Eynomia – Sea Of Tears (CD)

Eynomia – Sea Of Tears (CD)

US melodic metal band Eynomia released their debut album “Break Free” in 2018. Seven years later the follow-up is here. The album kicks off with “To The End” which I guess could be placed somewhere between power metal and prog metal. A cool and energetic up-tempo track with killer vocals from Phyllis Rutter. A great quirky guest solo from Michael Abdow. “Jekyll And Hyde” keeps the pace high and something I pointed out when I reviewed the band’s first album, is that I shall admit I’m not a huge fan of power metal, but this band manages to keep it on the right side of power metal, much more interesting and proggy enough to make me a believer and I’m also a big fan of Phyllis who has a raspy quality to her voice that sets her apart from most other female power metal singers, something I really like. Great guitar solo from Chris Bickley in this one, too! “Mask Of Vengeance” takes it down in tempo and adds a heavy melancholic touch that almost reminds me a bit of Evergrey, which I really like. Here they also add the guest vocal talents of Mike Vescera, which gives it a new dimension. I shall however point out I’m however not 100 % happy with the mix of the album. It sounds a bit dense, overpowering and compact and listening to the entire album in one go gets you a bit of auditory fatigue. The title track does offer a short bit of relief with its soft start. “Reborn” is another cool melodic proggy tune with stellar vocals from Phyllis. “The Demon Inside” is another killer track with a heavy vibe with a sort of medieval melodic touch to the chorus. “The One” takes it all in a different more straight-ahead melodic direction which offers a nice new vibe. This one I would actually label power metal with its sing-along chorus, but Eynomia still manage to keep it interesting. “Time Will Come” takes us back into the heavier melancholic sphere. A power number, indeed! The album finishes on an up-tempo note with “Set Back”, a proggy metal number with lots of cool twists and turns and Phyllis getting all bluesy and raw in the mid section – love it!. Conclusion – a splendid album that should attract fans of both melodic metal, power metal and more proggy stuff. Highly recommended!

Country: USA

Label: self-released

Year: 2025

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

Master Massive – The Pendulum (CD)

Wow! Is this an album I’ve waited for! Ever since I first heard the track “Time Out Of Mind” on Swedish radio back in 1988 I’ve been waiting for its release. I’ve actually featured the track on the bonus CD for two of my encyclopaedias (in two different versions) just because I just can’t get enough of this song. Back in 1988 it was first recorded under the band name Zanity, featuring singer Tony Niva (Lion’s Share, Niva, Oxygen) and he’s the one handling the lead vocals on this recording as well. He’s however not the only singer. First, I think I need to explain the concept of the album. For that is what it is: a concept album. The different singers play different parts in this dark prophecy and their vocal performances intertwine. For instance Tony Niva plays “The dark force” Nhoknezt, Peo Pettersson (Axia, Leviticus) plays “The  one chosen by the gods” Aadham, Tony Johansson (Masquerade) plays “Indian Chief” Yellowhawk and Divin Tronstad plays “Dai Maanion’s companion” The Black Angel. I’ve collected all of Master Massive’s demos through the years and on this album mastermind, guitarist, singer Jan Strandh has taken some of the best songs and updated the lyrics to fit into this dark saga. Despite being a concept album, which sometimes makes an album pass over the general metal fan’s head as being a bit pretentious, I think most of the songs on this one will find its way into the ears of fans of bands like Mercyful Fate, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force or even Manowar. Songs like “Time Out Of Mind”, “Four Dreams”, “Showdown” or the crushingly heavy “Eye Of Silence”, “Wishing Well” and “Sovereign Power” are outstanding songs. The musical performances, Jan’s outstanding guitar playing (why this man has not been more recognised is a damn shame!!) and the killer vocal performances, make for a bloody great album. Listen to it from beginning to end – you will love it! One of my top albums of this year, no doubt!!

Janne Stark

Label: ViciSolum

Year: 2015

Country: Sweden

WHITE TRASH PRESIDENTS – s/t (CD)

If you’re into heavy Swedish sleaze rockers such as Hardcore Superstar, Crazy Lixx and Crashdïet, you simply have to check out the new SweDane unit: White Trash Presidents and I’m sure they will be added to your list. This band’s 8-track debut will hit you like a ton of bricks! With their roots in bands like Starats and Crazy Lixx these four guys takes the best from their previous bands and mix it into something that kicks their background firmly in the ass! “White Trash Presidents” and “One Fuse Left” will hit you like a ton of bricks! The band features former Starrats singer Magnus MP Möller and guitarist Dennis Post, flanked by former Crazy Lixx bassist Loke Rivano and drummer Brion Wekin. “Smack Me Around” is a bit mellower, closer to Enuff Z’nuff, which is ok by me. “Pushin’ Daisies” gets the power machine back in action with its heavy and grinding riffing. Every album needs a ballad, right? Well, I don’t think they do, but when they do they better bring me something that hits me. Well, this one contains two. “Cryin’” starts out pretty cool, but hell does break loose and it becomes a pretty bluesy powerful thing in the end. Nice soloing indeed by Mr Post! “Lovesong” finishes the album and this one is a pretty epic piano ballad with a pretty cool arrangement. I really like this one, indeed! “Lovers & Haters” and “Psycho Dad” also offer the, by now obligatory, punch in the face! The production and sound reminds me quite a bit of Hardcore Superstar, but to be honest White Trash Presidents hit me harder. This is really good stuff!

