Masterplan - Novum Initium (2013) Limited Edition

Masterplan - Novum Initium

Originally conceived as a super group-ish side project for Helloween‘s Uli Kusch and Roland Grapow, Masterplan soon became the duo’s main gig after their ignominious firing by those silly Germanic pumpkin rockers. Although they planned to have the Lordly Russell Allen as the singer, they instead released two solid albums of melodic power metal helmed by the mighty Jorn Lande (yes AMG, we know you don’t think he’s that mighty). While Jorn left, then rejoined to record the less than stirring Time to Be King opus, it appears he left yet again, as Novum  Initium features the talents of the well-travelled Rick Altzi (ex-At Vance, ex-Thunderstone, Herman Frank). With only Grapow and keyboard wiz Axel Mackenrott returning, Masterplan moves further away from power metal toward a direct, melodic, hard rock influenced sound in the same wheelhouse as Jorn’s solo output and the Allen/Lande albums. With all connections to power metal severed, it’s all about slick, catchy, mid-tempo stuff heavily influenced by Rainbow and White Snake, but just heavy enough to satisfy the metal minded. While they’ve proven themselves capable at this style when they dabbled in it before, Novum Initium is particularly well conceived as it channels the hooks of their Aeronautics album with the heavier and somewhat darker edge of their debut. The result is a satisfying, memorable dose of rocking music that easily blows the doors off the latest Jorn outing despite the absence of the man himself. Altzi steps up and delivers a big performance and the writing is much improved from last time. If you enjoy this kind of vaguely bluesy, hard rocking metal, this will hit the sweet spot and keep hitting it until it’s sore (that sounds dirtier than I intended).

Things get off to a very solid start with the first five numbers being immediate, compelling examples of modern rock/metal. The hooks in “The Game,” “Keep Your Dream Alive,” and “Black Night of Magic” are tough to ignore and all demand replay. The darker mood during “Betrayal” and  ”No Escape” hits extra hard, as do the choruses. The darker vibe continues on “Pray on My Soul” with good effect, but falters during “Earth is Going Down” which is much less memorable and infectious.

The quality rebounds for the album’s back-end with the emotional, angsty charm of “Through Your Eyes” before culminating in the impressive, epic-length title track, which they manage toRick Altzi keep interesting and memorable over it’s ten-minute run with plenty of top-flight performances, varied moods and clutch writing.

Considering Masterplan is now Grapow’s baby,  the music isn’t as guitar-driven as you might expect. The songs all let the vocals do the heavy lifting with the guitar and keys in an often subdued supporting role. While Roland often underplays and goes for a “less is more” restrained approach, even during solos, he does make his presence known with some heartfelt playing during “Through Your Eyes” and  he lets himself go off at the right moments during the title track without becoming a raving noodle monster. Mackenrott’s keyboards are used for texture and whether he busts out the Hammond rock or more modern sounds, he mostly stays in the background without overwhelming the rest of the band.

While I admit to being a huge fan of Jorn’s singing abilities, I had a hunch Altzi would be able to fill his shoes because he did so damn well on the last Herman Frank album, which is similar in sound and style. The man has some solid pipes and was born to sing this type of emotive, hard rock-tinged metal. He has just enough edge and rasp to sound convincing, but he also has solid range and power. He makes good vocal choices on most of the songs (especially the choruses) and delivers a standout, professional performance that consistently elevates the material to the next level. Though the songs sound as if they were written specifically for Jorn, he makes them his own and I didn’t miss that mercenary, Dio-obsessed Norwegian at all.

MasterplanThough I wasn’t particularly anxious to hear this album, it’s quite a pleasant surprise. I like the new-ish direction and I certainly can’t knock the song writing. It also works as a fine companion piece to the last Herman Frank album as well as the recent solo outing by Magnus Karlsson (which also features the ubiquitous Mr. Altzi). While I cannot fathom why Jorn would miss a chance to sing these songs, I guess the man is just a traveller by heart.

copas from http://www.angrymetalguy.com/masterplan-novum-initium-review/

Tracklist:
1. Per Aspera Ad Astra
2. The Game
3. Keep Your Dream Alive
4. Black Night Of Magic
5. Betrayal
6. No Escape
7. Pray On My Soul
8. Earth Is Going Down
9. Return From Avalon
10. Through Your Eyes
11. Novum Initium
12. 1492 (Bonus Track) (Digipak Only)
13. Fear The Silence (Bonus track) (Digipak Only)

