Amaze Knight takes me as a band that still hasn’t found their style yet. "The Key" is made up of five tracks all between eight and eleven minutes. With the exception of the third track "Heartless" the rest of the songs sound like they have too many ideas hodgepodge together and lack enough focus to make them feel unified.
The band has more of a rock sound with bits of metal and electronic thrown in different places. At times there are segments of music that remind me of Symphony X which I found enjoyable, but unfortunately these moments get lost within the overall song structure. The music just travels all over the place and makes it difficult to get into. Like in the opening track "Imprisoned (shadows past)", it starts with a heavy atmospheric almost doom metal sound. Then at thirty-three seconds into the song it’s broken by weird goofy video game-esque keyboard sounds that transition the song into a heavy progressive metal state (this is the part that reminds me of Symphony X). Then at the two minute mark it gets progressively softer into more of a smooth rock song, which is then broken at three minutes, thirteen seconds by a really wonky keyboard solo, only to go back to a more progressive rock sound. The song continues that way with choppy transitions from soft to heavy throughout the rest of the song. The song is very disjointed, it’s like listening to a person who tries to tell a story but they keep forgetting important details and skipping around.
Apart from the music I also have an issue with the vocalist Fabrizio Aseglio, he has a good voice but a lot of the time he doesn’t really feel like he is into the music. Most of the time the make or break factor in a band is the vocalist and most of the tracks Aseglio just doesn’t do the trick. However the one song where he really shines on is "Restless Soul" this shows me that he has potential to be a great singer, he just needs more work.
The one place the whole band really comes together is on the baled "Hartless". There is nothing particularly outstanding about it, but it doesn’t suffer from the choppy transitions that the rest of the tracks have. If the future it would be ideal if they composed more songs that have a clear direction like this one. Overall "The Key" is not a band album it’s just not as developed as it could be. Given that this is their first release they probably have a lot more room to grow as musician and I would expect to see improvement as they become more experienced.
(I give "The Key" a 6 out of 10)
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Favorite Albums Of 2012
* This list includes every album I bought this year. They are listed:
0. "Album title" Band (Genre) [score out of 10]
description. Recommended tracks: (If any particularly stand out.)
1. "The Last Prayer" Pandaemonium (Power Metal) [10]
Overall a very strong release, and the music works better as a whole then their previous album “Return to Reality”. The one letdown was that the vocalist is not as good as he used to be. Nevertheless the album is incredibly solid and has a good number of memorable songs that stay with me even days after listening to them. Recommended tracks: I like them all but a few that stand out are: “Alone In The Dark”, “Through The Wind”, “The White Voice”, and “Today”.
2. "Dar De Duh" Dordeduh (Atmospheric Black Metal, Folk) [10]
This one surprised me, as I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It has really great atmosphere but doesn’t get dull or to repetitious the way a lot of atmospheric bands do. Recommended tracks: "Jind de tronuri” and “Dojana”
3. "Kentucky" Panopticon (Atmospheric Black Metal, Folk) [10]
This one was very difficult to score mainly because I haven’t been able to listen to it much as it has only been released on vinyl. Still out of everything I’ve heard this year my favorite song has been “Bodies Under The Falls” and sitting in my kitchen with a big pot of Ramen noodles, listening to this album for the first time was probably the highlight of my year. So I guess that deserves a 10. Recommended tracks: “Bodies Under the Falls”, “Come All Ye Coal Miners” and “Killing the Giants as They Sleep”.
4. "Bury The Light" Pharaoh (Power Metal) [9]
Solid power metal with some impressively well written lyrics, the one real flaw is the vocalist who sounds like he is really struggling to hit the high notes and hold the long ones.
5. "Stargazer" Black Majesty (Power Metal) [9]
Decent power metal though mostly I just listened to the song “Holy Killers” then would skip to something else in my collection.Recommended tracks: “Holy Killers”
6. "Armed To The Teeth" Striker (Speed Metal) [9]
Lyrically carves out the image of hoodlums partying and causing trouble. Still doesn’t change the fact that this is some fun music. Recommended tracks: “Fight For Your Life” and “Wolf Gang”.
7. "Sorrow And Extinction" Pallbearer (Doom Metal) [9]
Decent album though only the first track really stood out for me.Recommended tracks: "Foreigner".
8. "Dream Dragon" Ice Dragon (Blues, Psychedelic Rock, Doom Metal) [8]
Sounds like some lost relic from the 60’s. Its Lo-fi production to create a strange nostalgic feeling.Recommended tracks: “Stumble On To Magic”, “Beard Of Thieves” and “Dream Dragon”.
9. "Frenzy, Ecstasy" Leeches of Lore (Western, Speed/Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock) [8]
Has a very unique sound, blends several familiar styles but they make it into its own thing. Recommended tracks: "That Old Brain Rapin' Highway" and "L'evoluzione dei Microbi".
10. "Netherwards" Anhedonist (Doom Metal) [8]
Another 1 hit doom album for me. The only track that really stood out was “Estrangement” beyond that the rest was just ok. Recommended tracks: "Estrangement".
