It is finally here! Gothenburg, Sweden’s melodic death metal legends In Flames released new full length opus with Nuclear Blast! After listening to the EP that went with Metal Hammer a week ago we got a taste of what is to come, but only a taste, now here is the full meal. Here are twelve songs of melodic death metal that take In Flames to their old school era leaning more on death metal than on influences they had in their songwriting as decades moved with them. There are still some electronic effects behind the riffs, some excursions into some more melodic and mellow waters but I love how Anders’ voice transforms between growling and clean melodic singing on epic choruses, sounding better than ever! Besides hits that were already on that EP like awesome ‘State Of Slow Decay’ and ‘Foregone Pt I’ and ‘Foregone Pt II’, there is also superb ‘Bleeding Out’, a perfect combo between harsh death metal and epic melodies. But, one of my personal highlights is for sure almost ballad like ‘Pure Light Of Mind’ having such gentle and beautiful lyrics topped with Anders’ vocal melodies and having almost pop influenced undertones beneath metal, me having Roxette in mind for a few seconds hehe. ‘In The Dark’ and ‘Become One’ are also songs to add as highlights. This is for sure to become one of the candidates for album of the year, it is an album of the month for sure.
Delain from Holland were formed by keyboardist and mastermind Martijn Westerholt and this is their seventh full length opus. What is new in Delain, all the members except Martijn quit the band couple of years ago and it became a solo project again, but here is the new line-up, hence the new opus and it is mighty good. This one contains eleven songs, one being a piano version of one of for me best songs on this opus called ‘The Quest and the Curse’. For those who don’t know, Delain play symphonic gothic metal, bombastic sympho passages interplay with great guitar melodies topped with dramatics and beautiful voice of new singer Diana Leah. What I must also mention that this opus includes guest performances by Paolo Ribaldini and ex Nightwish bassist/vocalist Marko Hietala especially in song ‘Invictus’ which is also one of my personal favorites on this album. Some bands playing this kind of metal tend to lose their edge and become too soft, Delain on this album kept their metal edge especially in ‘Tainted Hearts’, melodic gothic metal mixed with fine dose of metal marching guitars. Songs that I must also mention as being superb are ‘Moth to a Flame’ and ‘Queen of Shadow’. This is a great sympho gothic metal album by legends of the genre.
Two members of Portugal’s Gaerea, namely Guilherme Henriques – vocals/guitar and Pedro Soares – drums, decided to write an opus of heartfelt emotions and darkness and put it all in one long song called Disintegrate. The opus starts calmer, with post metal influenced guitar melody, a bit cold like in space with synth effects melody in the background preparing us of what’s to come. And that is, my ladies and gentlemen, perfect lesson in rolling death doom with growling death vocals, dark and melodic guitar wall of sound and doom procession drums played technically perfect to a note. The atmosphere is perfect and lyrics are about rising of an individual above things that bothered him/her until now, when he or she took all by heart but will rise now above all that darkness even it means to disintegrate and practically cease existence. This is a liberating music and opus. If you listen to it in darkness, close your eyes and let the music and words take you to soundscape vessel and fly you above all you will see how pathetic and needless are some of your worries and problems and how sometimes things need to be cut no matter it might cause pain or cease to exist in a way they existed before. Double bass drumming, some death and post metal influences add to the drama and melancholic guitar work on this opus. I can only congratulate you, because this one touched me deep, deep inside.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 