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Dreamtale - World Change Forever (2013) FLAC CUE LOG Korean Edition

Dreamtale - World Change Forever

In their earlier days, Dreamtale stood as one of the most consistent bands to suffer from such massive lineup inconsistencies. Over the past 5 years, their stylistic and qualitative congruity has been matched by a constancy of all members associated that has allowed this project to be viewed as more than a revolving door of session musicians taking their marching orders from guitarist and songwriter Rami Keränen. If there is any divergene to be found in their sound, it has been a slight decrease in ambitiousness after peaking on their sophomore effort "Ocean's Heart", a brilliant concept album with a story that reflected a cold sense of fatalism very unique for the otherwise upbeat character of power metal. It is with the release of their 6th opus "World Changed Forever" that they've returned to the conceptual realm, with 12 songs tied together by a few brief narrative sections between characters, though this time told in a real world context rather than in the high fantasy realm.

In many respects, the song set found on here follows the same basic formula as the rest of this band's back catalog, accenting the keyboards to the same degree as the guitars and having a slightly progressive bent to the songwriting. There is a level of experimentation in tempo switches from time to time that are a bit more adventurous and abrupt than previously, particularly starting on "We Have No God" where the first semblance of the band's Helloween influences really come out. The melodic material follows the doubled keyboard and guitar approach often utilized by Stratovarius, but mixes up the format and doesn't just cook for its full duration. Similar twists and turns can be found on "The Signs Were True" and the album's closest thing to an extended epic "Dreamtime", both only coming off as moderately heavy given the equal standing of the keyboards and guitars, but both ultimately becoming triumphant celebrations once the tempo picks up and the chorus material ensues. The most guitar happy of the speedy songs proves to be "The Heart After Dark", which also has a couple of unexpected rhythmic quirks to it that are heavily reminiscent of Labyrinth and Vision Divine, but at the same time quite reminiscent of early work out of this band and the best of the pack.

There are a few points on this album where things kind of cool off in a metallic sense, not to mention a couple of oddly placed elements that don't seem to fit. The most blatant of the latter is a jazz ballad interlude right square in the middle of the cruising power metal anthem "We Have No God" mentioned previously. It's mercifully short, but it's one of those "What the...?" moments that tended to haunt Kerion's earlier works. The spoken sections between the characters are also a bit cryptic at times, and definitely calls for a visit to the lyrics and album notes for clarification. With regard to the coolness alluded to in the former part of the album, much like with "Phoenix" and "Epsilon" the pacing is a bit uneven at times, as the album is front loaded with mid-paced fanfare that wouldn't do too bad on rock radio, but are fairly predictable and overtly derivative. "Tides Of War" and "Join The Rain" are definitely cut from this grain, and were obvious picks for lead off single releases before the LP hit circulation. However, the ballads on here actually prove to be another high point, as vocalist Erkki Seppänen breathes some serious passion and energy into two otherwise plain sounding slower works in "Destiny's Chance" and the title song "World Changed Forever".

Ultimately Dreamtale has proven yet again that they know what their audience is looking for, and while playing it relatively safe, have managed to introduce a gradual degree of evolution to their sound that might win over a few that weren't taken by the last 2 albums. It has an impressive level of flash and intrigue when lined up alongside some of their fellow Finns of late, at times becoming almost as flashy as Children Of Bodom where keyboard noodling it concerned, though everything is done tastefully and with an eye to keeping things song-oriented rather than overtly shred happy. However, the format here is definitely cut and dry European power metal, so would be listeners with any level of aversion to Stratovarius or old Sonata Arctica need not apply.

copas from http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Dreamtale/World_Changed_Forever/370547/

Tracklist:
01. The Shore 02:22
02. Island of My Heart 05:37
03. Tides of War 04:02
04. We Have No God 05:29
05. The Signs Were True 05:10
06. The Heart After Dark 04:24
07. Join the Rain 04:34
08. Back to the Stars 06:16
09. World Changed Forever 06:04
10. My Next Move 03:51
11. Dreamtime 06:34
12. Destiny’s Chance 03:54

