With dashes of near death and fast alternative, “Infected Nations” is undoubtedly a thrash metal record. It echoes more of a U.S. east coast vibe than the Bay area but that’s splitting hairs. It’s a fast, speedy, rich, and pitch perfect display of thrash perfection with a full bodied bass and drum sound that comes not only from the members but the post production of it as well. Tempos and beats sway from fast to faster (“Devoid of Thought”) with an almost constant accompaniment of furious drum pounding (“Infected Nation” and “Genocide”). Of the few soft and slow parts, their main purpose seems to be setting up the aggressive sections that explode out of the lull (“Metamorphosis”). Variations between tracks are quite small, and lyrically, the themes have sociopolitical overtones but due to their intended vagueness, what writer Matt Drake is referring to exactly could come from any myriad of subjects.

So, this album is not about evolving metal so much as it is about executing pure and honest thrash and playing the heck out of it. “Infected Nation”, “Nosophoros”, and “Devoid of Thought” are impressive and speedy songs that are structured around a great number of interlocking rhythm riffs. The instrumental “Hundred Wrathful Deities” (a mostly mid rage tempo piece) by itself is a showcase of the record’s overall direction. The lead work on solos will typically fly all over the place, but on a couple songs show amazing restraint by playing within the boundaries of the background lines (“Nosophorus” and “Metamorphosis”). The lead vocalist (and rhythm guitarist) Matt Drake also plays with a little melody, too, with his slight singing aspect to his otherwise throaty and mid-register yelling style.

Sometimes, it’s not always about creating something new or developing a signature style that makes an album solid but playing something the way it should be played and doing it perfectly, including getting the right sound and amplifying it post production. There is little on “Infected Nations” that will remain memorable writing-wise but will induce a rising of the volume when it is played just the same. For a metal fan, Evile delivers what’s desired in heavy metal, and “Infected Nations” is a work that provides an hour of just that.

As with all things Dream Theater, what makes them great can sometimes also be their greatest fault. A great analogy of this point would be stand up comedian Dennis Miller. No one questions his intelligence or his ability to write a joke, but if a joke is too smartly written the audience won’t get it and thus the joke won’t work. The solution, therefore, is not so much to dumb down the material but to choose a reference the audience can understand and relate to. Instead of Confucius, try Yoda, see? Dream Theater is without question masters at what they do, and no one questions that, but at their worst they have been guilty of playing over the heads of their audience before. Only when they pull back their complex nature will their audience fully appreciate their creation, and with their 2009 release “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” they have done just that.

Of the six songs, four of them are double digit minutes long with a fifth song clocking in at over eight. As protracted as they are, though, the songs feel shorter and the two main reasons for this is 1) the reduced number of movements within each piece and 2) the simplification of the main and secondary themes within each movement. What that means by Dream Theater’s definition of simple is that of those said themes they are longer, repetitive, pronounced, and dominant. “A Rite Of Passage”, the eight minute song, greatly illustrates this with only two main riffs – one for the verses and one for the chorus, and the order of which they are played is straightforward and traditional with an ABABACAB format (the C being the solo section) – so simple, and yet so highly effective and memorable. “A Night to Remember” is over sixteen minutes long but with only four movements. “The Count of Tuscany”, the opus of the album at more than nineteen minutes, has also only four movements. Only “Wither” has one movement, and at less than six minutes, that could be the single of the album!

By no means is it to say that the band’s masterful playing skills are hidden or diminished here. The stratospheric heights of lead guitarist John Petrucci’s virtuosity are very much prevalent, but it’s contained in the solo and instrumental sections of the compositions. The solo from the third movement in “A Night to Remember” is simply sick with virtually every kind of technical skill making a proud showing. Keyboardist Jordan Rudess is just as impressive especially with his solo additions mimicking the electric guitar as his main synthesizer sound. As for drummer Mike Portnoy, his best work may be found on “The Best of Times” – an emotional piece both happy and said with a well defined, long noted main theme that doubles as a backdrop so that his playing is the featured part.

The overall sound of the album also follows under the same central philosophy. “Black Clouds with Silver Linings” is a litany of heavy rhythms. It’s less progressive and more metal. With the exception of the balladesque “Wither” all of the songs are anchored with heavy guitar lines (rhythm and bass) that both stay longer and carry the tune without multi track accompaniments. Again, this falls under the same scaling back principle of not having every sound all the time and being complex for complexity sake. Only “The Best of Times” has a violin. The piano is only used twice (“A Nightmare to Remember” and “The Best of Times”). Even the opus “The Count of Tuscany” with its many parts, variations, and theme changes will only slightly use acoustic guitar, mystical keys, and yes -chimes.

