Carolus Rex

Another album, another band intro: Sabaton is a Swedish power metal band known for their distinctively deep-voiced vocalist, Joakim Brodén, and their lyrics which are nearly all based on historical wars. They are especially fond of covering pretty much every side of World War II, but have also done songs on World War I, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and the Six-Day War. Their new album, Carolus Rex, is their first real lyrical foray outside the 20th century (and thankfully not into the 21st). It covers the history of the Swedish Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries, focusing on Gustavus Adolphus, the Thirty Years' War, and the violent (and quintessentially Metal) reign of Charles XII. In general, it's an album about the military prowess and religious piety of Sweden. What's not to like?

There are many things about Carolus Rex that grab your attention, the first being the first main song, "Lion from the North", exploding into your ears like...well, the unstoppable advance of the Swedish Empire. Written about the rise of King Gustavus Adolphus (whose name is apparently being butchered by pretty much everyone today), it starts with a pounding, almost ominous drum rhythm over choral accentuation. Oh, right, the choirs, which are used extensively and to great effect throughout the album and together with the keyboards send Sabaton into symphonic power metal territory where they are apparently quite comfortable. Overall this is a fast-paced (plenty of double-bass rhythm to like), epic, and simultaneously catchy song; I've had the all-Latin chorus stuck in my head all week, which is quite a nice alternative to "Call me Maybe" or something. It's a great song that helped get me back into Sabaton and kicks off the album extremely well.

Apart from this song, much of the strength of the album actually lies in its slower songs and the grandiose touch lent to it by its use of symphonic metal elements. "God With Us" again uses the choirs for powerful accentuation in the victorious-sounding chorus and is in general a fantastic song to fist-pump and/or headbang to. "The Carolean's Prayer" is slower still, with the rhythm of the cross-country march of an army, which in fact is what it's about. Again the choir adds considerable force to Joakim's words and does a really cool and lovely-sounding bridge that I have realized is the Lord's Prayer in Swedish. Its plodding rhythm, big sound, and martial atmosphere really remind me of a less-boneheaded (and American) version of Manowar. In a sadder and less triumphant vein, "A Lifetime of War" is a colossal ballad about the tragedy and human cost of the Thirty Years' War; "Long Live the King" is a funeral march for Charles XII.

Besides "Lion", the album has a couple of faster songs; "1648" is probably the best of the album for fans of Sabaton's older albums; it's every-syllable-accentuated chorus reminds me of "Talvisota" off The Art of War. "Killing Ground" kind of channels some New Wave of British Heavy Metal with its simpler, triplet-based riff and guitar harmony. "Poltava" sounds borderline industrial with a rhythm you can almost dance to and plenty of keyboard melodies (including a solo); it seems at least a bit informed by Nightwish's single "Bye Bye Beautiful".

But wait--there's more! As long as Sabaton was making this album a celebration of their native land, they also released a Swedish version of the album, which cuts down the number of languages to two (Swedish and Latin). Same music and band, but all the English has been replaced by Swedish. I kind of prefer being able to understand the lyrics, but at the same time Joakim seems more comfortable and passionate singing in his native tongue, so it's still pretty great.

Also of note are the covers included in various versions of the album; "In the Army Now" by Status Quo and "Feuer Frei!" by Rammstein. By far the standout for me, though, is their rendition of "Twilight of the Thunder God" by fellow Swedes Amon Amarth. This is the first cross-genre cover I've heard that does an extreme metal song in a non-extreme style, and they faced the problem of how to sing a song that was written with no vocal melodies. Joakim ends up mirroring the melody of the guitars, which still works quite well, especially in the now-anthemic chorus. They also bring in an actual death growler (whose name I can't find) for the pre-solo bridge, which is a nice touch. Musically it sounds clearer and a bit cleaner than the original as you might expect, with some truly fantastic double-bass drumming that leaves the rest of the album in the dust. This song might just steal the show form "Lion from the North" for me.

