The Exploding Boy - Four (2013)

Originating from Sweden The Exploding Boy plays a mix goth pop, new wave and post punk that sounds straight from the 1980s but Four is not pure nostalgia, it actually presents a great collection of tracks. 

It's actually hard to pick highlights as the every song is memorable in its way. The album opener Cracked/Reasons is an excellent  post punk song that has nothing to envy to the greatest tracks and is followed by another assured effort entitled Street Cliche with a more synth oriented sound. From then on the album is quite diverse from The Cure-esque moments to a touch of Killing Joke here and there and a little dose of The Chameleons (one of my favourite all time bands).  

Other highlights include, the catchy and up tempo Dark City (Pt. II), the more straight forward and rockier Shadows, the synth heavy post punk Always and the utterly beautiful Get It Out.  

Overall, Four is a great album that sounds like it was made in the early 1980s and what a joy it is to listen to it now!

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light

Fates Warning is a band that's been around for lots of years. They've released great albums in the past and, thankfully, after a long silence they've released Darkness in a Different Light, demonstrating again that they're an excellent progressive metal.

The best thing in the album is that every song is memorable. The riffs are dark and heavy but perfectly balanced with clean melodic guitar lines. Acoustic guitars are used wisely. Also, Fates Warning manages to create progressive metal that is concise and to the point. Even the fourteen minute closing track feels like it has been well trimmed. 

The album opens with One Thousand Fires, hands down one of the highlights of an incredibly solid album. Other, personal, highlights include Into the Black and the epic Yet It Moves. But every song here is excellent.

I can't say that it's their best album. I don't want to get into that kind of argument but I'll certainly say that this is my favourite Fates Warning album by a mile. An outstanding metal album that I can't get enough of.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Covenant - Leaving Babylon (2013)

Originating from Sweden, Covenant have been around since the early 90s. Leaving Babylon is their eighth album and despite its ups and downs there's certainly a lot to like here.

The album opens with the title track Leaving Babylon, which is a repetitive and hypnotic song. It's a decent song that walks you into the album and acts as an intro.

The second track, Prime Movers, leaves the introduction behind and suddenly the album comes to live. From then on, the album has its ups and downs but generally delivers excellent beats and melodies. 

Prime Movers and Four Our Time are great examples of simple, hypnotic and fascinating future-pop. There's a little harshness to the beats but a very gentle and mellow side to the music that creates a perfect balance to the songs. 

But the two standout songs of the album are Ignorance and Bliss and Last Dance. Both of them are really powerful songs that manage to combine classic and retro synth sounds with very solid future-pop beats. Both tracks are perfectly crafted and memorable; the kind of song that I can't get enough of and I know I'll be coming back for again and again.

Overall, this is a very uneven album with some decent tracks, some good tracks and some of the best electronic music this year.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Alter Bridge - Fortress (2013)

Fortress is darker and heavier than their previous efforts but still remains true to the Alter Bridge sound. The band has released good albums before and, although I'm sure some will not agree, this time they've nailed a perfect album. 

There isn't much to say about it. This is a perfect hard rock, heavy metal album. Powerful riffs, memorable choruses, excellent guitar solos and outstanding vocals that show a big and emotive range. The songs tap into the classic style of the genre whilst still sounding contemporary and new. In many ways it feels like the band knew they had nothing else to prove and couldn't care less about conforming to musical styles; alternative rock, hard rock, metal, whatever!

The only criticism (if that) is that the album is too consistently good and no songs stand out. In fact, Cry of Achilles is such an incredible song that nothing else tops it. The album doesn't get better but it doesn't get worse either. Every single song here is a killer. My highlights would include, Cry of Achilles, Addicted to Pain (see the video below), Calm the Fire, Cry a River and Fortress.

This is an album that I can't stop listening to and I know I'll come back to again and again; an absolute delight.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Dream Theater - Dream Theater (2013)

Dream Theater are making a statement with the new album. This is a new beginning. After Mike Portnoy's departure, this is their second album with guitarist John Petrucci as a producer and the band are keen to demonstrate they're moving forward.

