Metal Overview: Battle Beast

Here’s the end of Mini Month fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

At the start of this month, we traveled to Germany for a look at the Rammstein side project, Emigrate. Then around the middle of February, we examined the obscure legends Sinergy, and wept at what could have been. Today, I’ve saved the best for last, and given that they have a new album coming out in a few weeks, it seemed only appropriate. That’s right, it’s time to take a look at Battle Beast!

That’s right, Battle Beast! I already looked at these Finnish Power Metal masters back in 2017 during part 2 of Power Metal Pandemonium, but I always suspected that I would be looking at them again. As I stated before they’re cranking out No More Hollywood Endings next month, so why not look at what they’ve done so far? With that out of the way, here’s a look at the incredibly nerdy Battle Beast! Let’s begin.

Steel (2011/2012)

Our story begins in 2005, in the little town of Helsinki, Finland. Three high school friends, Juuso Soinio, Anton Kabanen and drummer Pyry Vikki, formed what would be the initial lineup of the band. Juuso & Anton were on guitar, and Pyry was the drummer. After some auditions, bassist Eero Sipilä and keyboardist Janne Björkroth joined the group, as well as lead singer Nitte Valo, formed Battle Beast 1.0. Before they acquired a record deal, the group participated in 2 band competitions in 2010: the international Wacken Metal Battle 2010, and not long after that, Radio Rock Starba. They managed to win that one, and with the attention they were getting in their home country, they signed a deal with Hype Records. After that, they worked on their first album, and on the first of April in 2011, Steel was released.

Initially only available in Finland, it somehow managed to grab the attention of international record company Nuclear Blast, and the band signed a deal with them in late 2011. After the deal, the band decided to re-release Steel to a wider audience (January 27, 2012), and said re-release included a bonus track. As far as first albums go, Battle Beast did a hell of a job! A through & through Power Metal release, it has it’s influence with the traditional themes you’d expect with the genre, but it also includes a healthy dose of Science Fiction and Anime/Manga as well. This would be a trait that carries through to fundamentally every other Battle Beast release, and it’s a trait I welcome wholeheartedly.

Best Track? Band Of The Hawk has to be one of the goofiest, nerdiest songs not only on this album, or in this band’s library of songs, but in Power Metal ever! Like I mentioned above, Steel is filled with references to Beserk, but it’s this track where said references are incredibly obvious. Ironically, is strangely lighthearted, and feels more like a ballad about an adventuring group fighting bad guys, rather than the tale of a mercenary group led by a madman. Definitely a song to play during your next DnD meetup!

Band Of The Hawk

Worst Track? While a damn good way to start off a career, I’ve found that Steel is perhaps Battle Beast’s most serious release. That’s not to say that there isn’t any cheesiness to be had, cause it most definitely has said cheese in spades. However, given the very obvious references to Beserk across some of the songs, the darker & more morally grey nature of that series somewhat casts a shadow over the record. On top of that, Nitte Valo doesn’t quite have as much force behind her voice. She not a bad singer by any means, but given who was to take her place, Nitte comes across as a little restrained sometimes.

Steel. Fully of sci-fi & dark anime goodness, it’s a great record for metalheads, nerds, and/or otaku to enjoy. However, as you listen to this, you might get the niggling feeling that maybe Battle Beast was holding back a little.....and sweet Christ on a chrome coated Christmas cracker were they holding back!

Battle Beast (2013)

In the autumn of 2012, Nitte Valo had announced that she would be leaving Battle Beast, as family issues were coming up. From then the search was on for a new woman to take the position of lead singer, and they found their star in Noora Louhimo. Inspired by famous female singers like Janis Joplin, Noora had more of a hardcore attitude & personality than her predecessor, and so she fit the band like a silk glove. With their new singer at the helm, the group had another tour in Europe, this time in support with Sonata Artica. After that, they went to JKB Studios in Helsinki, Finland to record a new album, and on May the 17th, 2013, Battle Beast was released to the public.

You might remember my review of this album in 2017 during part 2 of Power Metal Pandemonium (Which you can read here), so I won’t repeat too much here. I will say that this: Battle Beast is damn good. With their new singer, the band really feels like their namesake! They really feel like a force to be reckoned with. They feel like a monstrosity that you find in the story books, or only the mightiest force in Dungeons & Dragons. Hell, you can listen to the majority of this record during a DnD game, and it would be a perfect match. Upon acquiring it nearly 2 years ago, it made me a instant fan of these Finnish fiends!

Best Track? I stated this in my original review, but I think that Into The Heart Of Danger is the best song on the album. The track is the ultimate embodiment of courage. It gets your blood pumping. It stiffens your spines, and it can get you to do something! Even if you don’t use the song as a way to get yourself through the day, it’s still a bouncy & optomistic track that brings a smile to your face, and a pep in your step.......and it’ll get you to jump & headbang.

Into The Heart Of Danger

Worst Track? Like I said in my review a while ago, the only bad thing about this album is the fact that it’s self-named. That’s it. Their first album should have been the self-titled one, not their second one.

Battle Beast. Quite possibly the band’s best release, it has since become a gold standard of the group, and the one where the fanbase has measured every subsequent record. Next album!

Unholy Savior (2015)

2013 was a good year for Battle Beast. Following the release of their 2nd album, it successfully manage to top their previous 2 albums on the Finnish music charts (Steel was at no. 7, while their self titled album made it to no. 5) by managing to take the no. 1 spot for 17 weeks straight! On top of that, they headed out on another Fall tour, this time working alongside Powerwolf and U.D.O.. 2014 was pretty good to them as well, as in January of that year they were announced as one of the five nominees for the best Finnish metal album in the national Emma-gaala awards (Although I don’t know if they won). However they would not rest on their asses, and so they once again traveled to JKB Studios in Helsinki to work on their 3rd album, and in early January of 2015 (January 9th to be specific), Unholy Savior was released.

