MetalMania! My Metal Reviews

[Spyglass]

Apparenlly, BEE's attempts to popularize metal in the charts are failing and backfiring. As a raging metalhead, I think it's fair that I help the cause and start my own reviews thread. If the attempts to de-rockify the charts must start with metal, so be it. Join me as I explore the classic and the modern, the beauties and the beasts, and hopefully revitalize BE A and give it a breathe of fresh life. Join me in MetalMania!

Only in PBS.I

First review coming soon.
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Do it yourself and let me play my music: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=61802

[Spyglass]

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Mestarin Kynsi by Oranssi Pazuzu
Styles: Black Metal, Avant-Garde Metal, Psychedelic Metal
Release Date: April 17, 2020

SHORT VERSION

So, Rateyourmusic's 2020 chart has several metal albums in the top ten, and we don't have a single one in the top 20 here on Besteveralbums. If you want to spice up your charts and don't know where to start with such an overworked genre like metal, here's a rare album to get you started: Mestarin Kynsi By Oranssi Pazuzu. Oranssi Pazuzu are an odd bunch known for putting a psychedelic twist on black metal, except to a higher level than black metal bands who've done it before. It took them a while to master this art, but they found a way with Varahtelija in 2016 and have returned with a much more experimental album which makes an album as awesome as Varahtelija look like a Kids Bop compilation.I

The album consistently flows with imagination and unpredictable behavior. A vast range of sonic landscapes and tribal, terrifying rhythms create a very hypnotic presence that breathes an inspiring new life into an overworked scene that produces 1,000 albums a year. The psychedelic undertones are brought out from the depths of gimmickhood to a real attention grabber and a true essence of spirit. As a huge fan of experimental music, I can't deny that this is one of the most creative black metal albums I've ever heard. The level of focus that went into it puts the rest of the band's catalogue to shame. The album was a refresher for me as well since 2020 and her musical endeavors were a big disappointment for nearly three months. For this to come and change the game brought me back to the journey of 2020 music, and I had things to look forward to again.

If you like black metal, then Mestarin Kynsi isn't just an essential for 2020, it's essential period. It's probably only flawed by its length, but that's entirely based on the level of patience the music man has. Honestly, I found Panopticon By Isis a much more trying album in that way, but I'll gladly spend six songs in 50 minutes with an album that continuously blew my mind and remained unpredictable for the majority of the album

Final score: 10



SONG DETAILS

At first the first track is a little hard to follow, but once the rhythm kicks in the time and approach of Mestarin Kynsi becomes hypnotic. The robotic undertones of "Ilmestys" bring out the spirit of the album and help the creepiness. I felt like I was trapped in a monster cave that I didn't want to leave. The song is certainly black metal, but it proceeds like an experimental darkness piece. The hypnotic tone shifts to an atmospheric one through "Tyhjyyden Sakramentti" which takes a few pages from the book of 2010's Blut Aus Nord, especially the psychedelic and sonic delivery of 2019's Hallucinogen. By this point I was hooked on this album. This track is split into three acts: a soft psychedelic intro for mood, a heavier and more energetic middle section that still let's the aura do the talking, and a cinematic finale which forsaken most of the progressive elements to deliver an epic climax that slowly builds up some psychedelia for the sake of maintaining consistency. It's essentially an "atmospheric clack metal" song. If I had to nitpick, I'd say this song is a little noisier than necessary and that the production of "Ilmestys" was superior.

Now we get to this final song on Side A which takes a dramatic and Avant-Garde approach to balancing atmosphere and freedom to experiment: "Uusi Teknokratia.". The atmosphere is largely built through sound effects that are carefully molded into the rhythm to give it that edge it needed to not only improve on the previous track but to maintain a balance between the heavily Avant-Garde opener and the less experimental follow-up, allowing the next track to remain completely unpredictable. Three were three bandmates who used synthesizers on this album, and they went above and beyond with them until the halfway point of "Uusi" was reached and it was time to let feminine and ghostly backing vocals as well as real riffage do the talking.

