Grand Magus, Sword Songs

Take charge and commaaaaaand!!! That would be Grand Magus in a nutshell.  A band with clear connections and respect towards the past, whether we’re talking about the Black Sabbath-like doom of their first few albums, or about the Iron Maiden-inspired heavy metal of their current albums, they are definitely a sight for sore eyes (a sound for sore ears?) in the world of contemporary metal. With a constancy and balance that few of the lesser known bands have been able to achieve, Grand Magus are like a train that doesn’t slow down or stop, in their career in general, and on this album in particular.

Crematory, Monument

Crematory’s new album Monument has been advertised by the band as a return to the roots, with a heavier and darker sound than on the last few albums. Now, I admit that I haven’t been paying much attention to their newer albums and the Crematory I’m familiar with is the older one, so I can’t quite make the comparison, but to my ears it doesn’t sound as heavy and as dark as what I was used to. I guess they have to say stuff like that to market the album, so I take it with a grain of salt.

Stelele Rock-ului Romanesc, Arenele Romane, 16.04.2016

This Saturday was a good day to be a fan of Romanian rock and metal, as the „stars” of the genre gathered to Arenele Romane to entertain the fans and prove once again that Romanian rock is not dead (it’s cute that from time to time a group of artists and/or promoters feels the need to do that, even though we all clearly know it’s not dead, judging by concert attendance in general). Anyway, I’m not complaining, the more the better.

Van Canto, Voices of fire

Ah, Van Canto, never change, no matter what countless of random people on the Internet tell you.

Signed,

Random person on the Internet

Oceans of slumber, Winter

Oceans of Slumber were already a promising band with their debut album Aetherial, but when they uploaded the videos with their new singer, Cammie Gilbert, I simply fell in love (and had the Candlemass cover on repeat for a few days). It was a bold and unusual decision to change their male lead singer with a female one, but I think they made an excellent choice, since Cammie is fantastic. Her voice is deep, soulful, sensual and full of personality and versatility. Also, she saves puppies in her free time (truly, she’s a volunteer for a wildlife protection center and since I have a soft spot for people who love animals, it makes me appreciate her even more).