Power Metal is another genre with strong bands in Sweden (what genre isn't?!?!), always with different influences that make those bands have a distinctive sound, and a damn good one too.
Starting with Hammerfall, that play the classic Power Metal . They're a bit cheesy in their lonesome biker style, but I like their music anyway. Here's one of the songs that every lonesome biker must listen: Renegade.
Evergrey, on the other hand, has nothing cheesy about them. They play a very modern Dark Power Metal. Didn't knew them and I'm glad that now I do.
Falconer has a very distinctive sound, partly due to their Folk Power Metal , partly due to the unique voice and singing style of their vocalist Mathias Blad.
Finally, Dragonland is an Epic Symphonic Power Metal band. Strong keyboard sounds, epic riffs, catchy chorus, all the stuff that the fans love in Power Metal.
Other interesting Power Metal bands from Sweden worth looking at are Lost Horizon, Dream Evil and Skyfire.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sweden (part 3/5) - 4 different Gothic sounds
In this third part of the Swedish chronicle, I'll talk about the country's Gothic bands.
Unlike other countries where Gothic is a synonym of female singer, here the Gothic Metal is always added with another style influence, as we can see in our usual four band/video post for today.
First in line is Katatonia. With their roots in the Black/Death Doom Metal, they have jumped to Alternative Gothic Metal, keeping the same success than before.
Following, comes one of my favourite Doom bands, Draconian. As you may have guessed, their music is classified as Gothic Doom Metal. The following video is one of the most beautiful songs I ever listened.
The next band, called Lake Of Tears, has wandered between pure Gothic Metal and several different influences like Atmospheric and Electronic. I first listened to them in their 1997 album, A Crimson Cosmos. The following song is from that album, still my favourite from them.
Finally, to end today's post, there's a band that I discovered when preparing the chronicle, Deathstars. Their sound is Industrial Gothic Metal. Some visual similarities with Marilyn Manson may not be coincidence, but the music is much better.
Unlike other countries where Gothic is a synonym of female singer, here the Gothic Metal is always added with another style influence, as we can see in our usual four band/video post for today.
First in line is Katatonia. With their roots in the Black/Death Doom Metal, they have jumped to Alternative Gothic Metal, keeping the same success than before.
Following, comes one of my favourite Doom bands, Draconian. As you may have guessed, their music is classified as Gothic Doom Metal. The following video is one of the most beautiful songs I ever listened.
The next band, called Lake Of Tears, has wandered between pure Gothic Metal and several different influences like Atmospheric and Electronic. I first listened to them in their 1997 album, A Crimson Cosmos. The following song is from that album, still my favourite from them.
Finally, to end today's post, there's a band that I discovered when preparing the chronicle, Deathstars. Their sound is Industrial Gothic Metal. Some visual similarities with Marilyn Manson may not be coincidence, but the music is much better.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sweden (part 2/5) - Death for us all
As you may have guessed, this post title is not a collective suicide wish, but the notion that there is, in Sweden, Death Metal for every taste.
One of the most interesting phenomenon is the first band for today. Mixing Death and Progressive Metal with a great deal of musical talent. The result is one of the most popular Metal bands of all time: Opeth.
I admit that their most calm and acoustic songs bore me to death, but when there is a good mix between the Death and the Progressive parts, its great Metal.
I don't know why I hadn't heard Amon Amarth before preparing the Swedish Metal posts, but it was a big mistake.
They have a very powerful sound, but very melodic. Already one of my favourite Death Metal bands.
In Mourning started as a Gothic Metal band in 2000, but two years later they parted ways with the two females from the band, singer and keyboardist, and became a Melodic Death Metal band. Never heard anything from their Gothic days, but listening to their MeloDeath stuff, seems they did a smart choice.
The last band of today's post is Edge Of Sanity. They existed has a band between 1989 and 1999, when they released 7 full lengths. The project was revived as Dan Swanö's solo project in 2003, releasing another full length.
One of the most interesting phenomenon is the first band for today. Mixing Death and Progressive Metal with a great deal of musical talent. The result is one of the most popular Metal bands of all time: Opeth.
I admit that their most calm and acoustic songs bore me to death, but when there is a good mix between the Death and the Progressive parts, its great Metal.
I don't know why I hadn't heard Amon Amarth before preparing the Swedish Metal posts, but it was a big mistake.
They have a very powerful sound, but very melodic. Already one of my favourite Death Metal bands.
In Mourning started as a Gothic Metal band in 2000, but two years later they parted ways with the two females from the band, singer and keyboardist, and became a Melodic Death Metal band. Never heard anything from their Gothic days, but listening to their MeloDeath stuff, seems they did a smart choice.