Overall the songs are more mid-tempo and melodic. No songs really stand out (though The Enemy Inside - see the video below - has some great riffs), in that sense the album is really cohesive and flows well. I should note the last song in the album though, a twenty minute plus song that is absolutely beautiful and stunning.

The musicianship is top notch as you would expect from the band and it's great to see that new drummer Mangini has really settled well into the band. He sounds great. Petrucci's production is flawless, the sound is clean and it's really well mastered with every instrument clear in the mix.

Overall, this is an incredibly solid album in an already outstanding discography. 

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Placebo - Loud Like Love (2013)

Placebo's seventh album will probably not make new fans and may disappoint some old fans but the album is refreshingly good, updating the band's sound, heading into a new direction, whilst remaining true to Placebo. The band has matured, it has softened but there's plenty to like here.

Album opener Loud Like Love is classic Placebo and it's a brilliant and catchy song. Too Many Friends is a beautiful piece of pop-rock music. Other songs worth mentioning are A Million Little Pieces, Begin the End and album closing Bosco. But the best song in the album must be Hold on to Me. Stuck towards the middle of the album, it shows the more introspective and mellow sound of the band and it's a resounding success; beautiful and uplifting. 

Overall, this is a solid effort from Placebo. Some songs offer more of the same and the feeling that you've heard this before but better creeps in. It must be said though that the album have no fillers. No song is a waste. I can't see myself fast forwarding any track, not now and not in the future.

Best of all though, the songs mentioned above are real standouts and point to a new direction; a band that is at its best when it gets introspective with a more mature, mellow, gentle and uplifting sound.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Ministry - From Beer to Eternity (2013)

Ministry are back again. The band seems to have more false endings than Peter Jackson's The Return of the King, but with an album like this, you will hear no complaint for me. From Beer to Eternity is quite simply the most varied album Jourgensen has put together under the Ministry name and it's superb.

The opening track Hail to His Majesty (Peasants) paves the way for what's to come. This is a more experimental Ministry that's not afraid to mix lots of elements in one song. Overall the album has a dirty sound, with dark sleaze grooves, electronica, incursions into reggae/dub and the pounding guitars that have become their trademark. 

It's hard to pick songs as the songs are very varied and this is an incredibly solid album. My personal favourites are, the Filth Pig era sounding Permawar, the angry brutal Fairly Unbalanced (a kick in the balls directed to Fox News) with The Horror as a dub-like epilogue, the surprising Lesson Unlearned and the two epics at the end (Thanx But No Thanx and Change of Luck) which make use of reggae and middle eastern sounds. 

Mike Scaccia, a long time guitarist for Ministry and according to Jourgensen the driving force behind the sessions that became this album, died three days after the recording sessions were done. It was left to Jourgensen to cobble the sessions together into a presentable form. I have to say that Mike Scaccia would be proud, this is Ministry at its best, unexpected, experimental, hard hitting and dirty.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (2013)

Trent Reznor decided to resurrect NIN and Hesitation Marks is the result. Some fans may not be pleased by the new direction but it stays true to the NIN sound and at the same time goes in a completely new direction for the band.

The sound is decidedly electronic more than it has ever been since... well, since NIN's first album Pretty Hate Machine. The anger and abrasive heavy guitars are mostly gone here. 

This is NIN at its most dressed down, lean and minimalist. Of course, there's still plenty of complexity in the songs and layers of sounds and beats, but in general this is a very lean and often pop oriented album. Having said that, all the NIN trademarks are still present and the atmosphere is still oppressive.

This is a bold new direction for NIN and Hesitation Marks is an incredibly beautiful album, whether it's the incredibly addictive Copy of A, the dark and heavy beats of Came Back Haunted, the upbeat and poppy sounding Satellite, the album offers plenty of textures and colours, with one great song after the other.

