The Rockstar Reviewer (Rambling Man's Reviews)

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Records Last week, Australian Symphonic metal band ANA returned with their debut LP "Motivated by Death" via Eclipse Records . The album follows the success of 2023's critically acclaimed first EP The Art of Letting Go , . The eight songs look at the human experience, combining strong pop sensibilities, heavy guitars, and haunting sounds. Formed in 2023, the band calls themselves a "Couture rock" group. Their members include lead vocalist Anna Khristenko, guitarist Josh Mak, bassist Cody Lamb, drummer Andres Felipe Martinez Osorio, and keyboardist Mark Shi. They present themselves as masked "Super humans" as part of a comic series they created, published through Cynation Comics. Their performances and songs are inspired by the comics, a style reminiscent of prog rock band   Coheed and Cambria . Now, let's focus on their album Motivated by Death . This album was produced by Mak and Khristenko, wi...

  Cover artwork by Ingo Spörl / OSM | The German symphonic act Leaves' Eyes  have released a new Viking saga . This time as a four-track EP through Reigning Phoenix Music Records . The band offers another dose of cinematic music , blending symphonic scores with metal to reach a new audience. Rambling Man has been following the band since the beginning of the decade, covering their previous two releases: 2021's The Last Viking and 2024's Myths of Fate . I have always been a sucker for symphonic metal , even though it does feel obsolete these days.  Leaves' Eyes brings a unique flair compared to bands like Within Temptation and Nightwish , focusing on tales of myths, magic, and Nordic stories of Vikings .  They achieve this through the rich, soprano voice of lead singer Elina Siirala , along with her accompanying band of classically trained musicians. The band was formed in 2023 by vocalist and producer Alexander Krull , alongside original vocalist Liv Kristine ...

  Words by Anselm Anderson Genus Ordinis Dei, the Italian black metal band, has just released "Three Kings," the latest single from their recent album "The Beginning," which came out in December via Eclipse Records . The track combines the grandeur of symphonic metal with the intensity of black metal to create an exhilarating new song for the band. The trio of musical academics formed in 2011 after graduating from Italy's top music academies. They aimed to blend modern metal with symphonies to create a cutting-edge sound.  They had their first experience of this when they met Lacuna Coil bassist M arco Coti Zelati on tour, who agreed to produce their debut album.  The band released a trilogy of albums as a concept to define their sound, culminating in last year's release, "The Beginning." "Three Kings" showcases magnificent string arrangements, strong rasping vocals, and poetic lyrics. The song opens with a cinematic collision of bomb...