True story: though their 2nd album was the first from the band I bought, it was Unholy Savior that I first saw. I outright discarded the album cover from my mind, as it looked like something a random Death Metal band would use to a degree. Not only that, but the name across as incredibly goofy, despite how intimidating the cover can be. Once I got into their music, I realized I made a big mistake in brushing them off, but the record does have a big issue (More on that below). Regardless, I kinda like this album. Not quite as much as their self titled album, but Unholy Savior is still pretty fun.

Best Track? Much like Into The Heart Of Danger, Lionheart is just a fun song to crank up the volume for. It contains much of the previously mentioned track’s themes of courage & rising up to defeat your fears. If it does have one difference, it would be the obvious change in pacing. Lionheart is a little bit faster than Into The Heart Of Danger, but not overwhelmingly so. I picture this song in a knight’s head as he’s charging a castle, storming the place, and rescuing the princess or prince, and riding off into the sunset. Definitely one to not skip!

Lionheart

Worst Track? Kinda like their self-titled album, there’s absolutely nothing bad on Unholy Savior. Everybody puts in a lot of effort, and it shows! My problem is that it doesn’t deviate from Battle Beast. In many ways, Unholy Savior almost is like a Battle Beast part 2. There’s a lot of the same vibes, the same sounds, the same themes, etc. Whether this was because they were lazy, or because they couldn’t think of anything new to use in their music, I’m not sure. I will say this: if you are going to copy or continue with an album, make it a good one, and luckily for them they did.

Unholy Savior. Nothing necessarily new, but nothing bad at the same time. If for whatever reason you weren’t a fan of their self-titled album, you might find this one to be enjoyable. However, as fine as this album is, it would seem like some trouble would come their way. Next album!

Bringer Of Pain (2017)

And here were have the first stumble of Battle Beast’s career. A month after Unholy Savior came out, longtime band member Anton Kabanen decided to part ways with the band, citing musical disagreements and other unsolvable issues (The rest of the band cited this as well). His replacement would come in the form of Janne Björkroth’s brother, Joona Björkroth. Joona was a sessional member at first, but became a permanent member in 2016. Meanwhile, Anton would go on to form Beast In Black (Which also borrows from Beserk, ironically), and their second album just so happened to come out this month (The 8th to be exact).  With 3.0 of the band was finalized, and on February the 17th, 2017, Bringer Of Pain was released to the public.

I’m.....conflicted about this album. On the one hand, I enjoy it. The band’s still having fun, it’s still silly music, and it’s still geeky. On the other hand.....it’s not as strong as Steel, their self titled album, and even Unholy Savior. Anton Kabanen really was the creative force behind the band, and without him Battle Beast’s fangs aren’t quite as sharp. You can still feel the bite most definitely, but the wounds are a little more easily cleanable & will heal a little quicker.

Regardless, Bringer Of Pain managed to get on the no. 1 spot on the Finnish music charts like Unholy Savior. Following it’s release, Battle Beast went on a 5 week tour in Europe alongside fellow bands Majesty and Gyze, and toured for the first time in the United States with Leaves’ Eyes and Sabaton during that band’s “The Last Tour” (Of which I was at in the Upstate Concert Hall). Not only that, but they actually performed for the first time in Japan in September of 2017. All of this is pretty cool if you ask me!

Best Track? Bastard Son Of Odin is just a catchy little number. One reason why I think it’s the best song is because I own the shirt for it. You see the bastard son riding a motorcycle, with a scythe on his back, and holding a skull in his left hand. Not only that, but one of the lyrics is right on the back of the shirt, and for me that spot weirdly covers my ass up a little. The other reason why the song is so good is cause it’s got some great instrumentation and vocal work from Noora Louhimo, not to mention a geeky vibe you feel on prior releases, and just a little bit of Viking Metal flavor sprinkled on top. Definitely a fun song to play at parties.

Bastard Son Of Odin

Worst Track? Again, Bringer Of Pain’s only flaw is that it feels like a downgrade compared to the band’s last 3 albums. Instrumentation isn’t as great, vocal work isn’t as powerful, and even the geeky themes used in the past aren’t quite as present. This results in an album that’s not quite as strong as what came before it, and in a weird way make Battle Beast feel like an old-school novelty act trying to make a comeback after being away for a longtime. This also makes Bringer Of Pain feel like a release from a band that’s coasting off of their past success. There’s still plenty of fun to be had, but not as much as the last 3 records.

Bringer Of Pain. Not a bad album by any stretch, but everything felt like a step backwards rather that forwards. It certainly is enjoyable in many spots, but it’s not quite as punchy or badass as the band’s first 3 releases. Will things get improved with the arrival of their 5th album next month? Well, stayed tuned in April for an update to this overview, where I’ll give you all my thoughts on No More Hollywood Endings. In the meantime, let’s see what this whole “Beast In Black” thing is all about!

Berserker (2017)

After his departure from Battle Beast earlier in 2015, Anton still wanted to make music, as the creative gears were still grinding in his head. As the year went on, he assembled a motley group of talented musicians, composed of Yannis Papadopoulos on lead vocals, Kasperi Heikkinen on rhythm guitar, Mate Molnar on bass, and Sami Hänninen on drums. Anton would still be in his position as lead guitarist & backing vocalist, and after signing a deal with Nuclear Blast, they set out on their first record. When the clock spun to the 3rd of November in 2017, Beserker was released to positive reviews from critics & fans alike.

For me.....I love this album! Berserker is what Steel should have been, and what Bringer Of Pain needed to be. Much like BB’s first release, Anton is borrowing heavily from Beserk, but the big difference between this album and Steel is vibes contained within the music. Berserker can still be a serious record to be sure, but it’s obvious that it takes itself less seriously than Steel, and has a much stronger fun factor (Even though Steel can be fun). If you thought that BB’s first outing was too grim, then Berserker might be more of your thing. Personally I like both, but I can easily see why someone would prefer one over the other.

Best Track? Like Battle Beast’s 2nd & 3rd albums, Berserker has fantastic songs from top to bottom. From the opener Beast In Black, to the closing notes of Ghost In The Rain, it’s obvious that Anton setout to craft an album in the style of Battle Beast, yet was firmly in his own vision. He most easily succeeded, as I genuinely can’t pick a single track on here that represents Berserker the best. Everything is that good, but I’ll be damned if I don’t think that Blind & Frozen is the goofiest, hokiest track on the album!

