Lmst

I think it might be time for me to go in hard on the discographies of Saxon and Manowar. So where do I go first? #metal #heavymetal #powermetal #epicmetal #hardrock #Manowar #Saxon

Týr at The Forge. 📷: Wayne Edwards. More photos at FFR, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2025/03/30/photo-gallery-tyr-at-the-forge-joliet-march-2025/ #heavymetal #livemusic #epicmetal #TheForge #Tyr #folkmetal

Wölfram. 📷: Wayne Edwards. More photos at FFR, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2025/03/29/photo-gallery-wolfram-at-the-forge-joliet-march-2025/ #heavymetal #livemusic #epicmetal #TheForge #Wolfram

The darkness is about to rise! RISE AGAINST!! #DarkFlow #ShockMetal #HeavyMetal #ThrashMetal #ProgressiveMetal #MetalBand #ImminentEnd #TheLastSymphony #EerilyFadingAway #MetalMusic #ApocalypticMetal #HorrorMetal #DarkMusic #MetalHeads #EpicMetal

Æther Realm. 📷: Wayne Edwards. More photos at FFR, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2025/03/23/photo-gallery-aether-realm-at-the-forge-joliet-march-2025/ #heavymetal #livemusic #epicmetal #TheForge #AetherRealm #folkmetal #NorthCarolina #Æther Realm

Havron. 📷: Wayne Edwards. More photos at FFR, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2025/03/16/photo-gallery-havron-at-the-forge-joliet-march-2025/ #Havron #heavymetal #livemusic #epicmetal #TheForge #Chicago #Poland

Týr wrapped up the second round of their North American Battle Ballads Tour at the Forge in Joliet, Illinois. 📷: Wayne Edwards. Show recap and photos at FFR, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2025/03/09/tyr-at-the-forge-joliet-illinois-march-2025/ #AetherRealm #Tyr #Havron #Wolfram #MetalBladeRecords #heavymetal #livemusic #groovemetal #epicmetal #folkmetal

So I did one #tunetuesday #SongsFromHome post about the land I'm from, how about a second one, about the land I made my new home in.

What about the #Dutch national anthem as performed by one of my favorite Dutch singers: #FloorJansen
https://youtu.be/Wsmkq4Rqtp8?si=pW64PxmJO7Y27Ivm

And just 20m from my #Tilburg home lies #Efteling, the second most popular theme park in Europe.
So here's fantastic Dutch #EpicMetal band #Epica, doing a song about one of Efteling's rides:
https://youtu.be/BWoTDpU5G9k?si=9i0eo0sv3BIJRUYx

#NowPlaying Visigoth - The Revenant King 🎶 Time for some metal! #metal #heavymetal #powermetal #epicmetal

Chaos in Paradise – Transversal
#Djentcore #Metal #ProgressiveRock #cinematic #deathcore #djent #electronicmusic #epicmetal #epicmusic #mathmetal #mathrock #metalcore #progressivedeathcore #progressivemetal #progressivemetalcore #thall #Boston
CC BY-NC-ND (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives)
https://coretothecore.bandcamp.com/album/transversal

Khirki – Κυκεώνας [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Kenstrosity

In 2021, Greek hard rock trio Khirki single-handedly reignited a fire inside a genre I, for a long time, felt had decomposed six feet under the soil. It just felt like every hard rock act regurgitated the same albums over and over throughout the mid-aughts, with little to no variation or innovation to speak of since. Yet, Κτηνωδία absorbed all of the latent creativity nobody on Earth seemed to exploit and shoehorned every drop into a massive triumph of a debut. Three years later, on comes Κυκεώνας. Does it prove Khirki to be a one-trick pony like so many other bands before them, or are we in for another unqualified success?