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Dark Moor - Ars Musica (2013)

Dark Moor - Ars Musica

Dark Moor has, for whatever reasons that affect a band’s demographics, flown under the radars of the power metal scanning systems for years. Their efforts, often compared to the likes of Rhapsody of Fire and Blind Guardian, are mostly fresh, riveting pieces of fantastic power metal—the kind of stuff that imprisons your mind and soul whenever they’re given the chance to do so. I’m not going to make any rash comparisons between “Ars Musica” and Dark Moor’s other albums as I’m not horribly familiar with the bulk of them, but I will say “Ars Musica” is overall outstanding. Dark Moor’s efforts are as elegant as they are magnetic; gushing with songs that are confident, daring, catchy, and pristine, yet showing a degree of boldness that doesn’t transcend into ridiculousness or something gimmicky.

With the flag of their Spanish heritage flying high—they have a song here entitled “The First Lance of Spain” for crying out loud—Dark Moor produces a hefty feast of grandiose power metal baptized in minor symphonic/orchestral influences and instruments. The songs aren’t radically different from one another, yet there’s a lot going on in each tune to give each one its own unique tint. The first number, “The First Lance of Spain,” doesn’t differ too radically from other tracks like “The City of Peace,” but the melodies and flares are often calculated and manufactured differently. That said, the aforementioned songs are two examples of the sheer excellence here. The riffs and solos are dramatic and demanding, and Alfred Romero, Dark Moor’s vocalist, proves he is one of the unsung heroes of power metal with one of its most amazingly graceful and versatile voices.

It’s not like Dark Moor used some magic orb which blesses its user with awesome musical abilities to make “Ars Musica” so good; they’re just fantastic at writing cohesive, addicting anthems that have a lot of color yet not overloading with it. In fact, some of the more serious numbers, especially “Together as Ever,” are the album’s prime cuts. However, that is not to imply more chaotic songs like “Living in a Nightmare” deserve participation ribbons—Dark Moor has the game mastered no matter what they do. Female vocals are used semi-frequently behind Romero’s bellowing, and the orchestral elements are never underplayed or overcooked. The bass has an enormous presence here as well, and there are several songs in which Mario Garcia hammers out an organized bass lead and takes complete control of the whole portrait. Me gusta.

However, “Spanish Suite (Asturias),” one of those neoclassical instrumental bits, runs a little too long and has pacing issues that throw it off a bit—not a horrible song, but it is far from the lush territory of its cohorts. “Ars Musica” is otherwise a stupendous experience of enchantment and supremacy by one of power metal’s strongest titans. This, ladies and gentlemen, is an album from a band that knows what it’s doing, and you’ll be enthralled by Dark Moor’s magic minutes after the power of “Ars Musica” has created an ethereal portal to an enticing world where first-rate power metal rules the day. The classy gentlemen of Dark Moor may not be overlords of their niche, yet they’re far from being a one-trick pony or a temporary flavor that’ll fizzle out. Check this out, now.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Tracklist:
1. Ars Musica (Intro)
2. First Lance Of Spain
3. It Is My Way
4. The Road Again
5. Together As Ever
6. The City Of Peace
7. Gara And Jonay
8. Living In A Nightmare
9. El Último Rey
10. St. James Way
11. Spanish Suite (Asturias)

Bonus Tracks:

12. The Road Again (Acoustic Version)
13. Living In A Nightmare (Orchestral version)

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Oliva - Raise The Curtain (2013)

Oliva - Raise The Curtain

Not to state the obvious, but songwriting is key in music. The inability to write songs that capture the listener is the #1 problem many bands have. Even bands that make good music aren’t necessarily the most adept at writing the perfect song. Hence the reason so many good bands get overlooked: the songs just aren’t as spectacular as others are able to craft. Sure, there are several great bands with outstanding songwriters/songs that still get overlooked, but that tends to be the sad state of the music business or the lack of good financial backing. There are so many great songwriters that instantly come to mind as I think about this topic. However, when I put the focus on the writing of great theatrical hard rock/metal songs there are two that pop into my mind at the top every time: Alice Cooper and Jon Oliva. Even just casual music listener will likely know Mr. Cooper, but only those savvy enough will know the magnificence of Jon Oliva’s abilities.

