Then there was none...

And that goes for the megabit on our fiber broadband connection today... ARGH! Everything has been so slow today it's very frustrating to do anything. Ok, editing pictures of course doesn't require internet access but when I'm sending them in I need it. 
Still feel the buzz from the Symphony X show, damn that was good. I must admit I was a bit disappointed though that there was no photo pit at Pumpehuset. It all turned out ok in the end but it was impossible to get to some of the guys up on stage so the series of pictures isn't as varied as they normally are. Got the report and pics sent in after a lot of curse-words and a some freak-outs.

Next up is one more Exodus / Lost Society show. That will be fun since it was really good in Gothenburg. Of course I need to go to both when I have the opportunity. And there sure are a lot of things coming that I want to go to. 

This one for example, Ragnarökkr Metal Apocalypse

Winterhawk I missed in Greece, Satan's Host and Leather Leone I've only seen ones. And Leather was with the special show at KIT for Sledge/Leather so it really is a first. It's not that expensive to fly to Chicago either... Just the days off work that's the issue.
I also would like to see Metal Church and Riot V. They both play in Switzerland but that clashes with the above event. Metal Church plays in Hamburg which is very convenient and close... We'll see about that!

Then Muskelrock of course. And I REALLY hope it will be warmer than last year. It wasn't really fun to hang out and wait for Anvil to play the Headline slot on Saturday then...

Diamond Head, KAT, Neon Rose, Rock Goddess, Vardis (since they rocked hard at UTH), Tysondog and maybe most Salem. So it's a quite good year now also... Need to book the hotel though because there's no chance in hell I'll be camping ever again at that Festival.

And when Sweden Rock Festival announced that Michael Schenker will do a special show including 3 vocalist and one of them being Robin McCauley I have to go, or go somewhere else that thing happens. 
But for the big major Festivals it is Copenhell that's the deal. Takes about an hour to drive one way which it's worth instead of tryint to get on one of the busses back to city. Just have to see Black Sabbath once at least and the rest isn't bad either.

Metal Magic is tradition and it's damn much fun to hang out there. Also, the line-up is very good. There're some really good artists. Uli Jon Roth, Manilla Road...

In the same way Headbangers Open Air is tradition but I hope we won't end up neighbors with the Modern Talking fans again this year. Why go to a Metal Festival and play 80's pop hits all night???

Alcatraz Metal festival is always fun then... And, and, and.. Helloween is playing in Knislinge this year so I guess it will be another visit to that festival, at least on the day they're playing. 
And for the fall...

One I would really like to go to is the Frost & Fire Festival. It's a damn good line-up.

Malta Doom, Old Grave Fest... We'll see what happens with those based on all other things happening. I love going to both but it's the line-up that matters.

And the line-up of this one is purely fantastic... Sure need to get that one into the schedule also;

So I guess the last one is a must! And it shouldn't collide with any other Festival at least... But I'm sure there are other concerts and shows that will mess up the schedule. Vicious Rumors should get their new album out soon and that I have to go and see if they come for some gigs...

So many bands and so little time! What to do, what to do?

Cheers
E

NP: Symphony X - Paradise Lost

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Night to Remember

It really doesn't matter what we're doing at home nowadays, there's always a cat in the middle of everything. Maddox mainly cuddles up and falls asleep while Tipton are very close when there's a chance to snatch something tasty. Eating Icecream is not the easiest thing anymore, he's absolutely crazy about is and was from the first second he got the smell of it. It's not that we're feeding them icecream... And the same goes for cheese but the thing that generates the biggest reaction is fresh fish... It was really funny when we bought a whole salmon, head and everything and while carrying it into the Kitchen two cats jumped like crazy trying to claw through the package.

Concertseason started off very nice with Michael Schenker, Manowar and Helloween. It continues equally nice this week with Dirkschneider and Anvil. Then home and change bags and off to Up the Hammers. So looking forward to this, so many cool bands both small and big, new and old... Lethal being the absolute high point but it will be very cool to see Heir Apparent also, and, and, and...

Then I think I have a few weeks break before it starts again. Exodus & Lost Society, Symphony X... Would love to see Royal Hunt also but doubt I can squeeze that into my schedule. We're also talking about seeing one more Dirkschneider and Anvil show. Then Doom Over Scania. I really want to go to the Killfest this year too. Overkill is always great and with Vader and One Machine the line-up is a killer. Was long since I last saw Steve Smyth play live.
The Goatess tour premiere in Copenhagen before The Skull and also Magnum in Gothenburg. Wonder how I will get this schedule to fly.