Perhaps the only other noteworthy aspect of “Black Clouds and Silver Linings” worth mentioning is the vocals. There appears on a couple of songs some lines sung with a coarse, throaty style so different from lead singer James LaBrie’s typical pitch that it may be possible it’s from another vocalist. Whether or not those lines are sung by someone else isn’t really important but what is, though, is the result. It’s an added dimension that yields a most positive result.

Dream Theater is arguably the greatest progressive metal band ever but that doesn’t always guarantee a great album every time they put one out. As with all art, a connection must be made with the audience first before it’s place can be ascertained. With “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” Dream Theater has made a very accessible record. Because of that, their genius is very easily recognized and as a result it is a masterpiece and one of the very best metal albums to come out in 2009.

The sheer genius of this recording is actually a shared credit with all the members of Otep, the band, for the album’s single greatest musical aspect – synchronicity. Every word, sentence, and subject is matched up perfectly with a musical piece that induces and enhances thought and emotion. Generally speaking, the palate that the band most draws from would be Nu metal, but from there the range of which each score soars to at numerous times are boundless. So, while there are some tracks that are rooted in Nu philosophy both in musical rhythm (“Head” and “Sweet Tooth”) and atmosphere (“Kisses and Kerosene” and “Where the River Ends”) others take the liberty of taking off towards a direction that the lyrical themes call for. For example, “Rise Rebel Resist” is perhaps the most metallic, while “Ur a Wmn Now” more appropriately calls for piano and violin to match that song’s somber nature.

As for Shamaya’s vocal style, she has put forth her strongest argument yet for consideration as one of the greatest, if not the most versatile, vocalists in metal. To be clear, she is not merely a singer (although she does that very well!) but a master of tone, pitch, and in the most creative sense – sound. Again, as with the music, every phrase is augmented by her choice of style and the result is matched perfection. And she can do it all – scream, yell, whisper, sing, rap, moan, bark, and growl. To say that what she has put down vocally is impressive is an understatement to say the least.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the lyrical content of “…Machine” is the skeleton of this album’s body. After all, Otep is an anagram for poet, and here she is as gifted with words as much as anybody else with messages that command and demand attention. Countless creative phrases act like punches to the heart, soul, and brain – the very opposite of sugar coating. Themes like sex (“Where the River Ends”), drugs (“Numb and Dumb”), and rock and roll (“Serv Asat”) are taken on with new, razor sharp angles not entirely original but completely her own. Lyrically, not a single song on this album fails to leave a mark.

All put together, “Smash the Control Machine” is a masterpiece. Sometimes what seems disturbing is actually a triumphant break into the listener’s consciousness, to see things from a different point of view, or to question what may be perceived as truth. The greatest artists do this, and with this record, Otep stakes her claim as one of them. For that alone, this is one of the very best works of metal to have come out in 2009.

With so much input to work with, Fairyland creator Phil Giordana seems to have achieved the impossible by not committing sensory overload from having everybody play all the time. As if numerous, uniquely designed roller coasters were aligned side by side, the cars that signify the many parts rise up and slide down between foreground and background so that at any point on any given song, some take the lead while others harmonize or play behind. The best example would be the album’s opus “Score to a New Beginning” with three guitarists providing solos, three vocalists harmonizing off each other, and two keyboardists playing one lead to another’s tracking. No doubt, it is as busy as it sounds, but what Giordana is able to control a most beautiful piece of symphonic metal has sprouted out of it.

Another achievement by Fairyland here is maintaining an acceptable level of metal. There are thunderous drums, pronounced bass lines, and a rhythm guitar line that plays its best under the cavalcade of instrumentalists that frequently play above it (“Across the Endless Sea Part II” and “Score to a New Beginning” would be the best examples).

The reality of this project; however, is the attempt at duplicating a symphonic score with many keys and synthesizer tracks emulating different sounds and orchestra pieces as the framework for each song. “Opening Credits” is an overt example, but “Score to a New Beginning” and “At the Gates of Morken” is just as visible, with the instrumental “Rise of the Giants” presenting a clearer case with bells and chimes bookending the seafaring tune.

All put together, “Score to a New Beginning” explodes with quite the arousing effect with choir vocals, dueling keyboard/lead guitar trade offs, and melodic refrains. As with the many guest guitar solos (almost every track has a guest guitar soloist), the vocal tracks are also varied both within and song to song. To note, only the very beautiful “End Credits” is sung by a guest female vocalist, Flora Spinelli). Had the guests been more famous, this work would certainly have merited more recognition, but as it stands now Fairyland’s “Score to a New Beginning” is just a hidden gem, but what a wonderful gem it is.

