#6 - Top of 2017

Sons of Crom - The Black Tower (Nordvis)

The black tower is an amazing epic heavy metal album brought to us by the extraordinary duo Iiro Sarkki (in vocals and drums) and Janne Posti (in vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), who go by the name "Sons of Crom". The record is split into two sections with 4 songs each, and although it goes only slightly over 40 minutes, it is filled with memorable and extremely diverse tracks! "Steps of Doom" is a very interesting intro song which sounds like it is taken from a fantasy movie or game and sets an epic tone for an adventure. "In Fire Reborn" is another epic song with some intense vocal lines that blend seamlessly with imposing choral parts.  The riff-based "Fall of Pandemonium" (with its awesome guitar and violin melodic lines) and the melodic "Legacy" (with a great accoustic guitar background blending with some stunning and powerful vocals) finish off the first half of the album. The second part is equally epic with the Bathoresque  "Black Wings Up High", the galloping "Summoning the Starborn" which picks-up the rhythm without losing in terms of heaviness and the amazing "Viimeinen Laki", which is the only track in Finnish, but evokes an emotional response regardless of the understanding of the lyrics! "Rebirth of the Sun" is a great instrumental tune that is filled with sorrowful violin tunes and closes a very interesting and unique (for today's standards) release. And to paraphrase a black-haired bare-chested fellow "By this axe they rule"!

95.8/100

Below is the audio track for the song "Black Wings Up High".

#7 - Top of 2017

Sorcerer - The Crowning of the Fire King (Metal Blade Records)

Sweden has given us another epic heavy metal album with Sorcerer releasing their second full-length album "The Crowning of the Fire King". "Sirens" is an amazing melodic but at the same time heavy-riffed track that serves as the perfect opening for the record.
The "Ship of Doom" is full of melodic guitar riffs by Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren. "Abandoned By the Gods" clearly showcases the awesome vocal capabilities of the lead singer Anders Engberg, who has an epic feel reminiscent of Dio and fits the heavy doom melodies. Highlights of the album and personal favourites are "The Devil's Incubus" with an epic and pompous chorus that definitely sticks to memory and the title-song "The Crowning of the Fire King" with its layers of eerie melodies! "Nattvaka" is an excellent mellow interlude, "Crimson Cross" definitely has a Candlemass vibe and "Unbearable Sorrow" (the longest track-spanning at almost 10 minutes) with the bass feeling like a ten ton hammer landing on your face. If you haven't had enough, there are two bonus tracks "Disciples of the Dark" and "Bringer of Misery" which act as the proverbial doom cherries on top of a hell of an album!


95.5/100

Below is the music video for the song "Sirens" and the lyric video for "The Devil's Incubus".

#8 - Top of 2017

Kaipa - Children of the Sounds (Century Media)

Kaipa are back after the excellent release of 2014's "Sattyg" and grace us with another treatise on how to combine  music craftmanship of the highest callibre with beautiful content, dressed in the colors of spring!  Starter "Children of the Sounds" is a classic Kaipa song drawing influences from their earlier periods along with some early "Flower Kings" vibe. "On the Edge of New Horizons" is the true masterpiece of the album and where the brilliance of the band truly shines. It keeps the listener on edge through many shifts and turns accompanied by  novel vocal lines, folk elements and instrumental orgies and a dramatic ending. Here one should note that the top-notch rhythm section of the band (Jonas Reingold and Morgan Agren) that acts as the glue that keeps it all together. Like a Serpentine is a more "earthy" piece, opening slow and building its pace more steadily. "The Shadowy Sunlight" mixes folk and eerie elements impecably and uses the vocals of Aleena Gibson to build an atmosphere around the piece that is not what one might expect from Kaipa, but a transedent experience nevertheless. The closer of the (almost) 1 hour album comes with "What's Behind the Fields", that is influenced more than anything else by rock legends Uriah Heep, once more bringing their influences to their own style and creating a song that along with "On the Edge of Horizons" will surely be included in the "Best of"album when the band retires.

