The Pineapple Thief - Magnolia (2014)

Magnolia is The Pineapple Thief's tenth album and the first one in a long career to move to a more concise straight rock (though still containing progressive elements).

The album presents a good mix of moody alternative rock with an occasional metal edge and gentle, soothing melodies that evoke great emotion and beauty. Nevertheless, the album is at its best in the more rock oriented tracks.

Overall, this is a bold step away from their more expansive progressive sound and into more straight rock territory. Magnolia is a great rock album with beautiful melodies.

Highlights: Simple as That, Alone at Sea, Coming Home, The One You Left to Die, Sense of Fear.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Rise Against - The Black Market (2014)

The Black Market is an excellent punk-rock, melodic hardcore album that packs a punch but also offers a good amount of hooks and melodies with a more introspective angle than in the past.

Overall there's a lot of emphasis on melody. The songs are really catchy without ever falling into disposable pop-punk and the harder, faster side of the band in the past shining through at some points, like The Eco-Terrorist in Me. The Black Market is a really solid album from a well oiled, seasoned band with some stand out songs.

Highlights: The Great Die-Off, I Don't Want to Be Here, The Black Market, The Eco-Terrorist in Me and Awake Too Long.

Rating: Good Vibrations  

Alcest - Shelter (2014)

Originating from France, Alcest is a band that creates utterly beautiful music with shoe gaze, post rock and dream pop influences. In Shelter the band leaves behind bursts of guitar, all the elements are smoothed out and melody, beauty and ethereal qualities are emphasised to great effect. 

From album opener Wings/Opale all the way to the closing track Deliverance, the album takes the listener into an ethereal otherworld. This is a soundtrack of wonder and beauty. In this regard, apart from the the album opener and closing track mentioned above, I would highlight Voix Sereines. Placed half-way through the album is the heart of the album with a great mix of delicate sounds and lullaby-like feel.

Best of all, though, the album is consistent in quality and concise at 47 minutes. The songs are great on their own but are best appreciated in the context of the album. The mix of post rock and dream pop qualities is perfectly blended and the band manages to sound honest and true, never generic. Like many other bands before, who moved from darker territories to lighter sound-scapes (think Opeth's Damnation or Anathema's latest albums) Alcest have managed to create a very special album.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Elysion - Someplace Better (2014)

Originating from Athens, Elysion is a gothic metal band with some symphonic elements. Someplace Better is their second album and the band has produced a great collection of songs.

Elysion's music will be instantly familiar to fans of the genre and they will be compared to Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil, in fact Christianna's vocal tone is often similar to Christina's from Lacuna Coil, but to simply compare them to those band is unfair because Elysion have managed to craft excellent song that have their own voice and personality.

Someplace Better is full of really catchy songs that are creative and melodic. The guitar riffs drive the songs with well measured electronic elements giving the music texture and shape. Christianna's vocal lines are great and she makes really good use of layered vocals and harmonies. 

Overall, Someplace Better is a great release for fans of the genre that has enough personality to stand out from the pack. It offers a great collection of songs and the album is instantly pleasing. 

Rating: Good Vibrations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Krystal System - Rage (2013)

Originating from France, Rage is Krystal System's third album and the first one I listen to. The music moves between electro-industrial and industrial-rock. 

Most of the songs have predominantly clean female vocals. The music is quite electronic but when guitars enter they are quite heavy and metal. Male vocals are use sparingly to great effect.

The album is consistent but still displays a wide range in the music and delivers great songs.  

Rating: Good Vibrations

Zeromancer - Bye, Bye Borderline (2013)

Zeromancer have been around for a while and to be honest, for one reason or another, they've gone under the radar for me until now. 

Bye Bye Borderline is a great electro, industrial rock album. Nothing too exciting or new, but the album is very easy to listen to, with a solid collection of songs that move between electro pop-rock and angry industrial rock.

Rating: Good Vibrations

Yo La Tengo - Fade (2013)

This is a band that I have followed since the release of Painful in 1993 and, since it is one of my favourite bands, I thought I'd start the blog with it. 

Their music moves between sweet folky pop songs, experimental noise pop and indie rock. They have often been compared with Velvet Underground.

Fade is not their best album and it doesn't bring anything original to the table, but it delivers consistently great songs in a style that only Yo La Tengo can.

Rating: Good Vibrations