Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Rhapsody Of Fire, Agarthic, Land Of Gypsies, Jim Peterik, and Perfect Plan

Index

When one thinks of bands with an absolute grand sound especially when it comes to symphonic styled metal, Rhapsody Of Fire has to come to mind. There is always a degree of sophistication in their music and 'Glory For Salvation' is no exception. If you are already familiar with the band's style, you'll already know what you are going to get with this new platter of goodies. The band have been consistent in their approach and those qualities once again are present. Frenzied tempos and moments of finesse define this album. My favorite track is 'Abyss Of Pain II'. Love the guitar work on this track as well as the structure. 'I'll Be Your Hero' appears once again after being the title of the band's e.p. earlier this year. This album will definitely be geared to a more power metal/symphonic loving fanbase. Very high quality music once again!

Release Date: November 26, 2021

Italian symphonic metal band Agarthic have just released their debut album via Frontiers Records. The band have an interesting approach to at least this record. In their promo literature, it was mentioned that they write with inspiration from nature around them, specifically the Dolomite mountain range in Italy. You can feel that influence in their music. The band have a bit of a visual aspect to their delivery of songs. Take for instance one of my favorites of this album, 'Message From The Gods'. The transitions sound really good in this song and it provides a nice atmospheric feel to it. The album offers up quite a bit of this type of thing which adds a cool dimension to their music. You could also make the case that it adds sophistication which is common in this particular genre. This album gives the band a good start to their career. Keep an eye on them!

Release Date: December 10, 2021

Going back to the late 80's and early 90's, one of my favorite bands was XYZ. Terry Ilous has been out there doing good things although the scene has changed so much since those days. Land Of Gypsies features Ilous and in ways you could say it's a bit of a return to the classic hard rock sound. It's not really an XYZ clone in terms of style as it goes a bit further back in style than that. It is a good collection of tunes with Ilous out front handling vocal duties and doing a great job as always. The band is actually L.A. based and has a bit of a blues influence in their sound which works very well with Terry's voice. After his departure from Great White a few years back, it was good to see him resurface in this style as I feel we need more of it. It's a good album to pop in, kick back, and just get lost with. I'm a big fan of Terry Ilous and this one is an easy recommend!

Release Date: December 10, 2021

Jim Peterik returns with his World Stage project and a new album chock full of melodic rockers with an interesting twist. Peterik features women from rock music that he personally admires. With his status as a legend in the rock community, that can only be the highest of compliments for those involved. As fans would expect, the music has Peterik's trademark stamp on it. Melodic rock music with powerful female vocal work. The guest list of musicians who worked on this album is very large. It's obvious how much respect he gets as everyone wants to work with him and be a part of something special. Due to the nature of this album, Peterik also wrote it from a female perspective instead of a male this time. It's an impressive body of work for those who love this style of music and Jim Peterik specifically.

Release Date: November 5, 2021

Live albums sure took an interesting turn in the last couple of years due to the pandemic lockdowns. Instead of large crowds in decent sized venues, we had to go to more of a virtual experience which is what this is. This was a live studio session from 2020 that features many of the band's bigger songs as well as the covers that we have seen on the e.p. like Giant's 'Stay' of Foreigner's 'That Was Yesterday'. What is a very nice touch is that this performance was initially up on Youtube and then the album generated from it. If you saw that on YouTube, this is your companion album. That performance is linked below for you to enjoy. If you are a fan like I am, you will probably want to grab this CD set. Perfect Plan is one of my favorite melodic hard rock bands of the current era and this is a good showcase of just why!

Release Date: December 10, 2021