Powerslave (Remastered)

"Dark Sarah is a concept project from Finland, led by singer/songwriter Heidi Parviainen (former lead singer of the Symphonic Metal act Amberian Dawn). Financed by successful indiegogo campaigns, Dark Sarah’s Behind The Black Veil brings together a number of veteran musicians and singers and the act has released a strong and theatrical debut.Although not 100% new material (separate funding campaigns had allowed the first eight tracks to be released as two individual EPs), Behind The Black Veil consists of 12 main songs along with two bonus tracks – a substantial amount of theatrical goodness. Heidi Parviainen’s strong voice is the centerpiece of the release, and it remains as powerful and clear as ever. She shares the microphone with guests Manuela Kraller (Xandria), Inga Scharf (Van Canto), and Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica). The band behind Heidi is technically excellent, consisting of guitarists Kasperi Heikkinen (U.D.O, Merging Flare) and Erkka Korhonen, bassists Jukka Koskinen (Wintersun) and Rude Rothstén, and drummers Teemu Laitinen and Lauri Kuussalo.“Save Me”‘ opens the album, and is the epitome of “cinematic” metal. A sad and melancholy track introduces the character of Dark Sarah and sets the standard for the tracks that follow. Dramatic orchestral musical passages and near operatic vocals are carried by well done keyboards and strong lyrics that lay the groundwork for the rest of the album. “Poison Apple” starts with moody keys but it quickly becomes a heavy rocker with intense bass and drums. On the whole this song is nicely balanced between metal and orchestral instruments. “Hide And Seek” is a stirring keyboard driven ballad that brings out the true beauty and power of Heidi’s voice. “Memories Fall” is a well done, energetic duet with Xandria’s Manuela Kraller, and their two voices complement each other well while riding over a crunching guitar line.“Evil Roots” kicks off the second quartet of songs. Inga Scharf (Van Canto) lends her voice to this well done Power Metal track, and the lead and backing vocal work on this track is truly outstanding. Broadway theatrics make an appearance on the unusual “Violent Roses” – a Tim Burton-esque cinematic track that starts slow and low and ramps up the intensity as it progresses. “Hunting The Dreamer” is a rousing rocker with a kicky rhythm line and driving bass. The interplay of full metal (great guitar solo!) and orchestra gives this one a unique personality. “Fortress” starts as a soft, moody and introspective piece with some nicely done vocals and textures, and then gets kicked up in power and speed as guitars, bass and drums join the keys.“Silver Tree” is a wonderfully done up-tempo piece with plenty of keyboards and lush orchestration, highlighted by a slightly manic drum line. Soft keys and peaceful vocals start off the power ballad “Sun, Moon, And Stars” – a song with a very simple arrangement in comparison to the rest of the release. “Light In You” is a superb Broadway showstopper – quite probably the most powerful song of the album – and features the wonderful voice of Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica) playing The Moon, deep in conversation with Sarah. The official story closes on a high with the peaceful piano-driven “Sarah’s Theme”. Bonus tracks fill the balance of the run time – an orchestral version of “Memories Fall,” and very quirky, bloody, and somewhat amusing “A Grim Christmas Story” – very Tim Burton!Despite being produced at different times and with different performers, Behind The Black Veil has a consistent, solid sound. There is a good deal of warmth in the orchestral pieces, yet they are crystal clear. Heidi’s voice is crisp and accessible, and the musical delivery by the entire Dark Sarah ensemble is technically excellent. The music is powerful, the performances tight, and the story is one just waiting to be brought to life on file or stage. While the dark material and heavy orchestral overtones won’t appeal to everyone, fans of symphonic, Gothic, or female fronted metal will find a lot to enjoy.Dark Sarah’s Behind The Black Veil is highly recommended for fans of the darker, Symphonic genres." - Hard Rock Haven 

"It’s Canadian to do things in an unorthodox fashion. Not like there’s anything wrong with it (there isn’t), and when it comes to metal, all one needs to do is look at the long list of prominent Canadian bands and it makes sense: Voivod, Kataklysm, Neuraxis, Cryptopsy, etc., etc. None of them bothered to do anything by the book, resulting in some of metal’s most expansive and off-kilter sounds. In the mix is Montreal’s Heaven’s Cry, who are returning after a seven-year hiatus with their third album, Wheels of Impermanence.A band of the progressive/power variety, Heaven’s Cry function largely in their own sphere, with perhaps the only real comparison being Perfect Symmetry/Parallels-era Fates Warning. This means that wacky time signatures, weird chord movements, and initially hard-to-digest songs come to the fore, making Wheels of Impermanence sound…very Canadian (FW is not Canadian, though). Nevertheless, there’s an assortment of quirky riff action going down here, rolling up into songs that for the most part, have some guile to them, such as opener “Empire’s Doll” and “The Mad Machine.”Singer Pierre St. Jean has a solid AOR caw to him, one that is occasionally ill-fitting for the band’s malleable music. That doesn’t prevent him from unfurling some adventurous vocal takes, as heard on the title track and “Consequence,” where he benefits greatly from back-up gang vocals and spurts of melodic guitars. Ultimately, St. Jean is able to cross the ever-difficult divide between power metal majesty and progressive metal over-thinking. He’s absolutely stellar.Evidently, Heaven’s Cry reformed at the right time, able to catch the attention of Prosthetic Records for the release of Wheels. Not to be forgotten is the inclusion of guitarist Eric Jarrin, who used to do time in deathcore merchants Despised Icon, which again, breeds additional peculiarity with this one. Canadians…they are a tricky bunch. " - Blistering.com

