming first in the form of “Urgrund” which slinks past the 18-minute playing time. Now that’s a lot of jagged wintery downtuned distortion to soak in but somehow once again Mr Möckl showcases his knack to craft hostile frosty soundscapes that march on through lengthy processions like an intrepid journey into the unknown during the hostile shivery moments of winter delivered in a demeanor as chilling and inclement as the inhospitable apices of the Swiss Alps. Appearing as the sole contributor under the moniker Wintherr, his compositions on DIE BERGE emulate a nasty blizzard lambasting the peaks in musical form with oscillating swells of lo-fi distortion and the blurred distinction between treble and bass accompanied by the pacifying melodic touches of the atmospheric keyboard runs that so gracefully slink in and out of the treacherous soundscapes. Blastbeats and tranquilized drum percussion trades off with moments of a unifying bleakness as the bantering guitar and bass swells deliver maximum bombast.

While the world of black metal continues to splinter off in a great number of variations, PAYSAGE D’HIVER offers that respite into the world of darkened lo-fi grittiness that launched the Norwegian second wave black metal scene some 30 years ago and retains that general vibe which has become somewhat diluted and altered with the advent of more progressive and experimental black metal of the 21st century. DIE BERGE like the general PAYSAGE D’HIVER canon offers that much needed transcendental escape into a nightmarish and ominous journey into the turbulent black metal disarray that tames chaotic soundscapes into melodic almost post-metal like cyclical loops that rumble on for long segments of time yet somehow never seem to grow stale as the chugging riffs and hypnotic repetitive motifs slowly churn on for minutes on end. It’s very much the black metal equivalent to laying on the ground and simply watching the clouds drift by with subtle variations oozing out at glacial speeds. The album’s seven tracks may be lengthy but each forges its own identity despite deriving inspiration from the same playbook. Despite the simplicity of the melodic structure, the album is utterly mesmerizing and casts the perfect spell to allow the protracted paragons to perform their wintery magic.

Don’t expect any Alpine folk interpretations or experimental touches. PAYSAGE D’HIVER isn’t one to throw curveballs but rather delivers comfort metal of the frigid variety for those accustomed to the long drawn out processions into gelid wintery soundscapes that Wintherr has possibly become the most adept at crafting. DIE BERGE may not differ substantially from PAYSAGE D’HIVER’s long and well-established canon significantly but nevertheless this guy really knows how to keep the consistency in his work without falling from grace. Black metal is a fickle beast and can easily be slayed by too much regalia adornment. In the case of PAYSAGE D’HIVER it seems that keeping it simple without too much excess fluff has been the magic bullet that has propelled Wintherr and his project well into the 21st century with no signs of running out of gas. While i wouldn’t call DIE BERGE any sort of advancement in the established stylistic approach, i can say that Wintherr has delivered another wickedly delightful slice of chillingly frosty atmospheric black metal that keeps his legacy churning along.

siLLy puPPy After a lengthy hiatus that found a whopping elapse of 13 years since its last full length album, the mighty MITOCHRONDRION has resurrected itself from a self-imposed slumber and slithered out of its hibernation chambers to unleash the third installment of its brutal bantering discography. While the band dropped an EP in 2013 and a split in 2016 showing continued signs of life, unexpectedly and turbulently this Victoria, BC based band has unleashed a massive sprawling double disc release in 2024 in the form of VITRISEPTOME. Delivering another esoteric and mysterious album title, this word like its predecessors “Archaeaeon” and “Parasignosis” has emerged like a linguistic Frankenstein of the band’s own making. Breaking down into the logical components, VITRI- possibly refers to the legit “vitic” which means relating to, resembling or having the nature of glass. SEPT most likely signifies the number seven whereas the TOME part could possibly refer to a book or set of books of several volumes featured in a scholarly fashion. So logically perhaps a “Seven Volume Tome In Glass?”

Whatever the fuck it means, VITRISEPTOME is a behemoth of a musical monstrosity that features 17 ear shattering tracks that sprawl on to a whopping one hour and 25 minutes! That’s a tall order for a band that consistently delivers some of the most frightening and energetic displays of technical disso-death metal in the modern realms of the ever-expanding universe of extreme metal’s most popular nook. So what’s new with MITOCHONDRION you ask? Well, dare i say melody? This band’s past is one of murky nebulous swells of sound that conjure up demonic forces that deliver astral terror. In many ways the band returns with a sound that’s business as usual with the expected rampaging guitar riffs distorted to kingdom come accompanied by blitzkrieg percussion gymnastics in a crushing cacophony that blurs the distinction between black metal, death metal and the avant-garde. Also once again MITOCHONDRION delivers hefty doses of preternatural aural assaults bedecked with ample touches of Lovecraftian surrealism.

