My Top Album Anticipations For 2018

It’s that time of the year again where we remain hopeful and reflect on what 2018 shall bring us in the realm of metal. A few legendary names are on track to release a new album this year.

Arch Enemy – Will to Power

Ever since the torch was passed on, metal titans, Arch Enemy have been rising exceedingly fast. Though they’ve been around for many years, we have yet to see it all from the metal masterminds. 

My Top 10 Anticipations for 2017

Already more than a week into the new year and the obvious question looms: who will be releasing a new album in 2017? Well, there are plenty of new albums headed our way so without further ado, the top 10 albums I personally am looking forward to! 

Femme Fatales Part 2

Your boss can take his micro-managing bad breath and endless stupid ideas that are a road to nowhere and stick it under his half-priced toupee. With your check in hand and the entire weekend to jam out, liberation has come.  Floating down the highway your car just seems to find the liquor store (how does this keep happening?), and you skip down the aisle looking for the tasty suds that will wet your whistle. 

Featured Video: Kamelot – Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)

Continuing the theme of a dystopian society, today’s featured video is hands down a must to check out. Extremely descriptive lyrically and visually, this is truly one of the best music videos I have ever seen. Power Metal icons, Kamelot recently released the next video chapter titled Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy). Continuing off after their previous video titled, Insomnia, this world the video and album takes place in, is for the privileged while massive surveillance is in order. The world is in disarray and the only thing that is left to do is, in the words of Alissa White-Gluz, “Revolution!” Yes, she makes a bold appearance on this track and her vocal styles on this track really deem her a skilled vocalist. As the remaining free citizens band together, the real action can begin. Taken from their successful album, Haven, this track is one of my favorites from the album. Haven is a must listen for any Power/Symphonic metalhead as well as of course any Kamelot fans out there too. The group will be embarking on their second leg through the states in about two months so get on it! Hopefully they release one more video to show the climactic end to this “epically” conceptual album. Absolutely stunning. Stay Metal m/

[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDLZ6Mqy7AM[/tube]

The Agonist – Eye Of Providence

When I first stumbled upon The Agonist years ago, I became a casual fan, really only listening to their singles and a few other tracks here and there. With a new singer, new attitude and more, this might be a strong return for the Canadian quintet. After losing former singer, Alissa White-Gluz to the legendary Arch Enemy, the group recruited new talent, Vicky Psarakis who is proudly from Chicago. After this major lineup change, the group is now ready to unleash their fourth album later this month titled, Eye Of Providence. When I discovered the group, they had this strong metalcore sound that didn’t agree with me too much, but after hearing this album, I connected with it pretty easy for the most part and have changed my thoughts on them, for now they have a straight-up killer in your face metal attitude, boy am I glad to have heard this album. I feel like since they lost a major player, they upped their game on this one which is certainly the strong statement. The vocal style has remained the same, keeping Alissa’s clean to death shifting growl style intact, and the aggressiveness on this album is a lot more than I had anticipated, my goodness.

[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urcLhku0I7Y[/tube]

You can get any more intense than with the opener, Gates of Horn and Ivory. Let the pits open up and swallow the masses, this track is pure adranaline in a colossal track. It’s really bold and strong when an artist let’s a little reality on the loose, as the lyrical content speaks nothing but truth about modern day bullshit. Let the headbanging commence! Danse Macabre also follows a similar heavy style. The track is titled after the French words for “Dance of Death.” Also speedy and aggressive, the track follows a melodeath style and one of the best solos I have ever heard for any metal track, it’s killer. I Endeavor is pretty much putting the metal to the pedal. It does not slow down and has that awesome continuous double bass that deems this track really energetic and hyper. Awesome stuff. Vicki really showcases her vocal range in the track, Architects Hallucinate. Her clean vocals really dominate throughout, as there is more clean vocals on this track above all the others.