And in the middle of all I'm also going up north for a visit. Really need to sort all of that out soon so the tickets won't be that expensive.

Cheers
E

And 2015 is over...

Yes, apparently another year passed and I don't know where time went. It feels like the two last years is a big blur and I have hard remembering what happened when. But it's been a quite cool year, a lot of different activities which of course have made others suffer a bit. Playing live with Void Moon in Ireland, Romania and Malta has of course been very good points, as well as it was to play with Cult of the Fox too. 
The hours spent working on guitars for Void Moon's second album "Deathwatch" was very hard but also very rewarding as it turned out really nice. I'm sooo looking forward to get a real copy in my hands. 
And as usual there's been traveling too, both in work and for my own pleasure. Worth mentioning is the visits to Jordan, Ethiopia and Sudan. To get to see the sun when it's dark and gloomy in Sweden is of course a plus. But to get to feel the Dead Sea, eat real Ethiopian Injera and just hang out in Khartoum has been fantastic. 
There has also been a few trips down to Germany and Holland for shows but not as many as it normally is. Sometimes things became a bit crazy as I locked one bag in the safety lockers at the airport to first go to a concert just to pick up the bag and go for a jobtrip, out through security, get the bag and check in again. I know Kastrup Airport by heart now I promise you.
Also, the addition of the cats to the Wallberg family. They make a mess of most everything but they are adorable and so very sweet. But it's just to forget that thing with having a moment alone in the bathroom, sleep long in the morning and so on... But the good is so much more than the annoying (shutting down my computer, stealing cheese from sandwiches, chewing on strings and shoelaces, digging under the couch for the Christmas nuts, waking up with a paw in your mouth...)

There has been very good music coming in 2015 also, classic bands releasing super albums, like Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Slayer to mention a few. But I've also missed a lot since I haven't had time to read as much as I used to. I realize this reading other peoples top-lists for 2015. It's impossible to keep up with everything I know but it bugs me a little bit that some releases just passed me by unnoticed. 

Anyway, here's my list for 2015;

01. SAXON

"Battering Ram"

It's always fun to get real good albums to review, SAXON was one of those. It's also very hard to write these reviews since the ambition to write as perfect as the album is tend to happen and the reviews can be rather extensive. But the album struck hard and survived from first second. Good to see SAXON in top shape these dark days.
Favorite track: Queen of Hearts

02. SATAN 

"Atom By Atom"

SATAN was another one I got for review. It really blew me away from start but then it dipped a bit after a few spins and I started to wonder if it was the excitement of a new release that was the case. But it caught up again and turned out as no 2 on my list. I love the speedy riffs and great melodies. 
Favorite track: Ahriman 

03. QUEENSRŸCHE 

"Condition Hüman"

This was actually a hard one to get into. I didn't think it was as good as the last one for a really long time, until I started thinking about how many times I listened to that before it got stuck. Giving it a rest for a few months and then picking it up again sure did the thing and hell yes, it's another masterpiece. Todd LaTorre rules.
Favorite track: Guardian

04. DARK QUARTERER 

"Ithaca"

To start with I didn't think that this one was as good as the old ones. But as always with the best albums they need 10-15-20 spins to land. I don't know how many times I listened to it before I could write the review but when I finally did it was again as it was when I first stumbled over DARK QUARTERER, I couldn't stop.
Favorite Track: Mind Torture

05. SATAN'S HOST

"Pre-dating God" (Parts 1 & 2)

 I'm cheating a bit here but as much as I struggled with the list I can't remove anything else from it. So instead if picking one of them, both records ended up under the same post. Fantastic release again from SATAN'S HOST, these albums they've done since Harry Conklin came back are absolutely awesome.
Favorite Track: Lady n' the Snake

06. MOTÖRHEAD 

"Bad Magic"

 It feels good that the last album MOTÖRHEAD ever released was a very strong one. Not that they ever have released a bad album but I'd say that this last one is my favorite since "Snake Bite Love". It's strong, powerful and catchy. But who could ever imagine it would be the last. It feels terrible to never be able to buy another MOTÖRHEAD ticket. I've lost count on how many times I've seen MOTÖRHEAD over the years but it's well over 30 at least. Always kick-ass!
Favorite Track: The Devil

