HEAVATAR - "OPUS II: THE ANNIHILATION" (2018)

HEAVATAR - "OPUS II: THE ANNIHILATION"
(Running time: 58:53 minutes; 12 songs)
("EAR Music"/"Edel Germany GmbH"; 2018; CD):

Hey guys, yes, right back again and so here now comes my latest/newest record-review for you and we will also stay for/with this very one here in the department of Heavy Metal with this very one here and now being on the second full-length-album of/by HEAVATAR titled "OPUS II: THE ANNIHILATION" released very recently via "EAR MUSIC"/"EDEL GERMANY GMBH" at the 16th of February of 2018. Yes, normally it takes me quite a bit longer before I feel prepared enough to do a respectful record-review on an album (no matter if I like it or not) but after I'm currently a bit struck down by this damn influenza I have a lot of time and so I can't really tell you how often I now have already over the last days listened to HEAVATAR's second born "OPUS II: THE ANNIHILATION" since it's out and so now my record-review on it will now be up very soon after the album was released only a few days ago, hm, maybe also not that bad after all. First of all HEAVATAR were totally unknown to me before (as quite a bit of bands lately how I realized over the last months... just too damn many music out there to know it all) and the predeccesor album so is (also) unknown to me. For all what I understand this is sort of a ''project-band'' that Stefan Schmidt who otherwise is a member of VAN CANTO (what-ever-band that may be) formed with three other guys of whom the probably best- or most-known is Jörg Michael at the drums who you might know from RUNNING WILD, GRAVE DIGGER, AXEL RUDI PELL, RAGE, STRATOVARIUS, and many more. And by looking at the title of the album that carries the word/term 'opus' in it and this also at a very prominent position you might already got the correct impression that Classical Music plays a pretty important role in and for the music of HEAVATAR, yes, and by all my other ramblings so far you should already know that we talk here about (Heavy/Power) Metal, yes, and so this is definitely sort of a Metal meets Classic affair. If you now think "Whooaaa, what the fuck...?!?" then that's your problem and just wait for the next record-review and skip the rest of this if you think you should 'need' to... but you would be missing out on something really damn good if you would do so, point and fact. This whole Metal meets Classic stuff (just to name it this way) is normally also not really my sort of proteinshake and it's been a while since I put my last Classic Music record on but I fell in love with the cover artwork and so I decided to risk an ear and after here and now you get my record-review on it you may already guess that what I listened to really surprised and convinced me and so I took the album with me home and so now here we are. The classic instrumentation and orchestration is clearly there as well as in general 'classy' composed arrangements are surely to be noticed but this is all worked into the whole flow of the songs in a damn great way so that it not only turns out to be a very strong and organic 'symbiose' that also 'not the biggest fans of Classic Music' (like me, myself, and I) can enthusiastically enjoy with much pleasure but also it flows all nearly perfectly together and it all sounds very natural and in now way forced and artficial and this is just all damn fine with me. So HEAVATAR deliver us powerful and forward pushing Heavy Metal or Power Metal that draws inspirations from BLIND GUARDIAN as well as MANOWAR and also some HELLOWEEN and so you see that the whole Classic Music 'stuff' aside the Heavy Metal or Power Metal definitely is the order of the day and HEAVATAR also offer here and there slight flirtings with Epic Metal and also here and there maybe some (very) few Speed Metal and it also shines with a huge and sort of bombastic approach and also with very strong and also cool fresh rhythm'n'groove-work and some sort of modern tones especially to the guitars and their rhythm work so that probably also fans of bands like SERIOUS BLACK or ORDEN OGAN should definitely become instantly fans of HEAVATAR, hm, and just to mention it the songs are also structured very rousing and arranged in a damn strong hymnal way with a bit of medieval marks and 'folkloristic' elements in it all and even sweetest female co-lead-vocals are worked in it in an amazing strong way at one part. And don't get any wrong impressions because even with clear to notice and proudly shown influences (like with the honestly very good MANOWAR cover "METAL DAZE", not that it comes any close to the original but who would have thought or even expected that) HEAVATAR offer a pretty big and very own character and not only because of the Classic Music influences in it all but also due to a very own guitar tone, the fantastic, multifaceted, and charismatic vocals, and the general compositorial approach to put tons of huge epicness even in a four minute song. And so you may have already guessed that the songwriting is very rich, multi-layered, and like the vocals multifaceted, too, and offers a huge load of greatness to be discovered by us the listeners while at the same time it's all incredible well flowing so that you won't find any breaks or holes or blank spaces in it all, hell yeahr, and all is delivered and done by high(est) skilled musicians. The biggest trademarks are for sure the amazing lead vocals, the very diverse, heavy and yet damn melodic guitars, and the fantastic drumming, all enriched by the classic orchestration and a beneath the surface power adding bass work. Pretty good and cool, mostly (at first look) Fantasy lyrics and a gorgeous and beautiful artwork we get on top of it all, yes, as well as a very sadly only semi-optimal too clinical production sound that especially takes too much power away from the drumming. If that wouldn't be my rating would probably be even a bit higher. Don't ask me for any listening advices because the whole album comes without any fillers even surely "PURPOSE OF A VIRGIN MIND" is (from my point of view) probably the biggest hit and is also meant to be exactly that. So, okay, I really think that now you should know all what you have to know about HEAVATAR's "OPUS II: THE ANNIHILATION" and I will now leave you here and now with my honest and clear recommendation(s) and so best stop thinking and just go out and get it, period.

