Lanternlight

Spider Silk (orchestral version)

Something Whispered Follow Me (orchestral version)

Lanternlight (orchestral version)

The Day Of… (orchestral version)

Sway (orchestral version)

The Children of ’Ata (orchestral version)

An Ocean of Strange Islands

Perfume of the Timeless

The Weave (orchestral version)

Something Whispered Follow Me

The Children of ’Ata

Perfume of the Timeless (orchestral version)

Sway

Spider Silk

Yesterwynde

The Antikythera Mechanism

The Day Of…

An Ocean of Strange Islands (orchestral version)

The Antikythera Mechanism (orchestral version)

Yesterwynde (orchestral version)

Hiraeth

The Weave

Nightwish

The album starts of amazingly,  with some of Nightwish's best work to date; then Troy is put on vocals and I'm just like "ugh." Come on, Tuomas, he's a terrible vocalist.

Mastering is a little overdone, but is forgivable, and mixing feels off, as well. I'll give 'em props for the progressive/experimental nature of the album; probably their most progressive album to date. Will require more listens to garner more appreciation here, and if not for the less than satisfactory engineering work, it'd probably be a grower. Not a fan of the synthy/80s poppish moments ("The Day of..." was a, erm, failed experiment imo).

Also what's with the repetition of "we are" in some of the songs' lyrics... lol it sounds like a Penn State advertisement.

Overall a considerable improvement over Human:||:Nature as it is much more consistent (and has more DR, I think), and in some ways better than Endless Forms Most Beautiful, as it is more ambitious (and bombastic, like their earlier work), but lacks the concise refinement that made EFMB masterful imo. Goes a little too far into left field for me, but at least it doesn't have the "kumbaya" moments of their previous album...

"An Ocean of Strange Islands" is kind of by a long shot the best song on the album and probably of Jansen-era thus far. It's not even close, how much better than the rest of the album it is. "Something Whispered Follow Me" is probably Nightwish's first dive into proper prog metal, too, and it's quite good (kind of has some Opethian vibes imo).

Upon second listen, ig my other major complaint would be that the symphonics here really sound bad, like MIDI. It doesn't feel organic like on the previous 2 albums...

SNARE

WARRIDO

ZUMN-VIGO

COZHRITTO

LAIPTHCIG

JARREGOH

MOKCHILCO

VRRESTO

BEGUOTTO

FFENNIKO

DAGDAD

KPALIGOTH

SAVOLLODIX

LARIKOSCHODEL

QUOPERN

Ruins

Vrresto

Admittedly as I’m now on my 11th short review of a Ruins album, I’m running out of different ways to describe their bonkers take on music. But while their early albums were akin to recording the sound of throwing a drum kit and guitars down a long flight of stairs, there is an evolution. Make no mistake, Vrresto is complex to the extreme and is far from accessible to the masses, however there is a high level of technical skill, and dare I say it, refinement, despite the jarring wall of noise. It’s Avant-Garde, RIO, Zeuhl, and a little jazzy. For a semi-accessible example of the latter, as well as that tight technical refinement and a bit of craziness, have a listen to the second half of Kpaligoth. A track by track review would be a serious feat, instead I’ll just suggest listening to the section of Quopern, Laipthcig and Jarragoh as a good sampler.

Symphonica

Primarily a duo of drums and bass guitar, for this album Ruins is expanded to include two female vocalists and a keyboardist, reworking some earlier tracks with the new faces. The result is something more layered, less chaotic, and certainly more accessible. Thebes becomes almost a classic Magma Zeuhl track, slow, dark and brooding with some shrieky vocals and it is the mellotron which gives it some extra gravitas. The more punky origins are present elsewhere, including on a great version of Graviyaunosch and the added keys takes nothing away from the high standard drumming and bassline. The album title and the addition of a keyboardist makes it fairy obvious what they're aiming for, and Praha in Spring is perhaps the most symphonic in sound, vocals aside it wouldn't sound out of place on a Genesis album. Infect is very different from its original, slowed down to double length and highly Zeuhl with some jazzy jamming in parts. A reinvention/re-evolution of Ruins style (or some might say the first time they've had some!). Having listened to their output in chronological order so far, this is by far their most accessible, and the first I would happily sit all the way through again.

Korona

Kechech

Elet-Fa

Toudath

Erheu

Hirech

Szepseg

Lady-Rap

Dieutzech

Ichmereth

Yochk'o Seffer

Yog 2 - Sefira

For his second 'Yog' album, Yochk'o Seffer teamed up again with jazz composer, keyboardist and programmer Thierry Maillard, whose work here is perhaps more dominant than Seffer's saxophony. The drumming and keys are so very synthetic (at times I wondered if it was using preset rhythms you'd get on a keyboard), and so loud in the mix that the Sax work is sometimes a mere footnote, which is a bit of shame. There's also no traces of Seffer's Zeuhl days here. Such is the way of this style of jazz with a lot of free-form improv that you do sometimes feel Seffer and Maillard were sat in different rooms and just played something with no communication, and just merged it together. Hirech and Lady-rap have a little bit of difference about them with some funk style but that's the only point of difference. It all just feels too artifical, and certainly doesn't have the appeal of Seffer's more experimental Neffesh Music series.