Is it possible to feel patriotic for a country you've never been to? I'm only a quarter Swedish, but boy does this album make me feel proud of that quarter. The addition of a strong unifying concept, especially one so near and dear to Sabaton's heritage, and their breaking into a whole new era of history  set this album in front of and above its predecessors. I know I say this a lot, but if you hadn't listened to or heard of Sabaton, this album is a great place to start! If you're on the fence, my highest recommendations are "Lion from the North", "The Carolean's Prayer", and "A Lifetime of War". (Links above)

New Sabaton Album

I just got Sabaton's new album Carolus Rex yesterday. I will probably be reviewing it sometime in the coming weeks. For now, here is my favorite song off it.

They did both English and Swedish versions of the album (about the Thirty Years' War and King Charles XII), with liberal amounts of Latin mixed into both.

Oh, sorry, did i say "favorite"? I meant "favorite original". They also did a cover of "Twilight of the Thunder God" that gives Amon Amarth's original a run for its money.

Dwellings

Time for another review of one of my top 25 albums of last yetop 25 albums of last yearar that has been growing on me. This is Dwellings, by Cormorant.

Basically, Cormorant is one of the most promising newer progressive, extreme metal bands I've heard. Their first album Metazoa is impressive and worthy of its own review, but this one seals the deal. Stylistically, they are generally progressive black metal but draw in a wide range of influences for a sound that manages to be pretty varied and consistently interesting. It's certainly not nice-sounding music, but worth checking out even if extreme metal isn't your thing.

Cormorant isn't a terribly technical band; they put a lot more thought into writing and structuring their songs than into what they can do on the guitar. It's a bit like Opeth's style of braininess, though they don't play on dynamic range nearly as much. Four of the album's seven songs are well over eight minutes in length and really feel like musical journeys with diverse sections and moods. Cormorant's music tends to be riff-focused, but they change things up often enough that it never really gets old.

And the vocals in this album are just incredible. Their vocalist defaults to a hoarse kind of shout that is a good deal more intelligible than average black metal vocals, and also does his share of spoken and cleanly sung vocals. He definitely sings with passion, not just like he's trying to sound "dark" or like other bands. And the lyrics are just amazing. Vocalist and lyricist Arthur von Nagel is a big fan of NPR and apparently wrote several of the songs after listening to news stories. All of them (except the instrumental) have lyrics based on historical or current events, but he makes everything from Guinean war atrocities to the Soviet space program beautiful, dramatic, and really cool if you bother to listen to the lyrics.

"The First Man" starts off with towering chords and a rolling drumbeat before heading off into the relentless, driving riff structure that characterizes much of it. Despite being one of the shorter songs at less than six minutes, it's a great summary of Cormorant's style and would be a solid single if this were that kind of music. The lyrics are about creation myths, the cultures that hold them, and their subjugation by modern settlers; the mellower, almost jazzy bridge is punctuated by a sound clip apologizing for their "past mistreatment."

"Funambulist" ("tightrope walker") begins rather quietly, almost beautifully like a Pelican song. This song is an epic retelling of Philippe Petit's famous 1974 stroll between the Twin towers, from the inception of the plan to his eventual arrest. The different segments of the song capture both the beauty and art of tightrope walking as well as the determination, hard work, even desperation that went into the performance. van Nagel's vocals get really emphatic and compliment these intense sections very well. ("I! Wage! War! On fate!") Then the section where Petit is out on the wire is quiet, almost like a ballad, with French spoken-word vocals for a bilingual bonus. Overall, an extremely impressive song.

"Confusion of Tongues" is an instrumental that suffers from its lack of amazing vocals and songwriting, but is still some seriously nice progressive metal. It's somewhat more melodic than the average of the album, kind of reminiscent of Scale the Summit in its eccentric, wandering riffs and harmonies. "Junta" is one of the darker songs, about the harsh reign of Guinean dictator Moussa Dadis Camara. It starts off almost like doom metal with a slower, militaristic rhythm before fading into another quieter bridge with spoken vocals over a radio in an unknown language conveying a dense of conflict and desperation. Again, cool lyrics that are pretty consistently complemented by the vocals, e.g. everything going crazy on "Fire!". Other black metal bands have to make up their obsessively dark lyrics; Cormorant just finds them in the world around us. It's pretty sobering.