As founder, frontman, and musical creator of the legendary metal band Savatage (along with his late, great brother Criss) he created music that helped to mold me into the insane music fanatic I am today. I remember the first moment I heard “Hall of the Mountain King” on my local radio station’s Friday night metal show. Within 30 seconds of the song’s start I was hooked. The melding of classical and metal was something at the time that was pretty much limited to the guitar shredders like Yngwie, Tony MacAlpine, and people like that. For me, Savatage was the first band that actually did it, made it work, and did it without having to have a backing orchestra. The structures and riffs themselves layered into an orchestral sound and were astounding. Since that first exposure there has not been a time in my life that Savatage has not been one of the first bands I name drop when asked, “What music do you listen to?” I cannot think of one album from that band that I can’t find some enjoyment from. Even after the tragic loss of Criss and eventual departure of Jon from being in the band, they still maintained that same level of craft I grew up loving. That band did eventually disband, and for all intents and purposes are now called Trans Siberian Orchestra (TSO) and have become a holiday phenomenon worldwide’. It looks rather bleak that there will ever been any more ‘Tage music. Oliva has done some other stuff like Doctor Butcher and Pain, both of which are stellar bands putting out top notch music, but beyond the obvious vocal similarities, bear little resemblance to what Savatage is known for.

Now it’s 2013 and Jon is releasing his very first solo album. And very well could be the closest thing to Savatage-esque music we may ever hear. Raising the Curtain arose from the ashes of another tragic guitarist death in his life, that of longtime Pain guitarist Matt LaPorte. Convinced by a friend, and other members of his band, he commenced work on completing unfinished songs he had, as well as those of his friend Dan Fasciano. Once the work was done there were 11 tracks that were rooted in 70’s era prog, yet also had that wonderful sound I have loved for so long. I knew within 30 seconds of the album’s start I was going to enjoy it immensely (sounds familiar, huh?) Of course, at first I thought I had mistakenly popped in an old Yes album instead, but before long, once Jon’s voice kicked in, I knew I was about to embark on a listening pleasure I have quite honestly waited ages to hear again. Is it entirely easy to slide Raise the Curtain into the Savatage catalog? Of course not, as it wasn’t intended to be, but it is close enough for government work. Very clearly Oliva’s plan was to release an album that was from his heart, demonstrating not only his early influences, but his master craft songwriting abilities, and the emotion and passion that pours out of his voice and his performances. One of the highlights for me was the fact that there are parts that were unfinished pieces of music from Criss and Jon that he has finally been able to complete.

Sounding better than ever, Jon’s work on Raise the Curtain is a treat for fans and a catharsis of sorts for him. I absolutely love this album. Will every fan of any of his past bands love it? I believe they should, but some may feel otherwise since it’s not as consistently heavy as Pain tends to be, as well as the clear decision to root much of the music in the prog realm of bands like Yes and Genesis. As long as you go in expecting a mix of classic prog and hints of early Savatage, you should be as excited by this collection of music as I am. Thank you Jon for some more incredible music that will pleasure my ear holes for years to come.

copas from http://myglobalmind.com/2013/06/11/oliva-raise-the-curtain-review/

Tracklist:
01. Raise The Curtain
02. Soul Chaser
03. Ten Years
04. Father Time
05. I Know
06. Big Brother
07. Armageddon
08. Soldier
09. Stalker
10. The Witch
11. Can’t Get Away
12. The Truth (bonus track)

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Hammered - The Beginning (2013)

Hammered - The Beginning

Every band has to start somewhere and for HAMMERED this is quite literally “The Beginning”. After this, I got to be more appreciative of Italians. Their music is undoubtedly unique and even the genuinely bad ones have an interesting aspect to them. On the contrary, I’m apt to dislike their food or maybe I haven’t had real Italian food but I sure love their music. Now let me begin by describing this quintet’s debut from Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

“No Time For Us” begins with a lot of melody, guitars on both sides building up the song into who knows what. Then it hits you with a Thrash upstart rhythm as a basic guitar riff raises your adrenaline. The drummer, Alfredo Macuz, perfectly catalysts the song’s rhythm into maximum momentum. Tactical and simple strikes capturing the aurora majesty. Then, a technique common with IRON MAIDEN as triplet guitars reaches your ears, a beautiful style of power-charging melodic Thrash. In continuation, “Space Invaders”, has a very soothing group vocal hymn. The riffs are simple but very fitting and Andrea Csàszàr has a nice accent to his singing. This song excellently incorporates a drum solo/interlude accompanied by a catatonic guitar addition.