VITRISEPTOME may resemble its heritage in the aforementioned carry over elements that make MITOCHONDRION sound like no other however beneath the dissonant display of bantering freneticism, this album is quite different in many ways with the most prominent feature being that of a more melodic approach that is implemented by the higher register guitar licks that accompany the brutal bombast of the rampaging riffing. Also notable is the more cavernous texture of the production and mixing which offers a more Portal-like effect that offers moments of pure blackened noise as heard on the combo back of “[ ]” and the title track which sound like an avalanche of amplifiers generating a feedback explosion. While the previous albums offered a more surreal blurry bleeding over of the instrumentation, VITRISEPTOME on the other hand delivers a more distinguished separation of guitars, bass and other elements such as the various tonal textures offered by such unorthodoxies as the timpani, flute, bone horn and singing bowl. As far as the guitars are concerned there is more of an old school Morbid Angel feel on many track with that classic guitar squealing effect emerging from the din. But don’t let these small details fool you. This is MITOCHONDRION raging on in fine form!

Despite the hour and a half playing time i found myself able to take in the entire shebang in one sitting and that’s saying something these days when i find many albums are tediously too long for their own good. Something about MITOCHONDRION’s multi-faceted delivery system that keeps things sounding uniform in style yet diverse in how the details define the sum of the parts. It’s a demanding listening experience but unlike previous efforts that only offered the gloomiest and doomiest musical excursions to be had, VITRISEPTOME feels like it adds a ray of light to the chaotic disso-death battlefield of instrumentation with digestible chunks of melodic victory prognosticating a triumphant outcome despite a bleak and seemingly hopeless outcome. Once again MITOCHONDRION successfully conveys a strange metaphysical scenario that while nebulous in nature offers a wild emotional ride through the incessant swarm of sonic entropy. Personally i still prefer the band’s first two albums as this one is less consistent in its overall effect despite in many ways pretty much following in the footsteps of the previous albums. I’m a bit underwhelmed that the band didn’t deliver 13 years of innovation however despite those nitpicky quibbles i have to say that VITRISEPTOME is still a freakin’ awesome display of 21st century techy blackened disso-death. For me just a smidge inferior to the band’s past but this very well could grow on me over time indeed.

UMUR "Absolute Elsewhere" is the third full-length studio album by US, Colorado based death metal act Blood Incantation. The album was released through Century Media Records in October 2024. It´s the successor to "Hidden History of the Human Race" from 2021, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 2022 "Timewave Zero" EP. Three of the four members of the band have also been busy recording the second Spectral Voice album titled "Sparagmos", which was released in February 2024. Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice share all members except for the drummers of the two bands, who exclusively play in one of the groups.

While Blood Incantation have been brewing music since 2011 and have been relatively active since their formation, it wasn´t until the release of "Hidden History of the Human Race" that they had their underground breakthrough. Almost universally lauded for it´s intricate, progressive, and abstract death metal sound, "Hidden History of the Human Race" certainly made sure that Blood Incantation were placed firmly on the death metal map. It´s an interesting death metal release, because for all its sophistication, technical playing, and complex song structures, it´s still inherently an old school death metal release, featuring a gloomy and filthy brutality.

While a large part of the playing time of "Hidden History of the Human Race" was made up of the 18:05 minutes long "Awakening from the Dream of Existence to the Multidimensional Nature of Our Reality (Mirror of the Soul)", writing such a massive progressive death metal track obviously haven´t satisfied Blood Incantation´s cravings for abstract and complex death metal constructions, as "Absolute Elsewhere" contains only two 20 minutes plus tracks titled "The Stargate" (20:20 minutes long) and "The Message" (23:23 minutes long). Both tracks are subdivided into three shorter tracks, but you still get the experience of listening to two long tracks, as the sub-tracks seque into each other.

Stylistically Blood Incantation take their music to a new level. While still featuring loads of old school technical death metal parts, the album features just as many 70s influenced tripped-out space rock parts (Artists like Tangerine Dream, Eloy, and Pink Floyd haven´t lived in vain), which have nothing to do with death metal. So how does two such different music styles co-exist? It should be impossible, but it actually works incredibly well. Blood Incantation ensure that there is a good balance between death metal brutality, technical playing, progressive song structures, and the 70s progressive/space rock influences. "Absolute Elsewhere" is epic, melodic, and atmospheric, but also brutal, dissonant, and raw. Gloomy atmospheres are followed by epic melodic moments, and laid-back psychedelic journeys into space.