95.4/100

Below are the lyric videos for "Children of the Sounds" and "What's behind the fields"

#9 - Top of 2017

Avatarium - Hurricanes and Halos (Nuclear Blast)

When Avatarium released their debut the world was stunned by the "female version of Candlemass" that Leif Edling created. Since then, the band has evolved by leaps and bounds and the third album veers the band straight into 70s hard rock with the doom influences of the past minimised, with their current feel being closer to Krux ("III") than Candlemass. In "Hurricanes And Halos" Leif Edling takes a backseat in performing and acts more as a mentor, with credit for the album being  shared between Edling (main composer) and Marcus Jidell (guitarist and producer) .
The inaugural "Into The Fire / Into The Storm" sets the tone for the album acting as a tribute to the great Deep Purple, while being a standalone great track at the same time. The next track ("Starless Sleep"), keeps the interest up by imbuing the album with a BOC feel. The next track also keeps the 70s levels consistent with  propably the most unique track of the record ("Medusa Child") with intense Led Zeppelin vibes. "The Sky at the bottom of the Sea" continues the trend of the album with paying trubute to Uriah Heep and is probably the least memorable here, nevertheless being a solid tribute to one  of Leif Edling's favorite bands. "When breath turns to air" is an introvert song which acts as a farewell from Markus Jidell to his father and is propably the most personally charged moment of the album. In the last song, "A kiss", the band comes  full circle with a very heavy Candlemass/Sabbath riff  that is here to remind us of the band's beginnings and give a heavy farewell until we meet again.


95.1/100


Below you can enjoy the music video for the "Starless Sleep".

#10 - Top of 2017

Mausoleum Gate - Into a Dark Divinity (Cruz del Sur Music)

In number 10 for 2017, another Finnish band, Mausoleum Gate with a very unique heavy metal release "Into a Dark Divinity". This is just the second album by the band formed in 2009 but it showcases a unique approach both in musical and lyrical themes. This is achieved by the a great combination of mellow vocals by the lead singer V-P Varpula and 70's inspired guitar riffs by Count LaFey and Kasperi Puranen along with typical heavy metal rhythm section (Wicked Ischanius and Oscar Razanez). "Condemned to Darkness" definitely sets the tone and high expectations that are met throughout the album which has no low moment, although it is on the short side clocking at only 42 minutes. The short but effective "Burn the Witches at Dawn" is an interesting change of pace and serves as a nice transition to the heavier and more epic "Apophis"and "Solomon’s Key"! The groovy "Horns" and the grandiose "Into a Dark Divinity" wrap up a unique heavy metal record which sets the tone for future work by the band.

95/100

Below is the lyric video for the song "Solomon's key".

If you like what you hear, you can order the album from here and help support and upcoming melodic heavy metal band.

# 11 - Top of 2017

BattleBeast - Bringer of Pain (Nuclear Blast)

Bringer of Pain is the fourth full-length record by the Finnish heavy metal band, BattleBeast; and the third with the powerful lead vocalist Noora Louhimo who always make the songs stand out! From the radio-friendly "Straight to the Heart" to the title-track "Bringer of Pain"(with its quick-paced chorus that is made for sing-alongs) and the catchy "King for a Day" (full of rhythmic keyboards), there is a song for every mood! There a number of highlights in the album that add different vibes including "Familiar Hell" with its awesome guitar riffs, the galloping "Bastard Son of Odin" (worthy of its title) and the power-ballad "Far from Heaven" showcasing Noora's vocals. This record is another amazing release by BattleBeast that makes for a great feel-good listen and definitely has a replay value!


94.9/100

Below is the video clips for the title song "Bringer of Pain" and "King For a Day" and "Familiar Hell".

#12 - Top of 2017

Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pacifisticufs (Spinefarm Records)

Diablo Swing Orchestra (DSO) are back after a long break following the release of "Pandora's Pinata" with a new album which once again challenges the boundaries of genres and ventures boldly to new styles of music featuring genres from bluegrass to disco.  There are only a few bands with as unique a sound as DSO and despite rumours of disbandment after the break-up with ex-singer Ann-Louise Loegdlund, the band returned with a worthy follow-up to its equally excellent predecessor.  There are, as always symphonic prog, swing and metal elements to the record but they are enhance by new musical ventures as well. In particular one might hear elements of Balkan folk, tango, country, disco and string compositions all mixed in a frantic melodic ensemble. Some of the most intriguing tracks include "The age of vulture culture" which combines Balkan music with waltz elements, "Jigsaw Hustle" which is a clear tribute to cheesy disco bands and "Knuckleheads", which features a crossover of a musical with bluegrass music.  Of course there are tracks that are throwbacks to previous eras of the band ("Karma Bonfire", "Interruption") but these not only don't distract from the newest elements, but blend perfectly within the complete musical package that is Pacifisticufs.