But as usual with NIN, Hesitation Marks is more than a collection of great songs, it's a coherent and cohesive album that is as fascinating as some of the best work Reznor has done across the years.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

James La Brie - Impermanent Resonance (2013)

James LaBrie's  new solo album is a departure, a new chapter, where the famous Dream Theater singer is asserting himself into new territory. This album doesn't sound like Dream Theater at all, it leaves aside progressive metal and embraces short, catchy and pop infused modern metal songs with a healthy dose of heaviness and sparse harsh vocals.

Impermanent Resonance is the kind of album that will not change your life, and won't be remembered as a great album, but the good thing about it is that the song are beautifully catchy. The modern sounds and synths, the pop hooks and the vocal melodies by James LaBrie turn each song into a bright catchy (and often cheesy) experience that you just can't help but enjoy and sing along.

Personally, I prefer the heavier moments in the album when the guitars get more of a presence and the harsh vocals provided by drummer Peter Wildoer add to the music in a big way (see the video below to listen to excellent album opener Agony). 

Overall, this is a guilty sin of an album that I'm sure I will enjoy for a long time.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Lingua Mortis Orchestra featuring Rage - LMO (2013)

Behind the Lingua Mortis Orchestra is German metal band Rage, a band that remains largely unknown outside of Europe but has a long and powerful discography. Rage are seen as a German power metal band but they've never been content with doing just that and they've also made incursions into thrash, speed and progressive metal; amongst others. Not happy with that, Rage were also one of the first bands to produce an original album with an orchestra and doing so without compromising on guitars and heaviness. 

LMO is a continuation of the orchestral experiment they started back in 1996 and sees them once again in good form. The guitar riffs are powerful and heavy, the solos incredibly sharp and the rhythm section is as well oiled as you would expect from a veteran band like this. The orchestra and the band work together and mix seamlessly in a great mix of classical music and metal. The excellent (and long) opening track Cleansed by Fire (see the video below) is a great example of what to expect from this album. 

One of the problems with the album is the concept album nature of it. Unfortunately, some parts and songs lose steam. But there's plenty to like here and Rage demonstrate once again why they have always been one of the most loved German metal bands in Europe. Don't be fooled, this is an expansive album made to enjoy at home and there are plenty of killer tracks here.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Tarja - Colours in the Dark (2013)

Tarja is back with a new album and a very strong album it is; but it won't please everyone. The songs move between straight forward symphonic metal, with progressive rock touches, a dash of electronica arrangements and pop sensibilities. Tarja's voice is warm, soothing, commanding and strong and she sounds great.

Depending on how you look at it, this is Tarja's fourth album (if you count her Christmas CD) or third (personally, I wouldn't count the Christmas album) and it feels like she's finally set herself free of people's expectations and is having fun exploring new sounds and textures. This is her more experimental album and it works.

Stand out songs include, the bombastic album opening Victim of Ritual, the straight forward and pop sounding 500 Letters, the crowd pleaser Never Enough and the stirring grand melodies of Deliverance. 

I should also mention Mystique Voyage a song that reminds me of Sarah Brightman and will probably go under the radar for most Tarja fans but I found really beautiful and the closing track Medusa which is probably too long and sweeping for metal fans but I found captivating.

Overall Tarja delivers a great fusion of symphonic bombast, progressive rock, pop sensibilities and a heavy metal sound. The songs are not as accessible as her previous two albums and there's a cloak of heavy darkness all throughout the album but this is a more mature sounding Tarja, with a more experimental sound and it works. 

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Collapse Under the Empire - The Silent Cry (2013)

Originating from Hamburg Collapse Under the Empire fall into the post-rock category but this is not a band that should be dismissed and in fact stand above the general crowd.

All six songs are excellent but I would particularly highlight the opening track We Are Close As This (see the video below), a powerful track with a powerful rolling beat of drums and roaring guitars. The title track The Silent Cry, a perfectly crafted song that builds up with excellent arrangements and guitar work to end with an orchestral 'soundtracky' passage. And Ashfall which packs big drums, strings and a lot of power. 

In many ways this is straight forward post-rock but what sets Collapse Under the Empire apart is their incredibly cinematic sound. Their music really feels like the fitting accompaniment to a film. The band has achieved a great balance of quieter and harder moments with an ever present dark brooding tension. 