"Hibria's path has been one of expectations and turmoil, as after their breakout classic Defying the Rules way back in 2004, they would have been hard pressed to come up with something that satisfied the fans. The Skull Collectors was fun but ultimately not as good, and we had to wait another 3 years to get their next one – which has arrived in the form of Blind Ride. Sporting a blazing, fiery cover art and a set of songs that hit harder than a pillowcase full of anvils, Blind Ride catapults Hibria back to the front line. A lot of people seemed confused by this, as it isn't exactly the same stuff they were doing back on Defying, but it's really a stellar piece of metal. The songs are shorter but at the same time more technical and daring, as they all feature complex rhythmic and vocal patterns that slowly seed themselves into your brain and stay there. The combination of compact songwriting and increased technicality really makes this one stand out. "Nonconforming Minds" sums up what this album is about – diving rhythms, technical riff/lead combos and the infectious vocals of Sanson. Further bangers like "Shoot Me Down," the awesome slower burn of the epic "Blinded By Faith" and the careening "Shelter's On Fire" show a band progressing at a rapid rate. "I Feel No Bliss" is another corker – a tortured, somber ballad with some of Sanson's most emotive vocals yet. Luri Sanson's vocals aren't as high pitched on here, but he does let out a carefully planned scream at exactly the right moments. The guitars are dense, rumbling and sharp as barbed wire, with the bass added to the mix for an extra pinch of heaviness and the wild drums making everything sound even more adventurous. The title is apt – this album is as unpredictable and raucous as they get in the power metal genre, a veritable roller coaster of madness, mayhem and raw emotion. Let it grow on you. It cooks and festers like crazy, and it's damn well worth it. Highly recommended." - Metal Crypt

I can't remember a buzz on a band's debut since Circus Maximus.  Perhaps due to the album being released in Japan a year ago and its unavailability elsewhere, maybe because they are lined up to play ProgPowerUSA.  Whatever the reason the album finally gets a wide debut and it was worth the wait.  Damnation Angels is a British symphonic metal band fronted by a Norwegian singer.  He goes by the name PelleK and was a contestant on Norway's version of X Factor.  The band's stock in trade is epic sounding metal that pays a huge debt to Kamelot.  The instrumental passages take on the grandeur and scope of Nightwish.  PelleK does a sold job out front - he's obviously listened to a Khan quite a bit.  Highly recommended.

"It is summer and it's hot in California. For the recording musician it means that air conditioners are causing problems and are generally too loud. So, the musician can either sit on their ass and do nothing or simply switch gears and record an album with sounds that are louder than the air conditioners. This is what Henning Pauly decided to do when he realized that moving on to his rock-opera "Babysteps" was not possible right now. He called up the singer of the new band of his bandmates from Chain, Transmission, in Germany and asked if he was available. Juan Roos immediately said yes to the project, but he only had a two week window and it was two weeks from that phone call. Henning loves deadlines and so he started writing to have the album written and recorded, minus vocals, within two weeks.Henning describes Juan's voice as a perfect blend between Geoff Tate and David Coverdale: "Juan can give you the high stuff, but he can also be really raspy and rocky...his voice just kicks you square in the nuts!"Because of the very limited time frame for the conception and production of "Credit where credit is due" Henning asked his proven writing team to join in when it comes to lyrics and melodies, so Matt Cash is on board again, as are Edward Heppenstall and Jason McSheehy. Several songs on the album loosely deal with the world of rockstars, scandals and getting credit for what one has done. No need, really, to point out here that everyone involved will get credit where credit is due.The music is loud, heavy and realism has been shoved behind production value on the list of priorities. Heavy Industrial Drum sounds are interspersed with acoustic sets. The banjo finds its way into metal again and sometimes you can draw clear parallels to the work of Trent Reznor and Marylin Manson. There's more to it than just that, but the production is clearly more modern than anything Henning is done so far.This CD was about having fun with music and production and it gives Henning a chance to be back in the studio and have fun doing what he loves the most...making music, not talking about it."

"UNARMED Best Of 25th Anniversary is Helloween's thank-you to millions of fans old and new and will prove their exceptional position on the international metal scene. Instead of putting together a regular greatest hits compilation featuring their most successful tracks to celebrate this anniversary, the five band members completely rearranged the greatest melodies they had written in the course of their career to date. The album features Supercharge s exceptional saxophonist Albie Donnelly, Hellsongs s vocalist Harriet Ohlsson, pianist Matthias Ulmer, plus the 70-piece Prague Symphonic Orchestra and the choirs of the Gregorian singers!As a special surprise, Helloween have come up with 'The Keeper´s Trilogy,' a stunning 17-minute medley of the songs 'Halloween,' 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys,' and 'The King For A 1000 Years,' recorded in cooperation with the Prague Symphonic Orchestra and likely to send shivers of delight down the spine of every Helloween fan."