Janne Stark

Year: 2014
Label: WTP Music (private)

Country: Sweden

Link: www.whitetrashpresidents.com

AXENSTAR – Where Dreams Are Forgotten (CD)

Swedish power metal band Axenstar have been around for quite some time now. They started out as a cover band back in 1998 and made their first album in 2002. I must say they have evolved quite nicely by each album. Singer Magnus Winterwild started out as the band’s keyboardist, but his decision to become a singer was a really good one as his clean and strong voice fits the slightly progressive power metal perfectly. To be honest, my interest for power metal has more or less vanished the last couple of years, due to over exposure, probably ;-). However, while listening to “When Dreams Are Forgotten” I do realize there’s actually still some good power metal out there as well. The reason why Axenstar slips my through the net for me, is probably because 1. They lean a bit more towards the proggier side, which gives me a vibe of Pagan’s Mind. 2. They skip all the major scale happy lucky sing-a-long choruses that give me the shivers. A great and fat production by the band and Pelle Saether also gives the album a bump in the right direction. Then there are songs like the excellent “Curse Of The Tyrant” which sounds a bit like if you would mix Candlemass and Helloween, power metal with quite doomy riffs. Nice! Not bad at all, especially for a power metal album.

Janne Stark

Year: 2014
Label: Inner Wound
Country: Sweden

LOMMI – Horse (CD)

2013 saw the debut release “Life In Sepia” by Gothenburg brutality trio Lommi. A self-release in paper pocket format. The follow-up has however received a proper release by Rambo Music. The band follows the beaten path with their brick heavy, riff-oriented groovy metal. They sound a bit like a mix of Black Label Society and Pantera, actually not that far from fellows Transport League. Detuned riffs and crude, but still vocals that have enough melody to make it sound melodic. The sound is heavy as concrete with powerful thundering drums, a bass that fills out every crevice and a wall of guitars (even though there’s only one) right in your face. Outstanding production, by Sven Jensen! So far, so good. My only complaint this time is, the songs. They could have had it all going form them if they had only got me with the songs as well. If only a song like “Back Of My Head” had been the low point of the album. I’ve listened through the album three times and there’s unfortunately not one song I remember after wards. Love the sound, love the band, but miss the memorable hooks.

Janne Stark

Country: Sweden

Year: 2014
Label: Rambo Music

FREAK KITCHEN – Cooking With Pagans (CD)

Freak Kitchen, this institute of Swedish retrofuturisticontemporary musical madness and melodic mayhem, is again back with another collection of mind-boggling songs. Lyrically the band’s ironic, cunning and satirical lyrics are the antithesis of Steel Panther. But the similarity is that you sit there and happily sing along to lyrics you would normally not even speak out loud, such as “(Saving Up For An) Anal Bleach”. However, in this case you actually get a second layer that gets you thinking. Think, yes, as a musician I am thinking when I listen to songs like “I Don’t Want To Golf” and the whacky rhythmic things going on, where you as a “normal” listener just groove to the rhythm. Well, don’t be fooled by the easy going surface, there are weird things happening under the surface. It does however surface a bit more in songs like “Mathematics Of Defeat”, which is proggy to the max. Except for the chorus, which is pure pop melodies. I just love the mix of the wackiness and the simple melodies in perfect symbiosis. “Private Property”, written and sung by bassist Christer Örtefors is another cool straight-ahead ditty. There has often been simple yet really cool simple but effective riffs coming out of Mr Eklundh and you get those here as well, just check out opener “Professional Help”, “Come Back To Comeback” and the catchy “Sloppy”. To me this feels like the most even Freak Kitchen since “Spanking Hour”, and this has quite quickly become my favorite since then as well! The only question mark of the album has to be the odd cover of “Goody Goody”, but what the hell… we’ve heard “La Bamba” coming out of this man before so why should I be surprised? All in all this is a damn great album! 