Blind & Frozen

Worst Track? Kind of like BB’s self-titled 2013 album, and not to mention Unholy Savior from 2015, but Berserker has no bad tunes from beginning to end. If there was one thing someone could nitpick about the album, it’s probably the fact that it does borrow from the Battle Beast book a bit. Cheesy keyboarding, the equally cheesy 80s vibe, loud & powerful vocals, thunderous drums & guitars, etc. Luckily, it doesn’t feel like a carbon copy at any point, but a new listener could easily mistake this as a BB ripoff.

Berserker. Certainly borrows one or two things from his former band, but Anton Kabanen still proves that he’s a creative, fun, and awesome musician. If you were turned off by the weaker nature of Bringer of Pain or the serious aura of Steel, this will easily fill the void. Next album!

From Hell With Love (2019)

With their first album in the bag, Beast In Black looked to the horizon for their next destination. However, on February the 7th of last year, it was announced that Sami Hänninen would be replaced by Atte Palokangas as the drummer of the band (To quote Sami: “Due to new circumstances in my life, I'm not able to take part in the upcoming shows nor tours and I feel the band, especially in its early stages, requires a drummer who will be able to give his absolute hundred percent for the band.”). Atte had been touring with the band since the end of 2017, so it seemed like a natural fit. With their new drummer in tow, they opened for Nightwish during the European portion of their Decades: World Tour. Once that was done, Beast In Black settled down to work on their second release, and just a few weeks ago on the 9th of this month, From Hell With Love was released.

As for me? Despite it still cooling down a bit since it’s release earlier in February, I quite enjoy From Hell With Love. Further proof that Anton Kabanen is the heart & soul (As far as songwriting, atmosphere, and personality is concerned) of not only of Beast In Black and his former compatriots, this entire album is built upon what made Berserker so good.....only with a healthy injections of steroids stuck in it’s butt! The 80s atmosphere that was present on BiB’s first outing comes back, only this time it’s at the forefront of the entire record, yet not in a way that’s overwhelmingly oddly enough. If I was to describe it, I’d say that From Hell With Love is a long lost 80s metal album, coating with a sugary Power Metal coating, and decorated with some fantasy-themed sprinkles. If that doesn’t sound appetizing, then I don’t know what is!

Best Track? Just like Berserker, there is not a single song on From Hell With Love that could act as a best track. Every tune is just a nice little treat, and the 80s atmosphere is a massive nostalgia blast for anyone who loves that period of Heavy Metal. However, I should make mention of the band’s decision to cover the classic Motörhead song, Killed By Death. Beast In Black really treated the song with a great deal of respect: while it still has some Power Metal spice in the mixture, the overall experience would make Lemmy smile with delight, as it still sounds like something from the Motörhead school of music. Though it’s a bonus track, it should be one of the reasons to seek From Hell With Love out!

Killed By Death (Beast In Black Version)

Worst Track? As with Berserker, everything on From Hell With Love is fantastic. If you want to be exceedingly nitpicky, you could say that this album isn’t really all that much different from BiB’s first release. In a weird way it’s not a detriment, as while Unholy Savior seemed to simply copy it’s predecessor’s formula, From Hell With Love takes everything that made Berserker great, and reinforce those qualities with a turn of the knob to 11. Again, only listeners with really picky outlooks on the album would talk about this, but for people like me who enjoy the hokey.....we’re content.

From Hell With Love. An 80s overload to the 10th degree, it none the less proves to be incredibly entertaining. Time will tell whether it will be a classic or not, but in the meantime it’s earns it’s keep in spades, and it’s definitely a release I recommend to anyone who wants some cheesy Power Metal. Now the beast has emerged once again, but is it still deadly? Next album!

No More Hollywood Endings (2019) ***

With Bringer of Pain seeing the band shift their style to something a little more safer, not to mention marking the first time the BB fans becoming divided, people were worried that things would get worse during the next few years. So when it was announced late in 2018 that the band was releasing new material here in 2019, fans (Including myself) were excited & filled with hope that it would wash away everything that was bad with BoP. After a few months of waiting, on the 26th of March of this year, No More Hollywood Ending was released. Did it alleviate the fears of fans, and turned things around for the band? Nope. Not at all!

I do not know what the hell happened, but everybody within Battle Beast has completely turned a 180, and are going in the wrong direction. What See You On The Other Side was to Korn, No More Hollywood Endings is to BB. This album is the easiest to listen to, the most radio friendly, and by far the most commercial record that the band has ever written! Bringer of Pain, while definitely sharing some elements of this release, at the very least felt like they were still an 80s nerd inspired Power Metal band. It still felt like they were trying, and it still felt like they were having fun. Not so much with this one: from top to bottom they are removing almost every single component that got them fame & success in the first place. I don't understand why everybody in BB hates Anton (Most popular theory is that he was a huge control freak) and why they absolutely refuse to speak, but what they're doing here does nothing but ruin a reputation that's already damaged, and seals their fate as a group that's doomed to become more & more commercial with each release.

Best Track? Despite it's faults, there are actually a couple tracks that somehow manage to have some semi-balance of BB's first 3 albums. Chief among them was the second single of the record, Eden. When it first premiered, a lot of the fanbase that was worried by the first single (More on that below) seemed to have some of their fear taken away (Myself included). There's plenty of good riffage all over, the drumwork is nice & thunderous, and Noora Louhimo still slays on vocals. There are some more songs like this, but Eden is definitely the pinnacle of older Battle Beast remnants on this album.

Eden

Worst Track? I don't think it's legal to say anything other than Endless Summer. I didn't realize I could simultaneously have chills up my spine, feel a piece of my soul die, and suffer a seizure while listening to a song.....but somehow this one did! This feels like a band completely selling out, throwing away everything that made them great, and going for something cheap & easy just to make a quick buck. It comes across like an 80s summer song, but not a good one. Even when there's a typical Battle Beast moment (Which are incredibly few on this tune), it goes away almost immediately after a few seconds. The only nice thing I can say about Endless Summer is that when you see it coming on the tracklist, you know immediately when to press the skip button. Absolutely terrible!