From a compositional standpoint, the main focus of keeping true to the genre doesn’t disappoint. Like punk, the main drive of true black metal is attitude, constant strumming sequences, and an aversion to complex writing and virtuoso playing. Indeed, the music weaves in and out of various degrees of heaviness while shifting speeds by way of sliding and climbing than straight change ups (“Lukt Til Helvete”, “Doedsjarl”, and the opus “Velg Bort Livet”).

What Hoest does try to hide on “Taake” is a sense of his evolved personal skills and abilities. The barely discernible bass line at the end of “Velg Bort Livet” under a constant barrage of double bass kicks and wild string striking is actually quite smart and very well placed. Most tracks reveal not one but two basic movements either defined by time or tempo. Finally, there are some guitar riffs that are almost too good not to highlight (“September Omsider” and the great “Umenneske”). No question, “Taake” is true to its Norwegian black metal roots, but when it deviates from this very narrow field, it is no less authentic. In the end; however, “Taake” is a great display of that classic sound and it is a very solid album.

What defines Korpiklaani as a band is found on the rest of “Karkelo”. The tracks are not only sung in the native Finnish dialect, but are written as modern tunes based on old native Finnish folk. It should be noted that all of the songs are original compositions and not new versions of old arrangements. Not to be left out in the cold, an English subtext describing what each song is about is found in the pages of the accompanying inlet. It’s a great idea, really, because it keeps the songs authentic without having to compromise their integrity.

The music at its base level is two equal parts of accordion and rhythm guitar: there is no lead guitar tracks save for the rock lead intro on “Sulasilma”. Any soloing to be found comes from the accordion or fiddle. “Eramaan Arjyt” is one great example of this alternating yet constant aspect the band’s sound dynamic. As for variation, there is a mix of fast (“Isku Pitkasta Ilosta”) and slow (“Huppiaan Aarre”) tempos, but not so much from a musical standpoint. Two exceptional songs are “Mettanpeiton Valtiaalle” (featuring an acoustic guitar bookend, some fiddle, and tribal drumming) and “Kultanainen” (featuring the most prominent bass line on the album).

Regardless, the defining nature of folk is intact with these metal songs maintaining its true function of storytelling and myth building by way of singing and dancing along. Korpiklaani achieves this very, very well. Rhythm oriented, the riffs found throughout are heavy with a full bodied sound, thus also serving to keep “Karkelo” well in the range of legitimate heavy metal. No doubt, this album speaks to the natives, but for those outside of Finland, Korpiklaani’s “Karkelo” is too strong of a work not to be appreciated by the average metal fan.

To be fair, the talents of the three remaining veteran members play off the album as a virtual showcase. “Blind”, one of the record’s best songs by virtue of its comparative heaviness, highlights every member at least once, including a synth harpsichord bookend and two slow to blast-off-heavy moments. It also sports one of the more melodic choruses on the album. “Forever Is Today” is the other power metal track that totally gets its strength from an anthem-like chorus and heavy rhythm guitar riffing. Amazingly, it is also the only song that is introduced with lead guitar!

The vast majority of the album; however, never gets out of second gear rather preferring to stay on a medium track in terms of tempo and heaviness. “King Of Nothing” and “Winter Skies” is keyboard dominant with a pace that feels sluggish (of course, Jens Johansson is one of THE very best metal keyboardists out there today, and if it is his work that Stratovarius is to be judged, his most impressive offerings would be found here). As for the vocal lines – this is the apparent backbone of all songwriting with very few extended instrumental movements (hardly any solos worth noting as well) and a song structure that calls for singing virtually from beginning to end. To a fault, Timo Kotipelto is very mechanical – the very opposite of soul. So, when looked at from these two points of view, the areas of bass, rhythm, and lead, are very conspicuously shrunken.

“Polaris” sounds less like the work of a complete band and more like a solo project for Kotipelto and Johansson. Overall, the talents of the band as a whole hasn’t been completely revealed, so for Stratovarius, the effort put forth that is “Polaris” comes off in the end as unimpressive and weak.

Sonata Arctica’s best song, their magnum opus “Deathaura”, is the most awesome example of the band’s newfound level. Vocally, Kakko not only varies his own style throughout to match the song’s many moods, but adds a female guest vocalist to contribute as well. Structurally, of all the song’s many parts there is no chorus even though a most powerful three note theme appears more than once. At every other turn, there are tempo changes, beat changes, and most of all different parts led by different instruments in an excellent display of color variation and illustration. Simply put, the composition is perfect.

