Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Stryper, Nightwish, HammerFall, Find Me, SteelCity

Index

Stryper continues to go heavy. Their latest record is typical of what they have been doing with the last few records and if you though they would start slowing down as the band continues to get older, you would definitely be wrong. The familiar chorus styles and harmonies are here with these songs along with that chunky guitar sound and low end. While the band are not trying to reinvent themselves or be someone they are not, they do still come across sounding fresh. The music does carry a decent amount of melody which has been a trademark for them since the early days. As a whole, this album feels very uniform. Tempo does not swing wildly either way. 'Grateful' is probably the one track where melody leads the way. Probably the most melodic song of the bunch, but still has some guitar edge. Another good record in my opinion.

Release Date: September 13, 2024

There is a lot to talk about with the latest Nightwish release. I feel that this is a very ambitious effort. From the subject material of each track to the diversity of the music in general. I have been through the album a few times and am still trying to figure things out. It feels relatively deep and there is a lot of atmosphere here. As far as the music itself, it can be organic and fairly light in places, but can also turn quite heavy as well. The compositions are amazing as they always are with this band. This is where they really set themselves apart from others in the genre. Equally impressive are the videos of which I believe there are four total at this point. It does help a little when figuring things out but can also have you asking more questions. Great Nightwish record and probably my favorite of the Floor era. Definitely grab a physical copy, it adds quite a bit!

Release Date: September 20, 2024

You know, it's been some time since we checked in on HammerFall. "Avenge The Fallen' has reminded me why I like this band. A very traditional metal sound as always and the smooth vocal work really adds a layer of melody while the band is banging away. The songs sound very confident to me, but also continue to show why this band is one of the leaders of this genre. It is obvious from the start that the catchy element of this band's music is here once again. The title track 'Avenge The Fallen' looks to be a fun live possibility as evidenced by the video on YouTube. That song sets the standard and the rest of the album follows very nicely. I'm glad we decided to get back with this band. I've heard things by them along the way since the early days and the continued growth into something special is obvious. Great traditional metal record!

Release Date: August 9, 2024

I remember hearing this band some years back and really digging them a lot. I ended up finding everything by them on physical and have been enjoying each subsequent album along the way. I usually have certain takeaways with each release. Reasons why I feel like I like each album. The band's sound is typical with each release. A very melodic AOR sound that occasionally ramps up the edge into a more hard rock sound. What stands out to me with 'Nightbound' is the consistency in quality with each track. The tempo is very even on this album. A batch of mid tempo melodic rockers. I really don't recall what I would consider your typical ballad. Instead, the melody is carried through each track from start to finish. LaBlanc and Flores have a great chemistry and once again the music benefits greatly. A great fifth album by the band!

Release Date: September 13, 2024

This band is new to me. Where a couple of the guys came from is not. Let's take you back to 1990 and the band Cold Sweat. Roy Cathey and Anthony White are the common members between these two bands. From a style standpoint, there are also many similarities. A solid hard rock sound reminiscent of the late 80's or very early 90's with a bit of today's updated sound thrown in. Songs have a decent amount of flash to them and are very well written. 'Reverence' is the band's third album and their first for the Frontiers label. Going back to Cold Sweat, if you were a fan of 'Break Out', it's a good bet you'll probably like this record and band in general. As for history, the band was formed as a solo project by guitarist Mike Floros and eventually filled in as the band it is today. This is a very good traditional hard rock record with all of the necessary elements. Solid.

Release Date: September 20, 2024