Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Iron Maiden, Thy Row, Tetrarch, Mammoth WVH, and Anette Olzon

Index

Hard to believe that album 17 is upon us. Iron Maiden is probably my all time favorite band and more output from them is always a welcome thing to me. I've been through the album probably 4 or 5 times now and really dig it. I heard things that took me as far back as 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son'. Also, 'A Matter Of Life And Death', 'Brave New World' and maybe even 'The X Factor' musically. As has been the case with the last couple of decades, there is a definite progressive feel to a lot of the songs on this record. Transitions are apparent through the epic tracks, especially the second disc if you have the CD version. As a whole, I like this record a lot. The second disc is definitely my favorite of the two. It's remarkable to me at just how high in terms of quality Iron Maiden has been able to sustain so many decades later. A very easy recommend!

Release Date: September 3, 2021

I can't say I had heard of Thy Row before the promo hit my inbox. The band are from Finland and 'Unchained' is their debut. They did release an e.p. a few years back independently. Their music has really good energy to it. There is a decent amount of intensity, but at the same time it can be catchy and memorable. It is fairly traditional with some modern leanings in the production. I have been able to spend a little time with this record in the past week or so and enjoyed the listen. I like the 3 part track that finishes the album titled 'The DownFall'. Finland seems to have a good scene going. I see some very good bands come out of that scene and Thy Row is another good band. The album is pretty consistent and will appeal to fans of heavy rock and maybe even some modern fans as well. Use the links below for more info, especially YouTube!

Release Date: September 24, 2021

For fans of more modern metal, you may want to take a listen to Tetrarch. The band released their new album 'Unstable' earlier this year. Their sound as mentioned is a modern form of metal. Some may even say that the band has some Nu-Metal leanings. Vocally, the band can be quite aggressive. If I was to try to peg who they remind me of, I would probably mention a bit of Edsel Dope mixed with some Chad Gray. The music in ways had me thinking of Korn and other bands from that era. Outside of a couple of tracks that were maybe a bit to aggressive for my taste, I ended up liking this record quite well. The band has quite a bit to check out via their YouTube page for those who may not have heard them before. Definitely check out a couple of videos from this new album including 'Stitch Me Up' and 'Negative Noise'. Good heavy modern record!

Release Date: April 30, 2021

I have been wanting to take a listen to this one for a bit now. I did check out the video offerings via YouTube a bit back and found them pretty good. Wolfgang Van Halen has really developed into quite the musician. He's not afraid to tackle any instrument and showcases these talents on this record. The music has a much more modern sound to it than some might expect. There is nothing wrong with that. His father, Eddie Van Halen was one of the biggest innovators of our time. He reshaped guitar playing for many decades of players. He did it his way. This is what I see happening here as well. Wolfgang has taken his own path with his musical career. The music is accessible but doesn't show the flash his father displayed through the years. Take this album on it's own merits and lose comparisons. It's a great batch of modern rock songs that I think people will dig!

Release Date: June 11, 2021

The latest solo album from Anette Olzon is a bit different in direction than her first. To me, this album is quite a bit heavier than the debut and leans much more heavy towards the work she did while fronting Nightwish and the music of The Dark Element and those two records. Collaborating with Olzon on this record is Magnus Karlsson. There is quite a bit of depth to each track and the likability factor to this album, at least for me is instant. I am a bit biased as I am a big fan of what I have heard from Olzon through her career to this point. What is a bit different this time around is the added growling vocal work courtesy of Johan Husgafvel. Just another added dimension to the music that is more commonplace these days. I really dig this record as a whole and am glad that there is steady output from Olzon!

Release Date: September 10, 2021