Morgana Lefay - The Secret Doctrine (1993)

Morgana Lefay is a band from Sweden playing mostly traditional metal style, high vocals (yes, he's actually singing) thrash riffs. This would probably be the closest thing to Metallica that I've reviewed so far, but that's just because I rarely listen to this type of metal. This could be termed Power Metal, but it's a lot darker and way more textured than all the helloween clones. The music shifts from mid paced groovy numbers (see the opener "rooms of sleep") to creepy keyboard driven songs to thrash anthems such as "dying evolution" What can I say about singer Charles rytkonen? The guy is a genious, having a vocal style similiar to Jon Oliva (savatage) buy way more varied and ranged - the vocals can be powerful or ominious, agressive or heartfelt. The guitar solos of Tommi Karppanen and Tony Erikkson are nothing sort of amazing as is evident in songs such as "nowhere island." The Drums are thundering blasts of fury, a sound that's sadly missed from metal nowadays. The thing that I love most about this album is that the songs weren't written in a few days, these were well thought out ideas pieced together to form an ambitious record. Morgana Lefay is still around, but the last few albums seem tired to me and since they started borrowing sounds from groove metal bands, they just seem a shadow of their former selves. They were also once, one of the best ballad bands in the genre - forget I said ballad, the songs like "The Mirror" and "Last Rites" are songs about magic and death, certauinly not songs about love. But have no fear if you want fantasy look to "Alley of oaks" and my favorite "Lord of the Rings" (with the original Tolkien ring verse + added lyrics). What we have ladies and Gents is a true metal album of the highest quality and perfect for people into bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helloween and Candlemass.

Check out "The Mirror"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGVc9Krs84M&feature=related

http://www.myspace.com/morganalefay

Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (1997)

In terms of popularity, Emperor is perhaps the biggest known real black metal band (although on later albums that can be debated) maybe because of their involvement with the church arsons that took place in Norway in the early 90's. This was seen as the big return of Emperor- their acclaimed debut, In The Nightside Eclipse, had already been released several years earlier. Anthems... is a grandiose slab of extreme black metal. I've always said that this album is like controlled chaos - the guitars are a wall of noise and above them lies the sickly sweet sounds of symphonic synths, both soothing and creepy at the same time. Unlike their peers using raw trebly production, Emperor incorperates polished and sonically superior sounds to relay their self proclaimed "sophisticated black metal art" and it works because the chaotic riffs, drums and synths all do their part to create a hypnotic effect, conquering both the evil and mysterious elements that should be essential to any true black metal album. To describe this album in full detail would be like analyzing every piece of a puzzle - pointless, You need to hear this with your own ears to appreciate the rich complexity and the atmosphere being conveyed. Although, Anthems is very complex and extreme yet at moments when the album slows down it gets quite quite dark and beautiful - the balance is just perfect. There will never be an album like Anthems ever again - This is Black metal at it's finest.

Check out the video for "Loss and Curse of Reverence"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BI4_NMxPb8

myspace
http://www.myspace.com/emperorhorde

Tiamat - Wildhoney

There was this point in the mid nineties where a seperate movement of heavy metal occured. Bands started trying new things, and thanks to the century media label, we were graced with the outcomes of these seperatists. Tiamat was one of these bands, up until this album they were trying to find their sound as a death, black and then doom band, never really establising a unique identity or a masterpiece. Wildhoney really transformed things for the band, as incredible as it seems Tiamat took thier atmospheres, throaty vocals and heavy doom guitars and combined them with the textured atmospheres, clean vocals and guitar solos of Pink Floyd. What reults is something hard to describe, but it's a magical journey. It's a short album, but one that stays consistant throughout and is rather connected. My absolute favorite song on here (and one of the best songs ever imo) is Gaia, a song about the end of the world, but its floydish memorable guitar solos and delicate atmosphere is indeed something unique. The heavier side of the album, lies in "the ar" and "whatever that hurts" both incorperating whirling synths into their sound along with tribal-like drumming. There's alot going on in the album, and the more you hear it, the more you find out. The only reason for most people to not give this a chance is because of the throaty vocals of Johan Edlund (the mastermind behind Tiamat) but if you can get past that point, you'll find a wonderous album full of magic, ideas and beauty.

