Folkearth, "Rulers of the Sea"

Folkearth- Rulers of the Sea. The newest folkearth album.

1.the voices of the dead
much better production than anything from 'fatherland'. singer is good, audio levels are normalized, everything sounds good. the bass is present, the drums don't sound like trash cans, and the guitars don't just emit distortion. if folkearth keeps it up, this will reverse their recent trend of being less than mediocre. the ending is a warm, acoustic segue to the final chorus.

2.rulers of the sea
similar in many ways to the previous track, and in all ways better than 'fatheland'. i'm relieved. there's a guitar solo and it's not great, but it exists.

3.the doomed crusade
bass solo in the intro, bagpipes in the verse. the bagpipes repeat through most of the song, and, instead of being annoying, create a melancholic tone that suits the lyrics.

4.lord of the spear
more lead guitar work that was nowhere to be found in 'fatherland'. there is also some kind of folk stringed instrument but i can't make it out (maybe a mandolin). there is a nice layering of tracks that adds tangible dimension to the song.

5.the price of epirus
i think the drummer is using heel-toe, which is really surprising. the acoustic guitar has a warm, round sound.

6.cosmogenesis
the quality of drumming remains high. it's nice to have guitar leads, but they seem aimless, not only here but in other songs as well.

7.folkearth
the lyrics are folkearth's mission statement? there's a guitar solo in the beginning and in the middle.

8.i am fire
both rhythm and lead guitars are quite good for what's to be expected.

9.apollonian light
the chorus is a little catchy

10.when the gods doth return
a fast tune, and the flutes have a hard time keeping up.

11.byzantine princess
the sole ballad of the album. it ends quietly with a nice guitar outro.

folkearth has improved immeasurably from their previous release. this is their best work since 'by the sword of my father', but its still weaker than it. even so, 'rulers of the sea' is a turnaround i was not expecting. 6 albums in 5 years means you're going to get a lot of garbage. folkearth should have some better quality control over what gets put on an album, and take more time developing them.

Folkearth, "Fatherland"

Folkearth- Fatherland. the earlier of the two albums they've released recently. folkearth (an international folk metal project) started great with their first two albums, but have seen a steady decline ever since 'drakkars in the mist'. the lineup has changed a lot, and i'm not really a fan of the sizable greek influences heard since 'drakkars in the mist'. the greek mythology and history is fine, i just think they're inferior folk musicians as compared to, for example, the english 'forefather' who were heavily involved in 'a nordic poem' and 'by the sword of my father'. their two previous albums before 'fatherland', 'father of victory' and 'songs of yore' were big disappointments. i hope they realized this and are trying to turn things around, but i'm not expecting much.

1.hymn to zeus
a paleolithic sounding tribal hymn, minimalistic and weird

2.braver than heroes vows (battle of plataea)
i'm all for songs about spartans killing persians, but its impossible to make out what they're saying, but it sounds like its in english (maybe?). folkearth isn't known for their mixing capabilities, but i don't mind the demo tape quality. however, even for making these allowances, it's not a great song.. it's alright.

3.guardian of the bridge
it's a decent folk song, but the guitars are inaudible to a painful amount. it just sounds like distortion. but with better guitars this song would be comparable to the quality of their older songs (similar to 'by the sword of my father' and 'drakkars in the mist')

4.freedom or death (kosovo 1389)
the vocals sound like they were recorded in a bathtub the reverb is so bad. the singer himself is also quite bad. other than that, though, its a nondescript song. only an instrumental midsection to note.

5.terror from the sea
i wish these vocalists stuck to growled vocals when they're bad singers. so far i've noticed folkearth now seems to shy away from synths and keyboards and rely more on actual folk instruments such as flutes or fiddles to add the folk dimension. i feel this is to their detriment. having atmospheric backing keys adds a lot to a song and could really help these songs seem less raw and impoverished.

6.fatherland
a ballad. i hear two acoustic guitars, accordion, flute, and bass. a beautiful melody, but they REALLY need better singers.

7.the fall of atlantis
growled vocals save me the pain of hearing whoever does the male clean vocals. again, the only clear folk influence is the presence of flute.

