Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Nightwish, A Life Divided, Enforcer, Killer, and Michael Angelo Batio

Index

First album with new vocalist Floor Jansen. Typical Nightwish fare which tends to be very high quality symphonic metal with some excellent songwriting. The album features alot of the Celtic sounds that have graced recent albums as well as some good intensity. The strong element to this album in my opinion is the songwriting itself. Best example is the closing track 'The Greatest Show on Earth'. It's rare that you listen to a track that chimes in around 24 minutes long and don't really feel like it is too long. Another great chapter for the band and a good new start to the Floor Jansen era. Recommended!

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I'm very new to this band. I happened to stumble onto the video for 'Inside Me' and absolutely fell in love with this band's sound. I ended up grabbing the two previous albums and then the latest and subject of this review. The sound of the new album is definitely on par with the previous albums. Music for those who don't know is more modern with heavy guitar, catchy beats and an added synth sound. All 3 of these albums are getting a tremendous amount of spin time in my player. It's safe to say I have found a very good new band that I will be watching very closely. Very recommended!

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Been listening to Enforcer through the last couple of albums and these guys really carry the torch of traditional heavy metal. Their music is quite good and will definitely appeal to fans of this early to mid 80's style of metal. What I really like about Enforcer is that they not only write and structure each song with a fairly retro feel, but the sound of each track makes it feel like you have gone back to a time when this sound was more prevalent. It's a nice touch and fans such as myself appreciate the little things like that. If you like a traditional old school sound, this band is worth checking out!

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Now here is a band that goes back a long way. I remember being very experimental when buying albums in the early 80's and I tried these guys out. I remember liking their sound, but it has been a very long time since I listened to them. What you get with this new album is a very traditional sound with really good modern production. The songs on this album are pretty good. Mostly heavy with only minor slow downs in tempo. Even though it's really been decades since I started to listening to bands like Killer, when they release all these years later, it makes me feel young again. Good stuff!

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New album from guitar veteran Michael Angelo Batio is pretty good. There is obviously a fair amount of shredding on this album, but also a few other things of note. There are some cool tribute tracks where Batio pays homage to some great musicians including Randy Rhoads and Dimebag Darrell. Also, you get some great guests on the album. I also liked the fact that 'Gotta Run' was added as I was always a big fan of the Holland album 'Little Monsters' that Batio was a part of. Been a bit since I listened to some of Batio's music, but really enjoyed what was offered here. Solid!

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