Excellent release from the band.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Ayria - Plastic Makes Perfect (2013)

Originating from Canada Ayria's music is a mix of future pop and EBM with hints of electro-industrial aggressiveness here and there. Plastic Makes Perfect is her fourth album and it's a pretty solid release.

The highlights of the album are, at least to me, her more aggressive tracks, particularly opener Hunger and Plastic Makes Perfect (see video below). On the lighter, more melodic side I'd highlight Three Months, Missed the Mark and the particularly danceable Big City Lullaby. 

The album has it's ups and downs but there's plenty to enjoy here and the mix of future pop, EBM and more aggressive moments is well balanced.   

Rating: Good Vibrations

Belako - Eurie (2013)

Originating from the Basque Country, Belako is a new and very young band. The band successfully mixes a classic indie sound (think Sonic Youth or The Pixies) with punk rock sensibilities and some lo-fi electronic touches. 

Eurie is their debut album, it's self produced and packed with energy, fuzzy, crunchy guitars and great songs. Opening track Sea of Confusion, Haunted House (see the video below) and Zaldi Baltza are my particular highlights but there are no fillers here. 

I can't say that this is a classic, Belako still have room to grow but it's a very impressive debut for these youngsters.

You can buy the album directly from their Bandcamp here

Rating: Good Vibrations

Sirenia - Perils of the Deep (2013)

Sirenia has been around for a long time. In fact, Sirenia main man Morten Veland was one of the founders of Tristania. The band has been too unstable in terms of band members and singers and this has affected their output, but this is the third album with singer Aylin and it's a killer. 

The album opens with a beautiful intro playing on classical music, opera and gothic sounds. The second track is Seven Widows Deep (see the video below), which is one of the highlights of the album and is a perfect example of all the best Sirenia has to offer. Brutal riffs, soaring vocals, strong harsh vocals, choral arrangements and symphonic flourishes. The song is heavy, dark and strong but also melodic and beautiful.

This is Sirenia's most varied album. It harks back to the sound of their older albums but also explores new ground. Ditt Endelikt fo instance is a surprisingly straight forward and uplifting rock song with catchy hooks and licks and Morten Veland singing clean. On the other hand Stille Kom Doden is a twelve minute long song with an assured doom tone that also delivers the most beautiful melodic passages of the album. 

Both Morten Veland and Aylin have obviously worked incredibly hard the last two years. The songs are top notch and Aylin's voice has grown enormously. This is a killer album that should make Sirenia fans happy but will also hopefully propel the band to the next level. They certainly deserve it. 

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Palms - Palms (2013)

Palms is a kind of superband with members of Isis and Deftones' Chino Moreno as frontman. Expectations were high for the album and the band delivers but perhaps not in a way that will satisfy everyone.

The album moves at a slow pace like a small boat sailing gently through a pristine calm ocean. This is a dreamy kind of post-rock concerned with mood and atmosphere rather than riffs and Chino Moreno's silky vocals suit the music perfectly. The songs are also quite long with progressive rock tendencies. 

Some may find the calm and quiet of these songs boring, there's no metal here, no big guitar bursts (well a few really well measured ones), but the album is so beautiful, soothing and uplifting that I personally would nominate the ten minute long Mission Sunset as my particular highlight. 

I love everything Deftones has done but I've always wanted Deftones to explore their more melodic and dreamy side in one album. Forget about metal, consider it a one time experiment and just go with it. I don't think that will ever happen but this album gives me a bit of an idea of what it could sound like.

Palms may not be for everyone, some will miss bigger guitar moments, but I'm captivated by the utter beauty of this debut album and I hope there's more to come. This debut album is a triumph in every possible way.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Tristania - The Darkest White (2013)

Tristania has been around for a long time and the band carries the heavy burden of creating two albums that blended perfectly, doom, death, black and gothic metal in a powerful and epic scale with a symphonic base. 

