Nostradameus - The Prophet of Evil (2001)
Of all the power metal bands that came about around the turn of the century, this is one.
In Sweden we describe these sort of things as "beige". I looked up the definition in English, and it says "lacking distinction". I couldn't have said it better myself! Nostradameus is a band that consists of a bunch of guys that seemingly lack musical understanding. They just ape the sound and tropes of other bands, and they aren't any good at it. 2/5

A typical song: The Escape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OiFkUbHhXc

Nostradameus - The Third Prophecy (2003)
This is like Tad Morose without the good.
I think they are trying to make positive metal, and that's a fail. They sound christian, but I don't think they are. My biggest gripe is the singer. He's got a weak voice and the melodies he sings are lame. They are just flat and dull. 2/5

An abnormally lame song: In Harmony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpIIKMyvmHQ

I've never understood why this album is disliked. It's not Afterlife-styled power metal, but it's not a far leap from Grand Illusion, and Call Out To The World is possibly the best song Nocturnal Rites have ever done.

Because it's not consistent. They always had catchy choruses. On Grand Illusion they turned up the poppy-ness, but it was coherent. The songs were poppy throughout. 8th Sin reminds me of those pop-metalcore bands that uses the formula growled verses and clean pop choruses. Plus the drumming is extremely simplified. Plus I'm allergic to down tuned chugging.

On the Rise - On the Rise (2003)
AOR project from Norwegian singer/guitarist Terje Eide. Sounds like Bryan Adams with a bit more distortion. A couple of songs are really good while some are more anonymous. Overall, a nice listen. 3.5/5

A typical song: Pride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkP_O17 ... 8g&index=5

Onward - Reawaken (2002)
Here's another lost gem. What do you call this? US speed metal? Sounds like a neo-classical Jag Panzer played at double speed. It's not prog metal, but the songs are quite intricate and full of details. The rhythm guitar playing is fantastic and so are the vocal arrangements.
I don't rally like the vocals of Michael Grant, but they do fit very well, and his immaculate enunciation is like another rhythm instrument. 5/5

A typical song: Eye Of The Nightmare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2zF1z8qJQ0

Try their debut album Evermoving. It is even better than Reawaken.

I'm absolutely certain I have it, but it's nowhere to be found.

Onward - The Neverending Sun (Demo, 2003)
I ordered this directly from the band and it came with a handwritten letter from Toby. You won't get that from using Spotify.
It is a demo, but I think the rhythm guitars and vocal arrangements are finished here. The solos on the other hand are sketchy, in the literal sense. I doubt these are the solos that would appear on the proper release. Also, it's a drum machine. A big drawback for me but since it's a demo it's understandable.
The music is more rockish than before, but not worse for it. With a proper recording this would be at least 4/5.

A typical song: No Miracles for Me
https://youtu.be/5A0SDJPg3qQ?t=2292

Funny story, I got a paragraph from Toby after I reviewed the album they put out last year.

Nice, what did he say?

Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)
It bugs me that I don't own their two first albums. I'd like to follow their progression.
I'd say there's no death metal at all here. There are death metal aesthetics, like the growled vocals and double bass drumming. The frequent use of full chords are not very death metal, neither are the octave lines that contrasts with it. But I like it. The song structures are reminiscent of minimalism in that that the songs doesn't really develop, but rather change more or less abruptly.
The best part though is the vocals. Great growls and the incredibly smooth cleans. I'd sorta want to hear Mikael croon some Sinatra classics. 4/5

A typical song:The Amen Corner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV-r5F5TXWE

“The album was created with no budget or band, except me and my digital 6 track and drum machine. Robert Van War offered to sing and we did the best we could with what we had. It is a different musical direction but I think there's enough Onward riffs in there to work under that name. Burying the vocals was not the intention, in hindsight- it was mixed with the wrong monitors but sounded good on the two stereos I was checking balances with. Of course, being a guitarist, the guitar is too up front and this is the first album I mixed with clean vocals. I remember when Evermoving was released and the beating it took by the press and fans, particularly the vocals. With time, the album grew to be respected. This particular album is supposed to be fun and yes, guitar indulgent. We will do another and improve upon everything. I think Epoch is a good reintroduction. Not great, not shit.

PS: If Michael Grant (R.I.P) was alive he'd of course be singing. I had a Michael Grant clone really wanting to do this album but it didn't seem right. So, we have two specific eras of Onward rather than trying to rehash our past.”

Granted this was in the context of me giving that most recent Onward album a 65%

Interesting. So a world-class guitarist with somewhat of a career isn't able to get a band together and acquire a record deal? While in Europe everyone and their brother is releasing a steady stream of albums.
He makes it sound like none of them really wanted Robert Van War to sing on the album. And I think yo know my thoughts on Robert Van War.

Opeth - Still Life (1999)
I don't get this at all. It just seems like a fragmented mess to me. 2/5

A typical song: White Cluster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6dYoDWn6sE

Orden Ogan - To the End (2012)
Now here's something I do understand: foot stomping German sing-a-long metal.
There's a lot of Blind Guardian here, without the epic, and a bit of Iron Savior. The one complaint I have is that it is too well produced for my taste. There's no dirt or edges here, everything is very tight and compact. But it's full of fun songs that are by all means well played. 4/5

A very Blind Guardian song: Dying Paradise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A36Zp9UT6DI

Ozzy - Speak of the Devil (1982)
This is my favourite Ozzy-Sabbath album. It could even be my favourite Sabbath album overall. Possibly tied with Mob Rules.
I never got into the Randy Rhoades albums, but I fell in love with this instantly when it came out. Their versions of the songs are so restrained and precise, Brad Gillis' playing is just mindbogglingly great, and there's such a great energy in the performances. If I take the nostalgia factor into account, this is 6/5.