Endless Summer 

A dishonorable mention would have to go to the title track. When it first premiered on youtube (The first single in fact), fans were divided more on it than anything on their previous record. While still a commercial feeling song, it still goes through the motions of BB's prior work, albeit not quite as strong. It's definitely got a good beat & rhythm to it, but that doesn't help it in anyway.  

No More Hollywood Endings

Apart from the previously mentioned tune, No More Hollywood Endings's single biggest fault is the massively commercial nature surrounding every piece of music on here (Even the good songs). Bringer of Pain, despite it faults, still came across like a Battle Beast album. A little toned down, and a little more commercially accessible, but it still sounds & feels like BB. Here? Very little of what made the band so good & so popular in the first place remains, and instead a group that's doing everything it can to move away from what made them incredible has taken it's place. Like I said above, everybody in the band is doing everything they can to erase the name & memory of the band member that gave them their heart and soul, and that shoves Battle Beast further & further into the realm of commerciality and radio play. I now dread what comes next, and I think much of the fanbase does so as well.

No More Hollywood Endings. The first bad Battle Beast album, but it's not unbearable. If you can struggle through the bad stuff, there are a few nuggets of good music to listen to. Casual fans will more than likely stay away due to all of the negative press, and only massively die hard listeners will ever step foot near this record. Not recommended to anybody, Power Metal fans or otherwise. Next album!

Dark Connection (2021) ***

Super quick story: I was actually supposed to see Beast In Black last year. They were actually one of the openers for Hammerfall (There was another band along for the ride, but I forgot their name), but then the plague hit, and that threw a diseased wrench into the cogs, putting an end to the tour in question. Story aside, if there was one good about the plague-ridden year of 2020, it's that it gave bands a lot of time to work on new material without the fuss of touring, and Beast In Black were no exception to this. Without having to travel all over, they sat their asses down in the studio, and got to work on the follow up to their 2019 release From Hell With Love (Which was one of my number 2 albums of that year), and just over 2 weeks ago on the 29th of October, 2021, Dark Connection was released. A Considerably more Science Fiction/Cyberpunk release than either of their previous releases, Dark Connection is just as good as Berserker or FHWL, and still acts as a sign that they are the true "Beast" of the Power Metal world.

Best Track? One Night In Tokyo has got to be one of the most weeb-tastic metal songs I've ever heard, and considering all of the praise & attention I've give to Everfrost since 2019, that is saying something! This song feels like it was made for a 90s Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk anime: there's keyboards and synths all over the place, the 90’s Eurodance vibes are strong, and you can use this as the show's opener or closer & it somehow works perfectly. However, there's still some nice guitar & bass work, drumming, and Yannis Papadopoulos's signature voice is still as incredible as ever. I can easily understand why some listeners would laugh at this song, but it also happens to be one of the best on Dark Connection.

One Night In Tokyo

And there's the track that will absolutely blindside you (It certainly blindsided), which is a cover of the Michael Jackson classic They Don't Care About Us. The Cyberpunk flavorings of Dark Connection cover this song as well, but what's interesting is that the original core message of the original version isn't lost. In fact, it actually meshes incredibly well with the Sci-Fi keyboard/synth of this album, and even the pacing of this cover is incredibly similar to that of the original Michael Jackson version. It's certainly a head-scratching choice to a cover, but Beast In Black simultaneously give this a incredible deal of respect, why at the same time making it a little bit of their own tune.

They Don't Care About Us

Worst Track? To suggest that a song on Dark Connection is bad is just pure lunacy. Every single tune is an absolute banger, and while some tracks are a little cheesier than others, you can't say they're not fun. My only nitpick (And this is a easy nitpic) is that maybe the album relies a little too heavily on the keyboards & synths. On records like Berserker & From Hell With Love, there was a seemingly perfect balance between the instrumentation and the keyboarding & synth work, but on this album that's not the case. To play a little bit of Devil's Advocate, Beast In Black were going in a more Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk direction with this release, so I can understand the shift.

Dark Connection. More in the realm of Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk than the previous two releases, it still manages to be a badass buffet of Power Metal, cheese and all. If you were disappointed by Battle Beast's outing in 2019, or just want a little more keyboard in your life, then for the love of all the metal gods go for this record!

Circus of Doom (2022) ***

With No More Hollywood Endings still lingering in the air, many among the Battle Beast fanbase lot faith. Though it definitely had fans, there were far more people (Myself included) that considered it a betrayal on par with that of St. Anger. The lack of metal, the heavy focus on the pop elements, and the neutering of what made the band so good in the first place really hurt BB. So much so, that Anton Kabanen's 2nd startup band Beast In Black claimed the title of "Beast" for so time. So when it came to be that Battle Beast were cranking out a 6th record, I confess that I was rather nervous. NMHE was such a bomb, and the first two to three singles that came out since, while definitely not bad (More on that below), certainly didn't boost my confidence. Then, just a day ago on the 21st of January, Circus Of Doom was released......and sweet baby Jesus to the 10th degree.......HOLY SHIT!

This album.....this somewhat goofy named album.....has somehow turned things around for Battle Beast. Actually, it's more like the band traveled back in time, and now feel more akin to their first 3 records rather than what they were from 2017 to 2019. Where the hell was this band when Bringer Of Pain was released? WHERE THE HELL WAS THIS BAND WHEN NO MORE HOLLYWOOD ENDINGS CAME OUT!? For the first time in nearly 7 years, Battle Beast feel like an all-out badass Power Metal band. You got the 80s nostalgia, you got the power, you got the geekery (Though it's more subtle this time), and perhaps most importantly....you got the metal! Already, this is gonna go on my top 5 albums of 2022 list, and even if it doesn't for whatever reason, I still consider it to be damn good record.