The growling vocals are cavernous, but higher in the mix than on the previous releases from Blood Incantation, which is a plus in my book. "The Message [Tablet II]" features a strongly Pink Floyed influenced section with clean singing in the Gilmour vein, and although they are relatively sparse and subtle, they provide a great contrast to the brutal growling vocals, which dominate "Absolute Elsewhere". The instrumental part of the album is well performed too, and the band are arguably a talented unit. It´s the multifaceted songwriting and unconventional progressive ideas which make "Absolute Elsewhere" such an interesting release though. These days you kind of expect that bands can handle their instruments, but it´s never a given that they can write intriguing music. Blood Incantation master both disciplines with ease. Featuring an organic, powerful, and detailed sound production "Absolute Elsewhere" is a high level release on all parameters and a 4.5 star (900%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Manual Manic Procedures" is the second full-length studio album by US, Ohio based death metal act 200 Stab Wounds. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in June 2024. It´s the successor to Slave To The Scalpel from 2021, although 200 Stab Wounds did release the 2023 "Masters of Morbidity" stop-gap single (featuring two non-album tracks). There has been one lineup change since the debut album as guitarist Lance Buckley has been replaced by Raymond Macdonald.

Stylistically 200 Stab Wounds haven´t changed much since the last album, still playing an old school but still not too retro sounding type of death metal. Brutal and varied grooves, both death metal and thrash metal influenced riffs, and some brutal growling vocals in front. "Manual Manic Procedures" features a fat, heavy, and brutal sounding production job which along with the (for the style) relatively varied songwriting are the greatest assets of the album. The band are well playing too.

Upon conclusion "Manual Manic Procedures" is another good quality death metal release from 200 Stab Wounds and the greater emphasis on brutal grooves and breaks is an interesting feature of the album, which provide the music with something a little more unique than what many other contemporary death metal artists put out. When that is said, "Manual Manic Procedures" still use trid and true musical elements...they are just combined in an effectful and rewarding way. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Dead Soul" is the second full-length studio album by Chilean thrash/groove metal act Criminal. The album was released through BMG Chile in 1997. It´s the successor to "Victimized" from 1994 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Jose Joaquin Vallejos has been replaced by Jimmy Ponce.

Stylistically the material on "Dead Soul" continue the thrash/groove thrash metal style of the predecessor, but with an added songwriting depth and even better musical performances. It´s still mid-90s Sepultura which is the greatest influence and reference, but I hear a few nods toward an act like Prong too. So this is raw, aggressive, and groove laden thrash metal with a raw sounding lead vocalist in front. The songwriting is reasonably varied for the style and the tracks are generally powerful, sharp, and well written. Some of the standout tracks are the Spanish language "Hijos De La Miseria" (the remaining tracks feature English language lyrics) and the heavy closing track "Guilt". The latter features quite a few great guitar solos which are worth a mention. The remaining tracks are overall strong and effective too.

"Dead Soul" features a raw, powerful, and brutal sounding production, which suits the material well. The only minor issue I have with the sound production, is the clicky powerless sound of the bass drums. That part of the sound could have prospered from a more natural tone. "Dead Soul" is overall still a strong release though and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved (and maybe even a bit low).

UMUR "Rise to Dominate" is the second full-length studio by Swedish death metal act Aeon. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in September 2007. It´s the successor to "Bleeding the False" from 2005 and it features one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist (and founding member) Johan Hjelm has been replaced by Max Carlberg.

Right off the bat album opener "Helel Ben-Shachar" sets the tone and reveals that Aeon have made zero changes or compromises since the release of "Bleeding the False" (2005) and therefore continue to play a brutal and blasphemous/anti-christian themed Deicide influenced style of death metal (with the occasional nod towards Morbid Angel). It´s sharp, brutal, and hateful death metal played with great technical skill and featuring a lead vocalist with a commanding deep growling yet intelligible delivery. His deep growls are complimented and often layered by high pitched screaming (not completely unlike the vocal style of Glen Benton).

The lyrics are as primitive/juvenile as on the preceding releases going out of their way to bash Christians, God, and anything and everything else related to those subjects. There´s even a song here dedicated to bashing and hating on Jehovah's Witnesses ("Spreading Their Disease"). Not that I necessarily disagree about criticising the actions and opinions of some Christian societies and groups, but personally I prefer that critique to be a little more subtle and intelligent than the closing lyric lines on the above mentioned "Spreading Their Disease": "I despise them", "they make me sick", "I want them dead", "Die they will die they must die", "Die they will die they must die". It´s not exactly Pulitzer price winning material...