It’s safe to say you already know the answer to that question. Of course Κυκεώνας kicks ass! A testament to exuberant, explorative, and exquisite songwriting, Κυκεώνας represents everything that was great about Khirki before, elevated by a greater sense of cohesion, smoothness, and vibrancy. Throughout its forty-seven minutes, lush acoustics, tumbling drums and claps, weeping violin, and jaunty woodwinds provide effervescent decoration informed by traditional Greek folk music. Meanwhile, ascendant tremolo leads invite a shimmering post-metal accent to many songs, providing a nice shift away from the doom-tinged atmosphere of the first record. “Heart of the Sea” in particular shows how adventurous Khirki are with that post-metal influence in their chosen format; Khirki refuse to stick to a singular formula yet strive for an unmistakable voice entirely their own. And it works.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Κυκεώνας doesn’t share the immediacy of Κτηνωδία, but not for assessing that as a detractor. In fact, it is its subtlety, sophistication, and nuance that puts Κυκεώνας on the map. Infused with myriad themes and spine-tingling harmonies, major hits like “Pumping the Vein,” “The Watchers of Enoch,” “Συμπληγάδες,” and Song o’ the Year contender “Heart of the Sea” showcase an epic character bolstered by killer performances across the board. A greater presence of extreme metal-inspired drum patterns, implemented with a light touch, prove to be an especially exciting development. Using these flawlessly integrated techniques—especially the double-bass power metal run in “Father Wind” and post-y blasts in “Heart of the Sea”—many of Κυκεώνας’s best songs overtake the high points of Khirki’s previous work.

Κυκεώνας is also the more consistent of the two records, both in tone and in style, without sacrificing its sense of adventure. Stoner-heavy closer “Hekate” constitutes the starkest departure from Khirki’s approach album-wide, and yet their trademark bluesy swagger and folky bounce hold the line, strong and unfazed. “Featherless” reminds you what Khirki’s base structure sounds like, yet it wouldn’t work nearly as well in their back catalog as it does here. “Your Majesty” takes it slow and steady, much like how Khirki had when exploring doom aesthetics previously, but its brightness and reverential air make it an ideal companion to its more upbeat album-mates. “Pumping the Vein” aggresses with much of the same upfront bravado as 2021’s “Deadpan” or “Raging Bull,” but its funkier attitude makes it a shoe-in for Κυκεώνας’s ebullient musical palette.

In short, all of Κυκεώνας’s pieces fit snugly and seamlessly together, forming a buttery-smooth and consistently engaging record in a genre not known any longer for either trait. Khirki, as far as I’m concerned, single-handedly carry the genre on their more-than-capable shoulders. Κυκεώνας is the proof.

Tracks to Check Out: “Pumping the Vein,” “Συμπληγάδες,” “Heart of the Sea,” “Hekate”

#2024 #EpicMetal #FolkMetal #FolkRock #GreekMetal #HardRock #Khirki #PostMetal #StonerRock #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #VenerateIndustries #Κυκεώνας

#NowPlaying #AmidstTheRuins #Saor #Newness #EpicMetal #BlackMetal #Caledonia #Eternal
#Crying #Speechless

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVIFEwa9JZg

While I strongly dislike everything DeFeis has put out after House of Atreus, I really like the new remixed/reworked versions of the first two records.
This is still one of their greatest epic classics.

#VirginSteele #metal #heavymetal #epicmetal

https://youtu.be/hZyqMjpGQGM?si=FuWu3Ejw0uRhkkkh

Dewfall – Landhaskur Review

By Kenstrosity

Italian black metal quintet Dewfall aren’t what they used to be. According to Metallum, their early work fell under the traditional heavy metal umbrella, placed most closely alongside Iron Maiden. To listen to them from 2018’s Hermeticus onward, you’d be hard put to find that heritage beneath a thick fog of icy tremolos, vicious rasps, and machine-gun double-bass blasting. And yet, that sophomore release is what put them on the map, and on Naturmacht’s well-regarded roster of quality bands. It also attracted my attention, sneaking its way into various playlists and rotations over the last six years. And now, their third installment Landkhaskur looms just over the horizon. What fresh hell will this bring?

