When a band has long since proven itself to be one of the best, most influential bands in their field, it can sometimes become difficult for them to live up to their legacy or find ways to improve with later releases ..read more

Every song is a winner there’s nothing on here that is not a world class tune. The record of the year? Definitely ..read more

Eleine's sound has seemingly changed a fair bit over the years, as I remember “The Gathering Storm” being fairly soft, melodic, and very much dominated by symphonic elements, while We Shall Remain is still definitely a symphonic metal album, but it's much darker, heavier and more guitar-driven than I was expecting. Symphonic elements are often present, but rarely overpowering, and aren't especially cinematic ..read more

I think they have finally made it with what is now their third studio album titled "Chapter III – Downfall". Led by the powerful vocals of their singer Melissa Bonny, which can swap from clean to death growls through the entirety of their songs, I think the band manages to provide a more polished record from top to bottom this time around ..read more

Is easy to acknowledge the riffs Katsionis has delivered throughout the album, Man this thing just smokes all over. Is a solid release, very well produced of course. A very interesting project that deserves more attention. The choruses throughout hook you and the album never feels too redundant or dull. Big credit to Katsionis for this one as he handles all the instruments, and also great job by Vass on vocals. Again don't let this one fly under the radar, cause it probably will ..read more

Xandria promises the next chapter of the band's history with their long-awaited brand-new full-length. Guitarist and mastermind of Xandria Marco Heubaum and enlisted new members, Ambre Vourvahis [vocals], Robert Klawonn [guitar], Tim Schwarz[bass], and Dimitrios Gatsios [drums] continue to force ahead with the band's heritage ..read more

The last time fans had to wait 5+ years for a new album was of course Neverworld's End, which stands as possibly the band's best effort to date. While I wouldn't quite put The Wonders Still Awaiting on the same level as that album, or Theater of Dimensions, it's still a fantastic album in its own right, and it fully lives up to the expectations I had for it ..read more

Compared to the previous two albums I've heard, Attack of Orym has a much more electronic-flavored sound to it, sometimes going for a more trance-metal-infused sound with light power metal elements, similar to later Battle Beast or Beast in Black albums ..read more

Here we go with some symphonic metal from Germany’s Beyond The Black who are steadily climbing the ladder and heading towards the likes of Nightwish etc ..read more

While the lyrics are a major highlight of the album (both in terms of the overarching concept, as well as some amazing isolated lines on each track) the overall sound is also very impressive. A lot is going on musically, with the use of symphonic arrangements and Adrienne Cowan's beautiful, yet fierce voice, being the two constant presences throughout ..read more