“See You in Hell” starts with an off-beat drum arrangement but as soon as the initial riff engages, the drums escapes its detrimental episode. As guitar melodies leak further, the drum varies in semblance changing like a chameleon out in the scorching hot sun. Then, a new melody enters as the guitar thrives on its uppity embodiment. Suddenly, there’s a second of silence, followed by the guitars going into its finest and fiercest display of thrash riffs yet. As the song progressed, Csàszàr says “hell” in almost a feminine voice. After its termination, the group decides to dispel the notion in unison by saying “In Hell!”. A bit after, the guitars and drums go into a descending pattern. The tone of the drums layered over the guitar riff is exquisite and as the solo approaches it goes into a technical almost classical composed idiosyncrasy.

On the latter part of “See You in Hell” you begin to hear a bit of speed metal. It continues its growing roots onto “Masters of Your Nightmares” but only on the former half. This is a quirky but interesting song. It can’t help but put a smile across your face as Csàszàr varies his execution to almost sound like a hyper foreign child. Along the chorus, there are the group vocals saying “…and there’s no key” in a subtly gentle but impacted method. “Money” is an almost acoustic and melody-driven instrumental to show the true horrors of how money is valued in society. It displays utter sadness in the state of money being the deciding factor in negotiations. How it blinds many to its seductive capabilities and strips human existence to its most primitive and ravaging breed.

“Bloody Fields” has a TOOL-sounding bass intro accompanied by a soft but intricate drum delicacy. This song uses some weird static sound effect that distorts Andrea Csàszàr’s voice. I don’t know if you’ve seen Dragon Ball Z but he sounds a bit like Android 19. Despite its effect, this song is very mellow-inducing. “From Paradise to Hell” flourishes one of the catchiest melodic riffs so far. It feels like the bright sun is shining down on you as you hear the waves lightly crash against the shoreline and taps your feet with its liquidity. In coherence with the previous, about halfway through “The Five Hunters”, prior to the solo, is one of the catchiest riffs. It sticks with you and it’s admittedly creative.

“Never Dies” reminds me of METALLICA’s “Whiplash” not instrumentally-wise but in regards to how the lyrics describe their sense of aptitude and life through a musician’s vantage point. Take note in how both songs are from each band’s debut full-length. “Wait For Sleep” is an excellent DREAM THEATER cover attempted by these guys.

HAMMERED is one of those special bands you don’t know what to think of them on contact but through trial and error delivers a memorial experience. I, spontaneously, gave this album a third spin and to my surprise it sounded unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. They play in a style I like to call as Melodic Thrash Metal with Speed and Traditional Heavy Metal influences. This is a very strong debut, full of catchy and visionary bearings.

copas from http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/h_2/hammered-the-beginning.htm

Tracklist:
1. No Time For Us
2. Space Invaders
3. See You in Hell
4. Masters of Your Nightmares
5. Money
6. Bloody Fields
7. From Paradise to Hell
8. The Five Hunters
9. Never Dies
10. Wait For Sleep (Dream Theater Cover)

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Scorpions - Acoustica(Live in Lisboa 2001)

Scorpions - Acoustica

Tracklist:
01. Loving You Sunday Morning
02. Is There Anybody There
03. Tease Me, Please Me
04. Dust In The Wind
05. Send Me An Angel
06. Under The Same Sun
07. Catch Your Train
08. Hurricane 2001
09. Wind Of Change
10. Love Of My Life
11. Drive
12. Still Loving You

Quality: HDTV 720p
Container: TS
Video codec: H.264
Audio Codec: AC3
Video: Mpeg4 AVC, 1280x720, 16:9, 13300 kbps, 50 fps, Progressive
Audio: AC3, 448 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo
Audio 2: MP2, 256 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo
Audio 3: MP2, 192 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo

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