A song: N.I.B Check out how Brad misses his cue twice, yet manage to lay down legendary solos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKOLbN_lfiI

Ozzy - Bark at the Moon (1983)
It's good, but it could have been better.
Jake E Lee is a fantastic guitar player, but I don't think he fits with Ozzy. There's to much riffing. I think this album would have been better if they had gone all out AOR/hard rock in the style of say Foreigner. It's only the title track that's metal really. The song So Tired is like a mix of Burt Bacharach and Beatles, which come to think of it, equals ELO. Good song, but it ain't metal. 4/5

A typical song: Slow Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVytCWE2gDk

Ozzy - The Ultimate Sin (1986)
This is a bit heavier and darker, but the songs aren't as good. 3/5

My point that they should have gone the AOR route still stands.
Shot in the Dark:
Ozzy version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzyz2egx_0c
Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73av9TWyLHE

Ozzy - Ozzmosis (1995)
What an unnecessary album! This is nothing but a manufactured product. Just some great musicians backing up an uninterested Ozzy on some bad ballads and wannabe grunge songs.
I would like to give it a 2 for the musicianship, but I can't do it. 1/5

Like, what the fuck is this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2YFirVguEk

The bass drum sounds like a cardboard box haha!
And the album cover is so dumb too......the comment section seems to be topping it off quite well though haha.

Pain of Salvation - One Hour by the Concrete Lake (1998)
Lots of goosebump moments here! On this album they are constantly switching between metal and neo-prog, to great effect.
Daniel Gildenlöw's got an unusually - for a non-English speaker - good ability to write lyrics that not only tells a story, but also fits perfectly both melodically and rhythmically. 5/5

A typical song: Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_txh7BnTQA

An incredibly beautiful song: Pilgrim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-pe6Dctxks

Yay! Pain of Salvation Appreciation Time!!!!

I love the heck out of those first four or five albums...and you better love the heck out of them too Opus OR ELSE!

How many albums have you covered so far? And how many more remain before you start with extreme metal albums?

I'm about 3/4 in. 190 or so to go before the extreme section.

We'll see...
I only have this, Perfect Element and Remedy Lane.

You have to get more. They're one of my favourite bands!

Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element (2000)
Bringing out the big emotions. For some reason I find this album to have a spooky atmosphere. There's someting jarring about it. In a positive way of course.
It amazes me how they are able to fit so many moods and sounds into each song and still make it coherent. Masters of their craft! 5/5

A typical song: Reconciliation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMXUlDNa9_I

^Geez I could only make it through 1:30 min of that song

Exactamundo! The well-developed cinematic quality really makes The Perfect Element soar above most prog metal efforts. That title track is so good!

I pity you!

Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane (2002)
Even more ingredients now, and the songs are flowing even better. There are jazz fusion and folk rock in the mix but it integrates seamlessly. It's the theme that's a bit harder to chew on this time. Still, can't be anything but 5/5.

A typical song: Rope Ends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmJ2P8RckIY

Listening to Pain of Salvation during the 2020 lockdown period was really the definition for me of biting off more than I could chew. What a fucking band.

It's probably not the best example from the album. Try listening to the title track.

I can't figure out if you like them or not?

Pathos - Hoverface (1997)
I guess this is groove metal? Sounds a like a thrashier Memento Mori, and the singer sounds like a much less intense Messiah Marcolin. The first couple of songs are OK, but as the album progresses the songs get worse. They are also a bit samey. Add to that some stupid interludes and this gets 2/5.

A typical song: Hoverface
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDb0dujwxTI&t=364s

Pathos - Uni versus Universe (1998)
Unfortunately someone turned up the suck on this one. It sounds like the previous one, only worse. 2/5



A typical song:Weight Of The World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA0O-cvrevI&t=330s

Pathos - Katharsis (2002)
New singer, and all of a sudden they are awesome! And then they quit!
More thrash and more melodies. They tweaked every detail in the music. But, as before, the songs on the second half of the album isn't as good. At 64 minutes, this is another album that would have benefited from being shorter. 4/5

A typical song: Katharsis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3OOwNLMYu0

Persuader - The Hunter (2000)
Jens Carlsson is a force of nature. I'd say he is one of Sweden's top metal singers, although he never engages in vocal acrobatics like the usual suspects. He just got that voice.
The youthful energy on this album is palpable. Just full force ahead. The whole band sound like a force of nature, and by the whole band I mean drummer Efraim Juntunen. Pure Duracell. By all means, the bassist is doing some cool stuff as well.

I think hearing this album (on Napster) back in 2000 was the last time I was blown away by an album in the same way I was when first hearing the likes of Manowar and Riot when I was a teenager, so it does have a special place in my metal heart. 5/5

A typical song: The Hunter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNMTvyhX2Ik

Oh he likes them. Empy has good taste.



Reconciliation has an almost melodeath feel with that wonderful dizzying intro. An easy song to appreciate really and Gildenlow shoots off into the stratosphere towards the end so powerfully with those high notes.