8.the victory rune
an alright song, but you can hear all too well the scratching of the pick from the guitars.

9.in blessed days
another terrible singer, but at least i can hear what he's saying.

10.cataphract legion
the flutes start to become annoying. there are so many more ways to incorporate folk elements than this.

11.exiled
hildr valkyrie (who has been with folkearth since the beginning i believe) composed this song, and it shows. it uses synths, and she can actually sing; that alone makes it miles ahead of most of 'fatherland'.

i hate to be so pessimistic, but folkearth has serious problems that crippling them. problems such as crap singers and poor guitar recordings limit my tolerance of them. they need more involvement from good folk metal bands, rather than whoever is contributing now. folkearth used to get contributions from members of eluveitie, forefather, otyg, etc. without another lineup change which involves better musicians, folkearth doesn't have a future.

Epica, "Design Your Universe"

epica- design your universe. the fourth release from this dutch symphonic metal band. 'the divine conspiracy' was a breakthrough for them, and it will be a feat to match up to.

1.samadhi (prelude)
ahh, it begins in full epic glory. a teasing one minute of orchestral variations that whets your appetite for grandiosity.

2.resign to surrender (a new age dawns - part iv)
a song that is not too heavy on the death metal, and focuses more on the symphonic elements of epica. it follows a medium tempo, and nothing noticeably progressive. still, a good opener that introduces oneself into epica's world. i'm not entirely sure what the lyrics are about-- something about our freedom being limited by our current condition. also, it has latin! nec plus ultra (nothing more beyond) is sung by the choir throughout the verses. simone's voice is as strong as ever, but she hasn't pushed herself yet.

3.unleashed
begins with a heavy orchestral intro and leads into simone in the verse. they lyrics deal with being unable to be oneself (for what reason i don't know). the layering of metal and symphonic elements in the verse alone are amazing. every second is incredibly detailed and structured. the chorus showcases simone, which later leads into a quiet, brooding interlude that escalates to the final two choruses.

4.martyr of the free word
a wonderfully heayy and symphonic opening riff set one off guard for the much more reserved verse that uses clean guitar (for a bit). the melody of the verse is haunting and powerful, and so are the lyrics. the song deals with freedom of speech and being open/tolerant to diverse opinions. a strong song in terms of melody, variation, lyrics (they use latin again!), and heaviness. the solo is the most developed from this album yet heard. this will be a great song to hear live.

5.our destiny
simone gives a taste of her alto soprano voice. the song is about fighting through a decaying relationship. the tempo is not slow, but flows at a comfortable pace. the vocal melody has some really strong sections, but is less powerful in other places.

6.kingdom of heaven (a new age dawns - part v)
opens with a tantric choir chant that sets up nicely with a menacing bell and string intro. next is a simple, heavy riff that is somewhat related to the upcoming verse. divided into five parts, the first is about institutions trying to prevent innovation and scientific advances. the second part is quite similar to the first, with little transition. the music during these first two parts is typical for epica. the transition into the third movement has playful, progressive guitar/orchestral mimicking. an acoustic guitar is next used to slow things down. the acoustic riff is slightly off tempo but comes back to normal time when the vocals resume. next is a spoken dialogue between two actors which leads into the guitar solo. finally, the fifth movement is a reworking of the second.

7.the price of freedom
a brief intermission featuring clips from speeches such as malcom x ("the price of freedom is death"), mlk jr.... and obama.

8.burn to a cinder
the orchestrations provide an eastern atmosphere that is heard faintly in previous songs and is echoed through such terms found in song names and lyrics (samadhi, sahasrara). there is a progressive instrumental break. later, simone sings the chorus with only slight accompaniment. there follows a solo, and then the final choruses.

9.tides of time
a truly beautiful melody on the piano. this ballad is one of their best. the song is about the constancy of love throughout changing seasons, times, etc. miss simmons' soprano voice in the chorus is the best i can recall at the moment. full accompaniment slowly builds through the song and the climax sees the end.

10.deconstruct
a commonplace epica song. the message in the lyrics are extremely cliche and overused (we're ruining ourselves and the planet through greed, cooperation is the only way).

