2017. Another notch on our metallic belts. It seems my tastes in rock & metal haven’t changed substantially since last year. I still listen to traditional/heavy metal most of the time, making sidesteps into the realms of power, prog and doom when the occasion warrants it. I heard a few recent death and black metal records here and there, but (imo) none that could compete with the classics of said subgenres. I guess every editorial board needs its self-proclaimed guardian of “the olden ways”. Here’s a couple of releases that were able to hold my attention for more than a single week.
| 10-4 | 3-2 | 1 |
3. Ironflame ‒ Lightning Strikes the Crown
There is nothing original about Ironflame. The name is generic. The music is run-of-the-mill heavy/power metal with a couple of crafty solos thrown in for good measure. The singer is talented, but nothing exceptional. Just another Dio enthusiast, with a hint of Belladonna. What was I smoking when I turned in this top 10?
Courteous lord, one word.
Sir, you and I must part, but that’s not it;
Sir, you and I have loved, but there’s not it;
That you know well. Something it is I would—
O, my oblivion is a very Antony,
And I am all forgotten.
2. Lunar Shadow ‒ Far from Light
Revenge of the Wimps 2: Wimps in Paradise
Believe me or not, this is the best European metal record of 2017 and the opening track “Hadrian Carrying Stones” is simply the best song of the year. Am I to be accused of essentialism for thinking that only Germans could have written such a wonderfully melancholic track? Germans singing about Roman endeavours in Britannia, mind you. God forbid that Germans should ever sing about their own country.
I don’t want to be a Caesar, Stroll among the Britons, […] And endure Scythian winters.
