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Majestica using AI cover art and Chris Bowes roasting them for it and saying he would never was not on my bingo card for 2024 tbh.

(Edit: Read the replies for context.)

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PowerSymphonic Metal Thursday #14

This one had to be made while on the go, so no animation, sorry! 😅

Dedicated to my precious audience that can maybe guess who the artist is? 🤫

Seriously, sending virtual hugs to y'all! 🫂

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Are you really at a concert if you don't have to pee during the main act?

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This won't make sense for anyone but the Germans on here but the singer of Grailknight talks like a male Kaddi/coldmirror

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Power Metal Favorites

As @starstruckbyacomet and I were talking rock and metal lately, I suggested starting with power metal to get a foot into the metal genre if you're genuinely interested. So, here's my favorites to start from!

Of course we're gonna begin with Blind Guardian. I love Hansi, what can I say. And I think this video gives a good glimpse into their different styles - so here is, once again, the legendary Wacken video.

Now to my first metal love, Helloween. They had their ups and downs and various singers over the years, and while they're very melodic now, they used to be quite raw in their beginning. As for their themes, well.... they changed and changed ... here's one of their "easier" songs, I'd say:

Now we're digging into history. War has always been a popular theme in power metal, and Sabaton (along with Civil War, a band formed from former members of Sabaton) are probably the masters of that theme. There's so many Sabaton songs I would love to recommend, but since I'm still trying to do a soft introduction, I will give you 1916. Because it has a great video, yes, but also because it's one of the absolute greatest cover versions of all time. I stand by that.

I think what we may conclude so far is that power metal not only has catchy tunes, it has awesome singers. And that's why we can't miss Kamelot in this list. If you like this, I strongly recommend stalking @lightineventide for more 😂

So far this all seems harmless, right? What's with the themes? Well. Do you like vampires and werewolves? Twisted clerical symbols? Powerwolf is your band. (And they are SO much fun!)

And since I couldn't stop talking about the Visions of Atlantis concert I went to, yeah, of course we can't dismiss pirate metal. I'm not even talking Alestorm and stuff.

Next is Avantasia, which is a project of Tobias Sammet gathering musicians for songs and concept albums. And frankly its the closest I could get to the "mystery" theme you said you liked ;)

Rhapsody of Fire is another of those fantasy themed bands, but they're the... well, dramatic kind. It's bordering on cheesy often, frankly, but their singer? Ah my god I love him.

Now, I feel that those were the most obvious (at least for people into power metal). There are so many more to check out, even the ones I don't like (Dragonforce, Grave Digger) or find rather mediocre (Hammerfall). Let me just say Gloryhammer (especially the newer songs with Sozos Michael), Stratovarius, Running Wild, Rage, Pentakill, Gamma Ray, Edguy, Sonata Arctica, Brothers of Metal, Pyramaze, Virgin Steele... and those are really only a few and the more known once, in my opinion.

Feel free to add lesser known bands to this post, folks!

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I only just realized Brothers of Metal are touring and of course the location closest to me is sold out 🥲🥲

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Ohhh that is exciting I'm looking forward to seeing her live and hopefully experiencing that too :0

I didn't interpret it as creepy, but I can definitely see what you mean. For me it's mostly about someone heartbroken/ codependent who derives their energy for everything from that one person and the chorus does sound a bit like they're taking drugs to replace whatever they had before. Or, if we take out the other person it's just what depression feels like tbh. Simone's high notes give it a bit of an eerie feeling too.

Album of the Week: Charlotte Wessels - The Obsession

Release: 2024

Length: 50 Min.

Thoughts: I'll admit this one didn't catch me immediately. I was skeptical because her previous two compilations didn't quite do it for me - I'm not a genre purist by any stretch the songs just weren't my thing -, but I wanted to give her a fair chance since the videos looked stunning. Took two full sessions but now she's my top artist of the month.

Charlotte has an incredibly unique voice and she combines all sorts of genres with heavy riffs, which makes for a very variable album. The Exorcism is probably the heaviest song, whereas Praise feels like a glamrock piece. The album covers everything from pop and electronic influences to straight metal, sometimes in the same song. It took a while to catch but now I'm obsessed.

It feels like a very personal album, with themes of devotion, identity, and dependence, regardless if you read it with a romantic background. Some lines just hit hard even without personal experience. "I might not make you feel good, but I will make you feel something." Is definitely... Something.

She's on tour through Europe with Vola (which is playing while I'm typing this) so consider saying hi!

Favorite song(s): Praise, Chasing Sunsets, Serpentine

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Album of the Week: Charlotte Wessels - The Obsession

Release: 2024

Length: 50 Min.

