Weekly Round-Up: June 8th 2014

Equilibrium

While the long-awaited return of Germany's Epic Folk / Viking metallers finds them in familiar territory, it is also a marked improvement on 2010's disappointing "Rekreatur" which saw the band struggling to break in a new vocalist. Four years on and said vocalist, Robse has found his place in the band and has become confident and comfortable in the role. For those familiar with the band, "Erdentempel" should tick all of the necessary boxes and will be a reassuring return to the sound the band pioneered on their first two (classic) albums "Turis Fratyr" and "Sagas".

In Flames

I have to admit that I am a little torn with this one. On one hand, the band has moved their sound forward (yet again) and this song has a monster chorus, but on the other "Rusty Nail" sounds a little messy - as if the band threw every idea they could think of at it and hoped something would stick. The finished result is a song that struggles to get going and never quite seems to gel, but I will reserve final judgment until the full album is released in September. For now, have a listen and decide for yourselves.

Falconer

Although I'm not (and never have been) a fan of Power Metal, I have always had a soft spot for Sweden's Falconer and the new album doesn't disappoint. The vocals still have that 'medieval bard' charm and the songs are still annoyingly catchy, but the last couple of albums have seen the band introduce a darker streak to their upbeat Folk Metal sound. New album "Black Moon Rising" continues on this path with Maiden-esque leads and stomping riffs playing off against swathes of virtuoso keyboards and some syrupy chorus vocals and the result is most definitely a triumph - albeit a guilty pleasure of a triumph. Power Metal fans should find plenty to enjoy here and the rest of you will too - even if you won't want to admit it.

Hoth

They might be named after an icy planet in the Star Wars universe (and have a logo reminiscent of a Tie-fighter), but there is nothing geeky about Hoth's brand of Melodic Black Metal and incidentally, their name is actually the Anglicised version of the name of the ancient Norse god, Höðr. Musically, the band share a lot in common with the Folk-tinged Blackened Metal of Forefather, both in their use of melodies and the way that blast beats and icy riffs give way to acoustic passages and vice versa. That being said, "Oathbreaker" is a revelation and, despite some similarities with other acts in the genre, Hoth are very much visionaries who are taking the sound of Folk Black Metal forward.

Sonic Syndicate

Although I have followed Nathan (not in a stalker way) since his Hollow Earth Theory days, I'm sorry to say that I found his first album with Sonic Syndicate to be a terrible disappointment. Filled with clichéd half-riffs and radio-friendly pop Gothenburg Metal songs. I'm not saying any of this was Nathan's fault and as a live band Sonic were and are still a force to be reckoned with. This time around, the band have, for the most part, dispensed with the pop sensibilities and Nathan has been given the platform to shine that I don't think he was given the first time around. It would appear, from the two songs that I have heard so far, that lessons have been learned from the misguided (and apparently record label driven) change of direction of the last album. I just hope that it isn't too late for the band to win back the fans that they alienated with said album. I'd urge you all to put "We Rule The Night" down as a blip in the band's discography and we can all move forward.