Some music from 2019 I've listened to

The year of parody

2019 was the year of parody for me. The biggest surprise came out of nowhere in the middle of the summer, when Nanowar of Steel struck gold with what I consider to be the video of the year:



At this point it has over 4 million views, which is something like 10 times more than anything from the band's videography. It is the most blasphemous thing I've seen, providing black metal with the parody it needed. The lyrics are funny, the metal riffs outstanding in what is otherwise a mostly pop song. I've even seen people that I'm sure don't get all of the black metal references, sharing it or laughing at it.

This inspired me to pay a closer look to Nanowar's album that I've enjoyed listening to last year, and found that they've generously released a lyric video for probably every song. And even though they are just lyric videos, they are terribly amusing, making me enjoy such gems as Ironmonger (The Copier of the Seven Keys), The Quest for Carrefour and Barbie MILF Princess of the Twilight even more.

Second place goes to another parody video:



Sounds awesome, and once I've searched for all the memes it references I realised what a culturally significant piece of art it really is. For me it opened up the wonderful world of squatting slavs in tracksuits, a meme that I had only heard of, not realising how rich it actually is.

Also this year saw the release of Gloryhammer's album Legends from Beyond the Terror Vortex, the third (and final?) chapter in the outrageous story of Angus McFife. At first I wasn't so impressed with it, because it didn't have any immediate standouts and it just seemed more of what was before. But it has some awesome catchy tunes about the Land of Unicorns, Laser Powered Goblin Smashers, Thunder Striking Wizard Thrashers, Heavy Metal Darklord Crashers and so on.



And I've been greatly excited to be able to see them, and Powerwolf on the same stage, in Bucharest. What an amazing pairing. If you understand Romanian, you can read my review here. Not only can the frontman bring his operatic voice from the studio to the stage, but he is a real showman and made some really funny jokes between songs. Really, the whole show is better quality than some other serious acts I've seen. The same can be said about Powerwolf as well.

And when the year was coming to an uneventful end, the bomb dropped: another Nanowar video, with a guest appearance from Angus McFife as Odin the Allfather himself. Another amazing gospel metal tune that reunites all the religions and cultures of the world under a single sign. What a great Christmas gift!



I guess Rammstein also fit here, with their first album in 10 years. A great one all round, nothing fancy, catchy tunes that deserve several listens, and an over the top spectacular show, that is a must see for any concert lover.

Great expectations

In the conclusion of my last year review, I mentioned some highly anticipated releases for 2019. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love Moonglow, it just doesn't connect. Nothing seemed to stick with me, like it did with all of the previous releases, the guest voices sound muddled and do not leave the impact that we've come to expect from Avantasia.

Myrath, on the other hand delivered a great album. Even though they've totally departed from their proggy beginnings and have a more commercial sound, the combined talent and musicianship makes for some very exciting songs. And in December they also released a DVD of their performance in Carthage, which from the trailer looks absolutely stunning.

While I was glad to see hometown band Methadone Skies receive praise for their Different Layers of Fear album, I just couldn't get myself to listen to it more than a few times. They've departed a bit from their playful experiments for a more cemented post-rock sound. I guess it's more mature and it might just be my mood, but it wasn't for me. I felt the same way about We Lost the Sea's Triumph & Disaster. I had to force my way into it, and didn't feel as awe-inspiring as the sublime Departure Songs.

Finally, I was delighted to see Immortal Bird release their first full-length release, Thrive on Neglect. (even thought it's only 37 minutes, not much longer than the two EPs already in their discography) Immortal Bird is another offshoot of Woods of Ypres, in which drummer Rae Amitay takes on the microphone with some incredible growls. The band delivers a wall of  sound, with mellow bridges that take you from one blast of energy to the next. The best thing about them is the honesty and passion of their performance.

Great discoveries

The year started great with an album that actually would fit very well next to the albums of 2018. When a Shadow is Forced into the Light by Swallow the Sun creates an inspiring doomish setting, moulded by moody orchestral arrangements. Excellent song-writing, perfect blend in a very digestible soundscape.

 At some point Spotify fed me the eerie sound of Mephorash. Everything about them screams occultism and the atmosphere they create feels veritable if you don't give it too much thought. I was quite mesmerised by Sanguinem, off of their Shem Ha Mephorash of 2019.

It takes a lot for a band to amaze me. Especially covers that don't bring their own (radical) touch I find not interesting at all. So I was quite surprised when I first Liliac's version of Holy Diver. It's basically the same as the original, only with a modern production, that sounds just perfect. The most stunning thing is the voice: an 18-year old girl with the perfect blend of raspiness, range and attitude. Then you find out the band is actually a family, with the youngest aged 12, the oldest 20, while their father is their producer. Everything sounds great: guitars, drums, keyboards. They started doing covers on Santa Monica pier and, having enjoyed great success, decided to record some original songs. Unfortunately, the compositions are not that distinguished, but still listening to how they play fills me with great excitement.



Finally, Spotify delivered another great discovery towards the end of the year, a band that I'm surprised I have not heard of before: Neonfly. Another great sounding band, with a perfect mix of old-school and modern, intriguing lyrics, catchy riffs, a superb solo, and a powerful voice. This World is Burning is one of the best songs I've heard in 2019 and is the first single off their third album, to be released sometime in 2020.

Pop

Gotta have a pop album in there. And this year it's Weezer. With two albums actually, released at around two months difference, beginning of the year. One is a compilation of covers of songs like Africa, Mr. Blue Sky, Paranoid, or Take on Me. The other is just original compositions and I can't say much, other than I just really enjoyed listening to both albums. It's Weezer.

Manowar

Seems about right to start the year of parody with Nanowar and end it with Manowar. There were announcements of studio recordings from the band, but with a tour early in 2019, the Final Battle I EP came sort of as a surprise. Just four songs, with one being an instrumental intro that has replaced the Ben Hur theme in concerts. But what songs for any Manowar fan!

Blood and Steel continues the style from the previous Manowar album, The Lord of Steel, outlined by a fuzzy bass line, uplifting drums, synth choirs on the chorus, an all round feel good metal tune, that climaxes with a good old guitar solo and trademark Eric Adams screams.

Sword of the Highlands got me all emotional. And not because it seems like it was written for Braveheart. Actually, Joey DeMaio said that the inspiration was the soundtrack for Titanic, and I think the flute intro is proof of that. But the highlight of the song is once again Eric's mesmerising voice, that starts soft and soothing, delivering power without screaming, sustained by an emotional guitar. And the lyrics just bring chills up my spine: "Carry the fight on for me/ For all the sons of the Highlands/ Fight for the right to be free, never be owned".

And finally, the biggest surprise of the EP, a song with Joey singing! You Shall Die Before I Die is in the vein of Hatred or Burning, with a devilish bass line, eerie guitars and choirs, painting a rather compelling image of a colourful, freakish hellscape. Of course, Joey doesn't really sing, but recite the in-your-face Joey style lyrics, with a devilish effect to the point of caricature. It's one of the most original compositions I have heard in a while from a metal band.

And that just makes me hope with all my heart that there are still more Manowar songs to come in the future.