Kamelot - Poetry For the Poisoned [2010]

No streak can last forever. Eventually Queensryche released Empire, eventually Crimson Glory dumbfounded with the banal Strange and Beautiful., and eventually Coroner came out with... okay, so that's one officially spotless band. In the tradition of the aforementioned disappointments, Kamelot delivered this half-baked mess after one of the most staggering strings of stupendous albums in power metal's existence. Everything from Karma (and not a note before) to Ghost Opera was melodic metal gold through and through, especially The Black Halo, a perfect record that I consider to be among the greatest ever produced. I once thought of 2007's appropriately titled Ghost Opera as a watered down misstep, but my opinion of it has only grown with time. Unfortunately, after one and a half years, I cannot say the same for its followup, Poetry For the Poisoned.

As with the Nevermore album also released in 2010, pre-launch signs were ominous. Single "The Great Pandemonium" didn't exactly whet my appetite with its annoying whispered vocals or completely forgettable chorus; and although I like his work for other bands and love his musical work for his own group, I never could quite dig the confusingly dark cover art penned by Septicflesh's Spiros Antinou here. Seriously, what the hell is that and what is it doing on a Kamelot album? Upon finally listening to it in full, however, I found it all too reflective of the music held within. The most important element of Kamelot apart from the obvious, melodic curb appeal is undoubtedly the uplifting and often passionate emotional quality that goes into their music. That's simply missing here. It's all been hidden under some dark veil of false maturity, succumbing to mild-mannered ennui. The liveliness, the joy, the energy... for the most part, they're missing or at least obscured to the point of near absence.

Of course, in a simpler observation, the actual songs are neither as effective nor as memorable as on earlier efforts. First of all, many are simply recycled with lesser results. "House on a Hill" is the obligatory power ballad with female vocals, but it doesn't even get close to the beauty and emotion of previous tries like "The Haunting" or "Love You to Death." "Once Upon a Time" is a carbon copy of previous fast, energetic numbers "When the Lights Go Down" and "Silence of the Darkness," but this time the fun and bounciness is out of the picture. Such shortcomings are technically intangible, but when one experiences a record as free from feeling as this, there's really nothing else to say. The lowest point of the record comes with the four part title track, which is a confused and ultimately pointless attempt at being progressive. After wasting too much time with trying to be fancy and profound, the song just awkwardly fades into oblivion. It's all too weird for this band, and not in a good way.

Not all is bad, however, and I shouldn't make it sound as if Poetry For the Poisoned is some type of irredeemable travesty of the ages. Some embers of the blinding light we're accustomed to from Kamelot still flicker here and there. "The Zodiac" is a powerful and atmospheric tune helped by the legendary vigorous guest spot of Jon Oliva, and one of the only forays into self-aware darkness included that doesn't utterly fail. "If Tomorrow Came" is a strange but efficiently modern piece that shows a an odd side of the band. "Necropolis" possesses something largely absent from the rest of the proceedings: a riff, and a tasty Crimson Glory-like one at that. My favorite track is probably "Hunter's Season," a great power metal anthem that rolls as easily as anything else here. For one sudden flash, I could have sworn I saw the glory and prowess once so strong in this band; but alas, it's all too brief and we're stuck with the rest of this soggy setlist.

Production-wise, everything is softer and more theatrical this time around, taking Ghost Opera's style and draining it of almost all of what made it interesting. Roy Khan's talent and range have sadly deteriorated over the years, but never have I noticed his inadequacy as I have here. Reluctantly I must say that his departure from the band might end up being a blessing in disguise. Hell, even the lyrics are worse. Where there were once eloquent stories of passion and pain (sometimes conceptual), Poetry For the Poisoned regresses into simplistic and often excessively enigmatic musings--rather ironic for an album with the word "poetry" right there on the cover. It all comes together as one cohesively mediocre, mundane release. I'd count it among my most significant musical disappointments, and a release that I'm definitely not confident Kamelot can come back from. To use a cliched expression, Poetry For the Poisoned sounds like a shark-jumping to me, and one that leaves a rather bitter taste after ingesting its poisoned contents.

   Overall: 5.25/10 (Mediocre - hit the brakes now)

Deathhammer - Onward to the Pits [2012]

My indifference for modern thrash albums with spiffy clean, perfect production jobs is inversely proportional to my love for those records transparently seeking the archaic, occult overtones of the classic 80s sound, which is why I just love it when a band like Deathhammer drops a bomb like Onward to the Pits. This is nothing short of an exceptional recreation of an essence thought to have perished years ago. It's an album that sticks to its influences with uncompromising loyalty without directly copying or plagiarizing from the cherished source material. For the appropriate time allotted, one is submerged into hell and subjected to the punishing power and tormented shrieks therein. Nothing is particularly evolutionary or innovative about it, but it thrives in its unpolished, martial niche.