"The Purest Land" is about the violent and deadly misadventures of Lope de Aguirre in South America. Along with "Junta" this is the other really dark-sounding song on the album. It's quintessential black metal, with dissonant, bleak-sounding riffing and plenty of blast beats. Likewise, the vocals sound impassioned, violent, and just a bit unhinged.

"A Howling Dust" starts off mellow, similarly to "Funambulist", but where the former was about a bold, showy tightrope walker, this one is about a regretful boy in a dwindling California ghost town who has swept up in a wave of racial violence. Yeah, the lyrics are pretty literal and the vocal delivery is more mournful than defiant. There is one riff that keeps getting played with, often in passing, almost like a running joke, that musically ties the song together. The last two and a half minutes are almost entirely instrumental with constant tremolo guitar picking that fades out until there is nothing but howling dust.

The last track, the twelve-minute epic "Unearthly Dreamings", flows directly out of it, joining the ambient guitars with hauntingly beautiful electronic noise that slowly morphs into human speech through heavy radio noise. This song is about Vladimir Komarov, the first man to die during a space flight. Its loud-soft dynamic is a bit reminiscent of "Funambulist", though it sounds more furious--like a rocket--than staunchly determined. Like a rocket in reentry, this album goes out with a bang.

I love albums you can listen to over and over again and find something new every time. Dwellings is definitely one of those. The amount of songwriting, thought, and detail that went into crafting this album is tremendous and will be supremely worth it if you can work past (or enjoy) the harsh musical elements.

Headphones, Part II

In my sophomore year of college, my close-knit floor came up with what I would describe as an iconography for visually representing each other in Telephone Pictionary. I'm having trouble remembering how they all went, but I was always depicted wearing a big set of headphones. I had become the "headphone man".

This was probably a consequence of my exponentially expanding musical interests and the fact that I lived in a cramped dorm, as well as my desire to get audiophile-grade sound reproduction as cheaply as possible. Some days I probably spend the majority of my waking hours with headphones on (though not always listening to anything); if my hair is getting longer, this leads to distinctive indentations in it around my ears and on top of my head. As I write this, I am wearing one pair of headphones with eight more within arm's reach. You get the idea.

So, of course, this article on the origin and significance of headphones was pretty interesting to me. I am definitely in the crowd that wears headphones while working and, like apparently everyone else, I think it helps my productivity. Their ability to create a sense of separation--separation to my task--is perfect for an introvert like me and, like the article says, I think their effect on my morale more than offsets their immediate distractiveness. It would be interesting to actually test this somehow. (How do you measure coding productivity, anyway? Arguably not with lines of code)

Anyway, as I've listened over the years, I've developed a sense of my headphones' sonic personality. Maybe this is pretty weird, but I've gotten to know them almost like people--their likes and dislikes (genre-wise) and the situations they're best for. These are the five I use on at least a semi-regular basis.

Sennheiser HD-555

There is so much I could say about my faithful HD-555s. When I first put them on in my freshman-year dorm room, my life changed and the world of hi-fi opened up to me. Three-plus years later, I've probably logged over a thousand hours of listening on them and, though their sound doesn't wow me like it used to, they have proved to be a fantastic set of headphones for general-purpose listening. They're open-back headphones, which means they don't try to keep sound in or out, which minimizes unintended reverberations for the best possible sound but also means they're best for listening at home. They mostly live on my desk, or on my head. The HD-555s are fantastic for rock, metal, acoustic music, and just about anything else I care to put through them, and their cushioned earpads allow for lengthy listening sessions with no discomfort. (Though the pressure they exert around my ears is largely responsible for my cases of "headphone hair") They have apparently been discontinued by Sennheiser in favor of their updated version, the HD-558, and if you're interested in pursuing audiophile sound, I recommend these as a starting point. Just don't be like the people I see wearing them around campus/the city.