Unfortunately, fans compare their recent output to their early albums and complain but with so many band members leaving, the band is now a completely different beast. Darkest White is a great album that wavers between some brutal moments (as we would expect from the band) and more melodic gothic songs. 

My personal highlights include the powerful opener Number (see the video below), the gothic Himmelfall,  the anthemic Requiem, the surprisingly uplifting Diagnosis and the gentle, melodic Lavender. Overall, I find that the more melodic moments work better but as usual Tristania knows how to get the balance between heavy and powerful moments and quieter melodic passages right.

It's not their best album. I'm sure that many will still miss the old sound and moan the absence of Vibeke, but Tristania is not looking back and this album is packed with great songs.

Rating: Good Vibrations

A Pale Horse Named Death - Lay My Soul To Waste (2013)

The album's cover gives you a very good indication of what you will find here. The album is dark and gloomy, a good cross of the darker and harder shades of grunge music with doom metal. 

The riffs are strong and ominous, the vocals clean and mid-range (more in rock style than metal), the lyrical content deals with stories of love and deals with the devil and the use of sound effects, interludes and an organ give the album a great horror cinematic feel.


The album is deliberately dark and gloomy to great effect but it also has a couple of brighter moments with sleazy blues-rock Killer by Night and the playful Devil Came With a Smile. 

Overall this is a great dark rock/metal album.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Nosound - Afterthoughts (2013)

Originating from Italy Giancarlo Erra (the heart of Nosound) has been busy creating outstanding music for the last decade but Afterthoughts, contrary to the name of the album is no afterthought at all; I'd say this is the best Nosound album yet. 

The band is often seen as progressive rock but Afterthoughts has no complex rhythm changes and structures, instead the music is deceivingly complex in its simplicity and the focus is on atmosphere. 

Every single track in the album is there for good reason. The album flows seamlessly from hauntingly beautiful landscape to landscape with melancholic force and occasional, simmering, contained anger. The guitars, drums, percussion, keyboards and cello create hypnotic layers that sound simple and complex, symphonic but organic and grounded, never pompous.

I dare say that this will surely have to be one of the best albums this year. An outstanding effort from start to end.

The band release Wherever You Are as the single (see the video below), but I couldn't contain myself and I've also put the first song in the album which is my particular favourite.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Neuroticfish - Limited Behaviour EP (2013)

Originating from Germany, Neuroticfish is an excellent future-pop/EBM, one man band. 

The four songs in this EP are very danceable, with strong beats and great melodies. The focus here is on danceable future-pop beats and all four songs are incredibly infectious.

I honestly can't wait for Neuroticfish to release the new album because if this is a sign of things to come it's going to be a killer.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

I Hear Sirens - Between Consciousness and Sleep (2013)

Originating from the United States, I Hear Sirens is a four piece band that creates beautiful landscapes with perfectly crafted post rock songs.

The songs are mostly contemplative and relaxing, with a few sparse moments of tension here and there. Unlike the heavy reliance on keyboards that seems to have become the norm of late, I Hear Sirens has a more classic post rock sound relying on guitars.

The album has the feeling of a film score and the music transmits a lot of emotion. The songs are built like stories and the arrangements are spot on.

I Hear Sirens doesn't break any new ground in the genre, but the songs are so perfectly crafted and executed that this EP is incredibly addictive.

You can purchase their EP at their Bandcamp page for $5 here

Rating: Good Vibrations

Skinny Puppy - Weapon (2013)

Canadian electro industrial legends Skinny Puppy are back again and after more than thirty years of career, they're still not only relevant, but in good form.

Weapon is a very solid album with no dead moments. This is the music of angry machines. Ogre's vocals are mostly clean but are also filtered and distorted to great effect when needed. The album opens with Worning (see the video below) a danceable track, with great melodies, hard beats, plenty of layers, abrasive sounds and a strong vintage electro industrial feel. 

In fact, the best thing in this album (at least for me) is that Skinny Puppy sounds modern and at the same time old. The production is modern and follows their more melodic danceable recent releases but it's darker and more industrial, sometimes going back to the sound of their early days. 