Janne Stark

Year: 2014
Country: Sweden
Label: Thunderstruck

M.O.B – Out From The Dark (CD)

I think M.O.B has been around since before Adam and Eve wore leaves, and they are still going strong. I will start by saying I think the band’s new album “Out From The Dark” is their best effort so far! The album opens with the dark, heavy and stomping “The Beast In Me”. The words dark and heavy actually come to mind quite often. It may be the fact that singer Fredrik Notling has struggled with cancer which has put a prominent stamp on both the music and the lyrics. Well, it seems like something good actually can come out of the bad. This new dark side fits the band perfectly. The title track continues in the dark vein, but also has a nice major scale guitar harmony part as a nice counterpart. “Legions Of The Antichrist” is true crushing metal in the vein of latter day Priest or Accept! The heaviest I’ve heard from this band. “Nightmare”, I would have thought would continue the battering metal ram. But, oh no. It is a melodic, almost poppy hard rock number. Not my favorite, but still ok. “By My Side” also shows a different side of the band. It is a beautiful, melancholic, fragile, almost Freddie Mercury:ish piano ballad. “The Dark Defender” brings back the metal and we are on track again. “Nowhere” is a heavy, almost doomy number, but with melodic vocals that gives it a totally different vibe. A cool song, indeed! This is by far the most “metal” album M.O.B have ever produced, and to be honest, they do it really well! Great job, boys!

Janne Stark

Country: Sweden
Year: 2014
label: Mobrockz
Link: www.mobrockz.com

ASTRAL DOORS – Notes From The Shadows (CD)

Astral Doors have been around for quite some time now and even though singer Patrik Johansson is now fronting post-Sabaton band Civil War, he still delivers the goods on the new Astral Doors release. He still puts on his best vocal Ronnie Dio suite, which I did have some problems with initially, but I’ve actually grown to like the guy. He’s also taken on a more personal approach and it’s become more of his own style now. Conclusion: I really like it! The musical delivery is also top notch. The track “Disciples Of The Dragon Lord” actually reminds me quite a lot of Accept, especially the powerful guitars and the “Balls To The Wall” style choir. This is a really good piece of classic hard rock/metal like they it’s supposed to be done. Power chords straight between the eyes, a wall of guitars, keyboards filling out the voids in the background, stomping drums and powerful vocals. “Wailing Wall” is a perfect example, and it also has an element of Jake E Lee style “Bark At The Moon” chugging. Great lead work from guitarist Joachim Nordlund!  “Shadowchaser” has a riff way too reminiscent of “Man Of The Silver Mountain” for comfort, but ok, I’ll look away as the rest of the songs is no where close. “Die Alone” is a really great, epic and powerful song in the vein of UK band Tytan (probably my first comparison because I just listened to the excellent “Blind Men And Fools”). The intro riff of “Walker And Stalker” bears quite a big resemblance with the riff in Ozzy’s “Miracle Man”. It seems like Astral Doors have, quite deliberately, snuck in their influences in each of the songs. I have no problem with that. It does instead have its charm, since it’s only brief stuff here and there. This is a really good album indeed!

Janne Stark

Label: Metalville
Year: 2014
Country: Sweden
Link: www.astraldoors.com

SKULL PARADE – Sound Of Corruption (CD)

“Sound Of Corruption” is the debut by heavy rockers Skull Parade.  They stem from Gothenburg, just like Mustasch, In Flames, LOK, Transport League and Illwill, and for some reason they actually sound a bit like a mix of all of these. Well, to narrow it down a bit I’d go for a mix between today’s Transport League and Illwill. Heavy, crushing groove metal with a touch of thrash and US power metal (which is what Pantera used to be labelled). Erik Anell has a rough and angry, but still a bit melodic voice that fits the concrete heavy musical delivery perfect. One of my favorite tracks is the heavy and groovy “Man” where Erik really delivers the goods. Great chorus as well! The punchy, heavy production really helps bring out the best of the band, too. I don’t really get the artwork, but I do get the music! Great stuff!

Janne Stark

Label: private

Year: 2014
Country: Sweden

TRANSPORT LEAGUE – Boogie From Hell (CD)

It’s been over ten years since the band’s previous album Multiple Organ Harvest. So has the power weakened, or are they still a force to be reckoned with? Time to check out this Boogie From Hell then. Suck me sideways!! This album is really a musical kick in the joint! Swing Satanic Swing starts off with a punch in the nose and continues like a steamroller with its power-stomp! This is brutal! Transport League has always been a Swedish institution of powerful metal, but I think I may have really re-discovered this Gothenburg foursome on this album. The sound is like a ton of bricks, with Roberto Laghi providing his usual powerful mix! The songs are really groovy for being so heavy, which really makes the title appropriate. Tony is a vocal power plant with a brutal, throaty, raspy voice that fits the music like a glove. He sounds a bit like James Richard Anderson of Texas Hippie Coalition on steroids. What I really love is that it’s not just chord-crunching, but lots of cool heavy riffs being thrown around. I also hear a strong southern touch, which may interest fans of bands like Hell Yeah, THD and Anti-Mortem. This is a bloody great album, indeed!