The last band of today's post is Edge Of Sanity. They existed has a band between 1989 and 1999, when they released 7 full lengths. The project was revived as Dan Swanö's solo project in 2003, releasing another full length.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Sweden (part 1/5) - Gothenburg, the Swedish Metal
Yes, five parts for the Swedish chronicles, but it's perfectly justified since I think Sweden is the European country with the biggest number of Metal bands, that span all genres, so without messing up different genres, it wasn't possible to do it in less than 5 parts.
Also perfectly justifiable, to start the series of posts with the Metal genre that has originated from the Swedish city that ended up naming it, Gothenburg.
Much better than a mediocre description of the genre done by me, is to listen to the best Swedish bands playing it, so read on.
The best of them is, in my opinion, In Flames. Twenty years of a very rich career, with excellent albums.
This video is of one of my favourite Metal songs of all times.
Dark Tranquillity was founded one year before In Flames, and has disputed with them ever since the title of best Gothenburg band. With several musicians being in the band since the beginning, they have a very musically coherent path.
Arch Enemy is one of the few bands with a female singer that uses harsh vocals as its main style. Their sound is very powerful.
Founded in 2004, Scar Symmetry is Sweden's most recent hot Gothenburg Metal band. In 2008 they lost the fantastic singer Christian Älvestam, that was able to do both harsh and clear vocals, and they had to replace him for two singers, "Robban" Karlsson and Lars Palmqvist.
Soilwork is another great Gothenburg band, that was a victim of my self-imposed limit of four videos per post. I admit felt tempted to break my own rule, but the post would get simply too big.
Also perfectly justifiable, to start the series of posts with the Metal genre that has originated from the Swedish city that ended up naming it, Gothenburg.
Much better than a mediocre description of the genre done by me, is to listen to the best Swedish bands playing it, so read on.
The best of them is, in my opinion, In Flames. Twenty years of a very rich career, with excellent albums.
This video is of one of my favourite Metal songs of all times.
Dark Tranquillity was founded one year before In Flames, and has disputed with them ever since the title of best Gothenburg band. With several musicians being in the band since the beginning, they have a very musically coherent path.
Arch Enemy is one of the few bands with a female singer that uses harsh vocals as its main style. Their sound is very powerful.
Founded in 2004, Scar Symmetry is Sweden's most recent hot Gothenburg Metal band. In 2008 they lost the fantastic singer Christian Älvestam, that was able to do both harsh and clear vocals, and they had to replace him for two singers, "Robban" Karlsson and Lars Palmqvist.
Soilwork is another great Gothenburg band, that was a victim of my self-imposed limit of four videos per post. I admit felt tempted to break my own rule, but the post would get simply too big.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Norway (part 3/3) - It's not just Black and Gothic
That's right. Norway has some great bands that don't play Black or Gothic Metal.
The first one is Circus Maximus that plays Progressive Metal. They have a sound that will definitely please the fans of Dream Theater.
Another Progressive, in this case, Progressive Power Metal, band is Pagan's Mind. Founded in 2000, all the current line-up is there from the start of the band.
Jorn is the self-titled band of one of the great Heavy Metal singers, Jorn Lande. Beside his own band, Lande is also the singer of Masterplan (see my Germany chronicles) and Allen/Lande, a band he has with other top singer, Russell Allen (Symphony X).
He also was one of the singers that replaced Ronnie James Dio in the Heaven and Hell tour in the beginning of the year, while Dio was still battling stomach cancer, battle that he ended up losing. This video is the felt homage from Jorn to his late friend Dio.
An interesting voice and an interesting sound, those were the things that made me add Lumsk, a Viking Folk band to this chronicle.
The first one is Circus Maximus that plays Progressive Metal. They have a sound that will definitely please the fans of Dream Theater.
Another Progressive, in this case, Progressive Power Metal, band is Pagan's Mind. Founded in 2000, all the current line-up is there from the start of the band.
Jorn is the self-titled band of one of the great Heavy Metal singers, Jorn Lande. Beside his own band, Lande is also the singer of Masterplan (see my Germany chronicles) and Allen/Lande, a band he has with other top singer, Russell Allen (Symphony X).
He also was one of the singers that replaced Ronnie James Dio in the Heaven and Hell tour in the beginning of the year, while Dio was still battling stomach cancer, battle that he ended up losing. This video is the felt homage from Jorn to his late friend Dio.
