The Viking in the Wilderness - reviews and news

(83:08; Rock Company) Track list: 1. A Dragon's Tale 2:01 2. Regnum Draconis 3:35 3. Aenoor 3:18 4. Glynyd 5:03 5. Gol Matoo - Meteorite Impact 9:02 6. Ael Hathor 7:58 7. Ieeryah 7:29 8. Pandor's Adoption 6:20 9. The Meeting 7:06 10. Tayla's Teachings 2:56 11. The Prophecy - Tayla's Mission 6:35 12. Consulting Serna 7:02 13. Certamen Ultimus 7:26 14. Salus Orbis 7:17 Line-up: Koos Thönissen - guitars, synthesizers, bass, mandolin, percussion, vibra slap, didgeridoo, drums, soundscapes with: Jeroen van den Biggelaar - guitars Ron van Rhee - flute Sascha Burchardt - vocals Emmelie van Deurzen - vocals Jacqueline van Elsbergen - vocals Cathy van der Valk - vocals Koos Thönissen - vocals Anita Alberts - backing - vocals Ian Jillings - voice Huw Lloyd Jones - voice Dutch project Cryptic Nature is the creative vehicle of composer and multi-instrumentalist Koos J. Thönissen, and with the double album "Pandor" he set out to create his very own rock opera by writing th

  Swiss band Dead Born Vision are out with the album "Moving Through", and metal is the style explored on this production. Thrash metal is the name of the game for this band, and with gruff vocals leading the charge we get a band that are fond of their chugging and meaty guitar riff cascades just as much as they treasure some nice and neat circulating guitar riff patterns. With flowing and elegant guitar solo runs as a recurring element throughout, and with a little bit of a melancholic feel in some of the guitar lead departments to boot. The band also enjoy adding in a little bit of extra intensity along the way, with some of the more intense passages having a little bit of a flirt with the extreme metal tradition in terms of pace, momentum and vibrant energy. In addition they have chosen to add a few sound effects of different kinds to some of the songs, like the sound of a beer bottle being opened used to kick off the final tune 'Crack a Cold One'. An album to seek

Swiss band King Sable are out with the album "Nothing But The Truth", and metal is the style explored on this production. The core foundation of this band is what I'd describe as a more contemporary take on the traditional heavy metal form, with a nice array of chugging guitar riffs and galloping riff and rhythm constellations being something of a mainstay. More distinct staccato riff and rhythm arrangements expand the boundaries somewhat though, and along with that we have the combination of more controlled and melodic lead vocals with a bit of a talk like mode of delivery alternating with more aggressive vocal displays that have a stronger attachment to the hardcore tradition. With liberal use of guitar solo overlays that adds a more distinct melodic touch to the proceedings that offset and contrast with the more aggro sometime vocal displays. An album to seek out by those who find the notion of melodic heavy metal seasoned with a bit of hardcore aggression to be an int

Multinational band Lava Abyss released the album "Sacrificial Ritual of Primordial Fire" back in 2021, with a CD edition appearing now in 2024, and metal is the style explored on this production. It is a harsh and bleak landscape that is explored on this production, with a distanced, closed in sound aesthetic being the chosen path for the mix and production direction of this album. Where twisted and distorted lead vocals emphasize the bleak feeling of an otherworldly existence that the production values have established. The songs themselves do come with a little bit of a progressive attitude, with a high number of shifts and alterations in pace, flow and intensity. More intense riff and rhythm barrages is a part of the deal just as much as slower paced sections closing in on the doom metal tradition in form and execution, and with a little bit of thrash metal thrown in too unless I'm much mistaken. We also get a fair number of more melodic and atmospheric