Best Track? Russian Roulette is a certified banger on this album! Like a tune off of their self-titled release, this song has one foot in 1980s nostalgia, and the other foot in modern day Power Metal & modern recording/production. There's so much energy from everybody as the song plays!: Noora Louhimo is back to claim her throne, as her voice is unshackled from the middling level she was singing across almost all of NMHE, and soars all over the skies with her patented U.D.O./Doro Pesch like screech. Pyry Vikki goes to town on the drums, Juuso Soinio & Joona Björkroth command their guitars like no-one's business, Eero Sipilä is magic on the bass, and Janne Björkroth weaves a tapestry of sound on the keyboard. It is still a bit weird that Anton Kabanen isn't with the band, but it finally appears as if they might be okay without him.

Russian Roulette

Worst Track? It's almost a crime to say that the music on Circus Of Doom is bad. From beginning to end, Battle Beast are for all intent & purpose laid out a massive apology to the faithful across the 10 tracks we were given. I do find that the first 2 to 3 songs, despite still being good, came across as a little lacking in energy, and thus I felt a little hesitant to dive into the rest at first. Outside of that one thing, I can't think of any tune on this album that is a cacophony of garbage sound. The group really did turn things around with their latest output, and will I still feel a small bit nervous at the possibility that they could theoretically screw it all up again, for the time being I am confident that they learned from their mistakes.

Circus Of Doom. Miles & miles beyond their last two records, the band has seemingly returned to their comfort zone that was Steel, their self-titled album, and Unholy Savior. I cannot stress this enough: this album absolves the group of most of their crimes & issues that stemmed from Bringer of Pain and No More Hollywood Endings. If those releases disappointed you in any way (And I have a feeling that for the majority of you, they definitely did.), then Circus Of Doom will easily fulfill the giant beast sized hole in your hear

And that’s the conclusion of Mini Month, covering the Finnish monster Battle Beast (Alongside the splinter group Beast In Black). They may have tripped up a little, but you can’t deny that they’re two of the best bands to crop up this decade. Let’s hope that their next release fixes any mistakes, and in the meantime, I’ll see you all in March!


***A
If you’re curious about listening to this band(s), then check out the links below:

Steel

Battle Beast

Unholy Savior

Bringer Of Pain

Berserker

From Hell With Love

No More Hollywood Endings

Dark Connection

Circus Of Doom

***B
Updated on March 27, 2019 (12:21 A.M., Eastern Standard Time) 

***C
Updated on November, 13, 2021 (1:12 A.M., Eastern Standard Time)

***D
Updated on January, 22, 2022 (9:47 P.M., Eastern Standard Time)
 

Convention Review - Genericon 2019

This one was tough, fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

This year’s Genericon is very special to me. 10 years ago, I had traveled to RPI for the first time to experience this maelstrom of all things anime, sci-fi, and geekery. Genericon is my home away from home for one weekend a year, and for each year after, I’ve met people that are absolutely dear to me, & I would do it all over again. Keeping personal views aside, I will attempt to be as objective as possible while I review this year’s convention, so let’s not waste anymore time and check out my review for Genericon 32.

Good Points
As usual, one of if not the best things about Genericon is the people. From the staff, to the vendors & artists, and finally to the convention goers, it’s so nice to meet people! It was great to meet new people, and to talk to them about what they’re into and whether or not this was their first. Just as cool was bumping into people I already knew, and many of them had some fond decade/decade + memories of the convention as well. Though I didn’t get to host a panel this year, It was still cool to see the staff & volunteers buzzing around, helping out panelists, and appearing to know what they’re doing.

The venue for Genericon is always a plus. There’s the Great Hall, Schoolhouse, the building across from the Great Hall (Forgetting it’s name at the moment), the Armory, and the cafeteria of the student center. Thanks to the expansion in recent years, the whole event feels much larger than before. On top of that, because of the new running time rule (Read “Okay Points” section for further details), the rooms were cleaner than they ever were in prior cons. On a more personal note, wandering around the convention area felt like the same path I took a decade ago.

Panels & events are always one of this convention’s strengths, and this year was no different. There was cosplay chess & cosplay deathmatch, Anime Burger Time, an 18+ My Hero Academia panel, and plenty of others delightful things to watch. There was also the gaming rooms (Traditional & console), and the video rooms showing of anime & science fiction movies. There was also the Starbucks in the Great Hall, and you had the Student Center opened up for everybody to use. Some things were definitely better than others (The Kirby Panel was.....short, to say the least), but it’s great to see such a variety of things for convention goers to participate in.

Lastly, I want to talk about Genericon 32's atmosphere. I know that sounds odd, especially since I’ve never actually talked about it (Please read my previous Genericon reviews, as I might be wrong about this), but it’s something I want to comment on. A full decade of this convention really acts like a time capsule of sorts. From the first all the way to this past weekend, each & everyone felt like a statement of geek culture at that moment in time. For 2019, there was a really weird feeling for me when I entered the hollowed halls of RPI. For me, Genericon 32 felt like a decade ago all over again. I felt warmth, love, confusion, sleep deprivation (Curse you 5-Hour Energy!), and all other sorts of things. For anyone who came for a decade like me, you’re probably feeling the same way.

Okay Points
Perhaps one of the biggest changes to Genericon this year is that it’s no longer a straight 48 hours like it has been for ages. Instead, things run until 1 A.M., and then things are closed so the con staff can go through each room & clean up so things looks good, not to mention take care of issues that might have cropped up. On the one hand this is awesome! Things become more presentable, and anything that might have broke/worn down can get fixed. On the other hand, Genericon not running for 48 hours straight might be a turnoff for some, especially longtime con goers. I’m genuinely very neutral on this: one the one hand it’s great that the convention is taking the initiative to improve the experience, but on the other hand I will miss having 48 hours of fun. This change will definitely have people talking for quite a while, and it’ll be interesting to see where people end up on this topic.

Bad Points
I only got 2 points to talk about here. 1 minor, and one a little more major. Let’s go with the minor one first: the “Empty” feeling of Saturday, or more specifically Saturday night. Due to the earlier closing time, it seemed like panels & such were shifted around so much that Saturday & Sunday switched places for the weakest day of the con. Again, I really felt that this effect only came up Saturday night, but you get what I mean.