...oh well... then it´s fortunate that Aeon do almost everything else right on "Rise to Dominate", which is a punishing, brutal, and technically well played death metal release, packed in a clear, brutal, and powerful sounding production (the album was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö). Fans of early 90s Florida death metal should find loads to enjoy here. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "As Night Conquers Day" is the second full-length studio album by Danish death metal act Autumn Leaves. The album was released through Serious Entertainment in early 1999. It´s the successor to "Embraced by the Absolute" from 1997. It would be the band´s last album before disbanding in 2001. Some of the members subsequently formed The Arcane Order.

Stylistically "As Night Conquers Day" continues the melodic death metal style with blackened vocals, which was introduced on "Embraced by the Absolute (1997)". It´s highly melodic death metal with loads of guitar leads, solos, and harmonies, but I wouldn´t call it 100% melodeath. The music on "As Night Conquers Day" has as much in common with the blackened melodic death metal of Swedish artists like Unanimated, Necrophobic, and Dissection, as it has to artists like Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. But the scale tips both ways.

Autumn Leaves are a well playing unit, and everything is delivered with tight precision, but still with the right organic touch. Lead vocalist Torsten Madsen has a powerful voice and a commanding delivery. Sometimes delivering death metal growling, and other times delivering higher pitched blackened snarling. The material on the album are well written and effective and as "As Night Conquers Day" also features a raw, detailed, and powerful sounding production job, it´s a quality release on all parameters. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "True to the Trade E.P." is an EP release by US, California based hardcore/crossover thrash metal act Attitude Adjustment. The EP was released through Rise Above It Records in 1996 and is the follow-up release to the band´s second full-length studio album "Out of Hand" from 1991. "True to the Trade E.P." is a posthumous release, as Attitude Adjustment disbanded in 1991.

The EP was originally released on 7" vinyl (limited to 1.200 copies), featuring 3 live tracks and 2 demo tracks on the A-side and two studio tracks on the B-side. Both the live and the demo tracks feature a raw, noisy, and lo-fi recording quality, while the 2 studio tracks feature a slighly better sounding production (recorded in November 1995 during a short reformation of the band). It´s fast, aggressive, and simple hardcore, and nothing out of the ordinary for the style. Drummer Chris Kontos is the star of the show with his powerful and skillful drumming.

Upon conclusion "True to the Trade E.P." isn´t the most necessary release. Not even for fans of Attitude Adjustment. The recording quality of the live- and the demo tracks are simply of such a low quality that it´s hard to enjoy the music, and the two studio recordings aren´t that interesting either. A 2 star (40%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Let Chaos Prevail" is the third full-length studio album by Finnish death metal act Demigod. The album was independently released in May 2007 but soon saw a label release through Xtreem Music in November 2007. It´s the successor to "Shadow Mechanics" from 2002 and there have been a couple of lineup changes since the predecessor as drummer Seppo Taatila has been replaced by Tuomo Latvala, lead vocalist Ali Leiniö has left and keyboard player Mika Haapasalo has also left.

Although Demigod formed as far back as 1990, they only released some demo/promo material, a split with Necropsy, and their debut full-length studio album "Slumber of Sullen Eyes (1992)" (which is arguably one of the seminal albums from the early 90s Finnish death metal scene) before disbanding in 1994. When they returned to the spotlight with "Shadow Mechanics" (2002) their sound and style had changed significantly adding clean vocals and keyboards, and a technical/progressive edge to their death metal, which were not elements heard on the old school death metal of their early releases.

"Let Chaos Prevail" is however not a continuation of the sound found on "Shadow Mechanics" (2002). Although some elements of that sound remain, it´s not a continuation of their original old school death metal sound either. Stylistically this is technically well played death metal with shouting semi-growling vocals in front. The clean vocals and the keyboard parts of the predecessor are gone, and so are the occasionally odd songwriting ideas. "Let Chaos Prevail" is a consistent release in terms of quality and style.