Without any exaggeration, Onward to the Pits could have dropped in 1986 to zero suspicion in regards to both the production and musical direction. Some may find issue with such a notion, but I could hardly have been more pleased. It's raw, pissed off, and fast, with little deviation wanted or needed. The riffs blaze with a certain rowdiness, going off the rails with unrestrained force and speed. It all comes together like the middle ground between Metallica's debut Kill 'Em All and Kreator's early bestial works. The over the top vocal performance  of Sergeant Salsten reflects the barbaric wrath of the music perfectly. One minute he's growling and shouting in first wave black metal fashion, and the next he's launching into insanely high pitched, ear-splitting cries, a style comparable to the anomalously popular Vektor.

All in all, Deathhammer's latest is a highly enjoyable time capsule for those longing to return to the days of thrash metal's golden age. There simply aren't enough albums of this style being released anymore. If I have one reservation with Onward to the Pits, it's that the consistent level of haste and dynamics doesn't allow for many distinguishable highlights. It all sort of runs--no, blitzes--together as one trampling entity. In any event, this record's strengths greatly outweigh its weaknesses, and it offers no choice but to succumb to its militaristic charms. The most comparable recent release I can think to compare it to is Antichrist's 2011 old school masterpiece Forbidden World, which, in a similar but greater ilk, marched onward to the seventh circle of hell and conquered it with ease. However, with this two piece following Asphyx's album of the same name as the second Deathhammer of worth this year, the pits definitely have a new king.

   Overall: 7.75/10 (Good - pray to your feeble savior)

Running Wild - Shadowmaker [2012]

One should not underestimate the love I harbor for most of Running Wild's extensive catalog. The traditional metal powerhouse's absolute golden period stretching from Port Royal to Black Hand Inn competes with metal's best works in any arena, demolishing all revivalist wannabe bands with little effort and besting even competent modern attempts at creating their swashbuckling sound. It is with a certain degree of sadness, then, that my first write-up for this legendary group of pirates must come in the form of reviewing a release as shoddy and halfhearted as Shadowmaker. After a seven year absence, little has changed since previous contemporary Running Wild albums; the flame that inspired masterworks like Death or Glory is once again nowhere to be found, and the listener is left wondering what Rock'n'Rolf came back for at all.


To be honest, Shadowmaker isn't quite the irredeemable disaster it could have been, but if it weren't for occasionally entertaining and catchy tracks like "Riding on the Tide," this record might have fallen into the same chasm that Morbid Angel and Queensryche's latest 'efforts' now fester in.Where are the awesome riffs? Where is the gritty tone and atmosphere? Most importantly, where did the inspiration go? One thing remains certain: it's not here. The numbingly clean production and upbeat songwriting only serve to make the overbearing sense of "jolliness" here more prevalent. The painfully awkward brotherhood anthem "Me and the Boys" is the most overt display of this. This song is easily the nadir of the album, and frankly, it's simply embarrassing to listen to. Seriously, who thought this whole comeback thing was a good idea again?


The mediocrity doesn't stop there, though. Another tepid trend in Shadowmaker's musical direction is the constant lack of speed. Sure, I don't need every track to be booking 240 beats a minute, but this album is almost depressingly slow. Songs like "Black Shadow" crawl so free from haste that I nearly fall asleep before they reach their midway points. Speed up. I'm pretty sure Running Wild was in a contest with itself to see how boring they could get when they wrote this drivel. They won. "Dracula" would like to trick you with its 7-minute length that it follows the bloodline of the band's brilliant epics, but let's just say this isn't another "Battle of Waterloo." The song does nothing to justify its length or existence, plodding along linearly, and the most I can say for it is that it finally delivers the end of a misguided, sterile album. 


I know I've been hard on Running Wild here, but they deserve it. This squad has shown the capability to deliver material of quality far superior to that found on this disc. About as much thought was put into this music as the amount of effort given to create its sub-par cover art. For every decent track like "Piece of the Action," there are three more bargain bin "Locomotive"s waiting right around the corner. Shadowmaker gets worse as it goes on, and each listen becomes increasingly tedious and difficult to bear. It only raises one all too appropriate question: what was the point of coming back if this is the final product? Having heard the album more times than I would have liked, Shadowmaker has convinced me that it is little more than the work of an aging Rolf seeking another check. After all, there is little inspiration to be found here to my ears aside from the quest for more green. Perhaps it's time to hang it up and go home.


   Overall: 4/10 (Poor)

Unisonic - Unisonic [2012]

The Ignition EP released two months before Unisonic's debut blew me away, evoking melodic perfection while maintaining a decidedly non-heavy sound. The product was sweet and succinct, almost sounding like 80s Helloween boiled down to its most simplistic roots, and it was nearly as enjoyable. I'm satisfied to say that while the personally breathtaking EP might have raised my expectations to a point never reached here, Unisonic mostly delivers with dazzling finesse. This is carefree, hard rock music in its purest form, no shame or embarrassment about it. Sometimes it lingers close to the edge of airhead pop rock, but never does it plummet to the depths of abyssal songwriting stupidity.