Audio Technica ATH-AD700

These Japanese-made headphones are the HD-555s' closest rival, with a similar price point and intended purpose. Like the 555s, they are open-backed and made for listening to music, TV, or movies at home, though I have found a few excuses to wear them when out and about. These are the biggest headphones I have ever seen (I can see them in my peripheral vision while wearing them), but they are pretty light and the double-band design makes them float on your head like a cloud. It's surprisingly easy to forget you're wearing them. They are noticeably "brighter" (more focus on higher sounds) than the Sennheisers, which makes them a good fit for jazz,  classical, acoustic, and other bass-light genres of music. I now use them as "special occasion" headphones such as for listening to favorite or brand-new albums.

Sennheiser HD-438

I got these to replace my older HD-201s as my "walking around campus" headphones, and they have redefined my perspective on closed-back headphones. They sound amazingly similar to similarly-priced open headphones, with enough clarity and sound imaging to blow away listeners accustomed to cheap earbuds. Their build is pretty light and feels a bit "cheap", but also makes them very comfortable. Another nice touch is the removable cable which lets you swap between 4' and 10' cables; plus, when my first cable was running out, I could simply replace it for about $7. Last summer I used the longer cable to listen on them at work, which they did just as well. I get a kick out of their uniqueness; I have never seen anyone else wearing a pair of 438s. Despite their only being a few years old, the HD-438s have already been updated into the HD-439s, which are a great choice if you want one set of headphones that does it all.

Grado SR-60

Grado is one of the best American headphone companies out there; unlike Sennheiser and Audio Technica they focus almost exclusively on headphones and their craftsmanship speaks for itself. The SR-60s are their entry-level cans, cheaper than the previous three, but still sounding fantastic. Their punchy sound is great for rock and metal listening. As open headphones, they bleed sound all over the place, so again they're great for taking home listening to a new level. And, of course, the distinctively retro design will make you look like a World War II radio operator. My only gripe with them is that since they sit directly on rather than around the ears and the band isn't very padded, I can only keep them on for about one album before they get too uncomfortable.

Maximo iMetal iM590

I had been rather disdainful of in-ear headphones ever since upgrading away from my cheap white iPod earbuds years ago. These things showed me that it is possible to get great sound out of tiny packages. The quality, especially the low end, is absolutely amazing both for in-ear phones and for only $50. When they're properly sealed in my ears, they're probably my "bassiest" headphones. Because of their form factor, keeping them securely in your ears is a bit of a hassle (they have a shirt clip to help with this), and when walking you can hear a lot of noise transmitted through the rather thin cable. They also come with their own carrying case, which lets me store them in my briefcase at all times.

On a related note, if you ever want to borrow some headphones (even any of these) to try or use, just ask.

Stones Grow Her Name

I first discovered Sonata Arctica during my epic first real foray into power metal in my first semester of college, but i didn't really get into them until I fell in love with The Days of Grays later. Its combination of melancholy, poetic lyrics; lush symphonic melodies; and interesting guitar wankery made it one of my favorite symphonic metal albums, though lots of fans missed its earlier days of playing more standard power metal. So, in light of these expectations, how does their new album, Stones Grow Her Name, stand?

Overall, Stones Grow Her Name definitely seems to continue The Days of Grays' drift into keyboard-driven metal/hard rock territory. They follow an approach similar to Nightwish's, with the keyboards carrying most of the melodies and the guitars adding "sonic texturing" and the occasional melody. It's kind of an instrumental take on the common "beauty and the beast" sound, drawing on the contrast and tension between almost poppy, symphonic melodies and crunching, distorted guitar sounds. Songs like "I Have a Right" and "The Day" exemplify this approach, with the keyboards providing a strong sense of atmosphere throughout. "Alone in Heaven" starts with acoustic guitars, and later the keyboards provide a harp sound. "Shitload of Money" (best title ever) has a bass beat reminiscent of dance pop and an almost eerie atmosphere generated by the keyboards; in general it's so bad it's hilarious and pretty enjoyable.

