#4 - Top of 2018

Orphaned Land - Unsung Prophets and Dead Messiahs (Century Media)

After a 5 year break following the critically acclaimed "All is One", Orphaned land returned last January with another masterpiece from the land of milk and honey. Coupled with the aforementioned "All is One", the band has veered away from the more prog wanderings of "The Neverending Way of ORwarrioR" and their middle-eastern influences are once again prominent to the compositions presented. However, they wear these older influences on their sleeve and one can hear prog leanings in "Left Behind" and "Chains Fall to Gravity", while "We do not Resist" and "Only the Dead Have Seen the End of the War" bring to mind the very early days of the band while re-enforcing that style through a more diverse approach, Kobi Farhi (vocals)  remains at the top of his game while the rest of the band also delivers on every possible metric. There are a number of notable guests on the album with Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian) lending his voice on the power ballad "Like Orpheus" and Thomas Lindberg (At the Gates) joining in for the aforementioned "Only The Dead Have Seen the End of the War". Finally, Steve Hackett (Genesis) joins in for the probably best bit of the album in "Chains Fall to Gravity".  Overall a sensational middle eastern experience, drawing influences from all over the range of previous outings of the band and distilling it into something new and fresh.


97.5/100


Below are the lyric video for "We do not Resist" and the music video for "Like Orpheus".

#5 - Top of 2018

Gatekeeper - East of Sun (Cruz del Sur Music)

Finally, reaching the Top 5 of 2018 (with some delays), we find these extraordinary Canadian heavy metallers with their first ever full length album titled "East of Sun". Initially created as a solo project back in 2009 by Jeff Black who now provides the rhythm guitars and backing vocals, the band is comprised of Jean-Pierre Abboud with his epic voice, Kenny Kroecher with some amazing guitar riffs, Tommy Tro in gallping drums and last but not least David Messier in the bass blending everything together into a unique and awesome release! Blasting in with a high pitched scream "Blade of Cimmeria" narrating the bloody deeds of the warrior yielding the blade of Cimmeria (the fictional land of Robert E Howard!) the record has a raw epic feeling that can be heard across all the songs. The low chanting in "North Wolves" along with heavy guitar riffs (and an acoustic mid-song interlude) add even more depth creating a grand vibe that is followed up by the highlight of the album "Warrior Without Fear" with an AWESOME epic chorus that is bound to stick to your mind! "Ninefold Muse" has a heavier doom rhythm that highlights the rough vocals and the melodic guitar riffs while the pace picks up again with heavy and speed metal riffs in "Bell of Tarantia" (and vocals during the song being surprisingly reminiscent of Falconer!). The titular track "East of Sun" starts like a power-ballad quickly developing into an epic heavy metal song worthy of gracing the album with its name. The epic warrior tale continues with "Swan Road Saga" (another album highlight) which has a great guitar interlude that is accompanied by ominous choirs and high pitched vocals and finally "Oncoming Ice" which showcases some breathtaking melodic riffing bidding an epic "farewell" to the listener! The album also has with two  interesting covers of "Death Rider (Omen)" and "Hall of the Mountain King (Savatage)". If you are a fan of epic heavy metal and  epic tale-spinning this is a highly recommended release!




97.3/100


Below is the official music video for "Blade of Cimmeria" and the official audio for "Warrior Without Fear".

# 6 - Top of 2018

Powerwolf - Sacrament of Sin (Napalm Records)

What can be said about the German power metallers other than they know the secret formula behind making a symphonic power metal catchy and epic at the same time while also being able to expand on their horror themes! Powerwolf are definitely among the top choices for fans of that genre. "Sacrament of Sin" is their seventh full length album continuing a streak of excellent releases (with 2015's Blessed and Posessed being almost as good).

The album is full with blasting epic tunes, with examples like the galloping "Fire & Forgive" that showcase Attila Dorn's imposing vocals, the amazing supporting choirs and booming drums by Roel Van Helden. There are also more theatrical songs that are based on dramatic keyboards like "Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend" which was created for sing-alongs live shows and blends perfectly with the equally pompous "Killers with the Cross" and its VERY catchy chorus, ominous vocals and melodic guitar interlude. "Incense and Iron" is the highlight of the album and one of the best songs of Powewolf so far as it combines all the elements that make the band's song recognisable and memorable including quick-paced tunes, bagpipes, a heavy male chorus and a horror lyrical theme that bring an epic feeling to this ode to holy war! While the dramatic piano-based power ballad "Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone" lets the listener catch a breath by slowing down the pacing, the impressive "Stossgebet" ups the heaviness by succeeding in combining latin and german. The title-song "The Sacrament of Sin" takes a turn towards more classic German power metal puick-paced riffs without losing anything from the characteristic Powerwolf extravagant feeling present in other songs like "Nightside of Siberia". "Venom of Venus" is another personal favourite as it focus on Attila's amazingly clear and heavy vocals and melodic guitar riffs with the addition of some eerie sounds! Finally the imposing church-organ intro and the simple but still effective chorus of "Nighttime Rebel" along with the choir heavy "Fist by Fist (Sacralize or Strike)" create the perfect ending for an incredible release by Powewolf!







96.65/100


Below are the official lyric video for "Incense & Iron" and the official music videos for "Fire & Forgive", "Killers With the Cross" and "Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend".