Sabaton - The Last Stand Album Review

If you've read my blog in the past, you know that I don't use too many swear words. In fact, I try to avoid swearing as much as possible. This review's going to be a little different. Expect some swearing. Fuck.

Sabaton is back baby! Heroes was kind of a weird album. The band had just significantly changed its line-up and they decided to go with more personal lyrics rather than focusing on an entire army or battle. It was still a good album (I even bought a copy), but it felt a bit weaker than Sabaton's previous releases. One of the main problems was the lyrics. A lot of them felt like they were just recounting someone's life rather than being an entertaining song that you can sing along to. For example, the chorus to Inmate 4859 goes something like:

Witold, Witold, who knows his name?

Inmate in hell or a hero in prison?
Soldier in Auschwitz who knows his name
Locked in a cell, waging war from the prison
Hiding in Auschwitz who hides behind 4859

Well call The Last Stand a return to form, because it's fucking awesome. There's plenty of parts to sing along to and shout out loud as they come up. From your Last Dying Breath to the samurai facing down an army in Shiroyama to the motherfucking Winged Hussars arriving. And don't get me started on Sparta, what an great way to start an album. I just want to punch shit as the hoo's and haw's are being shouted. Both times I've seen Sabaton live, they opened with Ghost Division, and I strongly suggest this gets replaced with Sparta. If it's not at least somewhere in their live show, then whoever creates the setlist should be fired. I don't care if it's the whole fucking band.

The Last Stand feels like a return to form to some extent. Sure, The Last Stand feels a lot like Coat of Arms and the tom drum parts of The Lost Battalion remind me of Carolus Rex, but both Coat of Arms and Carolus Rex are fucking amazing songs and both part of the reason I listen to Sabaton. Many classic Sabaton elements are in full display here, from the big operatic choruses to keyboard parts that add significantly to the songs. Let's just chalk up Heroes to growing pains after the line-up change.



I'd also like to mention the bonus songs. They're all fucking awesome. Special mention goes to All Guns Blazing.

So is The Last Stand Sabaton's best album? Maybe. Most of Sabaton's albums blend together for me. When I listen to them, I usually jump from album to album without giving too much thought where each specific song came from.What I can confidently say though is that there's no bad songs on The Last Stand. The only bad thing I can say is that The Last Tour is an awful fucking name for a tour if it's not your last! I don't care if it's a play on the album name. It was announced before the album was even out and it gave half your fanbase a heart attack. Fuck you. (Love you)

I don't give albums numerical ratings because it's largely just an arbitrary thing, but here's the information you need to know: if you like Sabaton even a little bit, go fucking pick up this album. Fuck. That being said, if you don't like Sabaton, I don't know if this album is going to turn you around on them. I'd call this a 'classic' Sabaton album, maybe even a quintessential one, but that's because they stick to their sound and do it really well. There aren't too many new ideas to be found on The Last Stand. If you're someone who doesn't like Sabaton (and I know there's at least one of you out there), let me know if this album made you like them. Thanks.

-Zombie Viking

P.S. RIP Thobbe, you will be missed and you were a great guitarist. But Sabaton replaced him with another fantastic human being; Tommy Johannson. He plays in a couple other bands, including a surprisingly good Christian metal band named Golden Resurrection (yes, really). But mostly, I'll always associate him with this video. What a great guy.

Gunsen - The Adventure of the Devil's Note Album Review

Hello everyone! It's been almost 2 years since I abandoned this blog for bigger and better things. But, almost as if someone is pressuring me to do this, I decided out of the blue to sacrifice my precious free time and write a new album review for your reading pleasure. So sit down, strap on some headphones, and get ready to go on an adventure. The Adventure of the Devil's Note.

Before we get into the review proper, I'll share the little background info I have on Mr. Gunsen. He's best known as one of the guitarists of the Polish power metal band Pathfinder. I've posted about Pathfinder in the past, they're a pretty good band and you should listen to them if you don't already. But they haven't put out any new music since 2012 and have only relatively recently replaced their old vocalist. So what has Gunsen been doing when he's not making guest solos for every band in Poland? I have no idea, but apparently he made an album at some point.