Janne Stark

Label: Metalville

Year: 2014

Country: Sweden

SELF DECEPTION – These Walls (CD)

This is unfortunately the type of boy band pop metal I really hate. The biggest self-deception here would be if the band actually thinks they are metal. This is just slick pop coated with some distorted guitars as an excuse to try to appeal to a metal audience.  Even Nickelback are closer to Pantera in comparison. They check all the boxes for prime time radio play and young girl attraction. Sweet, poppy lead vocals, self-adhesive hooks and all the right effects in the right places. They can surely go a long way in the right circles, but for me it goes straight in the bin.

Janne Stark

Label: NineTone

Year: 2014

Country: Sweden

GERMÁN PASCUAL - A New Beginning (CD)

Germán started his career fronting progressive metal band Afterglow, which later became Mind’s Eye. I remember praising his vocals on the band’s first MCD. However, as fate had it, Germán’s career took another turn and he disappeared from the scene for many years. He then returned and became the front man of neol-classic metal band Narnia, when Christian Liljegren decided to take a time out. After one, really good I must say, album entitled Curse Of A Nation, the story ended and the band was put to rest. Germán now joined the man he replaced, Christian Liljegren, in the bands DivineFire and Golden Resurrection. Now, finally, he has released his first solo album. This is a bit like Germán picking the best pieces from his former bands, the melodic yet heavy side of Narnia adding a bit of proggy quirkiness from Afterglow, all of it topped with his class A vocals! A New Beginning is a great piece of semi-proggy melodic metal, quite close in style to Swedish colleagues Cloudscape, but still with its own sound and touch. However, fans of the aforementioned should definitely check this out! Besides Germán’s excellent vocals, the guitars are handles by the swift handed Martin Hall, the bass by Raphael Dafras and the keyboards are handled by Guilherme Oliviera. Unfortunately the drums are programmed, which gives it a generic sound and stiffness I don’t really like. My only complaint I should add. There are some guests that should be noted, such as CJ Grimmark’s excellent solo on Face Of The Blind, which Thomas Plec Johansson handles the guitars and great soloing on two tracks, where his neo-classsical sounding lead on Open Your Eyes is a killer. Call For The One has a different, quite energetic touch in the verse, while the bridge and chorus takes it to a heavy edge. Nice blend, indeed. The song material is really solid and consistent and the album is a safe buy for fans of bands like Cloudscape, FullForce or classic Symphony X for that matter. The album, like Narnia, Golden Resurrection and DivineFire carries a pretty devout Christian message. The overall album, minus the very different operatic Canción Con Todos, is maybe a lacking a bit of variation, but it’s still a good affair. The programmed drums can be a bit annoying (to a seventies fan like myself), but aside of this – great work!
Janne Stark
Year: 2012
Country: Sweden
Label: Nightmare Records 

ALLOY - The Path So Frequently Trodden (CDR)

Alloy is a new Swedish combatant on the battle grounds of classic heavy metal. To quote themselves they are on a path frequently trodden. Alloy plays classic sounding eighties heavy metal, showing quite obvious traces of Iron Maiden and Manowar, but also US metal band Brocas Helm. They place themselves alongside newcomers like Enforcer, Steelwings, Helvetets Port and Evilseve, and they do pretty well. There are some flaws here and there, but nothing major. The songs have all the necessary elements with good vocals, a great guitarist and a solid rhythm section. The recording is liberatingly free of autotune and trigged drums, and relies on a classic analogue sound. The vocals are often the band’s Achilles’ heel, and Jonas Edström may not be any Bruce Dickinson, but he does a really good job. The songs are also good and solid with my favourite being the slightly heavier Sea Of Lies with its of gloomy riffing. A really good start, boys!
Janne Stark
Country: Sweden
Label: none (demo-CDR)

BLOODLIT - Take What's Mine (MCD)

Bloodlit is another new Swedish act releasing a ton of bricks in the shape of a six-track MCD. The band kicks off with Take What’s Mine, which sets the pace with its steamroller riffing in the vein of colleagues Mustasch. Serf In USA continues in the same brutal vein, but adding a touch of good old Pantera brutality. The singer is quite similar to Ralf Gyllenhammar of Mustasch which fits the music just fine. Still I Feel takes it all down quite a few notches, to a ballad level. A really good track with a bit cleaner vocals showing a nice melodic feel. A great track, indeed! Atrocity kicks the nuts back in place again with its full throttle four to the floor up-tempo battering ram style rockin’. The last two tracks just adds to the brew and makes this a really good debut from this Swedish five-piece.
Janne Stark
Country: Sweden
Year: 2011
Label: private