Hail Anette Olzon

The long wait is finally over. After unceremoniously offloading one of the best singers in the industry (Tarja Turunen), Nightwish have announced not only the new vocalist, but also have done it with a beautiful song dedicated to children everywhere. Anette Olzon is a new breath of fresh air. Just listen to the single and you will get the idea. Soft , melodic vocals introduce this singer from a hugely popular band that surely knows no limits. So make a wish, and it will be so!

And listening to the other 3 samples on the Nightwish web-site, it is clear to see that despite three years having passed since ‘Once’, the power is still there. God I can’t wait until September!

Meanwhile, the single EVA is available from NuclearBlast records. All proceeds are going to aiding children in third world countries. Don’t you even dare try to download it illegally!

I belong…

Two days now since the Champions League cup final has been done and dusted. And after Milan ran out deserved winners, a couple of scenes caught my eye. One was the salute that the Milan players gave to the Liverpool warriors as they made their way up the steps to collect the silver medal from ‘Le Roi’, my favourite Juve player ever…Michel Platini.

The second one brought tears to my eyes. Young, handsome, immensely rich and popular everywhere… and the first thing he does after winning not only this prestigious competition, but also the top scorer award? He gets down on his knees and prays. Thanking God for his love. Now that is what I call a man with guts and sense. Hail mighty Kaka’…may God’s light shine on you through your years.

Bah…and I’m not even a Milan fan. But then…honour to the victors.

So many music, so many emotions

So, a spate of new albums, and a surprise! Let’s start off with Dreamtheater’s offering. In my buddy Raphael’s own words , Systematic Chaos leaves you BREATHLESS! A hugely melodic album with DT’s famous progressive style. Words just dry up in the face of the onslaught by this huge band. A very good album, maybe let down a little bit by too many changes in rhythm in a track. And while that is the whole point of progressive metal, it is a bit tiring to listen to.

Another album I have been waiting for is from Vision of Atlantis. Trinity comes a good three years after Castaway, in my humble opinion,one of the best albums in metal, EVER! Period! So, how does Trinity fare up? Well, I am a bit mixed up here. I desperately want to like this album, but it is so different from their previous offering that I don’t know what to make of it. I think I will give this some time to settle before making a decision. Usually an album that takes time to settle on your ears becomes a favourite one, let’s hope that this is the case!

So! On with the next album…OZZY OZZY OZZY OZZY OZZY..ok,ok enough. you got my point. The Prince of Darkness is back with his new album ‘Black Rain’. GO OUT AND BUY IT! NOW DAMMIT! This is a STONKER of an album. So different from the last album, and so refreshingly different. I don’t think I can write an unbiased review here. Why? I have always loved Ozzy. Always. Ever since hearing Paranoid I have been addicted to his voice. The riffing of Zakk Wylde is nothing short of stupendous and his playing here reaches peaks I thought he had already reached. Ah…but does he have a ballad in there? The hell he does! ‘Here For You’ is an arena lighters-on song. But what about the rest? Nothing much to say except that the whole album is magnificent. Far better than ‘Down to Earth’. Trust me. You’ll love this one. I have naughtily downloaded the promo from the net on this album. But I have already ordered mine from play.com..2 copies…yes 2 copies…

So what’s the surprise? Raphael was by round my house on Thursday when he mentioned a band called called Angtoria, who have an album called ‘God has a plan for us all.’ (2006)

I am actually wiping away my tears as I write about this album. I am going out on a limb here ok? THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS I HAVE EVER HEARD. This is amazing stuff. Their debut album no less. This is up with ‘Castaway’ , ‘Once’ and ‘Heart of Everything’, to be stuck on my mp3 player forever.

The lyrics are dark, brooding and sometimes scary, with all the pent-up emotions of the song-writers etched on their sleeve. The music is flowing, melodic, orchestral and convey the meaning of the lyrics magnificently. This is obscenely beautiful and moving. The vocals are in-fucking-credible. Deeply, deeply moving!

This is an album that is not to be missed. Thank you Raphael. You have made my day today. I have been playing this album solid for two whole days now!

Once again, I am proud to be called a metalhead!

Keep metal! \m/

Scorpions album out!

Some time after I have listened to the RUSH album endlessly, another surprise springs forth in the shape of the mighty SCORPIONS..and what a humdinger of an album this is! Simply brilliant! Great growling guitar licks and riffs, brilliant vocal tunes, drumming and bass-work. But what really distinguishes the Scorps from other bands is their song-writing. Jesus Jesus what an album. I thought that the last effort, Unbreakable was great… but this is something else!!! Get this at once!

And Joy of Joys, the masters of progressive (after RUSH) , the absolutely fantastic DREAMTHEATER have just released their new album for 2007. Systematic Chaos is the title, and obviously I have put an order.. can’t wait till I get it! Knowing the Dream, it will be massive, although I felt that with Octavarium, they could go no higher. What an album that was!

On the Stillborn front, all is err…..still…changes to the line-up seem imminent again, just as we have practiced relentlessly and getting ready to go live again… any pianists reading this? We simply cannot delay the album any more though, and it seems that as soon as we have the cds we will go ahead and launch.

Keep Metal \m/

Snakes and Arrows

Hurrah! Snakes and Arrows, the new album from RUSH, is finally here and thumping on my home stereo system. And what an album this is. Straight from the catchy ‘Far Cry’ right through ‘The Main Monkey Business’ and on to ‘The Way the wind blows’, this is an album that you will stick in your player and glue the drawer!

For three guys to make such an awesome sound is nothing short of amazing. Rush have always had a strong song-writing tradition, and their instrumental hits are really grand. Who can’t remember YYZ and La Villa Strangiato? Well in this album we have ‘The Main Monkey Business’ which is simply awesome.

So for the moment I am savouring the music before writing a more in-depth review. Let’s see how long the good feeling lasts.

Meanwhile I have heard that Rush will be touring the UK in October…now that’s a thought to ponder.

RUSH RULE!

Kicked out again…

It’s been a bitter sweet match result for me. First of all, I am NOT a Man.Utd. fan…. far from it. First and foremost I am a Juventus supporter, with Spurs coming a distant second place. But in all honesty I wanted United to win the tie against Milan yesterday for financial reasons. You see, back in August last year I placed a small 10Euro bet on United winning the Premier AND the Champions League. Damn…would have made a really nice return on my investment at that early stage.

So before the match last night, my footballing buddies Jonathan and Joseph were banging on my front door. As usual we had our usual popcorn, snacks, pizza, and of course wine… all cholesterol free of course…ahem… anyway, I guess the snacks didn’t go down a treat this week as there was still a half-bottle of wine left as the guys made their way home. So I just did it justice…mmmmm.

There was obviously a lot of ribbing going on at work this morning, all in good nature obviously… or was it? I dare not tangle with Joseph. He’s built like Schwarzenneger in his prime!

Until next time…keep safe

and KEEP METAL!