Hearing that an album is from the solo project of a power metal guitarist undoubtedly gives some expectations when listening to it. I'm happy to say that The Adventure of the Devil's Note subverts many of these right off the bat. I would have initially thought the Gunsen solo project would be something similar to Gus G's solo work. Instrumental guitar wankery with maybe some guest vocalists and stuff. However, this 'solo' project is actually more of a band. Gunsen the band is made up of Gunsen on guitars, Grzegorz Pastor Slomba on vocals, Arkadiusz E. Ruth on bass, and Grzegorz Hiero on drums (sorry if I got any of your crazy Polish names wrong). This gives the whole album a much more cohesive sound, there's no tracks with weird vocals that don't quite fit. All the songs are in the same style and it helps the album flow really well. Another thing worth mentioning is that The Adventure of the Devil's Note isn't even power metal, it's something a lot closer to melodeath. But don't worry, there's still all the guitar wankery you'd expect (and hope for) from a power metal guitarist.



The Adventure of the Devil's Note flys at a breakneck pace with plenty of blast beats, awesome screaming vocals, and epic keyboards (why do bands never credit whoever plays the keyboard?). Gunsen also isn't afraid to experiment with different elements, like the industrial parts in Time of Machines or different electronic and symphonic stuff spread out everywhere. The album runs at a cool 58 minutes and never slows down besides Kotoro, which spends the beginning and end of its 10 minutes building up an ancient Japanese ambiance. Because of this, it's definitely one of the stand out songs but not the first in a long line of unexpected twists on this album.

I'm not going to spend too long on the lyrics because this is metal and nobody cares. But there seems to be some sort of obsession with turning animals into freakish metal monsters (Metal Chicken, Super Pig, and Hellish Kitty). There's quite a bit of meowing on Hellish Kitty in particular. Anyway...

Gunsen brands his solo project as "total war against shit in mass media", and, well, there's no mass media shit in here. Maybe he should send music to Fox News or something to make it total war. But ignoring all of that, The Adventure of the Devil's Note is a solid melodeath/power album. It was totally not what I was expecting when I clicked play and I think it'll stay in my playlist for quite a bit. I hope that many of the music elements that were developed here will be used in the future on future Gunsen or Pathfinder albums.

-Zombie Viking

Arch Enemy: War Eternal Review

Arch Enemy is back! After a quick switch of vocalist and guitarist, they've released their tenth studio album. There were certainly enough people complaining about Alissa's vocals when the singles were released, so how did the album turn out? Does it still sound like Arch Enemy? Are there any songs with clean vocals? How loud do I have to play it to blow out my eardrums? All these questions and more will be answered below.

When the War Eternal single came out, I listened to it and thought to myself "yep, that's an Arch Enemy song alright". The only thing that's really changed is the vocal style; the guitars and general song structure are all the same as they've been for the last 18 years. So if you're one of the people that were complaining about the singles, I'm sorry to say you're not going to like this album. Guess what? Alissa is the vocalist for the entire album. However, if you're a fan of Arch Enemy I definitely recommend giving the album a chance and to continue reading this review.

Though War Eternal does sound like an Arch Enemy album for the most part, there are quite a few musical differences from previous albums. It's not because of Alissa either. If you look at the writers for each song, Nick Cordle actually had much more of an influence. War Eternal and You Will Know My Name sound like classic Arch Enemy songs and I could totally imagine Angela doing the vocals for them. But songs like On and On and Avalanche (two that Alissa helped write) stray from the formula and really serve to shake up the flow of the album. On and On just seems more layered and tries interesting sounds that you won't find on previous albums. It even has a breakdown! Something very rarely found in this band's songs, if at all. There's one in No More Regrets too. And yes, Avalanche has clean vocals during the chorus. And yes, they work really well even though this is an Arch Enemy song. Now stop complaining about the vocals.

Speaking of the vocals, Alissa White-Gluz does a great job taking over vocal duties. She brings her distinct and instantly recognizable style and it just works. I don't really have much to say about the vocals. They sound different than Angela's and you either like them or you don't. Personally, I like them. There's also a noticeable lack of songs about anarchy and more focus on personal battles and triumphs.

