This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters, Between The Buried And Me, Cea Serrin, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Helstar, Lorna Shore, Nicolas Cage Fighter, RinRin, Sweet Savage and Year Of The Goat.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Arjen Anthony Lucassen – Songs No One Will Hear (InsideOut)
When I first saw the album title, I thought Arjen Anthony Lucassen had a lapse of self-confidence. But actually, Songs No One Will Hear is a concept about an impending apocalypse and they are songs no-one might be alive to hear. Like his 2023 Golden Age Of Music album, this one has a distinct 1970s rock feel. Several long-time friends lend their talents, including Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Marcela Bovio (Stream Of Passion) and Michael Mills, the latter delivering some entertaining narrations as a radio show host.
The album has a great sound and contains some inspiring moments. For example, album closer “Our Final Song” sounds more modern than the other songs but is captivating for its atmosphere, flutes and doom characteristics that remind me of Candlemass. “Shaggathon,” with its sexually-loaded lyrics, contains a cool interplay between violin and guitar. However, there are also a number of moments where the songs plod along and you can’t help feeling they need something to galvanize them. So Songs No One Will Hear might not be Lucassen’s best work but if, like me, you’re a fan of anything with his stamp on it, you’ll acquire the album, no matter what.
Rating: 3.5
(Chris Galea)
Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters – Vintage Rebel x Trauma Bond (Self)
Vintage Rebel x Trauma Bond is the fourth release from British rockers Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters. It’s one album, but divided into two distinctive parts, each with a different title. Vintage Rebel pays homage to the greats, delivering catchy uptempo tracks like “You Only Love Me When You’re Drunk” and “Over It” that have a classic vibe. There’s also a ballad (“I Still Want It”) that showcases Blade’s powerful pipes.
The Trauma Bond half of the album is darker and more personal, emphasizing the pain and struggle to keep moving forward. Tracks like “Damage” and “Dysmorphia” have more emotional heft without sacrificing the hooks and melodies the band is known for. The different approaches make Vintage Rebel x Trauma Bond an eclectic album. Both halves are good, but Trauma Bond is more impactful, revealing a different side of Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Between The Buried And Me – The Blue Nowhere (InsideOut)
Between The Buried And Me are back with The Blue Nowhere, and the band couldn’t have offered more changes. If Colors II was a return to the band’s old days, this new album again shows that the band is constantly changing, this time diving into more unconventional and almost quirky territory.
The musical prowess is more present than ever, but the songwriting is more mature than before. The album is long and demands a lot of your attention. It’s not an easy listen. It requires patience from the listener. Unpredictable changes and flashy ideas are still the rule, so it’s not a total breakaway from the norm — but expect the unexpected with The Blue Nowhere!
Rating: 4
(Carlos Tirado)
Cea Serin – The World Outside (Generation Prog)
Cea Serin were founded by Jay Lamm (ex-Ashen Dawn), who writes all the music and lyrics and plays all instruments except drums. The project’s third album and first in 11 years, The World Outside also has numerous guest musicians, including Lillian Axe’s Steve Blaze, Rise To Fall’s Dann Hoyos and Eluveitie/Circle Of Fools’ Coen Strouken.
Each of the album’s six songs is at least ten minutes long, unfolding slowly with plenty of twists and turns. The arrangements have a lot of depth, mixing cinematic parts with proggy sections and frequent changes in tempo and intensity. Lamm’s vocal performance is excellent showcasing a lot of emotion, power and range. Maintaining interest and engagement during such long songs and over a 70-minute album is a tough task, and while Cea Serin doesn’t completely succeed in doing so, The World Outside still has plenty of interesting songs for prog fans to dig into.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Innern (Season Of Mist)
Der Weg Einer Freiheit have evolved so profoundly that each album feels like a bold new step. What began as a solid black metal project expanded into bleak, atmospheric soundscapes and eventually embraced progressive elements, creating a sound that is immersive, intoxicating, and deeply impressive. Innern, the band’s sixth studio album, stands as the culmination of this journey — courageous, refined, and strikingly cohesive.
The record unfolds with “Marter,” a ten-minute opener that sets the existential tone of the work. From there, “Xibalba” dives into theatrical intensity, before the closing track “Forlorn” delivers a sorrowful yet imaginative and striking finale. These songs form a dramatic arc that lingers in the listener’s mind long after the album ends. Balancing the roots of black metal with modern and progressive sensibilities, Innern captures an effective duality. It feels both timeless and forward-looking. Though its runtime leaves you wishing for more, the impact is undeniable. Innern is not just another step in the band’s evolution; it is a near-masterpiece, destined to be remembered as a modern classic.
Rating: 4.5
(Arash Khosronejad)
Helstar – The Devil’s Masquerade (Massacre)
The Texas band Helstar have been around since the early ’80s, issuing their debut back in 1984. There have been numerous lineup changes over the years, but vocalist James Rivera (Seven Witches, ShadowKeep) and guitarist Larry Barragan still are the band’s anchors. Their eleventh studio album The Devil’s Masquerade features new guitarist Alan DeLeon Jr. (Infidel Rising).