On the other hand, "Somewhere Close to You" and "Losing My Insanity" are much more guitar riff-driven, somewhat inverting the guitar-keyboard relationship of the aforementioned songs. "Losing My Insanity" also manages to be one of the catchiest songs of the album. "Only the Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)" strikes the best balance between the elements of SA's style, and though the overall guitar/drumming style is a callback to The Days of Grays, it also seems like a bit of a nod to fans who miss their earlier albums. Also, in response to the complaints of The Days of Grays' lack of guitar solos, several songs on Stones Grow Her Name have them--"Only the Broken Hearts", "Shitload of Money", "Losing My Insanity", and "Alone in Heaven" among others.

While the first seven songs largely sound like a reestablishment of SA's previous material, the last four venture into bold new territory. "Cinderblox" starts with, of all things, a banjo, soon to be joined by a fiddle that along with the frantically upbeat drumming risk establishing a whole new genre of "bluegrass metal" (in Finland, of all places!). The chorus is phenomenally catchy and the balance between the bluegrass instruments and guitars is pretty good. (The keyboards take a definite back seat on this song) And, again, it has excellent and highly technical guitar solo. "Don't Be Mean" is a slower, quiet ballad similar to "Breathing" with a violin solo that is a very nice touch.

And then the last two songs are the second and third parts of "Wildfire" from Reckoning Night, which was apparently the start of a trilogy, each of them nearly eight minutes long. Right away in part II the banjo and fiddle come back, playing what could almost be a tribute to American folk music over a soundscape of a gathering storm. These fade out to be replaced by a section where the guitar and drums almost seem to be dueling. The resulting song is a fantastic symphonic/progressive epic and a standout of the album. Part III is more intense, with lots of rapid double-bass drumming and heavy riffing sure to please fans who miss SA's early days as well as pretty much anyone who enjoys metal.

In Stones Grow Her Name Sonata Arctica seems to be trying to continue the musical trends started by The Days of Grays while simultaneously pleasing their older fans who didn't like it. The result doesn't really work as well as their simply picking one style and pursuing it did. In a similar vein, they seem to take a few steps backwards on the progressive side, undoing much of the progress of Unia and The Days of Grays. The bluegrass angle of "Cinderblox" and "Wildfire, Part II" is bizarre and works surprisingly well, but other than that there isn't too much to ponder about this album. Probably not SA's finest hour, but "Only the Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)", "Losing My Insanity", "Cinderblox", and both parts of "Wildfire" are still strong tracks on their own.

Return to the Unseen Empire

As I was listening to one of my favorite melodic death metal albums, The Unseen Empire by Scar Symmetry during lunch today, I realized that my previous review of it failed to do it justice. So, since I love it so much, I'm going to review it again!

As I said last time, The Unseen Empire is a concept album about the domination and enslavement of humanity by extradimensional reptilian overlords. The unfolding of this dark tale is rife with conspiracies, secrets, and melodic death metal goodness. This is Scar Symmetry's second album with two vocalists and it sees them working together better than ever, while the rest of the band is at the top of their game as well.

The Anomaly
I come with both truth and lie/Is there darkness without light/Break of day without an imminent night?
This song is a foretelling of the album's concept: the approach of some kind of metaphysico-logical enigma that defies comprehension but demands loyalty. How easy it is to sign yourself away without understanding what you're doing. Musically, it's a pretty basic demonstration of the band's brand of borderline-power-melodic-death-metal; Roberth (the resident death growler) does the verses and Lars sings the choruses. I've realized that Scar Symmetry isn't so much progressive as they are intensely technical and musically brilliant. Most of their songs follow a fairly standard structure with extra guitar solos sprinkled in, but musically they still manage to be quite complex, packing many riffs and time signature changes in where other bands might squeak by with a few chords and a basic drum beat.

Illuminoid Dream Sequence
Gods without eyes drinking from your feeble mind, a thirst divine/Drain mankind and we will be born, replacing all human life...
I gave this song a bit too much attention last time--or, at least, I focused on it to the detriment of the rest of the album. Still, it is quite brilliant, featuring a crazy-awesome chorus riff that jumps frantically all over the fretboard over a plodding double-bass drum beat. And, of course, the even more-insane bridge apocalyptic-sounding guitar shredding and incredibly fast 6-time bass drumming; see my above comment on how SS never misses an opportunity to spiced up their music. Vocally, this song is an inversion of "The Anomaly" with clean verses and a growled chorus, and lyrically it is about the alien presence's first real contact with humanity via the disembodied mind of a man lost in a dream. Very poetic. Still the strongest song on the album.

