“Stone of Storms” offers an epic, powerful feel from the first moments, and even “Saraste,” the token ballad track, is strongly affecting and well-made. The song evokes a spirit of adventure as it beautifully balances blackened power metal riffing (a feeling augmented by Lauri Itälä’s rapid drumming) with catchy choruses and strong symphonies.
#Guys having fun pornhub gay playlist full#
Opener “Carnival of the Hunter” sets us up nicely for success, with big orchestrations (Paavali Pouttu), slick riffs (Matias Knuuttila, Toke Gerdts), and Itälä’s full range, from croons to snarls to growls to power-metal-worthy highs 2.
The short answer is that the execution is great. It’s hard to argue with the setup how’s the execution? Nemesis takes a lot of cues from a lot of different places, but manages to maintain its own distinct identity throughout. Lest I give you the wrong impression though, think it not- Gladenfold is not “just another” male-fronted symphonic power metal band copying the cool kids the blackened/melodeath influence from the likes of Children of Bodom ties the package together nicely. Throughout, vocalist Esko Itälä’s seriously versatile performance takes clear cues from Kamelot and Tommy Karevik (to the point where I initially thought he was providing guest vocals on the title track). There are big symphonic moments in the vein of Nightwish and Wintersun, with choruses that remind me of Sonata Arctica and a serious power metal vibe that screams Blind Guardian. The list of influences cited by Gladenfold is a long one Nemesis feels like a smorgasbord of some of the best of modern metal in the symphonic, power, and melodeath scenes. Nemesis is their third full-length release, and one that took me very pleasantly by surprise. Of course, it takes more than being Finnish to write some fine metal, but these guys have some experience beneath their belts, having been crafting adventurous tunes since 2003. I didn’t realize at the time that Gladenfold is a Finnish band though-mostly I just liked the album cover on Nemesis, and the promise of some solid melodeath helped too. You know what I mean-the kind of metal that’s aggressive, adventurous, inspired by nature or history or something along those lines, with that je ne sais quoi 1 that is the Finnish charm.
I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed some solid Finnish metal.