Gudars Skymning – V (CD)

Swedish rockers Gudars Skymning (Twilight of Gods, and also a Swedish equivalent of “Oh dear!”) have now released their fifth slab of seventies infused hard rock sung in their native tongue. If you’re into bands like Abramis Brama and Magnolia, this is without doubt right up your alley. After the instrumental heavy folsky “Orloks Boning” the band crushes on with the powerful riffster “Mars Makalös”. “Rakt ut I mörkret (olycksfågel del II)” continues with some heavy shuffle, leading into the up/mid-tempo chugging ”Allman” featuring Micke “Mojo” Nilsson on additional vocals and lead guitar. “Hjärtats ödemark” continues with some heavy riffing, a bit like blending Budgie, Black Sabbath and November. The verse and chorus of “Vid vansinnets berg” are almost a bit Sabbath doomy in the approach, while the bridge takes it into a slightly psychedelic landscape. “Soppan” starts out as a shuffle oriented number, but takes a turn into a doomy territory in the verse. What makes Gudars Skymning sound a bit different is Kenny-Oswald Dufvenberg’s slightly different melodic approach, which makes it quite unique. Even though the band has evolved a bit by each record, they haven’t strayed away from their original formula. This band just keep on delivering album after album, all having that high class and quality! Kick ass stuff!

Janne Stark

Label: Transubstans

Year: 2017

Country: Sweden

Days Of Jupiter – New Awakening (CD)

I really loved Days Of Jupiter’s 2012 debut “Secrets Brought To Life”, while the follow-up “Only Ashes Remain” didn’t impress as much, however, this one I was looking forward to. The band plays modern melodic hard rock/metal, and as long as the riffs, songs and vocals are there, I’m all for it. I really like bands like Alter Bridge, Sevendust and Shinedown, so no prejudice from me. The album starts with the melodic and heavy riffing “We Will Never Die” which actually does remind me a bit of Shinedown. “I Am Stone” is a bit different in its style and approach, a bit busier and not predictable at all. A killer track with really cool twists and turns. This one really gets the band back into the ball game! “Wasted Years” kicks major butt! Damn, those crushing riffs combined with Janne Hilli’s awesome melodic vocals! They definitely give their Swedish main competitors’ Corroded a run for their money! “You Can’t Erase Me” is a cool, powerful ballad. “Awakening” starts off sounding a bit similar to Sevendust with a crushing staccato riff and bulldozer drums, but the boys take it to a place of their own. Awesome track! The next track has one of those annoying spelling mistakes I bet they went “duuuuh” when they saw. The sleeve says, “If I Wear God”, while the booklet correctly states “If I Were God” – whatever, the track speaks for itself. I just have to mention “Insane”, which is another well-aimed kick in the groin! Love it! Highly recommended!

Janne Stark

Year: 2017

Label: Metalville

Country: Sweden

Kardinal Sin – Victorious (CD)

I shall start by admitting I’m NOT a fan of power metal. Fast pace, double bass drums, big choirs and major scale sing-along choruses verging on the Eurovision Song Contest just isn’t my thing. The opener “Patria (Fatherland)” is dangerously close to this, but manages to avoid the worst cringeworthily pastiches. However, the just run straight into that wall, with second track “Wall Of Stone”, which sounds like something in-between Hammerfall and The Poodles. I really like the verse, but the chorus is just too much Eurovision for me. Before I go on, I must say the band does sound great! Great vocals, killer guitar playing and a fantastic mix by Fredrik Folkare ( as always). “Mastermind” starts out soft, but soon the door is kicked in. This track is a bit more theatrical in its approach and the chorus is way better than the previous tracks. This one is more my bag! The title track is also pretty cool. I really like the cool twists in the verse and this one has sort of a “Phantom Of The Opera” vibe to it. Not bad at all. “Bonaparte” sounds a bit more like the missing link between the aforementioned Hammerfall and Rhapsody. “S.I.N” takes it down a bit with its acoustic intro, but blossoms out into a powerful big ballad. Even though, as I initially stated, this is not really my cup of tea, I think the band does a great job. It’s a high-quality album and fans of power metal should definitely check it out.

Janne Stark

Label: Tramp Music

Year: 2017

Country: Sweden