Tag: power metal

  • Dark Age: Acedia

    A very solid mature release that should garner them some attention, Acedia is chock full of very well written songs that are smartly paced and demand repeat listens.

  • Mob Rules: Radical Peace

    Now on album number seven, this is their heaviest release to date by far. They still retain a bit of a prog vibe but the way the riffs are written they just reek of full on power metal.

  • Axxis: Utopia

    Incredibly upbeat and dominant despite the overuse of operatics and keyboards—they still sound stuck somewhere between Diary Of A Madman and The Neverending Story soundtrack—Utopia is an indelibly catchy affair even if it refuses to advance the state of metal.

  • U.D.O.: Dominator

    Unfortunately, while the best moments of Dominator would make a pretty solid EP, this mostly mid-paced album has a hard time holding my attention for 50 minutes.

  • Sonata Arctica: The Days of Grays

    This album has changed my entire perspective on power metal, as I have always viewed it as a cheesy and cliché attempt at applying emotion to music. If there are three things that Sonata Arctica have justified on The Days of Grays, it is that the genre is indeed epic, captivating and genuinely metal. And…

  • Photo Gallery: Sonata Arctica Live In Toronto, October 2, 2009

    Here are more photos of Finland’s Sonata Arctica, as shot by Hellbound.ca’s Adam Wills during their recent show with DragonForce at Toronto’s Opera House. All photos are copyright Adam Wills and Hellbound.ca

  • DragonForce/Sonata Arctica/Taking Dawn @ Odeon, Saskatoon, SK, September 25, 2009

    About once a year we here in Saskabush are treated to a little variety by a reputable band that actually likes to sing every once in a while, and it’s always remarkable to witness the turnout. There’s a definite hunger for the melodic stuff out here, and judging by the big, lively crowd that packed…

  • Luna Mortis: The Absence

    Luna Mortis are predictable but nevertheless have some strong moments on this first Century Media outing.

  • Sinner: Judgement Day/The Nature of Evil/There Will Be Execution

    Over time, Sinner has evolved from a cheesy hard rock band into a more serious power metal band into a repository for ideas that would not fit on a Primal Fear album. Of the three albums considered here, Judgement Day marks the transition from the first to the second stage while the remaining two albums…

  • Edguy: F**king With Fire-Live

    German power metal band Edguy returns with their second live album. Recorded live in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2006 in front of 5,000 Edguy maniacs on the Rocket Ride tour, this fourteen track two cd set displays the full impact of this band.