An interesting voice and an interesting sound, those were the things that made me add Lumsk, a Viking Folk band to this chronicle.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Norway (part 2/3) - Gothic from the Fjords
Another genre very strong in Norwegian lands, is Gothic Metal, the feud of female metal singers. The pioneer of this tendency in the country was a band called Theatre Of Tragedy, where the vocals where in charge of Liv Kristine (since 2003 in the German band Leaves' Eyes), that came to an end just this year. They were the first, and who likes this genre should really listen to their records.
But in these chronicles I avoid talking about bands that no longer exist, especially when the ones that exist give us plenty to talk about. This is the case.
There are several good heirs from the Theatre Of Tragedy legacy still in activity, like Tristania. Still trying to achieve the musical level they had until 2001, when Vibeke Stene was the voice of Morten Veland wrote the songs.
Morten Veland that in 2001, when he left Tristania founded another Gothic Metal band, Sirenia. I prefer Sirenia due to the quality of Morten's compositions, and in spite the band being in its third female singer in 9 years of existence.
Trail Of Tears is another Gothic band worth listening, although in this one the harsh male vocals have more airplay than the female vocals.
Midnattsol was founded by Carmen Elise Espenaes, sister of the mentioned Liv Kristine from Theatre Of Tragedy, and I'm not sure if they play Gothic Folk Metal or Folk Gothic Metal. Anyway, is Folk, is Gothic and is definitely Metal.
Next: Norway (part 3/3) - It's not just Black and Gothic
But in these chronicles I avoid talking about bands that no longer exist, especially when the ones that exist give us plenty to talk about. This is the case.
There are several good heirs from the Theatre Of Tragedy legacy still in activity, like Tristania. Still trying to achieve the musical level they had until 2001, when Vibeke Stene was the voice of Morten Veland wrote the songs.
Morten Veland that in 2001, when he left Tristania founded another Gothic Metal band, Sirenia. I prefer Sirenia due to the quality of Morten's compositions, and in spite the band being in its third female singer in 9 years of existence.
Trail Of Tears is another Gothic band worth listening, although in this one the harsh male vocals have more airplay than the female vocals.
Midnattsol was founded by Carmen Elise Espenaes, sister of the mentioned Liv Kristine from Theatre Of Tragedy, and I'm not sure if they play Gothic Folk Metal or Folk Gothic Metal. Anyway, is Folk, is Gothic and is definitely Metal.
Next: Norway (part 3/3) - It's not just Black and Gothic
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Norway (part 1/3) - Homeland of Black Metal
Black Metal is not one of my favourite genres. I like a few bands and some assorted songs, but I'm definitely not an expert.
So it was a real surprise for me that Norway is currently the Black Metal country. The amount of Norwegian bands in the group of most popular Black Metal bands is simply smashing. Therefore, not dedicating the first part of the Norway chronicle to this genre, was really not an option.
To write this chronicle I simply listened many of the main Norwegian Black Metal bands and choose the ones that I liked the most.
And from those, the main one is definitely Dimmu Borgir. Their Symphonic Black Metal makes them by far the most popular of the genre.
Another good and popular Black Metal band is Immortal. in spite having a more rough sound.
One of the first Black Metal bands that I listened to was Old Man's Child, and still like it.
Finally, a recent band, founded in 2004, the one from those that I didn't knew that I liked the most, called Cor Scorpii.
But besides these four bands, there are much more well known Black Metal acts from Norway, like Emperor, Burzum, Mayhem, Satyricon, Enslaved, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Ulver, Borknagar or Carpathian Forest, just to mention bands that are currently in the top 30 of popular Black Metal bands.
Next: Norway (part 2/3) - Gothic from the Fjords
So it was a real surprise for me that Norway is currently the Black Metal country. The amount of Norwegian bands in the group of most popular Black Metal bands is simply smashing. Therefore, not dedicating the first part of the Norway chronicle to this genre, was really not an option.
To write this chronicle I simply listened many of the main Norwegian Black Metal bands and choose the ones that I liked the most.
And from those, the main one is definitely Dimmu Borgir. Their Symphonic Black Metal makes them by far the most popular of the genre.
Another good and popular Black Metal band is Immortal. in spite having a more rough sound.
One of the first Black Metal bands that I listened to was Old Man's Child, and still like it.
Finally, a recent band, founded in 2004, the one from those that I didn't knew that I liked the most, called Cor Scorpii.
But besides these four bands, there are much more well known Black Metal acts from Norway, like Emperor, Burzum, Mayhem, Satyricon, Enslaved, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Ulver, Borknagar or Carpathian Forest, just to mention bands that are currently in the top 30 of popular Black Metal bands.
Next: Norway (part 2/3) - Gothic from the Fjords
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