War Eternal does a good job of playing with the Arch Enemy formula that we've grown to know and love. You never know what to expect. One minute you'll be listening to symphonic keyboards playing in the background, the next a sick solo, and after that you'll be singing along to one of the many catchy choruses. The band definitely has more cooks in the kitchen, but they're able to divide resources effectively and come out with a great multi-layered dish where everything is different but still compliments each other. It's definitely a weird first listen, but the album grows on you very quickly.

There is only one particularly irritating blemish that I need to address.The song Time is Black. It starts off with some forced symphonic elements that aren't really developed enough to be atmospheric. Then comes the main riff which is... alright. Then the symphonic elements keep coming up. They're not utilized well and it really distracts from the song. The whole song keeps going back and forth between a stripped-down sound and parts that are supposed to be atmospheric. It doesn't really fit with the guitars during the chorus or the interlude(s). Whatever. The idea could have been cool if more time was spent on it. The symphonic parts are apparently done by a full orchestra but they just sound like someone fiddling around on a keyboard. It makes the whole song come off as out of tune. Maybe it will grow on me over time, we'll have to see. A much smaller complaint of mine is that there is a slightly awkward transition between verse and chorus in some of the songs.

War Eternal manages to have a nice mix of shaking things up and sticking to the tried and true Arch Enemy formula. It's not perfect but it hits much more often than it misses. Alissa and Nick are great additions to the band and really help to make this album stand out. I recommend any Arch Enemy fan give this album at least two listens. It's worth it. I'll definitely be catching Arch Enemy live when they inevitably come play in Canada.

War Eternal gets a score of 8/10

-Zombie Viking 

PS. Long or repeated sounds above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss, possibly blowing out your eardrums if you listen to it for long enough.

Paganfest V Concert Impressions

What a night that was. Five bands, a whole lot of folk, and a whole lot of energy. I was worried at first given the size of the lineup that the concert would drag on, but it was over before I knew it. The opening bands (everyone except Turisas and Korpiklaani) only played a handful of songs before leaving the stage. There were a couple of bands I would have liked to see a bit more from but it kept things interesting.

Winterhymn

The first band was Winterhymn from Cincinnati, Ohio. Having traveled the least, they were a great opener, despite the fact that they were playing for less than half of what would be the final audience. I'm guessing it's because the doors opened at 6 that there was a pittance of a crowd. Regardless, they played a solid set which included an awesome cover of the Skyrim theme. The violin was even audible! Surprisingly, every single band that came out with a violin actually had it loud enough to hear. I don't think I've ever seen that at a folk metal concert. Winterhymn was the only band I didn't listen to before this concert but they're definitely worth checking out.

Varg: big German guys.

Next up was Varg from Germany. The first time I saw them a bit over a year ago, I was blown away. This time however was more of the same. They haven't released any new music since I last saw them and they didn't add anything to their live show. The setlist consisted of all their more popular songs (Guten Tag, Was Nicht Darf, etc.) along with a slightly different selection compared to last time. Unfortunately, Varg is one of those bands where the majority of their songs played live sound very similar. They could have played anything with the Varg style and it would have sounded the same. That being said, the show was still solid and if I hadn't have seen them before, I probably would have been swept off my feet like the first time. The only weird thing though; no bass player! Apparently he left the band sometime last year and they just never filled the gap.

Chthonic, complete with cool lighting and a light-up bass.

When I first saw the lineup for this tour, I was really surprised and excited to see Chthonic there. I honestly never thought I'd see the Taiwanese band on Canadian shores. They were also missing a member in their keyboardist. As far as I know, he is still in the band but it's unfortunate because he has the coolest costume. Either way, the band came out and gave a good taste of Asian metal. They had all their signatures: the erhu, the light-up bass, and the awesome vocals.

Freddy Lim with his signature erhu

From what I could make out (the vocals were a little quiet compared to the rest of the instruments), they performed a mix of English and non-English lyrics. In between songs, the vocalist mentioned how great it was that bands from all these countries were coming together to play metal for all of us. I agree with him. Almost every band on this tour comes from a very different background, but we all unite under the banner of folk metal and a good time. If you ever have the chance to see Chthonic in concert, please do. I'm not sure if they'll even ever come back to North America.

