It’s criminal how little publicity these Scottish power metallers seem to be getting. Dragonforce-esque fretboard athletics, a penchant for lightning-fast tempos, high-pitched vocals and a general all-round energetic and vibrant spirit. But all of the above is achieved with SO much musicianship, precision and technical talent that it provoked nothing but raised eyebrows and mile-wide grins for me upon first listen. The story of the album is well told and every single bonkers OTT track contributes something a little different whilst staying true to their ‘LOOK HOW FUCKING GOOD WE ARE’ ethos. Quite easily top of the pile for 2023 in my eyes, and “Sayonara” is the best power metal chorus I’ve heard since Bloodbound’s “Dragons Are Forever”. (Larry Best)
Atomwinter present the kind of death metal familiar to older listeners in the European scene. As huge gnarly guitars drive the sound forward, the rhythms relent to both quick and slow paces with the same disgusting and horrified attitude present. Not so keen on the melodic end of the spectrum, Sakrileg packs all the mid-paced disdain the Germans are capable of, somewhat in the tradition of Asphyx. Though not immediately possible to tell the songs apart, the physical reaction to the album is massive and comes straight from the gut. Atomwinter may be on their fourth album and first with new vocalist Florian Bauer, but this is deeply rooted in the old-school traditions of the genre. (Edmund Morton)
Before you even get into the circumstances of its appearance this year, this record is one of Bodyfarm’s best and a fabulous addition to the old school Death Metal libraries, dripping with rapid-fire killer riffs and macabre melody. But when you consider this is the work of an act who’ve had to come back from tragically losing one of their own, this is both a strong statement of survival spirit and a fitting tribute to the sadly passed Thomas Wouters. (Thomas Carne)
Out of all the great symphonic metal releases we’ve had in these first months of 2023, Xandria’s comeback album The Wonders Still Awaiting is the one that impressed me the most. Founding member Marco Heubaum didn’t hold back on this one. He brought in a completely new band (including the excellent new singer Ambre Vourvahis), as well as Austrian composer Lukas Knöbl for orchestrations, two choirs, and several guest musicians. The end result is an album that feels grandiose in every aspect, with heavy guitars dueling relentlessly with bombastic orchestrations and choirs, while Ambre Vourvahis’ soaring vocals float on top of it all. Additionally, Heubaum did an excellent job with the production, as the songs are always easy to follow and firmly centered on strong vocal hooks. (Daniele Nosenzo)
