I've been having a renaissance with Blind Guardian in recent years. They were one of the earlier power metal bands I listened to, but grew to not like Hansi's voice for quite some time. I think I was partially annoyed because of him being in Demons & Wizards, at a point at which I was becoming a total Matt Barlow fanboy. But now I've come back around on it in the last years. Really solid album. "Architects of Doom" is just pure awesome. Hansi is cheating by having three of my favorite vocalists as part of his backing choir for this album though.
This has grown on me a lot since my first spins...I thought it was ok at first, but didn't quite wow me...which is basically what's been happening with more recent BG albums. I kept coming back to it, though. I didn't really see it as a "return to their roots", nor did I care (I like BG both in their more straightforward and complex form). I just think the melodies are generally stronger and more engaging, and the whole thing is a bit "riff-ier", especially if compared to At The Edge of Time and Beyond the Red Mirror. Sure, it feels less of a big statement compared to those albums, but I think the songs are better.
Bottom line for me - while it can't touch peak BG, it was a nice surprise and my favorite from them in a little while.
Species - To Find Deliverance
Cool full-length debut for this Polish trio, in the vein of that late 80s-early 90s, technical-but-not-too-technical thrash.
I can hear some Coroner in there (perhaps some mid-career Voivod too). The riffage is super-tasty. Vocals are bit on the harsh side, but not too much, and the production, while relatively unpolished, does its job. Very good performances all around, and the 11-minute (!) closer, Ex Machina, is surprisingly engaging (lots of cool, melodic instrumental stuff in the second half of the song). There's room for improvement in the songwriting, I think, but I've enjoyed it.
Just listened to this again and it really is very good. This is gonna start creeping up my rankings for the year I think 
Nice!
You went back a few months for this one
Yep, this kind of thrash is right in my wheelhouse. Again, perhaps unsurprisingly, a little rough around the edges, but a cool record.
Topic: What album are you listening to? v.7 (Read 188192 times)