Listening to this album, it's easy to see why Skinny Puppy is such a legendary band and this album is an excellent addition to their discography.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Timo Tolkki's Avalon - The Land of New Hope (2013)

When a living legend like Timo Tolkki, with such a long and successful career, decides to surround himself with talented musicians and singers contributing to a metal opera, it's fair to say that expectations are very, very high. I don't know if this album will become the stuff of legends but Tolkki and his collaborators deliver an outstanding album that is flawless.

The album opens with a blistering power metal song that is both inspired and memorable but just when you think that Tolkki is back to his best, the second track, A World Without Us starts and it's even better.

The album has no fillers and many stand outs. It features some of the best guitar work by Tolkki (who recorded all the guitars and bass) in many a year but is also very well supported by his guest musicians and singers. 

In terms of the vocals, Rob Rock and Russell Allen are solid in their parts. Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica and Sharon Den Adel from Within Temptation both have a small cameo halfway through the album. Michael Kiske shines (as he always does) with an epic track to close the album. Will we hear more from them in part two and three? I certainly hope so. 

The clear highlight is Elize Ryd from Amaranthe, who is strong and emotive as the central character (and in comparison to the norm -yes, I'm pointing my finger to you Tobias Sammet-, it's so good to see a strong presence in a metal opera!).

The album doesn't break much new ground but the songs are heavy, melodic, and has their own personality; this is not a continuation of Stratovarius. Tolkki presents the best bunch of songs since his golden days back in the 90s and the album certainly leaves you wanting more. I can't wait for part two!

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Autodafeh - Blackout Scenario (2013)

Originating from Sweden Blackout Scenario is Autodafeh's fourth album. They describe themselves as making hard pumping EBM/Electronic music with glorious sing along lyrics and I certainly don't intend to argue with their words.

The album starts strong with Exercise Your Brain. The song is classic EBM at its best, with strong drums and percussion, vintage synth sounds and strong bass lines. In fact the song, sets the sound for the whole record and despite a couple of lower moments, the album never falters. 

Other highlights in the album include Getaway and Emerging Sadness, which follow Exercise Your Brain for a very powerful trio of songs right at the start. The Pain That We Feel, a slower, moodier tracks with simmering tension. The powerful, danceable, angry, and yet sing-a-long Lessons to Learn. And the energetic final two tracks that end the album on an absolute high.   

Personally, I love the classic EBM sound and always count Front 242 as one of my personal favourite bands (of all styles of music), so I really enjoyed this album. Does it reach the heights of Front 242's classics, no, but it's one hell of an album that Autodafeh have put together with some really outstanding tracks that have nothing to envy to the classics.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Serenity - War of Ages (2013)

Originating from Austria (and let's face it there aren't many bands I know from that country), Serenity is a band that stands out because of their polish and quality. Their music is a good balance of power and symphonic metal.

War of Ages presents enough variety in the songs to keep the listener interested. The guitars are generally sharp and melodic; the vocals, both male and female, are really strong and blend together perfectly; and the symphonic arrangements give the music an epic, bombastic feel without descending into a farce.

Serenity's strength are the guitar hooks and melody in general. This album delivers quite a few memorable moments and it's enjoyable all the way through consistently following on the previous album but somehow it doesn't reach the level of their previous record (or perhaps it's just that the surprise is now gone).

Very solid power/symphonic metal that will soon have you singing along.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Your Favorite Enemies - Between Illness and Migration (2013)

Originating from Canada, Your Favorite Enemies is an uncompromising indie rock band with a challenging sound that will not leave anyone indifferent. 

Between Illness and Migration presents a great collection of songs, heavy on distortion and noise, but with enough variety. Most of their songs are built on carefully crafted feedback and noise, but there's always a strong sense of melody with occasional acoustic guitars and piano coming to the fore. 

My particular highlights must be the towering Empire of Sorrows, the more straight forward and rocking Where Did We Lose Each Other (see the video below), the quieter and beautiful Little Sister and the excellent bonus track Old Noisy Friend. 