(8,5 of 10 points)

http://heavatar.net/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

HEAVATAR - "PURPOSE OF A VIRGIN MIND" (2018, "OPUS II: THE ANNIHILATION")

TWILIGHT FORCE - "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC" (2016)

TWILIGHT FORCE - "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC"
(Running time: 70:27 minutes; 12 songs)
("Nuclear Blast Records"; 2016; CD):

Okay, f**k it, now you got me, I'm not proud of this here and now, nah, really not, but... god damn it, what shall I say... you got me, now comes a little secret (okay, after I am finally doing this review I think we can cross out this 'secret' anyhow) guilty pleasure of me, myself, and I. This is TWILIGHT FORCE's (for all what I know) second album (their first one on "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS") titled "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC" and it was released last year in 2016 at the 26. of August and it even entered the german media control charts. Normally you can take stuff like this and stick it into your bodywhole where the sun never shines on (normally) but here with this album... damn it... TWILIGHT FORCE somehow really managed to grab me. They remind me of mid-to-late-1990's/early-to-mid-2000's European (Power) Metal bands like for example RHAPSODY and maybe also some STRATOVARIUS like stuff and some (especially Kiske-era) HELLOWEEN and especially the first two mentioned bands were and still are in ongoing strong pure hate-hate-relations with me, hm, I think Symphonic Metal was and perhaps still is the right name for this kind of (Heavy) Metal music. Very playful and cheerfully done melodic and symphonic songs with a rampantly epic approach to it all and all is heavily and I mean HEAVILY marked by in all honesty incredible corny and saccharine bombast-fueled orchestra-, keyboards-, choir-, and soundtrack/sample-parts, and this parts are (sadly) very often so strong that the Metal in the music of TWILIGHT FORCE totally gets pushed back in a strong way, nah, I mean in a very strong way. That's really sad. I mean, okay, you may can say so "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC" earns a lot of characteristica that would fit the epic bombast soundtracks to blockbuster fantasy epos' like for example the "THE LORD OF THE RINGS" or the "THE HOBBIT" movies perfectly, for sure, but this is still a Metal album anyhow anyway (or at least I think/thought so) and so that's just sort of sad, especially after the "real and normal" Metal "stuff" on TWILIGHT FORCE's "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC" is in most parts really, really strong. Fantastic lead vocals, strong and powerful, expressive and pretty chracteristic, covering a wide distance of different moods and facets; very strong and diverse guitars, symphonic singing and "melodicly" bright shining, yet still heavy and powerful as well as swift as an arrow and sharp cutting all the time; a very versatile and diverse, yet incredible tight and precise rhythm section; and loud melodic band back up singings as well as (mostly) first class guest vocals; yes, here you find really a lot if you work yourself through all the saccharine-corny melodies and the soundtrack dingle-dangle, really a lot of pretty high quality and with an already special unique flavor to it all, if you just take the time and work yourself into this album and allow it to grow on you. So, from my point of view, I think it's really sad that the Metal often gets too strongly pushed back - but maybe that's just me, who knows. Anyhow, I allowed TWILIGHT FORCE's "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC" to grow on me and, yes, it suddenly became a guilty pleasure for/to me. Live with it, take it like a man, so I do, hahahaha. ;-) Btw, that from my point of view I here and there think that the songs are just too epic or "epic", too forced, too wanted, hm, should maybe be mentioned here and now as well. Check. Lyricwise this is through and through Fantasy Metal or Adventure Metal or (for you Real Life Roleplaying folks outta there) Roleplaying Metal and it's full of mysterious, fantastic creatures, dragons, heroes, warriors, knights, magicians, castles, and "BATTLE(s) OF ARCANE MIGHT". And the absolutely outstanding artwork is a perfect match to this Fantasy Metal concept and just totally great. Btw, that the album title is sort of a nice little play with the old and mighty PC games series "HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC" I really like a lot. :-) The production sound is (for my personal taste) much too soft and clean and only takes away more "room" from the (Heavy) Metal spirit here and there. Anyhow, this album really has a lot to offer and every fan of Fantasy and Metal and Bombast should and can calmly risk one or two ears - really calmly. Surely not an album for every or any day or moment, but (personally for me) a nice little guitly pleasure. Put some "DRAGON'S DOGMA" into your Playstation, put on TWILIGHT FORCE's "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC" and just sink for 70 minutes into a brighter and more colourful world full of mighty magic, honorable heroes, and proud dragons. Some escapism from my time to time never hurts, so, yes, I really like this one from this swedish Symphonic Metal folks; and there are times where some little escapism is all you need and may it be just for a little bit more then one hour. My personal favorites are "BATTLE OF ARCANE MIGHT", "FLIGHT OF THE SAPPHIRE DRAGON", "THERE AND BACK AGAIN", "RIDERS OF THE DAWN", and "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC", so, yes, maybe start your listening session(s) with this ones. Anyhow, a good album, so give it a fair try.

(7 of 10 points)

https://www.facebook.com/twilightforce/ (-the link to the facebook page of the band, check it out)

TWILIGHT FORCE - "BATTLE OF ARCANE MIGHT" /live, 2017\ (2016, "HEROES OF MIGHTY MAGIC")