Disconnect Me brings back headbangs and mosh style metal-ness. More speed and aggression, this one is on par with the first track. While clearly the majority of the album is evil and just brutal, the group does take a different approach on the album as best exemplified in the track, The Perfect Embodiment. It still is heavy, but really focuses more on a cleaner method of heavy, staying on track with the clean vocals and the harmonic solo adds variety to their musicianship. It really starts to get dark and melancholic in the track, A Gentle Disease. With the tone of the track, I can just imagine the body of someone decaying as this sorrowful track plays in the background, it really puts one in that deep dark pit of gloom, which I respect when an artist can bring one to another state of mind with their music. The final track, As Above, So Below is a superb and strong finish to this insane album. Vicki certainly knows how to use her harmonious vocals on this one, the chorus is quite addicting, I was headbanging throughout. With the track being just under 8 minutes in length, it was a wise choice to place at the end. No screams, no crazy double bass, no shredding solos, its a simplistic track that has a curious effect on me, I can’t quite pinpoint it, just something about this one struck me with awe and wonder. Excellent.

[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To3-0Q8EUrM[/tube]

Already being a month into the year, this is currently my favorite release of the year so far. If I were to pick three words to represent the album: brutal, stimulating and sick. For a band that was almost pure metalcore in their beginning days to now, wow they have made a drastic change in their sound. These guys should feel proud in creating an amazing album, it just gives me goosebumps in all honesty. If you want crazy brutality, you got it, if you want straight up metal up your arse, you definitely got it, I can’t get over this album, I seriously was not expecting the power this album had on me, consider me a full-time fan. If there was one thing that the album could of improved upon……that’s a good one, maybe more double bass? The amount this album has is satisfactory and plentiful. For those who think the band has gone or might go to shit because Alissa left, no my friends, this album has converted me into a fan. When you pick this album up on February 24th, you might see the group in a new badass light. Stay Metal m/

Eye Of Providence: 9/10

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Arch Enemy – War Eternal

The number one anticipated album of the year has arrived with new blood and in your face brutality. Swedish Melodic Death Metal Pioneers and Masters, Arch Enemy, are about to release their tenth studio-album titled, War Eternal. The album set for release June 9th in Europe and June 10th in the US, we are taken on a monstrous journey of all things Melodeath, from blast beats, raging vocals, heavy bass, and up your arse guitar abuse that sends quivers and terror down ones spine. A major event that occured, this is the first album without signature lead growler, Angela Gossow, who is now the band’s manager and was replaced by Alissa White-Gluz, who was the lead for Canadian Extreme Metal Band, The Agonist. This will also be the first album with new guitarist, Nick Cordle, who replaced longtime guitarist Christopher Amott in 2012.

A first for the Legendary band, we are greeted by an instrumental prelude, titled, Tempore Nihil Sanat. A quick one minute of creepy and eerie atmospheres and choirs immediately takes us into the explosive first metal track of the album, Never Forgive, Never Forget. Alissa’s vocals, Michael Amott’s heavy riffs and Daniel Erlandsson’s incredible blast beats, blast a hole through the roof. All their inputs dominate throughout the track and the feature of a killer shredding solo is nothing out of the ordinary for Arch Enemy. War Eternal, the title track, was the first single to be released a while back. Another ground breaking anthem for the band, Alissa’s vocals are prevalent and pelt out a powerful force only she can master. The heavy riffs present themself, and the melodic aspect of the track soars above and beyond with phenomenal determination. This is the battle cry for the band, this is their new anthem. Minutes later a kickass solo presents itself and the notch is turned on full speed with a finale that finishes just about anyone off. Let’s catch our breaths here, a rarity for me, I needed to take a minute break, such intensity. Prepare yourself for the following track, the second single to be released, As The Pages Burn. One of the most intense and fastest tracks in the album, grab that Metal Demon by it’s balls, turn those speakers to the max and let loose your inner Demons. Speaking of Demons, Alissa’s vocals take on a more gutteral tone, and I always feel like punching a wall and growling along with her when she mentions my favorite lyrics, “Rip apart the world, word by word, Inch by inch, Sever your timeline, silence your conscience!” What a menacing track. Wow. You Will Know My Name, was the third single to be released. After reading some of the comments left on their video, I was surprised to see a handful of people did not like the track. It’s not an insanely intense track, but I would find an album to be quite cliche and not diverse and talented enough, had they not thrown in a track like that in this masterpiece. Melodically strong and Eargasmic instrumentally, and vocally remains grim, the darker ambience administers heavy gloom.

