Soilwork - Light The Torch/Deliverance Is Mine

Based on my past posts, can you guess why I like Soilwork? Their inclusion of a synth and melodious interludes from the harsh vocals are a great contrast in their musical style making them an easy-listen for people not-yet able to fully handle regular Death Metal, but are still aggressive enough for even the seasoned metalheads. Lucky for me, they're a rather prolific band and have been consistently putting out new albums every 2 years or so since they formed in 1995. Their newest album, "Death Resonance" is filled with rare releases from their older singles and albums but also has two new songs. You can find the album on these sites: Nuclear Blast Record Label - Amazon - Apple Itunes - Spotify

They comissioned music videos for three of their songs , "Light The Torch" off of 'Figure Number Five', "Spectrum of Eternity" off of 'The Living Infinite', and "Deliverance Is Mine" off of 'The Panic Broadcast' seven years later as a followup to the first video. Check out the two related videos below:

Light The Torch - 3:24

Deliverance Is Mine - 3:36

Light The Torch - Spotify Link

Deliverance Is Mine - Spotify Link

Artist: Soilwork

Song: Light The Torch / Deliverance Is Mine

Album: Figure Number Five / The Panic Broadcast

Year: 2003 / 2010

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Website: Soilwork.org

Thoughts: I really prefer their older albums, the new ones feel like they're trying to cram every single bit of sound possible into a song and it doesn't sound right unless you have a very expensive audio setup that's capable of playing it back accurately (I tested it on one such setup and then compared it to generic Apple Earpods, the difference is night and day -- or rather, music and noise.) A lot of their songs are hit or miss, but it's still pretty easy to find at least two or three songs per album to love. I feel similarly with most bands to be honest, so rare is it that I find an album that I love 100% of. I'm not being a snob when I say that, everyone's ears are different and I'm no more wrong for liking what I like than you are for liking what you like -- "To each their own", yes?

Serentiy - Oceans of Ruby

I found this song in 2009 and haven't stopped listening to it since. The different styles that go into this song are perfectly interwoven. You get the Power Metal guitar and synth, the creativity of lyrics and harmony of Progressive Metal, and the intense growls of (melodic) Death Metal all woven together to form a masterpiece. I'd definitely recommend listening to Serenity if you like any of those three genres.

Spotify Link

Artist: Serenity

Song: Oceans of Ruby

Album: Fallen Sanctuary

Year: 2008

Genre: Power Metal, Progressive Metal

Website: Serenity-Band.com

Thoughts: The gradual fade-in and quick change to powerful guitar/synth combo as a lead in to the main chorus is a common melodic/power/progressive metal style and I love it. There is so much you can do with it and still keep the sound fresh. Some intros/outros get stale rather fast, as (most) every band that uses those particular styles seem to use them in the exact same way and offer little-to-no variation in how they're used - down to the same timing, beat patterns, and overlapping end vocals.

Blood Stain Child - Electricity

My two favorite super-genres are Metal and Electronic, so this band is a no-brainer for any like-minded(like-eared?) listener. Normally the fusion of the two results in something closer to Industrial or Electro-Industrial, but this band is definitely on the metal side of things. 

They hail from Osaka, Japan and disbanded recently, but their music label still allows licensing for sales and streaming on popular sites. Google the band name and check out some of their group-photos to get an idea of how they incorporated Japanese fashion into the stereotypical "metal band look".

Spotify Link

Artist: Blood Stain Child

Song: Electricity

Album: Epsilon

Year: 2011

Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Electronic Metal

Website: Bloodstainchild.com

Thoughts: I really like how they balance male and female vocalists, they expertly chose who would be responsible for singing each part in a way that artistically contrasts their styles and vocal ranges. Side anecdote: Why does all Japanese metal that I've heard seem to be so fast-paced? It would be interesting to find something slower and compare them to see if there's a reason. Perhaps its a reflection of their musical culture or it sounds better given the range of their singing abilities.