Mägo de Oz - Gaia III: Atlantia (2010) (v0 mp3)

Genre: Epic Symphonic Folk Power Metal / Folk Rock
Quality: mp3 @ v0 (224kbps VBR)
About: While not quite up to par with their epic masterpiece "Gaia II: La Voz Dormida" this is an amazing album. This album quite simply has everything, while still feeling like a unified album. There are somber and slow parts, there are epic power metal songs with flutes in the background, synthesizer solos, there are Folk Rock songs. The song that particularly stood out for me though was "El Violín Del Diablo" featuring Patricia Tapia (Nexx, KHY) on vocals. It's a haunting song, much different from their usual happy partying and dancing style.

Here's a videoclip of their single illustrating that haunting feeling a couple songs have... but then they say screw it and start drinking and partying again XD.

9.5/10

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Guests: Kutxi Romero (Marea) - Vocals in "Vodka'n Roll" Carlos Escobedo (Savia, Sôber) - Vocals in "El Príncipe de la Dulce Pena IV" Jorge Salán - Guitar Solos in "Mi Hogar Eres Tú" Francis Sarabia (Campillo) - Vocals in "La Ira de Gaia" and "Atlantia" Natalia Martín - Chorus in "Atlantia" Tony Menguiano - Vocals in "Atlantia" Tete Novoa - Vocals in "Atlantia" Silverio "Silver" Solórzano - Vocals in "Atlantia" Javier Díez - (Ebony Ark, Jorge Salan, Wayland) Keyboards solo in "Atlantia" Leo Jiménez "La Bestia" (Saratoga, 037, Stravaganzza, Supra) - Vocals in "Atlantia" Track List:

Disc 1 1. El latido de Gaia 04:07 2. Dies irae 09:26 3. Für immer 04:42 4. Vodka 'n' Roll 03:36 5. El Príncipe de la Dulce Pena (parte IV) 04:23 6. Mi hogar eres tú 06:03 7. Fuerza y honor: el Dorado (instrumental) 04:48 8. El Violín del Diablo 04:55 9. Siempre (Adiós Dulcinea - parte II) 04:45 Disc 2 1. Mis demonios (atrévete a vivir) 04:13 2. Que el viento sople a tu favor 04:16 3. Sueños dormidos 05:16 4. Aún amanece gratis 04:52 5. La Soga del Muerto (Ayahuasca) 03:14 6. La ira de Gaia 06:48 7. Atlantia 19:14 Total playing time 01:34:38

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Rhapsody Of Fire - The Frozen Tears Of Angels (2010) (with Digipak bonus tracks)

Genre: Epic Symphonic Power Metal
Quality: .m4a (AAC) @ 256kbps
About: While I could argue that their songs sound rehashed from old riffs on old albums, and some of the song structures seem tired...

And, I wish they had utilized the Narration more as they did in previous albums. Their albums are each supposed to tell a story - for example the last one was about a band of heros questing to find some ancient book in a cave on a mountain, then when they get it they find out its cursed and try to run out with it. More or less. - but this album just seems like a bunch of songs with similar themes...

However, this is still a great album from the Epic Power Metal kings. However, it's the non-power metal songs that really shine through for me. "Crystal Moonlight," "Danza Di Fuoco E Ghiaccio" (Dance of Fire and Ice), "Lost In Cold Dreams," "The Frozen Tears Of Angels." They all have a very fresh feeling and I've never heard anything like them from Rhapsody, or any band for that matter.

Solid 9.0 from me.

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This is the third chapter of "The Dark Secret Saga", which began with "Symphony
Of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret".

Track List:

1.	Dark Frozen World	02:13
2.	Sea of Fate	04:47
3.	Crystal Moonlight	04:25
4.	Reign of Terror	06:52
5.	Danza Di Fuoco E Ghiaccio	06:25
6.	Raging Starfire	04:56
7.	Lost in Cold Dreams	05:12
8.	On the Way to Ainor	06:58
9.	The Frozen Tears of Angels	11:15
Total playing time		53:03

The special limited deluxe digipak has two bonus tracks: (Included here)
10. Labyrinth of Madness (04:35)
11. Sea of Fate (Orchestral Version) (04:04)


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Please support the musicians that spent so much time, effort, and money to make this great music for you - Buy their albums and go to their concerts (if possible)!
Buy from Nuclear Blast Records (Unfortunately Europe-only... if you don't want to pay insane import costs you have to wait until June 29th... That is what I am doing because I am too poor to pay 30 dollars for one album.)