Lyrically, Kakko has always called for a more than passive level of attention when presenting his dark poetry, but whereas he is known more for a more personal and love lost kind of perspective (“Breathing” and “As If The World Wasn’t Ending”) he has expanded his subject scope to include themes not just his own. “Flag in the Ground” is a take on the film “Far And Away” and “Juliet” is a splendid take on Romeo’s perspective at the end of his life from “Romeo and Juliet”. Even “The Last Amazing Grays” could be a take on America’s Greatest Generation as it looks on to the youth of today.

Still, as much of a lyrical and compositional genius Tony Kakko is, the pride and true strength of Sonata Arctica comes from their ability to deliver very strong, metallic rhythm guitar lines as the backbone for all of their songs as the central aim of maintaining a sense of power metal integrity. “The Last Amazing Grays” and “The Dead Skin” feature the best extended dominant rhythm guitar sections on the album, but to be assured it can really be found practically everywhere. Much credit must also go to keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg for not only augmenting rhythmic power with melodic finesse but also for adding what may appear to be a tinge of European folk in his synthesizer work (“Flag In The Ground” and “No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart”).

Altogether, “The Days of Grays” is amazing, authentic, and theatrical, with intense emotional delivery providing the album’s main drive. For the Sonats, this is simply what they do, but for metal “The Days of Grays” was easily one of the very best works to come out in 2009.

Musically, roughly half of the album is separated into two kinds of songs – thrash cuts and acoustic segues – and all of them are really short resembling song lengths more commonly found in punk (21 songs, 41 minutes). Only at the end of the album is there an attempt to link the two styles (“All Seemed Fine Until…” thru “Shipwrecked…”) but for the most part they are independent of each other. The effects of ensuing loudness after each soft tune; however, is dramatic, powerful, and perhaps the real reason for this choice of alternating volume.

Lyrically, the band shows how much fun they have with the pirate concept. There’s a lot of wit, wordplay, parallels, metaphors, and silliness – all of which was spun under the web of fun and lightheartedness. One of the best tracks on the album, “Cruise Ship Terror” illustrates a pirate ship attacking a modern luxury liner. “We Sunk Your Battleship” uses imagery from the famous game to describe another battle. There’s a drinking song and a mosh song (“Whirlpit”) and they’ve even made scurvy cool (“Scurvy Back”).

Swashbuckle’s only questionable decision then is to appear like a niche project to those who don’t know better. The music and lyrics are so far apart as you could imagine, and with so much pirate imagery everywhere it wouldn’t be far fetched to surmise that it hurts them when attempting to reach out to a thrash audience. To be blunt, “Back to the Noose” is a really, really good thrash album. It’s extremely well played and awfully hard not to like. Once it is accepted that the pirate motif is not to be taken seriously,” Back to the Noose” should be considered one of the most entertaining metal albums to come out in 2009.

Bovio is clearly in the center of their sonic spotlight with highlighted verse lines (“Now or Never” and “Let Me In”) and extravagant vocal dubbing (also “Now or Never” and “Run Away”). To add, the songs are more traditionally written with the emphasis on the singing parts rather than any extended instrumental sections, of which here there are none. There are even two full ballads with Bovio singing over piano and violin (“Run Away” and “All I know”) with a slew of other songs featuring soft sections with a point of keeping her in the foreground.

The frustrating aspect of Stream Of Passion as a band, then, is clearly hearing some impressive musicianship in sections that are just so very small, especially in the guitar solos, rhythm lines, and varying keyboard lines. Stephan Shultz is a very flashy lead guitarist and some of his best work is found in the short solos within some of the songs (“The Art of Loss”, “In the End”, and “A Part of You”). There’s only one drum highlight to speak of (“A Part of You”) as well as bass (“Burn My Pain”). There are plenty of keyboard intros (mostly piano) but not a lot of keys overall. Lastly, the rhythm guitar can change up (“The Art of Loss” and “Now or Never”) but still maintain an even standing with the song’s median sound.

Secondly, the widespread evenness of every member’s input challenges the very definition of the band. To argue, Stream Of Passion is not a symphonic metal band at all but rather a highly contracted progressive band with gothic influences. In short, to really enjoy “The Flame Within” one would have to acknowledge the band’s main focus which is Marcela Bovio first and foremost singing over a set of colorful but nonetheless simplified musical arrangements. It would be a slight to the band to state that “The Flame Within” is really a veiled solo project, but by looking at the album’s overall composition, it would be hard to categorize otherwise.