For anyone who likes indie rock, alternative rock and noise rock with a healthy balance of melody and walls of noise, this is a challenging and ultimately hugely rewarding album. 

I can only imagine what these guys will be like live but judging from their album and some videos online, they must be absolutely incredible.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Undermathic - Indistinct Face (2013)

Originating from Poland, Maciej Paszkiewicz is the man behind Undermathic and this is his third release.

Throughout the album, a vast wasteland of phantasmagoric cities and machines is explored. Indistinct Face feels more like a soundtrack than a collection of songs. This is experimental music at its best. Lush strings and arrangements contrasts with harder beats and sounds to create a haunting and beautiful whole.

Undermathic may not be everyone's cup of tea but for someone who appreciates experimental music and is open minded Indistinct Face delivers an outstanding album that keeps revealing new shades and details in subsequent listens.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Amorphis - Circle (2013)

Amorphis is one of those bands that has been around for a very long time, delivering consistently good albums and, somehow, managing to always remain underground. Circle is their 11th album and it shows what an accomplished band they are.

Their sound is epic and yet grounded. The melodic hooks and complexity of the songs demonstrate their musicianship and experience. 

The band's trademark sound mixes death and doom metal, with folk and progressive elements. This album is no different, but it contains more straight forward and accessible songs whilst still maintaining a powerful and heavy sound.

Circle is not mind blowing but it is consistently good. It's definitely a strong and accomplished album that seems more accessible than their previous efforts and will hopefully bring them new fans. I can think of few bands more deserving.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Dorena - Nuet (2013)

Originating from Sweden, Nuet is Dorena's third album. The band describe their sound as: "Music for love, dreams and warm summer nights." That's pretty accurate.

The first song, Semper, begins with a dreamy arpeggio that lures you into the album. The song is beautifully crafted and the band builds layers of sounds to create a lush sound that is, at the same time, incredibly minimalist.

That first song, sets the template for the rest of the album. Dorena is quite minimalist but manages to build melodies and sounds that are simply beautiful and lush. The songs are catchy but at the same time understated.

Of course, there are parts when sharper sounds and noise build up, but this is mostly a very bright chilled-out album.

Borrowing, again, from their website: "Dorena crafts beautiful and nostalgic post-rock without pretensions."

Without pretensions is right but what a brilliant album! I honestly can't even mention a favourite or stand out song.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine - White People and the Damage Done (2013)

Jello Biafra has always been one angry, political jester and he is back as sharp as ever.

White People and the Damage Done presents all the classic traits of Biafra's work. Biafra cannot contain his anger aided with bucketfuls of fun and sarcasm. The lyrics are current, sharp and witty.

The album is not just old school though. Biafra and the band experiment with the sound, using some country, swing and cabaret influences. In fact, the album seems to lean towards punk-cabaret, with a really riotous and theatrical fun tone all throughout.

The album ends with four remixes or alternative versions that explore new musical territories even further and are actually excellent.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Karl Bartos - Off the Record (2013)

Karl Bartos joined Kraftwerk in 1975 and left the band in 1990. He is credited in some of the best Kraftwerk songs and was an integral part of the best years of the band. This new release is made up of old songs that Karl apparently found in a diary he had written at the time. So yeah, it sounds retro. 

Most of the songs of the album don't break with Kraftwerk and explore similar sounds and territories. The single, Atomium (see the video below) is an example of this, a song that could've easily been in a Kraftwerk release. 

The album is uneven and it some forgetful moments, particularly The Binary Code and Musica Ex Machina right in the middle of the album. But the album doesn't just look at the past and it's at its best when it explores new territories.

My particular highlights are International Velvet and Without a Trace of Emotion which go into more electro-pop territory, The Tuning of the World with its metaphysical questioning, .

Kraftwerk fans should find a lot to like here and whilst uneven the album holds up pretty well with occasional moments of brilliance.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Mogwai - Les Revenants (2013)

This review will be short.

Les Revenants is not a standard Mogwai album but a soundtrack to a French zombie TV show.