The other point is a little more shocking to me, and that’s the lack of dealers this year. It’s not that I couldn’t get anything, cause I definitely was able to (Heavily MTG oriented this year, some ramune & pocky, and 1 manga of......adult orientation). It seemed like this year that there weren’t as many as there normally was. In certain circumstances I understand why (Camp Anime didn’t have their manga & anime selection due to a car issue, but had everything else), but the variety of products to purchase appeared to be smaller. Ironically, the Artist’s Alley was normal, although 9 times out of 10 I never buy anything from that part of the convention.

Bonus *
Like I said above, this is my 10th straight Genericon, which means I’ve been coming to RPI for a decade to experience this with some many other geeks, nerds, otakus, metalheads, you name it. 10 years of memories, and they all mean so much to me. Some of these landed around times in my life where I’ve been going through some rough emotional patches, then there are others where everything has been all right with the world, and there were a small few where things were just.....there. The point I’m trying to make is that Genericon is one of the most beautiful things that have blessed this Earth, and is a great way for me to push out any negativity I might have welled up over time. I love everyone that reads this, and I look forward to seeing all of you for 10 more years.

Overall Impression & Rating
Genericon 32 brought back so many memories for me from a decade. Awe, wonder, amazement, happiness, etc. It did have a dent or two, but it was definitely a blast! To anyone who were not able to come.......Genericon 32 was great!

Genericon 32 gets a 9 out of 10. A tiny bit of dirt on it’s face, but dammit if things weren’t fun!

So that was my review for Genericon 32. An absolute blast of a con, and is a perfect launching pad for the next 10 to come. With this out of the way, there’s one last bit of business to attend, so see you all on the 28th of this month for the conclusion to Mini Month!


*
Only doing a bonus for this year. I do plan on doing one for Connecticon, but that’s gonna be in a few months.

Metal Overview: Sinergy

Hi fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Every once in a while, there’s a band that comes my way that just intrigues me. Whether it’s because of their material, or because of their origins, I can get really invested in them. The subject of today’s overview is both: a potentially fantastic Power Metal band, that just so happened to have it’s roots from some of the most iconic Death Metal bands from the 90s. Just that fact alone convinced me to delve into this band’s tragically short time on this earth, and despite having just 3 albums, it’s also one of the best discographies out there. So sit back, don your warface, and take a look at my overview on the shortlived powerhouse known as Sinergy. Let’s begin!

Beware The Heavens (1999)

Our story begins in a joint world tour between Black Metal legends Dimmu Borgir, and Death Metal icons In Flames. DB keyboardist Kimberly Goss and IF guitarist Jesper Strömblad managed to meet, and the idea came up of a female-fronted metal band in the vein of Warlock & Doro. This idea could not be done at first due to time constraints, but once she quit Dimmu Borgir, it was time for her & her partner in crime to start their special project. Acquiring the services of bassist Sharlee D'Angelo (From Arch Enemy & Mercyful Fate), Ronny Milianowicz on drums, and Children of Bodom guitarist Alexi Laiho, the motley crew worked in 1998 on what would be their first release, and on June the 21st of 99, Beware The Heavens was released.

Beware The Heavens is an interesting release. It’s a Power Metal album through & through, but it isn’t as operatic as many other releases in that style were in the late 90s. There’s an old-school 80s vibe throughout the whole thing, and Kimberly Goss practically commands the entire band with the power of her voice alone. It’s really during this time that women in Heavy Metal were kicking ass, and it also harkens to other female fronted bands like Nightwish or Doro.

Best Track? Outside of 2 tunes (More on that below), everything on Beware The Heavens is fantastic to listen to. From the opener Venomous Vixens all the way to the closer Virtual Future, everybody crafted a masterpiece of a records that’s equal parts 1980s and 1990s. It really is that hard picking out one single track, as everybody is really putting in a lot of effort. From Goss’s vocals to Alexi Laiho’s guitarwork, everybody is pulling their weight & not slacking off in any way.

Worst Track? Born Unto Fire and Passion & Pulsation are the only bad tracks I could spot, but it’s not because of a lack of effort. These two are great instrumentals, but they’re also incredibly short. 1 minute & 46 seconds for the former, and 1 minute & 45 seconds for the later. If they were combined into one super instrumental, I actually wouldn’t mind. Instead, they’re two nice tracks that sadly take the roll of filler on this record.

Born Unto Fire and Passion

Pulsation

Beware The Heavens. A fantastic album to start off a career, and a great statement at the same time. If you like your Power Metal a little more on the feminine side, then this is a release to seek out. Next album!

To Hell And Back (2000)

Sinergy actually managed to gain some popularity with their first release, and actually gained quite a following with fans in Europe, but trouble was just on the horizon. Problems arose when for the members of the band to manage time with their original groups, and to make things tougher, Kymberlee Goss moved to Finland, as the rest of the band stayed in Sweden. In short the band was effectively dissolved, but Kim & Alexi still wanted their project to continue. They formed a new line up, composed exclusively of Finnish musicians: Roope Latvala (Founder of Finnish Thrash band Stone) on rhythm guitar, Marco Hietala of Tarot fame on bass, and Tonmi Lillman from Lordi on drums. After some time in the studio, Sinergy 2.0 produced & recorded, and on August the 8th in the year 2000, To Hell And Back was released.

It should be noted that around this time, they actually began to receive worldwide recognition. Touring with the highly popular Nightwish, Sinergy actually managed to get their tour included on the From Wishes to Eternity DVD, during which band members played a practical joke in which a selection of support musicians made their way on stage pretending to be Nightwish. As for what I think of To Hell And Back? I did the hell out of it! It isn’t that much different from Beware The Heavens, save for some small improvement to the production value. It’s still the same female fronted badassery as before, and it’s still the over the type flavor I’ve come to expect from Power Metal.

Best Track? Much like Beware The Heavens, there’s effectively nothing bad on here. Opening the album is the awesome The Bitch Is Back, and the intensity never stops! The one thing that this album has over Sinergy’s first is that there’s absolutely no bad tracks. Even with the incredibly short Hanging On The Telephone (It plays for just 2 minutes & 3 seconds), this is another buffet of fantasy & femininity that only this group can provide.