Those who slept on Hermeticus missed out on an engaging if a tad bloated, black metal experience. While their core sound and style at that time rarely connected to Iron Maiden, Hermeticus’ epic feel and dramatic flair in their songwriting and melodic tendencies retains a certain kinship with those heavy metal legends of olde. Landhaskur is much the same in that regard. Brooding, ominous, and richly composed, Landhaskur pushes the Death-tinged melodic black metal formula presented on Hermeticus (just check out the incredible “Moondagger”) further into the icy void. More specifically, Landhaskur is a colder, more ritualistic affair, leaning strongly into Paara‘s occult character and blending it with Aklash‘s mystical idiosyncrasies. Dewfall stop short of wholly transforming themselves again, but this gentle evolution simmers just beneath their story-driven, riff-and-lead focused black metal surface.

Dewfall’s strongest moments have always been those where unorthodox instrumentation and musical adventurism take the spotlight, and that remains true here. “Hrings” shines with a brooding, beautiful cello introduction, falling into a dark jig laden with smooth baritone choirs, storming gang shouts on top of tumbling drums, and layered acoustic accouterments making vital contributions to the frosty tremolos and rasping screams that raze the ground beneath my feet. “Lackeskur” sees the triumphant return of the mouth harp into Dewfall’s instrumental repertoire. An addition which almost single-handedly elevates this standout track to album highlight status, that mouth harp works wonderfully inside the song’s jaunty bounce, energizing listeners for the epic, charred journey that is nine-minute closer “Laur.”1 “Maska” introduces a crucial burst of high-octane adrenaline courtesy of an addicting percussive attack, then switches it up with a sexy mid-tempo swing that entirely changes the character of the song. And yet, Dewfall’s execution across the board makes that unusual transition—among many others on this record—feel like the most natural trajectory. Therein lies the magic of Dewfall’s method.

Magical though many of Landhaskur’s moments undoubtedly are, I often look back to Hermeticus with a fondness that I can’t seem to find this time around. Both records share similar characteristics: both are remarkably back-loaded, both feature dynamic and consistently engaging songwriting twists and instrumental embellishments, and both showcase the band’s knack for buttery-smooth, but novel transitions. However, Landhaskur lacks a showstopper, whereas Hermeticus offered the aforementioned “Moondagger.” Experiencing Dewfall records as theatrical pieces—dependent on dynamic musical topography to carry me across different stages of their stories and, hopefully, offer some sort of catharsis along the way—I feel that Landhaskur is missing its climax. Standout chapters like “Maska” and “Lackeskur” come so close to providing that high, but ultimately fail to deliver the knockout blow. In the end, this represents Landhaskur’s only critical blunder, but it comes at the cost of greatness.

Nonetheless, Landhaskur is a fine record worthy of installment in any black metal fan’s rotation. It tells its story well, and repeated spins reveal new and intriguing details listeners are likely to miss the first or second time around. Aside from a few missed opportunities to punch above its weight class and deliver a world-class number at the record’s peak, there’s very little here that saps my enjoyment. It’s safe to say, then, that I’m content with Landhaskur, and I look forward to seeing what Dewfall do next.

Rating: Good
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Naturmacht Productions
Websites: dewfallofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/pages/dewfall/152487144778710
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Aklash #BlackMetal #Death #Dewfall #epicBlackMetal #EpicMetal #IronMaiden #ItalianMetal #Landhaskur #MelodicBlackMetal #NaturmachtProductions #Nov24 #OccultMetal #Paara #Review #Reviews

‘Wolfs-head!’ shall be cried against him, for that a wolf is a beast hated of all folk; and from that time forward it is lawful for anyone to slay him like a wolf.

Very pleased to reveal a (relatively) tiny three-minute teaser of new Solstice material. Painstakingly crafted in preparation for our Prophecy Productions debut, the new line-up gives their all – even in this roughshod demo recording.

More shall be divulged in time, including the title…

https://youtu.be/uURNzmrHZWA

https://heathenstorm.com/2024/11/07/hooves-on-english-soil/

#demo #epicmetal #heavymetal #metal #music #prophecyproductions #solstice

Mythbegotten – Tales from the Unseelie Court Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard

At their most well-behaved, members of the Fey Kingdom are mischievous. A wallet lost here, a child spirited away there, all good fun. But history has ever taught us that the Fey can, and will, be cruel. As per Scottish Folklore, it is there, in the Unseelie Court, where those malicious denizens of the Fey Kingdom dwell, and plot. Thus arrives New York-based newcomers Mythbegotten, here to divulge untold stories of what’s past the forest’s edge by reading from a musty old tome of Tales from the Unseelie Court. Mythbegotten promise a Tale unlike any other, but do they have what it takes to tell it?

