The Sword - Warp Riders

The Sword - Warp Riders

• Doom metal meets hard rock meets scifi concept rock opera. Yeah, this was only a matter of time coming with a band like The Sword. I first heard of The Sword a few years ago when they were a supporting band for Metallica, I've been a fan ever since. Not only do they continue the trend of face-punching groove-laden riffs reminiscent of Black Sabbath but it is their strongest sounding record to date. This is the first album they hired an external producer for and it shows, not to say that their self-produced works were not well-produced but that this is their most polished and smooth sound release to date. The album tells the story of an archer banished from his tribe on a planet in tidal lock around three suns...still with me? The overarching story is as far fetched but the music is intense in a gripping way that makes you hold on for the ride. There is not a bad song on this record I feel and it is one of my favorite records to just pop in and relax to.

Alcest / Kylesa

(still some 2010 stuff but these are really good and worth your time)

Alcest - Écailles de Lune

• "Blackened-french-shoegaze" is what I first heard this described as and that alone made me check it out just to see what the hell it is. Alcest is a shoegaze/post-metal/atmospheric black metal (tags according to last.fm) project of just two guys from France. While it sounds like something that would never work the way they blend the theatricality, fast-paced rhythms and fierce vocals of black metal with the entwining atmosphere, dreamy melodies and echoes of shoegaze is nothing short of extraordinary. I can't think of another word besides beautiful to describe this record, it traverses from ghastly to haunting to enchanting. Pick this up if only for the fact that there is nothing else like it that I can think of. 

Kylesa - Spiral Shadow

• Hot on the heels of last year's Static Tensions comes Spiral Shadow, and for this release Kylesa ups the levels of pysch-rock and rhythmic complexity. Kylesa has always been a band that struck me as "riffs first" and they still do but peel back the in-you-face rawness and there is a level of dense complexity that few bands exhibit. Their use of two drummers to create tight intricacy and rhythmic complex grooves without going on ten minute long space-prog abstractions is a skill in it's own. While keeping the grooves and riffs first Kylesa attempts to blend a lot extremes, the almost pop-radio riff that starts the track "Don't Look Back" is mixed with a thick and dense driving verse progression. One of my favorite things about this band is how they use the blend of vocals from guitarists Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants. At times it sounds like a call and response between the shouted vocals of Phillip with the witchly haunting singing of Laura.  Noise mixed with melody, ragged simplicity mixed skilled musicianship, and dreamy soundscapes mixed with thick cutting sludge metal riffs, Kylesa continues deliver.

Bang Your Head

So I'm gonna be writing on new stuff over the next few days but I do want to touch on some awesome albums from 2010 because I never got around to putting my list out. So here are a few metal albums, be warned I listen to EVERYTHING so don't hate when I post one of my favorite indie or electronic albums. Still feel free to comment because I would love to hear your opinion on what I post.

Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

• Enslaved is fast becoming the Opeth of the black metal scene. Combining the smooth melodic elements of progressive music with the sheer ferocity and chaos of black metal is no easy feat but that is exactly what Enslaved manage to do with this album. Axioma Ethica Odini is definitely a black metal album with shrieked vocals and tremolo-picking abound but there are plenty of times where it opens up into massive riff-laden sections and guitar work that sound as inspired by David Gilmore as it does of Varg Vikernes. Definitely one of my most played and highest recommended metal albums of last year.

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

• It's kind of hard to believe this is the 15th Iron Maiden to date, and from what it sounds like you would almost expect it to have come out back during their Powerslave-era. This is not only one of the best Maiden albums to date but definitely one of the best metal albums of this year. Unlike some of their more recent releases this one has some serious lasting potential. It's incredible to hear an album this good from a band this old, they combine fresh takes on what they've been doing for 30 years with that same in-in-your-face thundering groove, and killer guitar harmonies that can only be Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. Only one song on this record is under five minutes long (The Alchemist) and is probably the most old-school Iron Maiden sounding track. Even that four and a half burst of speed seems to be filtered through the eyes of older wiser Maiden and is followed by a nine minute long prog-metal tour de force. This is also the fourth Iron Maiden that Steve Harris (founder and bass player) has a songwriting credit on every track and it shows but throws some huge curve-balls. It's always been rumored that Iron Maiden intended to make 15 albums and the title of this one (The Final Frontier) has had fans speculating if this is the last Maiden album, only they know and even if it is they are going out swinging.