Majestica: A Christmas Carol (Nuclear Blast) [Simon Black]
OK, so a Christmas Power Metal concept album based on Dickens’ most well-known novel. I mean what could possibly go wrong? I made a promise to myself to eat a mince pie for every Christmas cliché that this record throws at me and after the obligatory instrumental orchestral introductory track with its musical echoes of a whole bunch of Christmas carols, I very quickly realise that I’m going to need another box of mince pies. The first full track A Christmas Story keeps the carol plundering theme going, being basically a speed metal reworking of Oh Come All Ye Faithful. The trend continues – Ghost Of Marley steals wholesale from Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem, and that’s just the opening eight – it takes in a couple more before it’s done and I can no longer tell where the border between tribute and parody lies. I am going to go with parody, because this whole record is absolutely bonkers, even for Power Metal. This is a very brave thing to do for a band’s sophomore album.
Added to this Christmas novelty records have a very chequered history, and metal is far from immune. From Bad News’ Cashing In On Christmas to Halford’s Winter Songs, even the most hardened metal head has a soft spot for Christmas. The Darkness however, can just fuck off completely… This one record may be a whole genre of its own, and is far cry of the usual sword and sorcery fare that comes out of the genre. Musically, it really does have the orchestral bells on, and the overall effect is of a full on Hollywood Christmas movie soundtrack being delivered by a Symphonic Metal band, and I defy everyone to point out another metal release this year with glockenspiel and sleigh bell solos. It’s rather what I imagine Avantasia overdosing on eggnog and stolen at their Christmas party would sound like.
The production could have very easily let this down, but this is top notch, which is part of the reason that this takes you with it, despite having firmly dug my heels in before starting. I’m a hard audience when it comes to this stuff, considering that Dickens is my favourite author but to be honest it’s such a cheerful and refreshing change of tone after what has to be one of the shittiest years on record that I cannot help but get swept up by it. This is whacky, mad and thoroughly enjoyable and it bizarrely just works… Now if you will excuse me, I have a large number of mince pies that I need to throw up. 7/10
Iron Saviour: Skycrest (AFM Records) [Simon Black]
Despite being around since 1996 and with twelve previous albums under their belt, this bunch have somehow managed to pass me by. In part this is because I’m always a little bit wary of receiving content where the band have elected to use the word ‘Iron’ in their name. The cynic in me can’t shake the belief that this is in part an attempt to ride the coattails of arguably the most commercially successful Metal band in the world, regardless of the quality of their actual output. We’ve also had a few Iron’s in the slush pile in recent months (including the big boys) which does not help. This gig often teaches you to learn to recognise your prejudices for what they are, bottle up the old ego and open up the old ears, and to consequently be prepared to be pleasantly surprised at what you have the opportunity to hear - which is let’s face it why we do it in the first place. Much as I love the Power genre, I have become weary of the endless flow of cookie-cutter releases trying to be like Blind Guardian and this is definitely not one of them.
This is music made under challenging circumstances to boot, proving to me that bands often produce their best work when the odds are stacked against them, having had to deal with serious illness within their ranks, in and amongst the overall madness of the pandemic. The end result is an album that avoids the clichés and manages to present us with twelve very clear and distinctive, well-written tracks. For a start they have a sound that is distinctively unique, starting with Piet Sielck’s wonderfully rasping rock’n’roll larynx that makes a refreshing, gutsy change from the normal clean vocal fare the genre throws at us. That said, the musical interplay is pure Power – sing-a-long choruses – Check; upbeat and blistering tempo – check; soaring anthemic, epic feel – check; restrained blistering instrumental shredding at just the right points – check.
All wrapped up in a parcel of well-crafted song-writing. Lyrically this is darker stuff than many are used to (no long drawn out obscure mythical concept album here folks) and influenced by events at both the macro and micro level. They aren’t afraid to change tack either, with Ease Your Pain probably being the best example. On the surface it’s the token Power Ballad, but it’s coming from a very dark place, with the thoughts bassist Jan S. Eckert went through during his gruelling cancer treatment recently, and indeed is sung by him too. It’s an absolute belter of a track, and the one I keep coming back to. In short, this is solid German power Metal at its best. 8/10
Electric Hydra: S/T (Magestic Mountain Records) [Matt Bladen]
If there's one thing The Swedes are known for it's riffs, glorious, heavy, grooving riffs. They put them in death metal, they put them in prog metal and they put them most importantly in stoner/retro heavy rock. Electric Hydra are one such stoner/retro/punk rock n roll group and this self titled record is their debut slice of driving, high energy, fuzzy hard rocking. The huge guitar sound are spread between Jonathan Möller, Dennis Åhman, who also brings bass but is chiefly the drummer and Jonas Stålhammar (At The Gates) who also adds the keys/organs as well, together they bring am ass kicking tornado of riffage as Åhman and Ellinor Andersson (bass) hook everything with a tough rhythm section making for an album that sits in between brooding biker rock and energetic punk, this sound coming from the riotous vocals of Sanne Karlsson, she has an attitude filled snarl on tracks such as Won't Go To War With Myself and the punchy Blackend Eyes which reminds me a little of The Subways. Electric Hydra is a tight, hard hitting affair of a debut album from these Swedes. Get your groove on! 7/10
Sculptor: Untold Stories (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]