ABSOLON - DARKNESS RISING : THE TALE OF DEREK BLACKHEART

Never heard of Absolon? I hadn’t either but through the Christian Metal Realm I followed a couple of threads there and discovered that former Malachia/Vision vocalist Ken Pike was involved. Curiosity got the best of me and requested a copy of their debut CD ‘Darkness Rising – The Tale of Derek Blackheart.’ Ken had mentioned there had been some comparisons to Kamelot so I was even more intrigued.

Absolon self described this way, “Absolon… is a Symphonic/Goth Power Metal outfit. Influenced by old school metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Queensryche; and the newer Power Metal bands like Kamelot, Epica and Nightwish. Absolon has brought together a blend of metal that will please old school/European metal heads and Symphonic/Goth metal fans. We just call it Epic Metal.”

Darkness Rising: The Tale of Derek Blackheart is a well thought out and extremely well produced independent metal album. The songwriting is top notch and the performances are exceptional. Honestly I wasn’t sure if this album was gonna grab me or not, this is a concept album make no bones about it. To my delight the melodies here are soaring with plenty of superb guitar work courtesy of Ed Dumas. Grab is not the term to be used here, hook in is!

Concept albums don’t often lend themselves to the simple verse chorus verse chorus formula and this album is no different. Yet the melodies are hypnotic, Ken Pike never sounded better. Yes there are moments where his tonality reminds you of Queensryche but pay it never mind, that is how he sounds.

Songs like Pretender and Nail in the Head is almost hypnotic, strong European power metal with driving rhythms and explosive lead work. Contrast that with songs like Even Heroes Fall a bit of whimsy that exceeds in nuance and dynamics all the while moving the story of one Derek Blackheart’s fall into a pit of despair. Wonderful keyboard styling’s that expand the sound and add layers of depth which enhances the overall mood and feel of this release, but don’t worry the crunch of the guitar is definitely the driving force.

The lyrics tell the story of one Derek Blackheart, a kid who dreams of nothing more than being a heavy metal legend. The fable speaks of his ascendency and the emptiness that he realizes once he reaches the peak of his profession. This story ends badly but not without a lot of introspection and questioning of the meaning of things. Based on the classic story A Portrait of Dorian Gray with a modern interpretation, Absolon have scored a knockout.

You won’t find ten songs of Jesus saves; as a matter of fact you won’t find any direct mention of the Alpha and Omega. However His presence is there by his absence, there are several slight allusions that scream out to me as I read the enclosed lyrics. Without a doubt this is a cautionary tale, “What is it worth to have fame and fortune only to lose your soul; Derek Blackheart.” This is art that can be enjoyed by anyone, much like a Christian painter who paints landscapes. Similarly it reminds me of the old Rez Band tune Tears in The Rain from their Hostage album.

Darkness Rising: The Tale of Derek Blackheart is a melodic bit of heavy metal whimsy that is lyrically original and musically superior. Absolon have arrived in a big way. Fans of the aforementioned bands should really enjoy this; I know I am which is why I’m swinging 8 axes at this album.

You can check out their website at http://www.absolonrocks.com/

8 axes

DIVINEFIRE - EYE OF THE STORM

Divinefire’s latest album is entitled Eye of the Storm. This is the fifth album for Divinefire and not being as familiar with this material as with Christian Liljegren's other projects, I was intrigued.

Divinefire is epic symphonic metal with a decided neo classical edge. The production is there as is the performances, but for me the songs are just not engaging. I’m not left with a memorable melody or hook that just sticks with me.

Some of the early Divinefire material I heard via YouTube video was very engaging and memorable. Yet Eye of the Storm assaults you and leaves me wondering what happened. It falls into the consciousness as one long song. Undoubtedly there will be many of you who’ll think I’ve lost my mind but hey. What else is new!

I’m sure many fans of the prior Divinefire material will dig Eye of the Storm. I’ll probably try to give it a spin in the future but right now this album is D.O.A. as far as I’m concerned….

I dig so many of the bands Christian has been part of Narnia, Golden Resurrection, Audio Vision that to just slag this off would be a crime. German Pascual provided a stellar vocal on the last Narnia album. However Eye of the Storm just falls flat.

So with much reflection I’ve given this album 5 axes.

5 axes

HB - THE JESUS METAL EXPLOSION

The latest release from Finland’s HB has piqued my attention for sometime now. Not having heard them before I was unclear what to expect. There have been comparisons with Nightwish circulating for the last several years, with many fans and other critics claiming epic symphonic metal.

The Jesus Metal Explosion is the title of the current HB album and an amalgam of assorted musical styles it is. Hard Rock, Elements of Heavy Metal, Symphonic overtones, Power Pop and pure Balladry shine throughout this musical offering, without a true musical focus. As I listened I harkened back to Stryper’s early musical exploits where you’d find 2-3 heavy metal songs, 3-4 pop rock tunes and 2 ballads. It was often hard to nail down what you were gonna get. The Jesus Metal Explosion is very similar in those aspects.

Album opener and title track kicks things in a solid anthemic hard rock style, yet the following two songs are much more radio designed with pop leanings. Heavy Metal is primarily a guitar driven medium and while HB clearly has feet in that genre, the amount of guitar in the mix varies so much that it almost gets lost amidst the vocals and keyboards.

Three ballads are offered, Hands of Time, Abandoned, and The Lord of Lords. They are beautiful melodic and worshipful, but not heavy metal. It would seem they would be more appropriate on an album of CCM.

In addition to the strong title track other driving rockers include Joy Upon the Lord, King’s Design, and Nightmare. These songs show that HB does know how to cut loose and deliver a blistering musical attack to accompany their intense lyrical offerings. The guitar solo on King’s Design is sheer joy.

The songs are well crafted and the performances are substantial. A tightly slick production wraps this 10 song affair in a neat and perfect package. However if the guitar was allowed to breathe and be more forthright this disc would contain the metal explosion that is very much trying to escape amidst the keyboard drenched melodies.

Strong lyrical content is evident and it should be noted that English is the second (or third) language spoken amongst the band. So if you’re feeling that a slight cheese factor is evident in the lyrics (no complaints from me) you might want to take that in account. Make no mistake that HB is here to lift up the name of Jesus, amen to that.

The Jesus Metal Explosion provides the listener with a well produced album of enjoyable hard rock melodies. Symphonic elements are evident throughout, yet if a driving guitar were more consistently heard throughout perhaps the explosion hoped for, would have been achieved.


7 axes