11. "Isolation" Jute Gyte (Experimental Black Metal) [8]
The music is both unsettling and beautiful. Recommended tracks: "The Hopelessness of Passing Time and the Melancholy of Unalterable Past Events" and "A Wind Upon the Open Fields"
12. "Journey To Infinity" Infinitas (Post Black Metal) [8]
Has a strong feeling of longing and sorrow that at times push it somewhat in the realm of depressive black metal. Recommended tracks: “Ein Paradies das ich fand” and “Auf neuen Wegen”.
13. "Clash Of The Gods" Grave Digger (Heavy/Power Metal) [8]
The best/worst thing about Grave Digger is that if you’re familiar with them, you almost know exactly what to expect before you hear it.Recommended tracks: "Call Of The Sirens" and "God Of Terror".
14. "Awakening" Horse Latitudes (Doom Metal) [8]
Recommended tracks: "Profane Awakening"
15. "Into The Lair Of The Sun God" Dawnbringer (Heavy Metal) [8]
Recommended tracks: 1
16. "Ales Stenar" Lord Wind (Atmospheric Folk) [8]
17. "Rabbits' Hill pt.1" Trick Or Treat (Power Metal) [8]
A decent album though I expected better from them. Recommended tracks: "Prince With A 1000 Enemies" and "Bright Eyes".
18. "Carolus Rex" Sabaton (Power Metal) [8]
19. "Right In The Guts" Herman Frank (Heavy Metal) [8]
was good while I was listening to it but, none of the tracks are that memorable. Still a solid traditional heavy metal album.
20. "Ascending To Infinity" Luca Turilli's Rhapsody (Symphonic Power Metal) [8]
It was cool that they got Alessandro Conti (Trick Or Treat) to do the vocals, however this is definitely not one of Luca Turilli’s best works.
21. "Unisonic" Unisonic (Hard Rock, Power Metal) [7]
Well I wasn’t expecting it to be a “Keeper of the Seven Keys Part III” but I was still disappointed.Recommended tracks: "Unisonic".
22. "Season of Raven Words" Lethian Dreams (Atmospheric Doom Metal) [7]
23. "Welcome To The Theater" Rein Xeed (Power Metal) [7]
It would be a lot better if he eased off on the choral/vocal effects.
24. "Pandora's Piñata" Diablo Swing Orchestra (Experimental, Swing, Opera, Metal, Rock) [7]
They have a powerful female vocalist but when the male vocalist takes the lead it just kills the song. Recommended tracks: "Voodoo Mon Amour" and "Aurora".
25. "Painted Windows Black" Pale Divine (Doom Metal) [6]
I was very disappointed in this album, it’s a big step down from Cemetery Earth. Recommended tracks: "Angel Of Mercy"
26. "Land Of The Crimson Dawn" Freedom Call (Power Metal) [6]
Too much party rock not enough power metal.
27. "Yellow & Green" Baroness (Progressive Rock) [6]
Yellow was alright but Green felt like an entire album bonus tracks that weren’t good enough for the first half.
28. "Gemini" Ainur (Power Metal) [6]
They have potential. Recommended tracks: "Gemini"
29. "Neverworld's End" Xandria (Symphonic Power Metal "Gothic Metal") [6]
30. "Glory On The Battlefield" Crimson Shadows (Power/Melodic Death Metal) [5]
Recommended tracks: Beyond the Mountain Wasteland
31. "34613" Tomorrow's Outlook (Power Metal) [4]
0. "Album title" Band (Genre) [score out of 10]
description. Recommended tracks: (If any particularly stand out.)
1. "The Last Prayer" Pandaemonium (Power Metal) [10]
Overall a very strong release, and the music works better as a whole then their previous album “Return to Reality”. The one letdown was that the vocalist is not as good as he used to be. Nevertheless the album is incredibly solid and has a good number of memorable songs that stay with me even days after listening to them. Recommended tracks: I like them all but a few that stand out are: “Alone In The Dark”, “Through The Wind”, “The White Voice”, and “Today”.
2. "Dar De Duh" Dordeduh (Atmospheric Black Metal, Folk) [10]
This one surprised me, as I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It has really great atmosphere but doesn’t get dull or to repetitious the way a lot of atmospheric bands do. Recommended tracks: "Jind de tronuri” and “Dojana”
3. "Kentucky" Panopticon (Atmospheric Black Metal, Folk) [10]
This one was very difficult to score mainly because I haven’t been able to listen to it much as it has only been released on vinyl. Still out of everything I’ve heard this year my favorite song has been “Bodies Under The Falls” and sitting in my kitchen with a big pot of Ramen noodles, listening to this album for the first time was probably the highlight of my year. So I guess that deserves a 10. Recommended tracks: “Bodies Under the Falls”, “Come All Ye Coal Miners” and “Killing the Giants as They Sleep”.