It´s also a well produced release, featuring a sophisticated, detailed, and clear sounding production, suiting this type of death metal perfectly. I still hear the occasional nod towards latter day Death (the band), but it´s actually the French in Loudblast that I´m mostly reminded of (especially their 1993 "Sublime Dementia" album). Technically well played death metal which isn´t quite tech death (and featuring a lot of thrashy riffs), but still a sophisticated and polished type of death metal. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "This Present Wasteland" is the ninth full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Metal Church. The album was released through Steamhammer Records in September 2008. After touring in support of the album Metal Church disbanded in July 2009, which was their second split. They reunited in October 2012. "This Present Wasteland" is the successor to "A Light in the Dark" from 2006 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Jay Reynolds has left and has been replaced by Rick Van Zandt.

Lineup changes never had much impact on the sound of Metal Church though, and the material on "This Present Wasteland" continues the US power/heavy metal style of the preceding releases as if the band haven´t noticed that almost 25 years have passed since the release of their debut album. Metal Church are incredibly consistent in the style and quality of their material, and while there have been minor fluctuations in quality over the years, they have been just that...minor.

So once again the listener is treated to hard rocking heavy metal riffs (and the occasional more thrashy riff), brilliant lead guitar work, an organic and powerful playing rhythm section, and lead vocalist Ronny Munroe delivering both rough and more melodic and higher pitched vocals (he sometimes sounds like the US power metal version of Bruce Dickinson). Pure class on all posts. "The Company of Sorrow" opens the album and sounds a little like contemporary Metallica. Heavy metal/US power metal with thrash metal leanings. And that´s more or less how the remainder of the album continues. It´s a consistent quality release in terms of memorable songwriting, a powerful and well sounding production job, and high level musical performances. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Rumours of Rain" is a demo album release by Swedish power metal act B>Morgana Lefay. The demo was independently released in 1992. Morgana Lefay formed in 1989 and self-financed and independently released their debut full-length studio album "Symphony Of The Damned" in 1990. The release of the debut album didn´t lead to a label deal though, hence the recording of "Rumours of Rain", which was released to promote Morgana Lefay and secure them a record contract, which it eventually did, as they signed with Black Mark Production shortly after the release of "Rumours of Rain".

Stylistically the material on "Rumours of Rain" is a natural continuation of the US influenced power metal style of "Symphony Of The Damned" (1990). Savatage is the most obvious influence, and lead vocalist Charles Rytkönen has a voice and delivery similar to the voice and delivery of Jon Oliva. Not the worst singer to be compared to. Needless to say that the vocal part of the music is one of the great assets of the band´s sound. Morgana Lefay are a very well playing band too, and the instrumental part of the music is delivered with great skill and passion. Powerful heavy rhythms, sharp heavy riffs, blistering solos and harmonies, and the occassional use of keyboards for atmosphere enhancement.

The material is generally well written and powerful US power metal and every track on the album is worth a listen. The cover of "Razamanaz" by Nazareth is decent too. "Modern Devil" features a couple of semi-thrashy riffs, but other than that this is just heavy and dark US power metal. All tracks from the demo would be re-recorded and included on Morgana Lefay´s second full-length studio album "Knowing Just as I" from 1993, so there is high level songwriting quality here.

"Rumours of Rain" is a demo release though, and it´s audible in terms of the sound quality. My guess is that most of the instrumental tracks were recorded live in the studio, and only vocals (at least the backing, harmony, and choirs vocal parts) and maybe lead guitars and keyboards were overdubbed. You can hear what´s going on in the mix, but "Rumours of Rain" is not a particularly well sounding release. The unpolished demo production thankfully doesn´t disguise the fact that there are some great tracks on the demo. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Graveyard Mountain Home" is the third full-length studio album by US ambient/atmospheric pop/rock artist Chroma Key. The album was released through InsideOut Music in November 2004. The same year as main man behind Chroma Key, Kevin Moore had also earlier in the year released two albums under his own name. It´s the first Chroma Key album since the release of "You Go Now" from 2000, but Moore had kept busy writing and recording the first OSI album during 2002-2003 titled "Office of Strategic Influence" (released through InsideOut Music in February 2003), so it was indded busy years for Moore.

Stylistically "Graveyard Mountain Home" continues the ambient/atmospheric pop/rock style of the preceding Chroma Key releases. Predominantly instrumental music using samples and effects to create melancholic atmospheres rather than vocals. There are sporadic effect laden vocals on the album, but they are often low in the mix and very subtle, adding texture to the tracks rather than dominating them with lead melodies. I´m somtimes reminded of post-rock like Tortoise, although Chroma Key aren´t as rock oriented. It´s slow, introvert, and thougthful music, which works just as well as pleasant background music, as it works as music that you spend a little more time analyzing.

