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Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.

Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.

For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.

Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.

As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com 3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025

#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose

Under Ruins – Age of the Void Review

By Steel Druhm

Some metal aficionados may remember German prog-power act Lanfear. They released some killer material in the mid-aughts, with The Art Effect and Another Golden Rage being especially tasty, and I stamped a mighty 4.0 on their 2012 effort, This Harmonic Consonance. It’s been almost 11 years since they’ve released anything, and it appears they are finished, but here comes Under Ruins, a new project made up of members of Lanfear and Them. On their Age of the Void debut, they offer prog-infused epic metal with an interesting blend of influences that run the gamut from Manowar to Fates Warning. This is an album full of large-scale set pieces loaded with power, poise, and emotion, all highly polished and classy as fook, delivered by talented vets with major chops. What could possibly go wrong with such a winning formula?

As it turns out, very little. This is the kind of album that makes you wonder where these cats have been all your life. After a table-setting intro rife with anticipation, you’re launched into the 7-plus minute epic “Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death” (ESL stumble?). It’s a massive song that sounds like a collaboration between Evergrey and Tad Morose. It’s powerful and gripping, and though the lyrics scream trve metal, everything is draped in deep melancholy and sadboi aesthetics. It’s brilliant and beautiful, and the vocals by Lanfear frontman Nuno Miguel de Barros Fernandes hit you right in the feelz. This is grand, sweeping, epic doom-adjacent gold. “Lost Amidst the Unfathomable Abyss” keeps the epic gravy flowing hot and juicy, maintaining a sense of sadness while striving for a strident bravado. Imagine if you can a sadboi Manowar recounting the emotional consequences of battle and conquest. Thundering war drums join fist-pumping, chest-thumping riffage as Nuno sings of grand deeds and the consequences thereof. It’s rabble-rousing and cautionary, which is odd but brilliant. The big stuff keeps coming with “Moonlit Requiem,” which is like a prog-power mega-ballad borrowing from Fates Warning albums like No Exit and Perfect Symmetry and the best elements of Tad Morose and Lanfear. This is one of those songs you love immediately, and I’m blown away by the songwriting prowess the band demonstrates so early into their existence. It’s massive at nearly 8 minutes, and they use every second to get you invested and hanging on every note. The chorus is emotive and powerful, and the epic conclusion with Manowar-esque chanting and majestic soloing is stunning.

All praise above notwithstanding, the best song here may be “Whispered Curses, Woe Unleashed,” which is like the perfect fusion of Lance King era Pyramaze, Manowar, and Visigoth.1 You get classic Manowar thundering and galloping, but with an ever-present sense of loss as Nuno tells of the horrific consequences that follow a senseless act. This is epic, trve metal done at a very high level and with a unique twist. Nuno again puts on a vocal clinic, squeezing every ounce of emotion from the listener as the song unspools. This stuff is just next level, and it has something special going on. Ginormous epic “Great Drowning of Men” borrows from Atlantean Kodex, Evergrey, and Iron Maiden as it weaves a massive yarn that may or may not be about pirates. This ain’t no Running Wild booty smacking shore excursion though, folks! This is huge, deadly serious stuff with more myth and fable than you can stuff in your trunk. At 45 minutes, Age of the Void is the ideal length. You get a handful of HUGE songs, but the pacing and track placement prevent the album from feeling overstuffed in that Senjutsu way. The production is big and bold, giving the drums the earth-shaking power this kind of music demands, and the guitars are given real weight and beef.

I loved Nuno’s work with Lanfear, and after not hearing him on anything new for so long, it’s great to find him in top form here. He’s got the perfect voice for prog-power, and now he proves he can handle epic metal just as well. His smooth delivery and ability to project emotion carry these songs to a higher plane. Equally masterful is the guitar work by Achim Rauscher (ex-Lanfear) and Markus Ullrich (Them, ex-Lanfear). They bring a pornicopia of brawny, badass riffs and emotionally stirring solos to the table, traveling from Iced Earth beef to Evergrey sadboi as the material requires and delivering many memorable moments along the way. Special props go to Sascha de Lima Beul for his massive performance on the kit. He channels the spirit of the late great Scott Columbus of Manowar as he pounds the drums into the Earth’s core and makes every song feel vibrant and forceful. The man is a monster.

Age of the Void is the second album in a row that took me out back and kicked my Score Counter. This is an inspired and inspiring mega-dose of epic metal with balls, brains, and stained class. Under Ruins make a huge splash on their opening salvo, and you should hear it ASAP. I mean like today!