4. "Bury The Light" Pharaoh (Power Metal) [9]
Solid power metal with some impressively well written lyrics, the one real flaw is the vocalist who sounds like he is really struggling to hit the high notes and hold the long ones.
5. "Stargazer" Black Majesty (Power Metal) [9]
Decent power metal though mostly I just listened to the song “Holy Killers” then would skip to something else in my collection.Recommended tracks: “Holy Killers”
6. "Armed To The Teeth" Striker (Speed Metal) [9]
Lyrically carves out the image of hoodlums partying and causing trouble. Still doesn’t change the fact that this is some fun music. Recommended tracks: “Fight For Your Life” and “Wolf Gang”.
7. "Sorrow And Extinction" Pallbearer (Doom Metal) [9]
Decent album though only the first track really stood out for me.Recommended tracks: "Foreigner".
8. "Dream Dragon" Ice Dragon (Blues, Psychedelic Rock, Doom Metal) [8]
Sounds like some lost relic from the 60’s. Its Lo-fi production to create a strange nostalgic feeling.Recommended tracks: “Stumble On To Magic”, “Beard Of Thieves” and “Dream Dragon”.
9. "Frenzy, Ecstasy" Leeches of Lore (Western, Speed/Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock) [8]
Has a very unique sound, blends several familiar styles but they make it into its own thing. Recommended tracks: "That Old Brain Rapin' Highway" and "L'evoluzione dei Microbi".
10. "Netherwards" Anhedonist (Doom Metal) [8]
Another 1 hit doom album for me. The only track that really stood out was “Estrangement” beyond that the rest was just ok. Recommended tracks: "Estrangement".
11. "Isolation" Jute Gyte (Experimental Black Metal) [8]
The music is both unsettling and beautiful. Recommended tracks: "The Hopelessness of Passing Time and the Melancholy of Unalterable Past Events" and "A Wind Upon the Open Fields"
12. "Journey To Infinity" Infinitas (Post Black Metal) [8]
Has a strong feeling of longing and sorrow that at times push it somewhat in the realm of depressive black metal. Recommended tracks: “Ein Paradies das ich fand” and “Auf neuen Wegen”.
13. "Clash Of The Gods" Grave Digger (Heavy/Power Metal) [8]
The best/worst thing about Grave Digger is that if you’re familiar with them, you almost know exactly what to expect before you hear it.Recommended tracks: "Call Of The Sirens" and "God Of Terror".
14. "Awakening" Horse Latitudes (Doom Metal) [8]
Recommended tracks: "Profane Awakening"
15. "Into The Lair Of The Sun God" Dawnbringer (Heavy Metal) [8]
Recommended tracks: 1
16. "Ales Stenar" Lord Wind (Atmospheric Folk) [8]
17. "Rabbits' Hill pt.1" Trick Or Treat (Power Metal) [8]
A decent album though I expected better from them. Recommended tracks: "Prince With A 1000 Enemies" and "Bright Eyes".
18. "Carolus Rex" Sabaton (Power Metal) [8]
19. "Right In The Guts" Herman Frank (Heavy Metal) [8]
was good while I was listening to it but, none of the tracks are that memorable. Still a solid traditional heavy metal album.
20. "Ascending To Infinity" Luca Turilli's Rhapsody (Symphonic Power Metal) [8]
It was cool that they got Alessandro Conti (Trick Or Treat) to do the vocals, however this is definitely not one of Luca Turilli’s best works.
21. "Unisonic" Unisonic (Hard Rock, Power Metal) [7]
Well I wasn’t expecting it to be a “Keeper of the Seven Keys Part III” but I was still disappointed.Recommended tracks: "Unisonic".
22. "Season of Raven Words" Lethian Dreams (Atmospheric Doom Metal) [7]
23. "Welcome To The Theater" Rein Xeed (Power Metal) [7]
It would be a lot better if he eased off on the choral/vocal effects.
24. "Pandora's Piñata" Diablo Swing Orchestra (Experimental, Swing, Opera, Metal, Rock) [7]
They have a powerful female vocalist but when the male vocalist takes the lead it just kills the song. Recommended tracks: "Voodoo Mon Amour" and "Aurora".
25. "Painted Windows Black" Pale Divine (Doom Metal) [6]
I was very disappointed in this album, it’s a big step down from Cemetery Earth. Recommended tracks: "Angel Of Mercy"
26. "Land Of The Crimson Dawn" Freedom Call (Power Metal) [6]
Too much party rock not enough power metal.
27. "Yellow & Green" Baroness (Progressive Rock) [6]
Yellow was alright but Green felt like an entire album bonus tracks that weren’t good enough for the first half.
28. "Gemini" Ainur (Power Metal) [6]
They have potential. Recommended tracks: "Gemini"
29. "Neverworld's End" Xandria (Symphonic Power Metal "Gothic Metal") [6]
30. "Glory On The Battlefield" Crimson Shadows (Power/Melodic Death Metal) [5]
Recommended tracks: Beyond the Mountain Wasteland
31. "34613" Tomorrow's Outlook (Power Metal) [4]
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