11.semblance of liberty
growled vocals on the verse wrapped inside a catchy riff. the lyrics deal with private self interest harming public virtue (total b.s.), i think.

12.white waters
any song featuring tony kakko is going to be great, and this is no different. the guitarwork is mostly clean, almost in a gothenburg sound (well, not really-- it reminds me of amorphis). an eastern or oriental influence is heard again amidst a stripped down sound compared to the rest of the album. the lyrics deal with a man seeing a vision in the water, presumably his lost or dead lady-friend.

13.design your universe (a new age dawns - part vi)
an epic, using a lot of choirs but also more reserved verses. this song is missing something to make it great. as it is, it sounds uninspired and forced.

14.incentive
the bonus track. i don't have the lyrics for it, so i won't be able to tell you much from that angle. musically, its fast and aggressive, completely without simone's singing.

well, it turns out 'design your universe' doesn't match 'the divine conspiracy'. yes, it is more symphonic than 'the divine conspiracy' (as hard as it is to imagine that possible), but at what cost? it has fewer catchy leads or melodies, less aggressive death metal passages, and less progressive elements. its an epic that was engineered, not created, and so it feels heartless a lot of the time. perhaps we've put too much pressure on them to be more symphonic that they've sacrificed a bit of everything else that made them great. still, it has some great songs...just..not as many great songs as from their previous works.

Amberian Dawn, "Clouds of Northland Thunder"

amberian dawn- clouds of northland thunder. this is the second album of the finnish symphonic metal band, 'amberian dawn'. their 2008 release 'river of tuoni' was a great find. letting you know beforehand, all lyrics deal with various mythologies.

1.he sleeps in a grove
similar to what they did on 'river of tuoni'. i can't actually make out changes in their sound. it is very much a continuation of their previous work. they released a music video for this song if you want to check it out. heidi has a unique voice but one is inevitably reminded of nightwish's tarja. the guitar solos are possibly better than what one found on their debut album, but i can't really recall at the moment.

2.incubus
features both male and female vocals (i'm not sure who the male singer is-- he's not that great). the chorus is a chance for heidi to boast of her voice. this is the longest song of the album, though there isn't too much going on in terms of song structure. a decent effort.

3.kokko- eagle of fire
a splendid power metal track. the chorus has a hook that keeps you listening. it's a short song, like most of the album, but it's succint. no filler.

4.willow of tears
a ballad. i wish there was more to say, but other than a good post-chorus riff and the solo, there's not much to it.

5.shallow waters
a good intro and a strong verse. a big improvement over the previous song. the drums are actively contributing to the song, noticeably in the chorus, which is in itself quite enjoyable. an instrumental break between the solos gives some much needed creativity to their song structures.

6.lost soul
another lead guitar hook opens the song. the backing vocals are what make the chorus. here is the first keyboard solo of the album (why'd it take so long?).

7.sons of seven stars
this songs follows the same formula as the previous 4 or 5 songs. the only thing that really changes are chord progressions, choruses, and solos. don't get me wrong, it's a good song, i'd expect greater variation in songs.

8.saga
a more exciting verse and a better intro lead help amend some of the aforementioned problems. a great solo that covers a lot of ground really helps this song stick out.

9.snowmaiden
what we hear in the last few seconds of the song, a piano and a spoken sentence, is exactly what amberian dawn needs more of. something other than just a good chorus.

10.lionheart
symphonic opening. lyrics involving something epic. a really good vocal line in the chorus. this song does have a good amount of excitement and variation in the backing keyboards to prevent boredom.

11.morning star
the melody in the verse is really the core of this song, and the atmospheric backing keys are also good.

12.birth of the harp
slight use of a piano, but no harp. a slower ballad song, much better than 'willow of tears'.

'clouds of northland thunder' is at the most at least as good as their debut 'river of tuoni'. at worst it's a step in the wrong direction. it has great intro leads/chorus riffs, but there's more to a song than that. the guitar solos are great. still, it sounds uninspired. it's not as catchy. it's short, circa 45 min. at times its monotonous and predictable. they really should have taken more time with it and put more care into crafting it. i suspect that the record label rushed them into pumping out another album after they hit success with the debut release.