The band took an old-school approach to creating the album, which is inspired by cult horror movies and TV series. As with the typical Helstar album, they blend traditional metal with speed and power metal. That gives tracks like “Stygian Miracles” and epic feel, but with aggression and heaviness mixed in. Rivera delivers a varied vocal performance, from gruff vocals to wailing falsetto. They bring in numerous fellow Texans like Robert Lowe (Solitude Aeternus, ex-Candlemass), Jason McMaster (Watchtower, Dangerous Toys), Travis Wills (Crimson Glory) and others for the heavy closer “I Am The Way.” The Devil’s Masquerade delivers everything Helstar fans want and expect, with the band showing no signs of slowing down.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me (Century Media)
Lorna Shore have become a very big deal. However, success hasn’t mellowed the orchestral deathcore outfit, as I Feel The Everblack Festering Inside Of Me attests. Bookended by ferocious “Prison of Flesh” and nearly 10-minute “Forevermore,” the epic scope of their black metal-infused fare has been pushed even further. The approach can feel formulaic though, and by the second half the barrage of blasts, seismic-shifting breakdowns and symphonic flourishes starts to feel wearying. And while Lorna Shore’s grandiose nature is key to their appeal – choirs and backing vocals included – some song lengths could’ve been trimmed.
That aside, there’s plenty to like. A highlight is the cinematic “Unbreakable,” its cry of “we are unbreakable!” tailor-made for live shows. Meanwhile, “War Machine” adds a classy melo-death edge. Turbo-tonsilled vocalist Will Ramos garners many headlines. Justifiably so; he’s a formidable presence, from the guttural growls to piercing highs and more, with the emotive “Glenwood” a standout. Drummer Austin Archey deserves kudos too, playing blindingly fast but also realizing when to inject groove, and Adam De Micco’s fleet-fingered solos resonate. Despite some repetition, this LP boasts hefty production values and is a work of pure catharsis from a group whose ascension will continue.
Rating: 3.5
(Brendan Crabb)
Nicolas Cage Fighter – I Watched You Burn (Bleeding Art)
Fans of the Australian metallic hardcore band Nicolas Cage Fighter include their namesake. In a recent interview, Cage called them terrific and even quoted some of their lyrics. The band’s sophomore album is I Watched You Burn.
Intensity and aggression are the name of the game on the album’s ten pit-ready songs. They blast out of the gate with the opening title track, driven by heavy riffs and vocals from Nick Moriarty than run the gamut from hardcore yells to death metal growls. The band also changes things up periodically to give the listener a respite, such as shifting to a slow tempo for part of “Valley Of Agony.” But unrelenting extremity is what you’ll get most of the time with I Watched You Burn, a cathartic and potent album.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
RinRin – The Nut House (Year Of The Rat)
The Nut House is the debut full-length from the Filipino-born RinRin, who is based in Australia. The 20-year-old is primed for mass appeal, utilizing a variety of styles and approaches on the album.
Alt metal, pop punk, metalcore, electronica, industrial metal and nu-metal are some of the styles explored on the album. The charismatic RinRin shifts from melodic singing to rapping to harsh vocals and back again on modern sounding tracks like “Washed” and “Gunmetal Black.” Tracks like that are contrasted by accessible, radio-friendly numbers such as “Smokebomb” and “Corndog!”. The Nut House doesn’t have a lot of depth, but it’s packed with potential hits.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Sweet Savage – Bang (earMusic)
One of the early NWOBHM bands, Sweet Savage were founded in the late ’70s in Northern Ireland by vocalist Ray Haller and guitarist Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard, Dio). But in their initial incarnation they never released an album, only some singles. After reuniting, they released a couple of albums in the ’90s, split up, then got back together again in the late ’00s, issuing a new album in 2011.
Bang is their fourth full-length, with Haller as the lone remaining original member. While there are modern influences, the album also pays homage to the glory days of NWOBHM, with an emphasis on the heavy. There are plenty of soaring melodies and guitar solos on tracks like “Bad F Robot” and “Leave Me Alone.” Bang also has bluesy moments and a hard rock approach. There are some memorable songs, but some filler somewhat dilutes the overall impact.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Year Of The Goat – Trivia Goddess (Napalm)
Trivia Goddess, the latest album from the Swedish band Year Of The Goat, is an old school sounding record that has nods to classic rock as much as it does classic metal. There is a very doomy sounding feeling to the recording to go along with that folkish sort of exterior. The songs are riff-centric and powerful. The music has a classic feeling to it that recalls the likes of Dio-era Black Sabbath and other older bands rather well.
The musicianship is quite superb with a classy production job. There are crunchy guitars that add a nice effect to the proceedings. However, the nature is a rather predictable one as the music has a groovy feeling to it along with the typical doom effect. The vocals are quite pleasant and add to the proceedings.
Rating: 3.5
(Adam McAuley)