Side B gets into a cinematic violin pretty quickly through "Oikeamielisten sali," but it's repetitive rhythm is paired with the faint, eerie atmosphere to keep this broken record sound fixed. Once we get to the real point of this piece of work, it evolves into an epic and slow-paced burst of atmospheric power that builds up the rough, hard rock infused first verse. This song let's the singer wail some of the finest and most perfectly inducted screams in atmospheric black metal I've ever heard. They feel real and are never forced. This is by far the most epic of the first four tracks. Next comes "Kuulen ääniä maan alta," which builds up the simple and monotonous riff with a heavier use of special effects like something out of an electronic album. In fact, the effects are the main focus when Ville Leppilahti / Evill isn't delivering some of his finest vocals ever or when the black metal riffage bursts out in a powerful manner. Everything evens out in the end, creating a perfect testament to Oranssi's skills. The album ends with "Taivaan portti," which dives head first into experimental backgrounds while maintaining a Gothic and frightening synthesizer to balance a noisy and chaotic riff. Will goes right into atmospheric screaming as well, so the point of "Taivaan portti" was likely to create an epic ending to an as metal album. This finale mostly overcomes it's blatant monotony with the strongest sense of aura Oranssi has put out in their whole career. It's like a sonic version of the ending scenes to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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Do it yourself and let me play my music: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=61802

[Fischman]

Don't listen to as much metal as I used to, but I'll be following. I might find some nuggets here. Your efforts will be appreciated.

[Repo]

[LedZep]

Great idea, great album for start. If you're not into metal and would like some modern stuff, start with Oranssi Pazuzu, that's what I've been telling hipsters since 2015 or so.
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Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[Spyglass]

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Curse of the Crystal Coconut by Alestorm
Styles: Power Metal, Pirate Metal, Folk Metal
Release Date: May 29, 2020

For my second review, I didn't want to stick with another five-star album because I would likely be overloading them. But I still wanted to stick with an album that has some sort of following. And then I found out that the new Alestorm was out. Curse of the Crystal Coconut, believe it or not, is a Donkey Kong 64 reference. Alestorm even had a giveaway that included an "Alestorm branded" Nintendo 64 and a copy of that game. If you like pirate metal bands who make Donkey Kong references and create contests based on it, you are a real man and I wish to drink ale with you. If not, you are sad and I wish to pee in your apple rose. Of course, that's just me being a power metal geek, but still.

Unfortunately, they didn't start this awesome gimmick earlier in their career. The pirate metal thing didn't explore new worlds and frontiers like any real pirate should. Alestorm kept to the basics because it sold, and now the charm is slowly starting to wear off. But this doesn't mean the album's not fun anymore. Alestorm haven't lost their sense of a good time at all, they just lost some of their creativity along the way. The violin riffs are still very catchy and pirate-y, so the soul of their sound remains just as strong, thankfully. It's just very easy to see why the band ran out of ideas: they didn't bother to create any new ideas. There are some cool riffs (both of electric guitar and acoustic violin), and the Alestorm vibe gets me pumped up about as much as the other Alestorm album's I've exposed myself to.

In short, if you still feel like drinking ale and dancing on a table with Blackbeard (or even with Merry and Pippin if you prefer), then Alestorm still managed to do their job. I guess for a gimmick band, that really matters more than anything. But if a Donkey Kong reference is the best thing they can do to sell, it's time for the style to be changed a bit to live up to the glory. Even Jack Sparrow got old. Hell, the only original idea the band seemed to have on the album was writing "Tortuga" as a rap metal song that features a certain "Captain Yarrface," and it didn't stand out in any form of quality beside that. The truth is, rap metal and pirate metal doesn't really mold (although my nerdiness appreciates the concept).

7.0
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Do it yourself and let me play my music: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=61802

[mickilennial]

Alestorm hasn't released anything worth listening to in actual years.

[Spyglass]

They're one of those strict "just have fun with it" bands, like Ramones but with a gimmick.
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Do it yourself and let me play my music: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=61802

[mickilennial]

I'm aware, they just haven't made anything of substance even within those parameters in a long time.

[Spyglass]

For some bands, the substance is in the style. It just wears off over time. I would have given this a 6/10 otherwise. By the way, have you given any thought to putting your power metal chart up again?
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Do it yourself and let me play my music: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=61802