To Hell And Back. Definitely an improvement over their prior work, yet it doesn’t deviate from their established material. Certainly one to look out for if you can. Next album!

Suicide By My Side (2002)

With an increasing worldwide popularity, it seemed like Sinergy was poised to become a massive sensation all over.......then Suicide By My Side came out. Released on the 5th of February in 2002, Suicide By My Side is something of a step backwards for the band. Not necessarily in terms of musicianship or vocal work, but just in terms of theme & feel. This is definitely the band at their most serious, as the album mainly deals with the concepts of empowerment, revenge, despair, and suicide. There’s a little bit of the fantasy vibes from Beware The Heavens & To Hell And Back still present & accounted for, but they’re not quite as strong and to a certain degree play second fiddle to the dark nature of the album.

As stated on Wikipedia:

“Soon after the recording of the third album Lillman left the band. He was soon replaced by Barathrum drummer Janne Parviainen. Bassist Marco left the band shortly after, presumably due to his Nightwish commitments. The position was eventually given to Lauri Porra from the metal band Warmen.”

Best Track? I definitely gotta give the title track some credit. It starts off with an audio sample from the movie Sid & Nancy (A film about Sid Vicious & his girlfriend), but immediately afterwards it tears into Kymberlee Goss’s powerful singing, and the rest of Sinergy backs her up with some of the most intense instrumentation & drumming they’ve ever done. Definitely a song to not skip!

Suicide By My Side

Worst Track? Again, this album isn’t horrible. While it isn’t quite as strong as their last two, the instrumentation is still top notch, and Kymberlee Goss still commands the stage with her voice. What weighs down Suicide By My Side is the subject matter. Empowerment, revenge, despair, and suicide aren’t necessarily bad things to sing about. Even a Power Metal band can use these themes, provided that they’re used properly! Sadly, they’re not used well on this album. It doesn’t delve into emo or whining by any means, but you get the feeling that Goss & the rest of Sinergy played with the ideas rather than actually use them. Even Kymberlle herself said she never tried to commit suicide, despite what she said in the Suicide By My Side music video.

Suicide By My Side. Not awful by any means, but it doesn’t quite have as much oomph & punch the band’s first 2 album had. Definitely recommended, but not as highly as Beware The Heavens & To Hell And Back. Next.....album?

Sins Of The Past (2004)
Little is known of this never released Sinergy album. Production of the record began in 2004, but due to the busy schedules of the Children of Bodom members, it was never completed. In 2007 Roope Latvala performed a song with bassist Lauri Porra and drummer Janne Parviainen for the album Guitar Heroes, which featured some of Finland's leading guitarists. He stated that the track in question was originally meant for Sins Of The Past, but obviously it was never done. Sadly, Alexi Laiho announced a few years later than the project was officially dissolved, and for good this time.

And that was Sinergy. A really intriguing band who sadly ended before their time, the small discography that was made is still enjoyed by many who remember them or found them by accident. Well, I still have a power itch, so let’s scratch it one more time at the end of this month, when I’ll look at a truly modern Power Metal band. See you then!

***
If you’re curious about listening to these albums, then check out the links below. Fair warning: each of the links aren’t complete, as finding whole versions of the releases are incredibly difficult to find. On top of that, finding actual physical copies aren’t impossible, but very expensive. Unlike the Carnivore albums, Sinergy’s discography hasn’t been re-released by Nuclear Blast......as far as I know anyways.

Beware The Heavens

To Hell And Back

Suicide By My Side

Metal Overview: Emigrate

Hi fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and welcome.....to Mini Month!

That’s right, Mini Month! Throughout all of February, I’ll be examining bands with small discographies rather than large ones. 3 bands, to be exact. Each of them are all unique, and offered up something special to Heavy Metal. Today’s band I’ve actually covered once before all the way back in January of 2015, but thought that they needed their own time to shine (As well as hinting at them in my top 5 albums of 2018 post). Coming out of the shadows of one of the world’s most iconic Industrial Metal band, this group would create their own music that was similar, but would forge their own path. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at Richard Z. Kruspe’s side/solo project Emigrate, and see what they had to offer.

Emigrate (2007/2008)

The early 2000s was a tough time for Rammstein. Though they had made some highly successful records, tensions between the band members was at a massive high. It was during this chaos that Richard Z. Kruspe got the idea for a band of is own in case things didn’t work out with Rammstein, but that plan was put on hold when the main band got back together to crank out 2 fantastic releases (Reise Reise & Rosenrot). After their 2005 offering, Richard and everybody in the band had some downtime, so he decided to bring his dream to life. Upon acquiring the services of Olsen Involtini (Rhythm Guitar), Arnaud Giroux (Bass Guitar), and Henka Johansson (Drums). After finding his new bandmates, they entered the studio to record & produce, and then the first ever album of Emigrate was released.

Put out on the 31st of August in 2007 in Europe, and the 29th of January in 2008 in both the United States & Australia, Emigrate is an album that feels similar to Richard’s main band (More on that later), but at the sametime their was a more emotional & vibrant energy coursing through the record. Not only that, but Emigrate (The band & the album) comes across as less serious and dark. It’s still in that camp to a degree, but it doesn’t feel oppressive, and there’s more of a fun factor in each of the songs. 

Best Track? Going for a tie between the highly emotional songs In My Tears & Babe. Richard really was delving into his own soul across this album, but it’s these two tracks where I think he does so the most. Each tune deals with the issues of a relationship, with the former asking for a partner’s help to not drown in one’s sorrow, while the later has the boyfriend telling his lover not to be afraid around him. Together, these two really reflect what some couples might be going through sometimes, and even if you’re single you might feel something by the time you’re done listening to these two.

In My Tears

Babe

Worst Track? Despite Richard’s inaugural output with his solo project, it comes as being a little too similar to Rammstein. For the most part this relates to the tone of the album, but 2 tracks use beats & rhythms from prior Rammstein songs. In My Tears takes certain elements from Stein Um Stein off of Reise Reise, and Blood is almost a carbon copy of Links 2 3 4 from Mutter. Ironically, Blood is only available off of the limited edition version of the album. In his defense, Reise Reise was released in 2004, and Mutter came out in 2001, so my guess is that Richard still had those records in his head when he went into the studio, and thus I can’t completely complain.