 

07. IRON MAIDEN 

"The Book Of Souls"

That IRON MAIDEN would release something good was expected but I really really like this new one. It feels more inspired than in a long time. Not that they've ever done anything bad. But the vocal lines are more diverse and I really like the epic stuff.
Favorite Track: Tears of a Clown

 

08. SYMPHONY X 

"Underworld"

I've tried over the years to get into SYMPHONY X but never hard enough it seems, until now. Ok, I really dig the "Paradise Lost" album as well but that I didn't come around to the same year it was released and so it has been ever since. A little bit behind all the time. But I learn and picked this one up as soon as it was out and damn it's good.
Favorite Track: Run with the Devil 

09. MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK

"Spirit On A Mission"

The god, guitar god... Mr Schenker together with Tony Iommi has been the biggest inspirations for me playing guitar. There has been others too of course but Michael's melodic style of playing not many come close to. I was a bit disappointed with Spirit on a Mission initially. It was good of course but not as strong as "Bridge the Gap" I thought. But giving it some time, in the player as well as in the shelf it came around and it rocks as hard as its predecessor.
Favorite Track: Something of the Night

 

10. TRIBULATION 

"The Children Of The Night"

   

 
Ok, I admit, sometimes I download music before I buy it. I'm too curious and impatient to wait on occasion. I'd seen the cover of this album and loved it but I'm always a bit hesitant to Swedish Metal Bands. Many are good of course but few are unique. To my surprise this one struck like a hammer and it spun round after round. Next record order I had the fat box version of the release listed and it keeps spinning.
Favorite Track: In the Dreams of the Dead 

And the sone that ended up just outside the list either because other was better or I didn't give them enough time;
Cage - Ancient Evil
Circle II Circle - Reign of Darkness
Damien Thorne - Soul Stealer
Enforcer - From Beyond
Helloween - My God-given Right
Iron Kingdom - Ride for Glory
Jameson Raid - Uninvited Guests
Jorn Lande & Trond Holter - Dracula
Masters Of Metal
Night Viper - Night Viper
Paradise Lost - The Plague Within
Parallel Minds - Headlong Disaster
Ram - Svbversvm
Scanner - The Judgement
Slayer - Repentless
Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
Tad Morose - St. Demonius
Tank - Valley of Tears
Transsiberian Orchestra - Letters from the Labyrinth
WASP - Golgotha

But, there are always something missed, some records that came in too late or for some other reason didn't make it, even if, looking at it now they probably should have. One of them;
Helloween - My Godgiven Right. 

I reviewed it and loved it, left it to rest for a while and it didn't feel as good. And now, when preparing for the concert it's been spinning again and damn it's good... If I'd picked it up earlier it should have been on the Top 10.

And then, Iron Kingdom - Ride for Glory

 It's not Power Metal, Not Prog Metal, Not Heavy Metal but at the same time all of it. These Canadians are also fantastic musicians and have managed to release one hell of an album again. Got it in just after Christmas though, bad planning from me.

So, I've probably forgotten a lot of records but this is the conclusion for now. It will probably look different in a few weeks.

Cheers
E

NP: Sarasin - Sarasin

 

Better late than never, right?

Yep, sometimes it takes a while for the coins to fall down as we say here in Sweden... I admit I was really disappointed with Nevermore's "Obsidian Conspiracy" when it was released. The production wasn't as smashing compared to what's normal for them. Also, it felt like they've reused some of their old stuff.

All of that might be true though. But today when I picked up the record, for the fourth or fifth time (I gave it a lot of spins for each session of course) it all fell into place. It sounds exactly like Nevermore shall sound. Controlled, technical, melodic, melancholic...
Warrel sounds a little strained on a few occasions and there's not as much of the high pitch vocals anymore. Still this sounds amazing. The six first songs is really perfect, and the suite with "Your Poison Throne", "Moonrise" and "And The Maiden Spoke" is just as good as any other Nevermore album. My favorites though are "Emptiness Unobstructed" and "The Blue Marble And The New Soul".
Still the title track can't measure up to "This Godless Endeavour" though...

So, this really shows that brand new reviews that are pushed out a few weeks prior to the release isn't the real ones... Would be quite cool to add another point of view after a year or two to some reviews...

Cheers
E

NP: Symphony X - Paradise Lost