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: FHM Records
Websites: facebook.com/underruins | instagram.com/under.ruins
Releases Worldwide: May 2nd, 2025

#2025 #40 #AgeOfTheVoid #EpicHeavyMetal #Evergrey #FatesWarning #FHMRecords #GermanMetal #HeavyMetal #IronMaiden #Lanfear #Manowar #Pyramaze #Review #Reviews #TadMorose #Them #UnderRuins

Sleepless – Through Endless Black Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Bands who seek to echo heavy metal’s past walk a fine line between regressive repetition and studied homage. Consequently, in a world where source material for these sounds spans the course of decades, the tag indicating this new wave of traditional heavy metal remains wide in scope. Motorcycles? Loin cloths? Swords and dragons? What shall the recipe of hairy-chested riffs and wailing mic blowouts spell? In examining Oregon-based Sleepless’ sophomore outing, Through Endless Black, it’s at least clear that two things are true: the power of riffs indeed compels this collection to rock, and an urgent vocal identity fills its chest proudly. But the question still looms around what brand of traditional showmanship Sleepless displays.

Whether Sleepless knows it or not, their sound on Through Endless Black plays close to the weird power-leaning doom of the ’90s Swedish underground in its manner of rockin’ trad riffs that swing to crawling, soaring choruses. We talk about a lot of things around the water cooler at Casa AMG1, and though many of us don’t see eye-to-eye on the world at large, at least the great Steel and I can agree on one thing: too many bands ignore the potential to copy peak Tad Morose. Determined to set my heart aflutter, melodic leads that drop into heavyweight drags scattered throughout Through Endless Black recalls both the slower cuts of Tad Morose or the more traditional gallop of the similar-minded Memory Garden. Main mind Kevin Hahn, holding chops both in the grip of a traditional axe and tastefully reverbed mic, has spent a lot of time both on the cover band circuit2 and at the engineer’s seat, so I’m not sure that exactly his aim with Sleepless. But different paths can always lead to similar results.

Except not every track across Through Endless Black reeks of that same stench of doomy power, with Hahn’s vocal prowess serving equally as blight and boon. Simple and fluffy rock riffs, the kind that present themselves in the AOR-assisted jams of cruise groove like Fifth Angel, already pull attention away from muscular crushes at the least effective moments (“Cult of the Narcissist,” “Lessons in Tongues”). And in these same gentler excursions, Hahn’s clear and breathy tenor aids further in distancing his performance from the subtle grit and chesty bellow that he displays in horn-raising, fist-pumping amp-shakers (“Consumed by Vengeance,” “Dreams of Mortal Ruin”). Hahn has amazing range, and an incredible ability to lay down harmonized solos in a big Scorpions way, but it really does feel like he’s packing too many contrasting ideas into Sleepless.

However, many of Sleepless’ ’80s and ’90s traditional genre worship excursions come across in a more flattering manner. The best cuts across Through Endless Black lead with refrains drenched in guitar drama, dark synth play, and full volume chord swells, all resolving in well-framed choruses (“Call to the Void,” “Where Fear Lives,” “Dreams…”). And slipping well into the sleaze and heavy metal fervor of the grand and gruff W.A.S.P., Hahn loads an extra venom and swagger into his barking verse work and sliding wails (“Exist Another Day,” “Transcending the Obsidian Throne”), even landing in a ripe pseudo-ballad cheese with the opening chime and croon of “Lost Star.” The supporting rhythm tones aren’t quite what one would expect in this lane, relying less on spacious chords and reverb, and more on compressed guitar crackle and a low-end lurch, but that at least helps pull Sleepless away from pure homage and into foraging a sound in reverence.

Despite the success that Sleepless finds throughout Through Endless Black, a certain lack of wildness—of rugged bravado—holds it back from turning its glory into grandiosity. Steeped in studied sounds, Sleepless never feels wanting in execution. Though some of that same polish leads Through Endless Black to engorge with a textbook battlefield vigor, that same educational approach does not lead to many surprises and allows the lesser sputters present to pull down the total experience. I do have high hopes for Sleepless though, as a sophomore cobbling of this quality shows, potential, promise, and perhaps a sword simply too deep in its sheath.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Warrior Records
Websites: sleeplessmetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/sleepless
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2024

#25 #2024 #AmericanMetal #FifthAngel #HeavyMetal #MemoryGarden #Oct24 #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #Scorpions #Sleepless #TadMorose #ThroughEndlessBlack #WASP_