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November 2023

• High Spirits: Safe On The Other Side
• Signum Regis: Undivided
• DGM: Life
• Soledriver: Return Me To Light
• Care Of Night: Reconnected
• Secret Sphere: Blackened Heartbeat
• Seventh Crystal: Infinity EP
• Angra: Cycles Of Pain
• Hugo's Voyage: Inception
• DMJ: Sophomore
• Temple Balls: Avalanche
• Ignescent: Fight In Me

October 2023

• Pattern-Seeking Animals: Spooky Action At A Distance
• Overland: S.I.X
• Vitalines: Wheels Within Wheels
• Lynch Mob: Babylon
• District 97: Stay For The Ending
• Lalu: The Fish Who Wanted To Be King
• Entierro: The Gates Of Hell
• Nitrate: Feel The Heat
• Kings Crown: Closer To The Truth
• Theocracy: Mosaic
• Edge Of Forever: Ritual
• Ronnie Atkins: Trinity

September 2023

• Rockett Love: Galactic Circus
• Kerrigan: Bloodmoon
• Taz: Shipwrecked, Vol 2
• Taz: Wake Up & Sweat, Vol 1
• Ronnie Romero: Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters
• The Flower Kings: Look At You Now
• Vega: Battlelines
• Blackbird Angels: Solsorte
• Primal Fear: Code Red
• Eclipse: Megalomanium
• Seventh Wonder: Mercy Falls (Reissue 2008/2023)
• Seventh Wonder: The Great Escape (Reissue 2010/2023)

August 2023

• Hurricane: Reconnected
• U.D.O.: Touchdown
• Streetlight: Ignition
• Sarayasign: The Lion's Road
• Neal Morse: The Dreamer - Joseph - Part One
• Rian: Wings
• Icon Of Sin: Legends
• Lancer: Tempest
• King Kobra: We Are Warriors
• Dark Sky: Signs Of The Time
• Hell In The Club: F.U.B.A.R.
• Kent Hilli: Nothing Left To Lose

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Adamantra: Act II - Silent Narratives

Progressive Power Metal

4.0/5.0

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Power Prog Records
Words by Craig Hartranft,  02.05.2014

Entering the progressive metal fray once more is Finland's Adamantra with their second album Act II - Silent Narratives. The band decided to big at the start, unleashing an 18 minute epic, Lionheart, upon your ears. Surprisingly, it keeps your interest with shifting tempos and signatures, and a bevy of solos from guitar, bass, and keyboards. It might be the most 'prog' song here.

Adamantra: on a cold Finnish day.

In contrast, songs like Three and The Oracle are quite heavy numbers with thick, blistering, riffs and intense drums in parts, and vocalist coming across quite coarse at times. Alternatively, Wicked Chain of Events and In The Shadow of the Cross lean more to the power metal side of things, combining speed with the heaviness. The latter song has a notable and audible bass solo in the latter third of the album.

But this merely shows one of the strengths of Adamantra: allowing the individual musicians to flex their muscles. Sometimes it's in tandem as with the guitar and keyboards within the second half of Circle of Sorrow. Adamantra does tone things down ever so slightly with Angel of Music, using both acoustic and more notable symphonic elements. The album rounds out with something similar to the start: On Ember Remains offers more varied and versatile progressive metal with, in the case, the synths and drums taking a greater role. While listening, Adamantra reminded me of a blend of Dream Theater and Shadow Gallery, and spiced with a bit of Symphony X heaviness. If you like any of those bands, then Adamantra is definitely worth your time and interest. Recommended.

Adamantra - In The Shadow Of The Cross (Single / Free Download)

Adamantra offers progressive power metal that's melodic, versatile, and heavy at times, but allowing it's individual members flex and display their talents.

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We haven't had a new studio album from Brazil's Angra since prior to the COVID pandemic, 2018's Omni. But the quintet has been busy. In 2021, they released Omni Live in Japan where they have a huge fan base ... [ Read More ]