[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InRMwptcgAo[/tube]

Halfway through the album, an interlude arrives, titled, Graveyard Of Dreams. The guitars and harmonization certainly bring that title to manifestation, mentally. Stolen Life takes me back to older Arch Enemy. A bit of Black Metal, and intriguing tones made this track one of my favorites of the album. On And On, stays on the band’s melodic side once again, and quite interestingly, some Power Metal, sneaks it’s way into the track. No, it’s not a negative at all, this only adds to the astounding talent and conglomerance the band has instrumentally. A hard and heavy breakdown followed by some shredding proceeds intuitively. A bit of change of pace, the next track, Avalanche, was more on the groove side. Lots of room to headbang, more deep gutterals, and hints of light Symphonies backed this track. The last two tracks do a sweeping job of finishing off the album. Down To Nothing, remaines allegiant to the Swedish Death Metal scene of course. I did not think it was possible for the vocals to sound even more Demonical, but Alissa pulls it off, all around a fast track indeed featuring note bends, galloping, and breakdowns. The perfect atmosphere to end the album, and with the title aptly so, Not Long For This World, encompasses beautiful guitar melodies which perfectly execute a tone that feels like the end of the world is at hand. A slower and steady progresssion takes us through to the end, a few heartbeats and a slow fade out altogether completes War Eternal. 

 [tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y-J7sBT_no[/tube]

By the end of the album, I had many thoughts running through my mind. From heavy sentiment to content, just a blend of all around feelings. There’s a reason Arch Enemy strongly stands as one of my all-time favorite bands. There have been points through my life I’ve contemplated inking their logo on myself, they are just that dam good. Though it did take me a short while to get used to the new vocals, being a long-time fan and all, this album already has a spot in my top 5 albums of the year. If you crave power, speed, melody and more importantly, diversity, this album will take you there. I am almost positive the band will hit North American Shores next year, seeing as they are on a heavy touring regimen in Europe and the UK throughout the end of the year, though it is rumored they may do a US tour this Fall. A new era has begun in the world of Arch Enemy, time and time again they continue to prove why there are one of the dire forces to be reckoned with. I can see them unquestionably being inducted into the Heavy Metal Hall Of Fame in the future, whenever that time will be. So for now, let us emblazon and succumb to the glory that is Arch Enemy. Pure Fucking Metal. m/ 

War Eternal: 10/10

[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lXuZHkOoH8[/tube]

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Featured Video/News – Arch Enemy: War Eternal

The universe of Heavy Metal is in buzz right now. I as well as everyone else have slowly digested the shocking bit of news that the reigning Queen of death and growl, Angela Gossow, has stepped down from her throne in Arch Enemy and passed on her crown to her replacement, Alissa White-Gluz. I was pretty shocked and devastated at the news, considering they are one of my all time favorite, religiously followed groups. My heart dropped and died momentarily, now I know what people feel like when one of their groups disbands or an essential member of a group leaves. This is a first experience for me. Gossow revealed that she wanted to spend more time with her family and venture out to other interests. New band? Maybe. She also confirmed that she would also remain as the band’s business manager. Alissa comes from the Canadian metal band, The Agonist. Her time with them  lasted a decade in which she herself was also a screamer. She admited that Arch Enemy was her favorite band, thus bringing a whole new chapter in her life. On a side note, she is not the only newest member, for the band has recruited new guitarist, Nick Cordle. He has been with the band since 2012, so this is the first album with two new members. Fresh blood is always interesting.

The announcement of a new lead member also came with a music video. I think the band knew that this was gonna be a big blow to many of us, so it was safe for them to throw a little gift our way as well with their latest music video entitled, War Eternal. The track is the first to come off of the album also titled, War Eternal, set to be released in June. I had posted in my Top Ten Metal Anticipations article back in January that this was one of the albums I was looking forward to this year, and I can honestly say that based on this single alone, this album should be explosive! I personally am very glad she has adopted Angela’s style, attitude and presence. Alissa, you have shocked the world with your potential. Is she worthy and adept to keep her newly handed “crown”? Ladies and Gentlemen, we bring you the glory and power that is Arch Enemy. m/