Mythbegotten falls into the ever-vague category of “epic metal,” siphoning elements from folk, power, traditional, death, you name it, and weaving them into a grandiose musical experience. Varied though the palette can be, Mythbegotten’s bread and butter is a consistent folk/power affair that fits snugly between Blind Guardian, Twilight Force, and Euphoreon. There’s a healthy chunk of cheese amongst these Tales, but the focus is more on scale, with fun, tremendous choruses augmented by orchestration (“Omen of Embers,” “Of Wrath and Ruin”) and sweeping solos (“The Fall”). For a fresh, unsigned band, Mythbegotten sound great; the Tales are supported by a solid mix and Mythbegotten are talented musicians, but this highlights some rare inconsistencies in presentation. Sometimes the guitar work is tight as hell (“The Fall”) and other times it could be cleaned up a bit (the solo in “The Terror of Lothian”), and while the programmed drums sound good, some of the blast beats feel thin, but this never stops Mythbegotten’s epic amalgamation of musical styles from being easy to enjoy.

The themes and stories behind all the songs within these Tales are as diverse as the genre influences. Open any book on folklore to a random page and you’ll find something that the Tales draw from, and it’s in this thematic intent that Mythbegotten truly comes into their own. Mythbegotten exudes confidence in how heavily they lean into these inspirations which in turn informs the songwriting. As such, no two songs are quite the same; one song, “The Heedless Horseman,” is a cautionary tale of the malevolent Irish Dullahan told through a jaunty, tavern-friendly tune, while the next, “Omen of Embers,” matches the exuberance of the Arthurian legends it’s based on through a gleeful power-metal chorus. All good Tales are made better by an excellent storyteller, and that’s exactly what vocalist Dan Barbour is. His voice is rich and full-bodied, capable of hitting the high notes, and full of character in the lower octaves. He’s what you’d get if Messiah Marcolin had an evil power-metal twin, and is the perfect muse to tell these diverse and captivating Tales.

Mythbegotten’s strength lies in fully playing into a song’s individual narrative, but these narratives translate better in some songs than others. “Beneath Exham Priory” is a Lovecraft-inspired song with an extended midsection of rapidly evolving riffs and melodies that emulate the onset of Lovecraftian insanity, but they never arrive at a satisfying climax and end up feeling aimless. In cases like this, I wish Mythbegotten would go even bigger with their theming. “The Terror of Lothian” continues the thematic trend of horror and has some solid, crunchy riffs, but outside of the lyrics, it doesn’t embrace the premise with as much vigor as other songs. In their defense, these tunes are fighting an uphill battle against “Of Wrath and Ruin,” the 13+ minute closer that beats Pathfinder at their own game. It effortlessly brings to life The Return of the King’s Battle of the Pelennor Fields through triumphant melodies, galloping riffs, and downright badass guitar/keyboard duet solos, and sets a high precedent for what Mythbegotten can do when the narrative fully envelops the songwriting. It has also made me furious that only this song and “The Fall” have keyboard solos, because they are fantastic.

Mythbegotten are still a little rough around the edges, but their Tales from the Unseelie Court make for a damn good debut. These guys are natural-born storytellers, and the way they weave narrative into music is a joy to experience. Between exciting riffs, stupendous vocals and clever orchestration, Mythbegotten took a wide array of genres and made them their own, lacing them with enough mystery and curiosity to fill a dozen musty old tomes. I’m looking forward to what they do next, but I’ve gotta say: Mythbegotten, if you’re reading this, please, please give us more keyboard solos in the next one, yeah?

Rating: Good!!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self Release
Websites: facebook | bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2024

#2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #BlindGuardian #EpicMetal #Euphoreon #FolkMetal #Mythbegotten #Oct24 #Pathfinder #PowerMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #TalesFromTheUnseelieCourt #TwilightForce