Thoughts: I'll admit this one didn't catch me immediately. I was skeptical because her previous two compilations didn't quite do it for me - I'm not a genre purist by any stretch the songs just weren't my thing -, but I wanted to give her a fair chance since the videos looked stunning. Took two full sessions but now she's my top artist of the month.

Charlotte has an incredibly unique voice and she combines all sorts of genres with heavy riffs, which makes for a very variable album. The Exorcism is probably the heaviest song, whereas Praise feels like a glamrock piece. The album covers everything from pop and electronic influences to straight metal, sometimes in the same song. It took a while to catch but now I'm obsessed.

It feels like a very personal album, with themes of devotion, identity, and dependence, regardless if you read it with a romantic background. Some lines just hit hard even without personal experience. "I might not make you feel good, but I will make you feel something." Is definitely... Something.

She's on tour through Europe with Vola (which is playing while I'm typing this) so consider saying hi!

Favorite song(s): Praise, Chasing Sunsets, Serpentine

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The Tommy Karevik Quiz: Level 2 (Hard)

Good luck! 😃

P.S. Also, tell me if I should make Level 3: Fangirl Extreme.

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01011001 by Ayreon :)

Okay I'll be honest I haven't listened to Ayreon yet. Which is surprising because it's probably the biggest metal fandom on here and we share plenty of mutuals.

Which is a good reason to give the album a shot, I've heard a lot of good things about it :D

Review incoming it is

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Album of the Week: Fellowship - The Saberlight Chronicles

Release: 2022

Length: 62 Min.

Thoughts: I found these guys during my brief stint as a YouTuber (lol) and was... Underwhelmed seems like the wrong word, but it felt like decent power metal that didn't scratch my brain the right way at the time. Oh did I not know.

This album has been in my most listened for about two years now. The positive energy and uplifting theme saved my ass when I was scared and alone so many times. That Matthew has my voice range (plus some falsetto that I can't hit lol) is a great bonus for long drives. My friend and I sang Saint Beyond the River in the kitchen on our last night in Finland and it was awesome.

Power metal is catchy as a rule but it needs an extraordinary singer to really make it stick, and Matthew Corey is just that. His timbre is just very pleasant to listen to and his high notes are on point. My favorite (because it's my range) is the extremely folky Saint Beyond the River of course, but Glint is a close second and the piano version that came out a year later hit me like a brick wall with the strength of the emotions.

Tip: There's a book to the album, illustrated by the lovely @/arrowcat on Instagram. You can download it for free on the band's website.

I'm seeing them live in December and it's probably my most expected concert this year, which is saying a lot. Even better, there's a new album coming out, and the first single is extremely promising. Go listen to them.

Favorite song(s): Saint Beyond the River, Glint

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Yeah that sounds about right 😂

wait lets use that spotify stats page i want to know what everyone’s long term most listened to artist and track are! mine are the cure + “the river the woods” by astronautalis

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PowerSymphonic Metal Thursday #11

Hope you'll enjoy this song as much as I do!

As always, the answer will be revealed tomorrow.

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Album of the Week: Dragony - Hic Svnt Dracones

Release: 2024

Length: 56 Minutes

Thoughts: I discovered Dragons a bit randomly through their song Lords of the Hunt (pure vibes) and after the previous album Viribus Unitis I was very excited to see what they'd come up with. This isn't quite as much of a story-driven album as I'd expected but definitely still a cool concept. Is that just my perception or are more bands going into sailing topics recently? (Powerwolf...)

The opener is a banger no doubt, but a lot of classical music is basically metal before electricity so I can't exactly credit Dragony for that besides having good taste. I'm very picky even within Power Metal and Dragony scratches a very specific itch that not all of their songs hit even if they're objectively good. I am happy to report they're doing fantastic on this one. My favorite is probably Ill Met By Moonlight, it's dark and heavy, it reminds me a bit of Therion. And The Perfect Storm has elements of Sabaton almost, very fun song.

I'd have preferred a more focused storyline, since the opening songs made the impression of setting up a storyline around Raleigh's colonization explorations. Still a banger album, I'd love to see these guys live some time.

Favorite song(s): Ill met by Moonlight, The Perfect Storm

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As a metalhead it's always a bit tricky to find stuff in non-specialized record stores. BUT I just got the 2-CD special edition of Blessed and Possessed (2015) for cheap 😎😎

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PowerSymphonic Metal Thursday #9

This time we have an older classic from a band that inspired many others from what I know. Can you guess its name? 😉

The answer will be revealed after 24 hours and the song will be added to the blog playlist.