The album subtitle: "In his loneliness and out of his longing, an idea occurred to Andrew. if he could fix his mother´s radio, perhaps he could bring her back to life" perfectly fits the generally melancholic and longing atmosphere of the album and almost tells the story of how this album sounds better than any reviewer´s words can ever do. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

martindavey87 I feel like I often have to preface all my Iced Earth reviews with an explanation of how they’re a band I genuinely love, but find their discography to be very, very inconsistent. For every absolute banger that they release, there’s a dud. Albums like ‘Iced Earth’, ‘Night of the Stormrider’, ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ and ‘The Glorious Burden’ all rank among some of my all-time favourite power metal albums. But then, as seems to be the pattern, here we have, what I feel is a bit of a dud.

With ‘Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Pt. 1’, Jon Schaffer and co. revisit their most popular release, with a two-part concept album that builds upon 1998’s ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’. Which is all fine in theory, but something about this just doesn’t resonate with me.

And it’s a huge shame, because predecessor ‘The Glorious Burden’, which saw the debut of powerhouse vocalist Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, was a stellar release, and really put Iced Earth back on track, only to, as always, take another step back. And why? There’s nothing overly wrong with this album, but then, there’s just not really anything memorable about it, either. Other than a few snippets here and there, the only song that really sticks out is the albums lead single, ‘Ten Thousand Strong’, a short, punchy track that delivers power metal greatness in four minutes.

Other than that, the playing is of a high standard as always, and Tim Owens’ vocals are always a pleasure to listen to, but overall, I just find myself zoning out every time I try to get into this album. Perhaps it’s the rehashing of the ‘Something Wicked’ storyline (which, for the record, I have no inkling what any of it is about!), but this album just doesn’t work for me.

Sorry, Iced Earth.

UMUR "With Sympathy" is the debut full-length studio album by US synth pop (later industrial metal act) Ministry. The album was released through Arista Records in May 1983. It was released in Europe under the title "Work for Love", featuring an alternate tracklist, replacing "What He Say" with "Do the Etawa" (which is not featured on the US version), and featuring a different running order of the tracks.

Ministry was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1981 by producer, singer and instrumentalist Al Jourgensen. Jourgensen had been active in the Chicago post-punk underground scene with various artists since he moved there from Denver in 1978, but he opted to form his own band in 1981 and started writing material using an ARP Omni synthesizer, a drum machine, and a reel-to-reel tape recorder. A shifting cast of musicians were in and out of the band in the formative years but when it came time to record the material for "With Sympathy", the band were down to the duo of Jourgensen (Vocals, Keyboards) and Stephen George (drums).

"With Sympathy" is an interesting release to review, as most people coming to the album today, are fans of Ministry´s later industrial metal sound, and the material on "With Sympathy" is arguably as far removed from that sound as it can be. People will have very different expectations and prerequisites when listening to and experiencing "With Sympathy". Stylistically this is synth pop greatly influenced by contemporary UK artists like Depeche Mode, Japan, and New Order. The influence is so great, that Jourgensen even adds a faux British accent to his vocals, which is a bit funny as he is an American, but it actually works pretty well within the band´s synth pop sound. His vocals are otherwise well performed and he has a suiting voice for this type of music (again far removed from his future raw self). While he can sing melodic and mainstream oriented, he does sometimes add a slightly more aggressive touch to his singing style, which reminds me a bit of Jaz Coleman from Killing Joke. It´s not that he distorts his vocals, but more the attitude and his delivery of the vocals.

"With Sympathy" is a well produced 80s release, featuring a detailed and professional sound production. The material is quite catchy and well written too, and it´s interesting that Ministry weren´t more than moderately successful with the release of "With Sympathy", as there is definitely enough quality songwriting and performances here to equal at least the early releases by some of the above mentioned artists. Moderately successful shouldn´t be understood as if Ministry didn´t have any success though as the album did break into the middle part of the Billboard 200 album chart, and they landed themselves the supporting gig for The Police during the North American leg of their "Synchronicity" (1983) tour. Jourgensen however soon became dissatisfied with the label support from Arista Records and also the fact that he felt he was pressured into creating more commercially appealing versions of the songs that he had written and imagined otherwise. Add to those reasons, that he simply became more interestered in raw music styles like hardcore, and it´s only natural that "With Sympathy" ended up being the only mainstream oriented synth-pop album released under the Ministry monicker (although their next album is also an electronic synth pop/rock album it´s a much harder edged and darker release). It´s still a worthy release to fans of the genre though (and probably sadly forgotten by most) and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.