Wardrum-Desolation

Steel Gallery Records
2012



Right after the Greek band Wardrum unleashed their debut album “Spadework” to the metal community they went back to work on the follow-up. With only a year removed from then to now this new release, "Desolation" is a step-up as far as follow ups go and an amazing display of highly skilled progressive power metal. Everything from the song writing to the album's artwork (which is a work of Piotr Szafraniec created specifically for Wardrum) to the band's new singer Yannis Papadopoulos (Until Rain, Crosswind) marks a step in the right direction. That direction is straight up as this sophomore release looks likely to establish the band as one of the best new progressive power metal bands to come out of not only Greece but Europe in a long time. Don't let that high praise fall on deaf ears and please don't mistake this boast as simple folly for this band is every bit as good as the hype. While the band's debut (which saw former Horizons End members Kosta Vreto, Stergios Kourou and Kostas Scandalis joined by the vocalist of Uli Jon Roth, one Piero Leporale) was a fine work of progressive power metal this new album is such a leap forward it hardly seems like the same band. Especially if you consider the fact that only one year has passed since their debut album "Spadework" and their second album,"Desolation". Now those of you who are frequent readers know that I am not a huge prog/power metal fan. Usually progressive power metal bands fall into one of two categories for me. You either have highly skilled yet ultimately boring acts and then you have bands that have not only skill but can also write hook-laden songs that flat out rock. Wardrum fall into the later group with "Desolation". With "Desolation" Wardrum walks into the room and just shreds everything and everyone to bits. Not only does this band have strong melodies and superb technical know how but, they also have one foot firmly planted in traditional heavy metal. Imagine taking some of the better parts of bands like Riot, New Eden, Helstar, Crimson Glory, Watchtower, Titan Force, Warlord, Vicious Rumors, Symphony X, Queensryche and Destiny's End and creating a young and hungry band out of it. Wardrum would be the result. Simply put this is an exceptional album that I hope to return to often. To order see below.

http://www.arkeynsteel.com/metal-store/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=140&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=9999
for preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52S_vJh4KgM&feature=colike
www.steelgallery.com
www.wardrum.gr

Metal Mark's top 35 albums of 2011

What a year 2011 has been for music. It's been such a spectacular year that instead of doing my usual top 25 albums of the year I had to expand it to 35 and it was still hard to narrow it down.
It was definitely the year for stoner rock, doom and experimental metal. However there were also good classic style metal albums, hard rock, thrash, prog-metal, death metal, power metal and I even considered two AOR albums for this although they didn't quite make it. It was a just a fantastic year for music and weak albums were few and far between. So like them or not here are my top 35 albums of 2011.



1-Black Cobra-Invernal
A slightly different approach for them, but still amazing.
2-Admiral Browning-Battle Stations
More great instrumental stoner, prog-rock from this trio.
3-In Solitude-The world the flesh, the devil
Total Mercyful Fate worship but so well done.
4-Beehoover-Concrete catalyst
Beehoover have gotten better with each album.
5-Grand Astoria-Omnipresence
Powerful rawk and roll madness.
6-Lo Pan-Salvador
Fuzzed out goodness.
7-Alice Cooper-Welcome 2 my nightmare
A big surprise and a great effort from Alice.
8-Ethereal Riffian-Shamans visions
Slow and thick layers of stoner rock and doom.
9-Roadsaw-s/t
Six years since their last album and they come back better than ever.
10-Across Tundras-Sage
A mass of surging tones.
11- Saxon-Call to arms
Metal veterans still have plenty left in the tank.
12-Pentagram-Last Rites
Welcome back to the fold, Victor Griffin.
13- Argus-Boldy stride the doomed
Even better than their previous album.
14-Megadeth-TH1RT3EN
Their best album in some time.
15- Brotherhood of sleep-Dark as light
Hypnotizing doom.
16-Earth-Angels of darkness, demons of light 1
Spectacular tones throughout.
17-Gypsy Pistoleros - Duende :Last of the Pistoleros
Lee Pistolero and his backing band still pull this one off.
18-Scale the summit-The collective
Not always a prog-rock fan, but these guys are easy to get into.
19-Enablers-Blown realms and stalled explosions
A wild mix of off the wall sounds, scattered music , spoken word and more.
20-Blaspherian-Infernal Warriors of death
Pure raging death metal.
21-The Rotted-Ad Nauseum
One of the best at mixing death metal and old style hardcore.
22-Mastodon –The Hunter
A disappointment for them, but still solid enough.
23-Jag Panzer-The scourge of the light
Impressive outing.
24-Brainstorm-On the spur of the moment
Still one of the best power metal bands around.
25-Amon Amarth-Surtur Rising
Predictable, but heavy.
26-Wino-Adrift
Different from his usual work, but still engaging.
27-Vektor-Outer Isolation
Great blend of technical talent combined with old style thrash.
28-TYR-The lay of Thrym
Viking themed power metal with incredible melodies.
29- Between the buried and me- The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
Only EP, but these guys are still brilliant.
30-Wolves in the throne room-Celestial Lineage
Drone done right.
31-Twisted Tower Dire-Make it dark
Another solid outing from this classic style metal act.
32-Dixie Witch-Let it roll
Southern fried, groove driven rock.
33-Portrait-Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae'
The second best Mercyful Fate inspired album of the year.
33-Iron Claw-A different game
Their first album since the 1970’s and what a great comeback.
34-Einvera-In your image
Constantly changing chaos.
35-Witch Mountain-South of Salem
Slow and noisy works for this band.

Best and worst album covers of 2010

Ah, album covers I still love to look at them. That's not to say they are all good, but I still spend time looking at album covers and it's good to know there are still some fine covers coming out. Let's look at the not so good or bad if you will.

Here are a couple for the could have been better category.


Yeah, it's Eddie, but if a Maiden cover doesn't strike you as being cool right away then something is wrong.



The Helloween logog looks good, but the main image is like a steampunk version of a blender blade. It's okay, but not really front cover worthy.


Davie Rock Feinstein's cover is just totally bland. How much thought really went into this cover?

And...

Lethal Saint's cover is going for a DIY/early thrash cover kind of look, but it comes across as more of a "sketch on a book cover by a bored 8th grader" kind of look.



And finally...

Yngwie in his normal "I am wanker see me pose" stance. There are worse Yngwie covers, but once again this is no good.


Let's look at some of the covers that I really liked.

First some typical ideas done in likable ways.


Yeah, it's a skull and like 30% of all metal albums seem to have them slapped on their covers. I like the cover of Earthride's latest. The backgrounds colors and the blending of the object work for me.


Okay, it's a tough warrior with a weapon and we see plenty of those all over metal covers every year, but I really took to Immaculate's album cover. I only wish the music had been as good as the cover...it wasn't though.

Some different ones...


Intronaut's latest is an odd, but catchy cover.


Dawnbringer's latest uses only a few colors, but I love the depth and the mood they create.

And finally...



The Rocketchief cover plays on a definite nostalgia angle, but I loved it the first time I saw it.


***There you go. Feel free to add what covers from 2010 you liked or didn't like.