My review of Ignition basically summed up the musical direction here, but I'll reiterate and expound upon Unisonic's style with further development. The most important thing to tell yourself before listening to this album is that this isn't Helloween. Yes, it reunites Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske, but Unisonic isn't exactly another Keeper of the Seven Keys. Only trace remains can be found from the glory days of the legendary German power kings, and their connections persist mainly in abstract elements like the sheer energy and jubilant nature of the performances. For the most part, this record is made up of light and generally radio-friendly material, forging its roots firmly in rock rather than engraving itself fully as a power metal entity.


That isn't to say, however, that the songs often suffer for it. The majority of the tunes featured here succeed thanks to capable songwriting and a penchant for having fun; hell, a lot of fun. There are numbers that will be stuck in your head for days (even if we already heard them two months ago). "Never Change Me" features a chorus that would sound appropriate in a Katy Perry song, but I just can't care when it's this catchy. "Never Too Late" and "I've Tried" are a similar pair of stadium stompers, the latter of which bouncing around like a track in a Persona game's soundtrack (which is a very good thing). "Renegade" summons some of power metal glory missing in the rest of the proceedings.

The true showstoppers disappointingly remain those that we already heard on the EP, making that release a little misleading and this one slightly disappointing as a result. Perfect opener "Unisonic," the instant classic "My Sanctuary," and the brilliant "Souls Alive" all dominate the meat of the album, offering more power and memorable hooks than the rest of the songs. This separation in quality is more noticeable as the record goes on, as the second half is a bit lacking in impact compared to the first. Closing ballad "No One Ever Sees Me" isn't the most despicable ballad I've heard this year, but it doesn't leave much of an impression, either. The only track I find myself actively skipping with each playthrough is "Star Rider," which is just about as close as this band comes to recording totally banal, commercial tripe.

Although Unisonic doesn't quite live up to the promise of its debut EP here, and this isn't the ideal comeback one would hope for from the talent involved, I still couldn't help but be entertained for the time allotted. Most of the songs are on and there's fun to be had, so what could be the harm, right? Michael Kiske, while not in prime dog-killing form, delivers the goods like a man of fewer years. As does Kai Hansen on guitar, even if you won't hear any fret-burning solos within the confines of this recording. Due to these reasons, Unisonic is kind of about settling, but luckily for us, it's worth settling for. Just don't expect the unattainable and you'll be good to go.

   Overall: 7.5/10 (Good - living on the edge)

Dragonforce - The Power Within [2012]

Call it bandwagon-jumping, call it joining a lynch mob, call it whatever the hell you want, but I have always disliked Dragonforce's brand of ridiculously upbeat, speedy power metal nonsense. Granted, I never hated the band with the insane passion 80% of the metal community has since their mainsteam breakout with Guitar Hero (they were never important enough to me to get upset about), but everything I've heard from them did leave me with a seriously bad taste in my mouth, and a genuinely severe headache in addition. That ends with The Power Within, which is actually listenable thanks to a change of pipes and some minor (but noticeable) revisions to the band's songwriting. Interesting, considering that it's all behind some of the blandest, most generic album covers I've ever seen...

I shouldn't imply that Dragonforce's many haters will magically be won over by this new release, because really, little has changed musically in this camp. This stuff is still built upon (mostly) blistering speed, obvious melodies and hooks, an overabundance of rapid fire keyboards, and an insistence to punch the listen in the face with a dense sound containing more instrumentation than the ear can possibly perceive at once. The sheer excess has been limited a bit this time around, though, getting to the point faster with considerably shorter songs, making Dragonforce's polarizing sonic force a bit easier to swallow. The biggest improvement, however, comes in the vocal department. ZP Theart always annoyed me with his grating, nasally singing, but his fortunate departure has yielded the much better Marc Hudson, who delivers vocals with a more restrained, Americanized accent. He knows how to hit the notes and when to hold back, the latter of which I can't claim for any of the other band members.

Individually notable tracks are few and far between in these parts, but I do favor the dashing duo of the more mid-paced (!) "Cry Thunder" and the glorious "Give Me the Night," the best song here and probably the best in Dragonforce's entire discography. All in all, The Power Within was surprisingly enjoyable despite my initial reservations. However, I still don't find this band's style very captivating, myself usually preferring the more powerful crunch of American power metal. Certain bands like vintage Helloween and Labyrinth have broken this negative spell, but I doubt that Dragonforce, even in this reformed state, ever will. Still, it's not the worthless flower metal I might have expected, and I would definitely recommend it to genre fans. Just skip that overstuffed disaster "Wings of Liberty," though.

   Overall: 6.75/10 (Fair)