Watch the official video for Gaia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozQZZAhwYn0

more songs at myspace (they are now more goth metal)
http://www.myspace.com/tiamat

Lycia - Cold

This is my favorite album by Lycia. Lycia were a one of a kind project, the brainchild of Mike Vanportfleet, and later Tara Vanflower. The style of music is darkwave, an extremely moody and melencholy ambient form of goth music. Think if the Cure OD'd on downers, and you might come up with Lycia. It's dark and bleak, but in the album lies a sense of beauty. The compositions on Cold are amazing and hypnotic, letting the listener feel a sense of security in the dark music. Reverby guitars, ghostly whispered vocals, ethereal female vocals. Music is eerily slow and catchy with outstanding unique songwriting. Like the cover, This is a very bare and honest music - not intent on anything but relaying pure emotions.

check out the video for drifting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpqMnDNOWAM
for more songs
http://www.myspace.com/lycia

Antimatter - Leaving Eden (2007)

Antimatter play dark folk music that is quite hard to describe. In the past this was duncan patterson (ex anathema) and Mick moss along with guest musicians. Duncan ledt and antimatter became mick's own project. On leaving eden he recruited Danny Cavenaugh (of anathema) who plays electric guitar on some of the songs. This release is also different because they now have a drummer, who plays on most of the albums tracks.

please check out the video for Leaving Eden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8s5uBpG0mU

Summoning - Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame (2001)

Tolkien has inspired a countless number of people from writers and artists to musicians. Rather unknown is a small metal band from Austria called Summoning. Summoning consists of two guys, heavy metal guitars, keyboards, a drum machine and an obsession with J.R.R. Tolkien.. Epic might be the best word to describe this band - black metal guitars buried beneath layers of keyboards in a simplistic yet refined style that gives them a sound all their own. The vocals are a rough, a typical black metal rasp although a bit subdued and distant giving way for a more pleasent feel (especially for those not into extreme metal.) The clean vocals, like in massive encore "Farewell" are in a operatic style and carry the song in what can only dub the most horoic piece of music I've ever heard. Guitar is present here but pushed to the back letting the keyboards with their beautiful melodies shine through. The Drums are programmed which might throw some people off, but it's a staple in their music as it gives their compositions unique militant feel. The key to Summoning's magic lies not just with their Tolkien lyrics or their amazing songwriting but with their repetition, the ability to hypnotize and transfer the listener into a fantasy world. Many people might find this element very tedious to sit through - but the point of Summoning is not to simply make songs but paint fantastic pictures, create epic images - like the ones you imagine while reading Tolkien's works. In my opinion Summoning is the only band that perfectly capture the magic of Lord of the Rings, especially the darker side of the man's works.

Check out this video for Farewell (maybe the best song ever!), off you go to Middle Earth!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFbBKiSC2MY

Sentenced - Down (1996)

Sentenced's fourth album and perhaps their best, if not most consistant - Down bridges the gap between their death metal past and their accessible goth rock tinged later albums. With a new singer, ville, replacing the old (Jarva) we have a slightly new sound - sounding awefully like later James Hetfield, Ville's vocals are rather fitting for the type of music that is presented here. The complexities of their past albums are replaced here buy more straightforward riffing - this stuff was made to be catchy. Saying that, the songs presented here still have a layer of sadness to them that compliment the lyrics (suicide, depression) and the guitar sound is still chunky and heavy (which was not the case on later albums). This is still one of the best metal albums to come out in the 90's that was both accessible, dark and heavy.


Check out the video for Noose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWhK9aBSbE