Listening Trends for February 2023

Ahem. This post is brought to you delayed by Diablo 3, Season 28. Sorry about that. It hasn’t stopped me listening, just writing about it in a timely fashion. This won’t happen again until Diablo 4 is released. So what music accompanied me on my journey into Hell? A couple of oldies, a couple of newies, and a bit of a surprise…

In Flames - Foregone⌗

Since we all like surprises, let’s get it out of the way first. The new In Flames is not new-metal shit. As everyone reading this probably already knows, the Swedes were unstoppable and at (or near) the top of the Swedish Melodeath heap since their inception. They eventually started to go in a slightly different direction, and in this Grumpy Metal Guy’s opinion, began to lose their way, sacrificing memorability for popularity. While a lot of people didn’t like Sounds of a Playground Fading, I liked it a lot¹. However, Siren Charms, Battles and I, The Mask, found me bailing on the good ship Flames, fearing that I’d never like any of their newer releases².

Which is why Foregone came as a very pleasant surprise indeed. While the more metal tracks are slightly more memorable than recent efforts, it was the slightly, dare I say it, poppier tracks that worked better for me, particularly when clean vocals are used. This is entirely contrary to the opinions of most people, but I actually don’t mind his cleans, and they just seem to work better here. The guitar melodies feel better this time around too.

Does this mean the future is bright for In Flames? No idea, honestly, given how far they fell, this might be a local maxima, but it’s the first time in a long time that I’ve had a modicum of interest in their newer material, so fingers are definitely crossed.

Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle Earth⌗

Similarly to In Flames, there was a time when Blind Guardian were an unstoppable force. Somewhere Far Beyond and Imaginations From The Other Side were fantastic albums, capturing a magical blend of melody and heaviness with Hansi’s utterly unique voice. With Nightfall in Middle Earth though, they came up with something truly special.

A concept album based on The Silmarillion was always going to be a big ask³. The resulting album is long, but flows well overall. The music itself is somewhat less heavy than Imaginations, and began to show the more progressive leanings that would bloom into fruition on later albums. That’s not to say that there aren’t some very heavy pieces though - The Curse of Feanor and Mirror Mirror are some kick-ass tunes. However, the emphasis is more on melody and atmosphere, goals that tracks like Nightfall achieve effortlessly.

Having finally gotten a copy on vinyl, re-listening to this was an absolute pleasure. Everyone should listen to this, and ideally, read The Silmarillion too.

Hath - All That Was Promised⌗

This bad boy got a lot of attention at AMG last year, so was high on my list of things to listen to. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good death metal release. An acoustic intro builds atmosphere nicely and leads to some furious riffing, accompanied by some good quality vokills. The riffs are quite interesting, and not too one-dimensional. Combining this with good use of acoustics throughout means the album never gets too tiring, which is a pleasant surprise. The bass is also nicely audible - never a bad thing! Would like to give this a bit more time to sink in properly, but the fact that I’m willing to do this means it’s definitely heading in the right direction.

Kankar – Dunkle Millennia⌗

I’d had this one bookmarked for some time, and finally got around to giving it a (metaphorical) spin. Overall, this was a fun listen! Straight out of the gates, there was a definite Inquisition-vibe to the music, albeit at a slightly slower pace (not that that is difficult). The vocal style is also slightly less toady! The music is a series of great riff after great riff after great riff, sometimes played furiously, and at other times, a more black-n-roll approach surfaces. Some gentler moments provide a respite from the riffage from time to time, which breaks things up nicely. It’s occasionally a little samey, but I can see myself coming back to this one again.

Cradle of Filth - Damnation And A Day⌗

Another month, another controversial take⁴. When CoF jumped ship to Sony, amid the cries of “Sellout!” and “You suck!"⁵, they recorded an epic-length concept album with a live orchestra and a backing choir that wasn’t made of keys. The result was an album that divided fans more than any other album in their discography⁶. It just so happens that I freakin' love it.

The choirs and orchestration add a phenomenal amount of atmosphere to an album filled with catchy riffs and sweeping, epic lyrics. I’ll be the first to admit that it could use a little trimming (Doberman Pharaoh, I’m looking at you), and it’s more easily digested in chunks (the album is helpfully divided into 4 segments, separated out by small orchestral interludes). But when it hits hard, like in the mid-section of The Smoke Of Her Burning, they’re untouchable.

As it drifts out in a dark brooding piece that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror film, with Dave McEwen’s laughter echoing across the empty plains of hell, you’re left exhausted, but utterly enthralled by the whole experience. Do yourself a favour, and take a visit to Hell yourself by listening to this essential part of the Cradle catalog.