Turisas vocalist Mathias Nygård with his awesome jacket.

Chthonic finished around 8 which gave the headlining bands plenty of time to set up. The stage was decked in Turisas colours, red and black everywhere. Turisas plays great music, but apart from that I don't think they're very creative. There was the strange naming of their most recent album and now their signature appears to be three red lines on a black background. They played a good amount of songs from Turisas2013 (but no Into the Free, dammit) mixed with their old classics. I'm glad that the vocalist tried to connect with us by giving little speeches between songs but I couldn't hear a damn word he was saying. Everything else about their performance was pretty good. If you've seen Turisas perform, then you've seen Turisas perform, I don't really have anything else to say. This was also the point where the crowd really got into it. Let me just say that the crowd was a bit more pushy than usual and it kind of made the show a bit worse of an experience than it could have been.

One half of Korpiklaani.

The headlining Korpiklaani was oddly the only band without any sort of facepaint. There were even two different bands on this tour with black and red all over their faces. But Korpiklaani likes to keep it traditional. The same can be said about their live performance. They knew that the majority of the crowd was there to see them and as such they just played music. There were hardly any words between songs and most of the song names weren't even announced beforehand. It was definitely a bit of a shift from Turisas setting up each and every song, but this entire concert was a constantly shifting whirlwind of music. As with the other bands, there wasn't anything overly special about Korpiklaani's performance. It was solid and they played most of the songs anyone would expect and that's about it. The band sure had fun though. I don't think any of the members stood in place for more than a few seconds, constantly dancing around the stage. There were even a few members of the audience that joined the stage and helped sing the chorus of a song before jumping off. Security was surprisingly lenient since they only came out if someone really overstayed their welcome on stage. The last thing to mention would be the crowd. If they were pushy during Turisas, then they were downright violent during Korpiklaani. I couldn't stand in one spot for more than a few seconds without being pushed around until I relocated to behind the mosh pit. I could say the same about the first time I saw Korpiklaani, but then it was because of people dancing around and having a good time. This time it was people literally pushing the front of the audience against the stage repeatedly. I'm sure there's other ways to enjoy a concert, such as the guy who started a 30+-person rowing party in the middle of the mosh pit. In any case, I was thoroughly soaked in other people's sweat by the end of the night.

The other half of Korpiklaani.

So that was Paganfest America V. All in all a very solid show, if not anything special. All of the bands gave it their all in the short time they had on stage. Even the semi-local opening band was great and definitely deserves further research. It was my second time seeing every band expect Chthonic and I'd go see any of them for a third next time they're in town.

-Zombie Viking

My One Paragraph Review: Tales From the Kingdom of Fife

The day has finally arrived, Gloryhammer released their debut album Tales From the Kingdom of Fife! You may remember Gloryhammer as the band who brought tons of visitors to my blog a week after its creation. The least I can do as repayment is write a short review for the album. They'd probably also appreciate it if I went out and actually bought the album, but these things take time and effort. And as you can see by the slightly shorter review, I am dedicating very little of either. On to the review!

For quite a long time I have been questing to find a band or album that can be simply described as "epic". I've wanted to be able to dazzle curious acquaintances with the epicness stowed away in my library and to bring up an example with one simple click. I think Rhapsody of Fire has perhaps come the closest, but they have their off days. This being a review for a specific album though, I think you know what I'm about to say. Gloryhammer is a gloriously epic band. Sure, the music isn't entirely unique and influences such as the previously mentioned Rhapsody can be heard clearly, but damn do they combine it all well. I will admit that I was worried the first time I heard Angus McFife on the youtubes, but listening to the album as a whole gives an entirely different experience. On its own, you may think the music is generic power metal, but giving Tales From the Kingdom of Fife a play-through tells an overarching story of a wonderfully cheesy rendition of Scotland. Each song fits well and there's nothing that sticks out or ruins the experience. Even the slow songs. Even the ten-and-a-half-minute The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder. All in all, Tales From the Kingdom of Fife is a solid album. It wears its influences on its sleeve and doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking, but everything is combined in such a great and epic way that you owe it to yourself to give it a listen.