Extinction Mantra
Truth, it is buried deep in dissent/Lies came to be the means to their end/Fractures of the world open wide/The blind shall lead the blind.
This song is about the formation of a massive conspiracy to deceive and mislead mankind--happy, right? "Extinction Mantra" song begins more slowly, the synthy tune rolling like desert sand dunes, before the heavy guitar chugging gets underway. The chorus is characterized by a distinctive, pounding stop-start riff with great synchronization between the guitars and drums. The vocalists trade off a lot here, especially in the  chorus; they are definitely working together well here.

Seers of the Eschaton
The heaven seen by those who lead is hell concealed/The seers of the Eschaton.
This song expands on the conspiratorial nature of the previous song's lyrics, focusing on the elites who deceive the masses and the truth that they hide. Musically, probably the heaviest and most aggressive song of the album, with heavy, seemingly arhythmic guitars chugging over equally frantic double-bass. The verses are similarly harsh, but Lars' part of the trade-off chorus is surprisingly catchy. This song is also pretty awesome for its volume of guitar solos: two right at the beginning, three in the normal spot, and one more at the ending. Lots of guitar shredding to complement its breakneck pace.

Domination Agenda
The waters deep conceal monumental depth/Yet hide the vastness from our eyes...
"Domination Agenda" is a nice break after the white-hot fury of "Seers of the Eschaton", more laid-back song with a simpler main riff that is almost entirely song by Lars with  Roberth mostly providing backing vocals. Lyrically, it's an exposition of the depth of the web of lies and secrets woven by the conspirators, comparing it with an endless dungeon to be explored in a cool extended metaphor.

Astronomicon
Know that we own minds that could devour the sun/And what we have done will remain although it's gone.
This song seems like a bit of a tangent from the main story, an exploration of the hidden depths and wonders of our minds and one of the nicer tracks overall. Musically, I have surprisingly little to say other than that it's an all-around solid song, with great vocalist teamwork and drumming--a good summary of the style of the entire album--heavy, but melodic and with exquisitely crafted lyrics.

Rise of the Reptilian Regime
There is proof of their grotesque presence on display throughout our world/In a gesture of invitation placed in art and written word...
Though beginning quietly, "Rise of the Reptilian Regime" quickly breaks into a riff that that is more about power and rhythm than melody. Because of this, it's one of the less interesting songs, with a plodding, ceremonial-sounding chorus that does little to help. Lyrically it's about the coming of the draconians to our dimension through our minds; the above line is probably my favorite from the album for the parallels I draw between it and the need for Christians to discern to whom they are paying cultural homage in their engagement with the world.

The Draconian Arrival
Something comes as the air's vibrating and candles die with a sigh/Now behold, as the light is fading, for the invoked has arrived.
This song is the real climax of the album: the culmination of the conspiracy in the unholy ritual that summons the reptilian god-men to our world. It's like something out of H.P. Lovecraft. This song has quite a few musical sections in a less standard, more progressive structure, with plenty to love throughout its five and a half minutes. Scar Symmetry is definitely good at telling a story without detracting from their music.

Alpha and Omega
We stand before apparent beginnings and ends/But nothing ever seems to change...
And then the falling action; the reign of the draconians is made manifest through shadow and deception, their victory near-complete. Like "The Draconian Arrival", this song is a multisegmented epic, and it provides nice closure and a glimmer of hope to the album: "Insight comes with a new worldview/And gateways will open anew".

Overall, this is a very solid post-Älvestaam release for Scar Symmetry, a very solid buy for lovers of melodic death metal and also a jumping-off point for less-extreme metal enthusiasts to get into the genre with all its concessions to beauty and melody in the music. The songs are very musically inventive (as i said, they pack a lot of songwriting into a normal-sized song), although it kind of feels like the band is filling in the same set of blanks in most of them (except the last two).