94.8/100

Below is the bass play-through for "The Age of Vulture Culture"

#13 - Top of 2017

The Samurai of Prog - On We Sail (Seacrest Oy)

In number 13, we have the 2017 release from  "The Samurai of Prog". The band with this album reach their most mature point yet, in terms of songwriting and cohesiveness and were able to present us with 65 minutes of immaculate  majestic prog rock!
The opener "On We Sail" is based on classic prog forms (think Kansas & Yes)."Elements of Life",  is more dynamic than its predecessor with some improvisation elements (along classic Yes compositions) and a beautiful central melody throughout the track. "Theodora" features guest vocals by Michelle Young, with her ethereal voice providing an excellent accompaniment to the dynamic composition. The instrumental "Ascension" that follows is more playful with the flute and the keyboards antagonising each other to create a magical music harmony, with piano adding a touch of melancholy. "Ghost Written" features more symphonic elements with violin and flute melodies playing a key part in the composition. "The Perfect Black" draws its  influences from Yes and is a very melodic instrumental composition with variation in the feelings it induces, from lightheartedness to epicness and all the variations in-between. "Growing Up" is a more 'earthy' and 'simple' composition, with more of a Genesis vibe than anything else. "Over Again" is an interesting piano solo composition which follows and eases the listener into "Tigers", the final track of the album. "Tigers" is the 10+ minutes epic of the release with guest vocals from Daniel Falt, which is gives an additional emotional range to the lyrics of the song.

Another excellent release for the band, who have already released the followup in 2018, with "Archivarium". Both releases are highly recommended for prog fans that want to hear fresh ideas on the basis of traditional prog forms.


94.7/100

Below is a video with various excerpts from the album

#14 - Top of 2017

Alestorm - No grave but the sea (Napalm Records)

2018 gave us another great pirate-themed treasure by the all time favourite privateers, Alestorm! The album starts right away with setting the "join the adventure" vibe with epic sing along "No Grave but the Sea", which also serves as the title song. Of course there are a number of more fun songs like "Mexico" that will make want to set a course for a bar in Mexico and the catchy "Alestorm". "To the End of the World" is a great surprise with a darker but full of epic feeling that goes over 6 minutes (!) and along with the pumped & heavier "Treasure Island" build on what Alestorm have shown us before but also taking it a notch further! Highlights of the records are definitely "Bar ünd Imbiss" with its great storytelling and guitar riffs, the aggressively funny "Fucked with an Anchor" (which is a personal favourite for bad days) and the awesome "Man the Pumps" that is straight-up Alestorm classic! Harsh vocals (with gang shouts and vulgar sing-alongs filled with hilarious swear words) blend with great & fun song-writing, upbeat songs and a range of folky instruments creating a perfect atmosphere for a pillaging voyage! If this doesn't sound fun enough you can check the  bonus track "Pirate Pizza Party" or the extra disc where the vocals have been replaced with dog barks and treat yourself!




94.5/100

Below is official videos for the the songs "Mexico", "Alestorm" and "Fucked With an Anchor".

#15 - Top of 2017

The night flight orchestra - Amber Galactic  (Nuclear Blast)

This is truly an excellent and unexpected rock release for 2017. The sound of NFO is a combination of the big "stadium rock" bands of yesterday with a fresh approach which succeeds not only making them sound classic but also very approachable to new listeners that may not heavily suffer from nostalgia. This is their third release and having never heard of them before this album I was taken aback from the wealth and depth of what these guys had to offer.
The album kicks off with "Midnight Flyer" that combines fast keyboards and catchy guitar solos with awesomely infectious vocals by Bjorn Streed (of Soilwork fame!). "Star of Rio" is a groovy track with an awesome coupling of  female vocals in the chorus that give it a Soul/70s vibe. "Gemini" draws clear influences from the great disco songs of the era, while the following "Sad State of Affairs" is a more of a AOR-inspired track. "Jennie" is another beautiful song that will bring to mind the dancing power ballads of yesteryear. The next song, "Domino", is an awesome track that is either a lost track from Toto's "Africa" or a David Gilmour secret song that we never  heard about. "Josephine" is another top-notch dance-floor track with heavy Boston influences that should be played in all high school parties for all time. "Something mysterious" draws from Foreigner and Survivor as main influences and breaks into a dreamy nostalgic chorus and an awesome solo taken from the greatest hits of the era. The album ends with "Just another night", which includes a sax interlude, boosting the listener with a final shot of nostalgia before pressing play once more for another round of  "Amber Galactic".


94.2/100

Below are the music videos for "Gemini" and "Something Mysterious" as well as the audio track for "Domino".