I hate giving numbers to things but here goes nothing...
7.5/10

-Zombie Viking

Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra Review

And you thought In Sorte Diaboli was bad.

The Norwegian black metal superstars of Dimmu Borgir return to once again prove to the world that we'll throw money at whatever crap they put out. With ICS Vortex and Mustis gone, the remaining members have struggled to throw something together before their spare reserves of money run out. The result is worse than anyone would have expected. With the symphonic members of their band gone, Dimmu got the first orchestra they could find to make an album for them and said "good enough". They put a couple guitars and drums over the tracks and called it a day. Who are we even giving money to here? Abrahadabra is 90% orchestra and 10% Shagrath trying to sound evil. It seems like he got too old to scream anymore and has been reduced to talking during all the songs. And who the hell is playing drums here? Daray? Come on man, step it up!

This album is bad, there's no doubt about it. In fact, it's so bad that I bought tickets to see Dimmu on their tour supporting it just so I could yell things at them. Things like "I love you" and "Keep up the good work". It's all part of my devilish plan. I also bought a tour shirt just so I could throw up on it.

Screw you, society!

The lyrics on this album are something else. As you may remember, In Sorte Diaboli was supposed to be the start of a six-part series of albums based around Vortex's new book about a priest becoming the antichrist. While there was no way in hell the band (who had released 6 albums previously (The Stormblast reissue doesn't count)) was going to spend another 20 years retelling Vortex's emo poetry, I thought it would go on for at least more than one measly album. But alas, Abrahadabra is intently focused on whining about past band members being dicks. You know your band is a sellout when you can't even be an unrelenting jackass in peace. So Vortex now gets to focus on Arcturus and Mustis... What happened to him again?...

OH MY GOD NO!

Oh.. different guy? Ok, good, I was scared there for a bit.

As if the album itself wasn't bad enough, Shagrath, Galder and Silenoz decided to add insult to injury in the form of multiple music videos. Since I am a weak man and can only stand watching one at a time, I'll focus on the worse of the two: Dimmu Borgir. The song, not the band (though they're both pretty bad). The entire video focuses on the three musketeers trudging through the song, trying to make it seem like they give a crap. Shagrath is up on some DJ set and the other two are... somewhere else. Plus there's a mysterious drummer because they couldn't get whoever did the drums on the actual album. Cut to some reused footage from Gateways, some stock footage of wolves, and some goddamn promotional pictures, and you've got yourselves a music video. Oh and did I mention the video effects? Well they consist entirely of lens flare and flipping the video upside down for a brief second. I feel insulted just watching this. They spent more money on their stupid costumes than they did on video production. Speaking of costumes, did Shagrath ever tell you how he got those scars? I can sum up everything wrong with this video in one word: everything. Though a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll include one of those too.

So as you can tell, Abrahadabra is bad. But you already knew that, you went out and bought the album. So Dimmu Borgir wins again, those smug bastards. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to Mourning Palace so I won't feel ashamed anymore of being a Dimmu fan.

-Zombie Viking

How to be a Music Critic

I'm going to need more tips like this if I hope of being a real music critic one day.

-Zombie Viking

 

TV Series Review Time: Vikings

And now for something completely different. I don't normally review TV shows. Heck, I don't normally watch TV. I just started a couple months ago with some series (Breaking Bad, Arrow and The Following to name a few). And now I've started watching something that instantly caught my eye: Vikings. I mean, how can you not watch this? It's about vikings!

Vikings

I was so excited just hearing the name that I didn't initially realize it was based on a real person, Ragnar Lodbrok (who apparently had a weird haircut). That just makes the series all that more inciting, knowing that it's at least partially historically accurate. I'm thankful for movies like Thor bringing vikings into the mainstream, but vikings are badass enough that stories don't have to be made up to be awesome. Actually, Thor wasn't really even about vikings.. It was a pretty cool movie though.