KoenjiHyakkei

Viva Koenji

Psychotic, frenetic, hyperactive. Zeuhl, avant-garde, metal. This album is a completely exhausting freak-out, full of demented vocals in fast-paced chants and thrashy instrumentation. Not one to listen to if you’re feeling a bit anxious or have a headache already. The female vocalists in particular are classic Zeuhl style, with the rest very much RIO and often like someone has thrown a series of musical instruments down a long flight of stairs – only slightly less chaotic than Ruins.  Its hard to pick out a track or two that are any better than the rest, but the longer tracks at either end are perhaps the most interesting and least violent. Its incredibly complex, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s that good.

Bondage Fruit

Bondage Fruit III - Récit

For their third album, Bondage Fruit go live and take in a slight change of sound, dropping the two female vocalists and evolving into an instrumental King Crimson meets Led Zeppelin style. The influences from Zeuhl and RIO are still there for sure, but there’s a lot more improvisational  jamming (at least two of those three also being a King Crimson trope). The opening 12 minute track Odd-job certainly wouldn’t seem out of place in Fripp & Co.’s discography, while the next rack takes a mellow turn, merging Floydian guitar with a minimal vibraphone, with some later violin, drums and programmed elements for added effect. Shortwave from Outer Space is a brief electronic interlude before the explosive Frost and Fire, with powerful drums and at times almost surfer-style guitars. A passage of this track also has a krautrock feel to it with galloping drums and frenetic violin. 

We’re then onto the absolute monster of a track, Recit. The drumming in particular is a fantastic and frenetic piece of work which underpins a series of guitar riffs and violin elements. While much of it seems improvisational jamming, as another reviewer has pointed out, many of the riffs and rhythms worked through have an odd familiarity as if a tribute to some of the prog greats, however they are worked through so rapidly in between the frenetic jamming that it’s hard to pick out where they may be from. The jamming gets more and more frenetic and violent before breaking suddenly at the half way mark for an interlude with only the vibraphone playing solo. Guitar and violin fading in signify a foreboding mood and a slow build up to pace once again, and it’s the same frenetic jamming as before, right up to a lingering end to the track. It is very good, but really its far too long!

The final track Kinzoku No Taiji is another improvisational fast-paced jam which immediately after listening to the 28 minute epic, seems like a footnote and a continuation of what went on before.

As a whole, a good blend of styles, both contemporary and with nods to the past influences. Sadly for me though, the length of the final jamming almost makes me forget about the brilliant tracks that precede it.

Scentless Core - Budding

When the Fire and the Rose Were One

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Far From Where Dreams Unfurl

The Tyranny of Imagination

O Resolution!

Sleeping Ambassadors of the Sun

The Unimaginable Zero Summer

Scentless Core - Fading

Wilderun

Veil of Imagination

I hate that I am actually starting to enjoy this one more than Epigone. Let me clarify that Veil of Imagination can't hold a candle to Epigone, compositionally, and the fact that this album is the most overrated metal album of the late 2010s doesn't help me want to admit my confession below, however while the production here still is not good at all, it is significantly better than Epigone's because Jens Bogren completely ruins everything he touches. Anyway, for some reason I put Veil of Imagination on today and was unusually captivated by it. Indeed perhaps, dare I admit, that the album is growing on me... I still think it's wayyy to similar to Reveries-era Opeth, and there is also wayyy to much meandering. But where it shines, and when it's good, it is exceptional! The album is also irkingly front-heavy imo, whereas Epigone is a lot more consistent (but man, the production ruined that one). Raising my score a bit for now...

Funny Equals Pain

Boris

Melvins & Boris: Twins of Evil

Man, I so regret not buying the cheapy CD before it ran out lol This is absolutely solid! Amazing, also, how the Melvins side is proggier than the Boris side. Production is great as well. Strong recommendation across the board. Be warned, the Melvins song is a reworked "Pain Equals Funny" from Tarantula Heart, which itself bears striking resemblence to "Mister Dog is Totally Right" from Bad Mood Rising. The Boris song is totally original, to my knowledge.

Dream Unending - So Many Chances

Dream Unending - If Not Now When

Worm - Ravenblood

Worm - Midwinter Tears

Worm - Sea Of Sorrow

Dream Unending

Starpath (w/ Worm)

It's hard to rate this one because the Dream Unending side was pretty unimpressive to me (this isn't a band with which I am familiar), and pretty poorly produced. The Worm side, including but not limited to its production, however is absolutely great. I think this would have made a great EP for Worm, or if combined with Bluenothing, a solid LP. 64 (weak C) for Dream Unending and 79/80 (strong B/weak A) for Worm. Rounding to 70 (weak B) overall.

Ignition

Collision

Kali Yuga

Rackman

Collapse

Monkey3

Welcome To The Machine

Monkey3's album Sphere is one of my all-time favorites. Was eagerly awaiting this one. Bottom line, it's fine. But not as much energy, doesn't really expand on what they've already done. Still good, but I doubt I'll come back to it after 2024.

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