The music is haunting and beautiful. The band uses lots piano and xylophone sounds. The music is gentle but simmering with tension that never explodes (no classic Mogwai wall of guitars and noise here).

I haven't seen the show, but this music is just pure bliss. I can't recommend it enough.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Billy Bragg - Tooth and Nail (2013)

Tooth and Nail is classic Billy Bragg but with a couple of different shades. Firstly, the political tones are still here, it wouldn't be him without politics, but they are subtler and the lyrics tend to be more intimate. Secondly, he continues his progression towards a more American sound. I don't like country music and there's a tinge of it here, but thankfully it works.

I wouldn't say the single (see the video below) is one of the best songs, but then again they hardly ever are. The album is packed with great songs but my particular highlights are the following. 

January Song, the album opener, a beautifully succinct and personal song that sets the tone for the whole album. Handyman Blues, a great song with a beautiful guitar hook that will stay with you. Goodbye Goodbye, a beautiful, haunting and melancholic folk song that speaks from the heart. The Reckoning, a classic Billy Bragg political song with an upbeat, uplifting tone. And, finally, Tomorrow's Going to Be a Better Day closing the album.

Add to all this a Woody Guthrie cover of I Ain't Got No Home (following the trail of Mermaid Avenue albums with Wilco) and you have an album that is soothing and uplifting.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Rob Zombie - Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor (2013)

Rob Zombie is inspired these days. The new movie looks great and this album may just be his best solo effort yet. It's a very varied album that somehow manages to mix elements from all his eras; including White Zombie. 

The album is relentless, fun and it never lets you down. The worst part of it is that it feels short. That's my only criticism (and I guess that in a sense it's a positive). When the album finished it, I just had to start it again because it left me wanting more. I wanted to keep the party going.

It's early days, I need to listen to it more, but my gut feeling is that this is better than Hellbilly Deluxe (my favourite Rob Zombie album until now) and it can stand alongside White Zombie's La Sexorcisto and Astro Creep. 

An excellent album from start to end, an absolute blast.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

DGM - Momentum (2013)

What do you do when the original members, from who the name of the band is drawn, leave? The answer is clear, you keep momentum going and deliver a killer album. DGM have done just that.

The album is relentless, effortless and flawless. The songs are complex and demonstrate great musicianship. At the same time, they are concise and straight forward (at least in prog terms). 

An excellent effort by the band that is easily likeable from the very first listen and grows every time you listen to it again. 

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Mesh - Automation Baby (2013)

Mesh is a seasoned synth-pop band and their latest release is arguably one of their best. The album starts strongly with Just Leave Us Alone, an incredibly catchy, infectious, dance tune and, from that point, it never lets you down.

Automation Baby delivers great song after great song. The band have managed to write a good number of very varied songs that flow between synth-pop, electro-rock and little touches of EBM. In fact, considering the CD packs 14 songs, with eight tracks more in the bonus CD, this is an incredibly generous offering. Mesh were clearly inspired in the making of this album.

The band really has gift in creating catchy hook and anthemic choruses that never feel obvious nor formulaic. An excellent album that has a huge number of potential singles.

Rating: Heavy Rotation

Alpine Fault - Iraena's Ashes (2011)

Originating from New Zealand but now based in Brisbane, Australia, Alpine Fault mixes symphonic metal and progressive metal elements effortlessly to great effect. 

Featuring, a mix of female and male vocals and a violin, Iraena's Ashes is imbued with darkness and melancholy. The songs are complex in structure and follow mostly the prog-metal template, but the addition of the violin (instead of keyboards) gives Alpine Fault a distinctive sound. 

The album is uneven but it contains some excellent songs. My particular favourites are the longest track in the album Above the Storm and the instrumental The Watcher Beneath; as well as the two singles - see the videos below.

Since the release of the album the female vocalist has left the band, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the band as most of the songs in this album use both vocalists. Perhaps, the newly released video for "Mourning Has Broken" gives us a clue?

I look forward to see what their second release brings.

Rating: Good Vibrations