One of the big themes in the show is the conflicting religions of the time. The pagan vikings and the christian English. I'm probably more happy than I should be that the show has decided to showcase this. In fact, one of my favourite characters is Athelstan, a true fish out of water. His curiosity about the pagan deities and rituals is great to watch and allows the show to explain all about vikings in an organic manner. Even though the show doesn't feature them too much, I'm glad that it doesn't shy away from talking about all the gods as they were a huge part of viking culture. I wonder how religious folk would react when they found out the only recurring christian character on the show is a slave. Oh well, questions for another time.

My favourite line from the show also relates to Athelstan. It's when young Bjorn asks "If you're a priest, then which god is your favourite?", met with a bewildered reaction. It's moments like that why I enjoy the religious theme so much. Speaking of Bjorn, poor kid. I think every single character who's interacted with him has pushed him around in one way or another. Seriously, this kid is always met with someone pushing his head aside. I can't be the only one who's noticed this. And everyone calls him Bjern.

While it's true that the show doesn't have a huge budget like something akin to Game of Thrones, they've done very well for what they do have. To be honest, I was kind of worried going into the show because a low budget can lead to some pretty boring battles. In addition, there's the whole being on History channel thing that sort of limits it from being overly gory or explicit. I'm glad to see I was wrong about both things; there's tons of epic scenes and gory fun. The scenes aren't too grand since they all feature a smaller number of actors and set pieces, but this serves to make them more personal and intimate. For example, in the second episode the vikings ransacked a temple on the outskirts of England, not an entire city. But this allowed us to get a little story behind the priests and see the temple before it was lit ablaze. Plus we got Athelstan out of it!

So go, watch Vikings. It's a good show. Plus it just got renewed for a second season! Not too shabby for the "first" scripted series on History channel. But really, all you need to say is that it involves vikings and I'm sold.

-Zombie Viking

Finntroll - Blodsvept Album Review

The title track to Finntroll's latest, Blodvept was released on the internet a few weeks back. Listening to it, it sounds like good old Finntroll. The song is catchy and heavy, everything the band is known for. Listening to it, you think you'd be ready for the album. You'd be dead wrong. Blodsvept is a great song, but it sounds like it could be on any one of Finntroll's previous albums. This album, though, is something unexpectedly amazing and unique in its own right.

Blodsvept is the tried and true Finntroll formula you know a love, but with a few great changes. And the end result is something better than I would have ever guessed. The album focuses more on dividing the different elements of the music - the folk and the metal. Previous albums sort of mixed everything into one hectic package, blaring catchy folk tunes behind crazy guitars and drums. In Blodsvept, the folk parts shine in their own right, alongside the metal. There are many more moments where all the guitars and drums cut out and all that's left is lovely folk music (and usually Vreth's brutal vocals). This all combines for a damn catchy album. Seriously, there isn't a bad song on this thing! I especially love songs like Rösets Kung and Skogsdotter where you can hear the trumpets, banjo and every other unorthodox instrument loudly and clearly, separated from the metal.

The whole album gives off the great humppa vibe that Finntroll is known for. But overall it sounds somewhat different from the previous albums. That's always been a staple of a good band, one that can make every album sound different while still keeping a (good) staple sound. Every songs presents the dilemma of not knowing whether to dance or to bang your head. There's a nice mix of upbeat party songs and extremely catchy folky songs. Every song has the same crazy amount of energy to it. Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about Blodsvept.

Even the album art is awesome!

I'll be the first to admit that Finntroll isn't among my favourite artists. They're definitely a great band (why else would I be listening to them?), but there's always been something that's stopped me from loving them. It looks like that's all going to change now. Blodsvept is an amazing effort from the Finnish folk metallers that never disappoints. Listening through for the first time, I kept waiting for the song that I wouldn't like. There's always at least one song on a Finntroll album that I don't enjoy for whatever reason, whether it's too slow or there's so much going on that it becomes muddled. But this song never came. Like I said previously, there really isn't a bad song on the album, every song is unique and catchy.

The only reason I can see for someone not liking Blodsvept is if they don't like Finntroll as a band. They've always been one of the heavier folk metal bands and that doesn't change here. But anyone who enjoys folk metal or any of Finntroll's previous music should listen to Blodsvept. Like, right now. Go, buy it or find it online. This review's over.

-Zombie Viking