Christopher Lee - Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross (2010)

Genre: Symphonic Epic Heavy Metal Opera
About: After hearing that the infamous Christopher Lee... who has done everything from being the original Dracula and Frankenstein in the 1950s, to Lord of the Rings in the 2000s, to singing in a Rhapsody song... was doing a Symphonic Metal Opera/Concept album, I could not believe it. I love concept albums, I love metal/rock operas (there are far too few of them in existence) and I love him (no homo). Even more amazing is the fact that he's like 80 years old, I think. The intro and first two acts were really slow, and barely symphonic or metal at all, and I was starting to think we might have another Saana (Timo Tolkki) on our hands. But I was so wrong. Track 3 ramps right up with a really epic Heavy Metal masterpiece, and it does not let up for the rest of the album. I will definitely have to check out his older two albums sometime, and I hope he releases another album like this in the very near future. I'm not sure if "Iberia" is a bonus track, or a hint at a second album because it ends with "They have betrayed us!". Charlemagne part 2??

Here's the promo, featuring what is basically the climax of the album: (Yes, this album is extremely cheesy. But in a good way that brings a smile to your face.)



(Sorry, they are really cracking down on this album, since it was deleted from 3 hosters within a day. I'm not going to bother re-upping as they will just delete it again. Definitely don't go torrent this instead.)

Helloween - Unarmed - Best Of - 25th Anniversary Album (2009)

Genre: See below.
About: This band has obviously gotten bored of power metal, because this is a collection of their "greatest" hits (definitely arguable) of mostly power metal songs, redone in completely different songs. With the exception of track 5, the songs are primarily acoustic, often folk-sounding, with some jazz influences, and even flat out pop (track 10). This is obviously not an album aimed at the die hard metalheads (see: close-minded).

However, if you are in fact a die hard metalhead (more than likely true if you are on this blog), take a listen to "The Keeper´s Trilogy (Halloween, Keeper of The Seven Keys & King Of 1000 Years)". Those are the three most epic songs from the Keeper albums, and unbelievable made even more epic... they are done in an Epic Symphonic Power Metal style, similar to something Nightwish would spend a million dollars making, and completely different from the rest of this album. It's just a wall of sound and power metal and eargasms for most of 17 minutes.

The only other song I can really say with confidence you HAVE to listen to, is "Eagle Fly Free". Again, if you are a metalhead you have no doubt heard 200 covers of this song, all complete sound-alikes. Well, from the original band you have a cover that's completely redone, as a ballad-duet with a female singer... don't know who but her voice is quite beautiful.

I really do appreciate what they tried to do with this album, completely rework their songs into a different genre, and perhaps get these stuck up metalheads to try some new music... but it was done poorly at best. With the exception of track 5 and 6, these songs are not bad, just not up to Helloween's high standards they set for themself in the past.

1. Dr. Stein 03:59 [view lyrics]
2. Future World 04:13 [view lyrics]
3. If I Could Fly 03:28 [view lyrics]
4. Where The Rain Grows 05:09 [view lyrics]
5. The Keeper´s Trilogy (Halloween, Keeper of The Seven Keys & King Of 1000 Years) 17:06 [view lyrics]
6. Eagle Fly Free 03:50 [view lyrics]
7. Perfect Gentleman 04:18 [view lyrics]
8. Forever & One 04:25 [view lyrics]
9. I Want Out 04:22 [view lyrics]
10. Fallen To Pieces 03:28 [view lyrics]
11. A Tale That wasn`t Right 04:46

(Mediafire Download Link removed at the request of forceably by some d*cks that are paid by helloween to hunt down blog posts... I'm spreading your music you idiots so more people will know about it and be potential customers, but ok if you want to do that. Instead, have fun reading about the DMCA, and definitely don't go torrent this album.)


For a bit of fun, let's look at the tracks I probably would pick were I to do a "best of". I may even compile and upload one just as an alternative to the official one. First of all, I'd like it to be chronological to trace the evolution of their sound (Similar to my ELP compilation, linked in the upper right of the blog), and start with a re-recording of the song that (arguably) invented Power Metal. And later on, some songs from Helloween's least widely liked albums in the early 90s could really do with somewhat heavier re-records (even though I like them how they are, I admit they could definitely be improved a lot). I'll try to pick one or two from each album, but maybe three, hard to pick, thats the problem when a band is consistantly awesome. :)

1. Oernst Of Life (Death Metal - 1984)
2. Guardians or Cry For Freedom (Walls of Jericho - 1986)
3. I'm Alive or Twilight of the Gods(Keeper pt. 1 - 1987)
4. Eagle Fly Free or Rise and Fall, or I want out (Keeper pt. 2 - 1988)
5. Kids Of The Century or Heavy Metal Hamsters (Pink Bubbles - 1991)
6. First Time or Giants (Chameleon - 1993)
7. Where the Rain Grows or Take Me Home (Master of the Rings - 1994)
8. We Burn or Wake up the Mountain (The Time of the Oath - 1996)
9. Push or I Can, or Revelation (Better than Raw - 1998)
10. Mr Torture or The Departed, or The Dark Ride (The Dark Ride - 2000)
11. Open your Life or Sun 4 the world (Rabbit - 2003)
12. Silent Rain or Light the Universe (Keeper Legacy - 2005)
13. The Saints or As Long as I Fall (Gambling - 2007)

Feel free to debate these choices, they were made rather quick and I havent listened to this band in quite some time :)