Emigrate. A fun starting record, but one that seemed a little too attached to the past. It would take 7 long years before the band would really hit their stride, but it would definitely be worth the wait. Next album!

Silent So Long (2014)

Now we’re talking!

With the first album out of the way, plans for Richard to progress Emigrate any further had to be put on hold, as Rammstein was in the studio for Liebe Ist Für Alle Da, and there was a subsequent tour to promote the record in question. So for a short time the side project was put on hold, but once the tour slowed down things could progress again. On June the 24th in 2011, Joe Letz (Who showed up in the video for My World) stated that Kruspe had been working on a new record. On December 5th, 2012, a statement on the Emigrate facebook page announced that demos were being recorded and reviewed, and that there was studio time getting setup a month later to officially begin recording the album. Richard announced in January of 2013 that the drum parts were getting recorded, and in January of 2014 he said that 20 tracks were produced, and the record had a projected summer release date. In March of 2014 he said that things were finished, and he went back to Berlin to work on anything leftover. July the 22nd came around, and a teaser trailer of the album & it’s name was put on facebook with a date for the 17th of October 2014. After a little more delaying, Silent So Long was released on November the 14th, 2014 in Europe, and December 9th 2014 in the United States.

Personally, this is what Emigrate’s first release should have been! Again, Emigrate wasn’t a bad record by any means, but it still stood in Rammstein’s shadow, and thus felt like something from that band’s camp instead of it’s own. Here? Richard had so much more breathing room to do his own thing, and the end result is still an emotional release full of riffage, industrial noise, and other fun things.

Best Track? Once again going back to my Rammstein overview, I gotta give it up to the collaborative songs that make up a fair bunch of Silent So Long. More specifically, the tracks Rock City, Hypothetical, and the title track are the best things on here, and each had a powerhouse of a guest vocalist. Rock City had the legendary Lemmy Kilmister, Hypothetic acquired the services of the controversial Marilyn Manson, and Silent So Long gained the voice of Korn frontman Johnathan Davis. Each of the songs in questions sound like a lost track: Rock City sounds like something from a later day Motorhead album, Hypothetical comes across like an unreleased Marilyn Manson track, and Silent So Long feels like something that wasn’t added onto The Paradigm Shift from 2013. This is really cool, and I hope that Richard & the rest of Emigrate do this in the future.

Rock City

Hypothetical

Silent So Long

Worst Track? For every collaborative track I like, there seemed to be another one that I didn’t. It wasn’t because of the quality, cause I don’t think there’s a single bad track on Silent So Long, but more because I didn’t recognize who the guest vocalists were. Frank Dellé on Eat You Alive, Peaches on Get Down, and Margaux Bossieux on Happy Times are all fine vocalists, but I’ve never listened to any of their prior work, so I don’t feel attached in any way.

Silent So Long. A considerably massive improvement over the first album, and if you were disappointed by what came out in the beginning, you’ll get a kick out of this one. Next album!

A Million Degrees (2018)

With Silent So Long in the books, Richard looked into the future with Emigrate, and with some pep in his step, began work on Emigrate’s next release. Originally recorded in 2015, he worked on it all throughout 2016, but hit a snag in 2017 when flooding at his home destroyed all that he had done so far! Devastated by all the work being undone, he none-the-less managed to trudge on through the agony, and managed to re-record everything that was lost. Eventually he managed to accomplish the task at hand, and on November the 30th of last year, A Million Degrees was released.

You might remember from my top 5 albums of 2018 post (Which you can read here) that I said I barely had an impression of A Million Degrees at the time. To be honest, I barely listened to it at the time, save for 2 or 3 songs. Now that I’ve had a little more time to digest, I can safely say that Emigrate really made something great with this release. Though their last 2 albums were emotional masterpieces, this record really shows that off in spades. In interviews before it came out, Richard stated that he would be delving deep into his soul with the music on A Million Degrees, and after the original recording was destroyed, it just fueled him even more so.

Best Track? For a little bit I was fond of the initial single of the album, 1234. Though I’m normally not a fan of Punk in any fashion, the punkish vibes I got from the previously mentioned track were nice. However, it was Richard’s collaboration with fellow Rammstein member & frontman Till Lindemann on the song Let’s Go that really hooked me, and earned it’s spot as the best track of this album. In interviews Richard stated that he always felt pressure within his original band, but in Emigrate & especially this song, he was at ease with himself, and him and Till could go at their own pace. Let’s Go is the ultimate friendship song, the ultimate relationship song, and overall is just a heartwarming little tune. A weird thing to say about a track off of an Industrial Metal album, but it’s true!

Let’s Go

Worst Track? I’m Not Afraid is the lone bad track on this album, but not for the reason you think. The instrumentation is great, and the keyboarding/sound effects are wonderful, but it’s the implementation of the guest vocals that kind of ruin it. Acquiring the services of Cardinal Copia (Of Ghost fame) is a pretty big deal, but to give him only one sequence in the song while sharing the space with Richard ruins the potential. Silent So Long off the last album succeeds where I’m Not Afraid fails is because Johnathan Davis & Richard Kruspe had equal time, and their voices just seemed to meld together better. If any of you like this song, then it’s doing something for you. For me? It’s just there, and nothing more.

I’m Not Afraid

A Million Degrees. A great way to continue the legacy of a new band, and a strange way to herald the return of an older band, it just makes me hungry for more material. Definitely a worthy addition to Emigrate’s growing library, and definitely worth checking out!

And that was a look at Emigrate. A fun alternative to Rammstein despite being founded by one of that band’s members, the more emotional focus & not as dark nature came across as refreshing. If they can keep it up, they just might be able to become legends in their own right. Coming up in a few weeks we have another short overview, but of an odder & more fantasy nature.

***
If you’re curious about listening to these albums, then check out the links below:

Emigrate

Silent So Long
 
A Million Degrees