Lyrically, I really connected with the album this time for the parallels between the metaphysical invasion of the draconians, whose weapons are more epistomological than militaristic, with the Christian doctrine of spiritual warfare, or more simply the need to be discerning and know the truth when engaging with a fallen world. Of course there are no eternal reptilian demigods trying to break into our plane of existence, but all the lyrics about deception and conspiracy do get me thinking about the thought I put into what I believe and what is behind it--the kind of tendency to look beneath the surfaced of everything I've been learning from James Hunter. And besides any practical application, I am a bit of an escapist with my music and this is just a good, well-written story to be enjoyed with 45 minutes.

The End Is Where We Begin

Okay. The last in my sizable backlog of awesome music that's come out lately is Thousand Foot Krutch's new album, The End Is Where We Begin.

The End Is Where We Begin is notably TFK's first independently released album after nine years with Tooth and Nail records. With its influence on their music gone, this album is at once  a continuation of their sound on the last few albums and a return to their rap-metal roots.

First, much of the album will be quite familiar to those who enjoyed The Flame In all of Us and Welcome to the Masquerade. Lead single bait "We Are" is a fist-pumping anthem in the vein of "Fire It Up" with motivational lyrics like "We are the ones/We are the guns/And we will roll". The title track "The End Is Where We Begin" is more of a balance between power and melody similar to the previous two title tracks, "Welcome to the Masquerade" and "The Flame In All Of Us", with some heavy-yet-accessible guitar hooks and an exceedingly catchy chorus. "War of Change" has the same kind of explosive energy as "E for Extinction", with a legitimately epic wall-of-sound chorus.

This album continues TFK's move towards more loud and energetic songs (especially with the return of their rap metal influences, which I'll get to in a moment), but there are several quieter, more personal songs--"Be Somebody" has more thoughtful lyrics and the chorus line bursts with a sense of longing. "All I Need to Know" and "So Far Gone" are both quiet devotional-type tracks descended from "Watching Over Me", "Already Home", or "My Home". "Fly on the Wall" is one of the more interesting songs that I can't directly compare to previous albums, starting with quiet, almost-whispered vocals and a melody played by strings, but almost turns into a rock ballad in the choruses.

And secondly, this album is a big return to TFK's rap metal style that they'd all but abandoned by Welcome to the Masquerade, possibly at Tooth and Nail's request, for a more polished and commercial sound. "Light Up the Sky", "Down", and "I Get Wicked" both have entirely rapped verses, the latter with mystifying or just plain hilarious lines like "Stock to cons, 'cause the devil wears prada" or "P.S., Don't play me like a 3DS". Ditto on "War of Change" with "'Cause I got 10 in my pocket that'll bend ya' locket" and "The End is Where We Begin", whose "Hear me running" bridge is probably the lamest moment of the album.

So the title of The End Is Where We Begin ends up being a little too accurate. It continues TFK's well-practiced formula of calculated guitar crunches and ridiculously catchy chorus lines, but enjoyable as it is, it doesn't really blaze any new ground for the band. Instead it really seems like more of a step backwards to their rap metal origins. Maybe there are some hardcore fans who are delighted by this move, but I am not. Stylistically, this album would have fit in much better ten years ago (and not in the classic, timeless way of power metal).

The lyrics, while well-delivered as usual, continue and intensify the split between vaguely motivational fist-pumping with nothing behind it and confessions to God. With some of the rap songs, I don't even know. ("I Get Wicked" just seems to be about anger issues, and "War of Change"...it's cool, but I just have no idea) The main exception is again "Fly on the Wall", probably the most thoughtful and thought-provoking song of the album, with lines like "I'm on the run from a thief I let into my head" or "We were making the bullets to a broken gun".

I'm getting a bit more negative on this review than I'd expected. This is a good album, but it could have been much better. Its biggest issue is that it almost completely fails to innovate on TFK's previous sound(s) and lyrical themes. Despite/because of this, it's still quite a good time with some distinct high points and worth a look if you liked The Flame in All of Us or Welcome to the Masquerade.