French big band metal, Norwegian melancholy & Danish modern prog metal!

Mixing brass with metal seems to be all the rage lately. Just last month, we premiered the self-titled debut from Choreomanic for example. But where that one was obviously very bass centered (no surprise there, being the solo project of Pestilence bass player Joost van der Graaf), Simon Fache’s Horns is quite a different beast altogether. This is real big band metal, with a 14-part brass section, and the sound is not so much focused on any one instrument, rather on the songs itself, a mix of original compositions and an absolutely eclectic selection of cover versions ranging from more obvious choices like Judas Priest’s ‘Hell Patrol’ (who knew the mighty Priests had so much swing in them) or Faith no More’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’ (feat. Carnival in Coal legend Arno Strobl) all the way to Chicago (35 or 6 to 4) and Kim Wilde (Kids in America). Frank Sinatra will ‘Fly me to the Darkside of the Moon’ this time, and instead of ‘Sing Sing Sing’, Louis Prima will ‘Scream Scream Scream’. Make no mistake: this is not a metal album with a big band used as a gimmick. This is the genuine real deal: an artful and true marriage of jazz and metal, absolutely genre-defining and one hell of a ride. Pure fun and awesomeness! Dario

Two years after “Acts 1 & 2”, Zero’s story continues. Don’t fool yourself though: it’s not gonna be a much happier affair. The melancholy the Norwegian trio of Laughing Stock is weaving into their amazing music is absolutely mesmerizing and spellbinding though, in a surprisingly calm, subdued way, which is rather unusual in a musical genre where grand gestures and theatrical pomp is usually the norm rather than the exception. This album (both of them actually, all 4 acts) deserve your absolute attention for the music is masterfully crafted with a strong sense for storytelling and conveying moods (of the rather sad variant mostly). So if you need an antidote to the quirky happiness of Simon Fache’s Horns (see above), look no further, this is your perfect quick fix of melancholy. They even managed to make a song featuring Nad Sylvan where I actually like the blonde Steve Hackett sidekick’s voice (‘The Call’). Well done gentlemen, I hope you cheer up again now, after the completion of these two masterpieces of sadness. Dario

Completing this week’s trilogy of hindlights are Cold Night for Alligators’ “The Hindsight Notes”. With the recent success of Sleep Token, this could be the next big thing indeed. Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, the current hotbed for modern prog metal, CNFA are hitting pure gold with their third album. Hints of Agent Fresco and Maraton and an absolutely unmistakable instinct for killer hooklines, this 10-song 50-minute affair should be able to catapult them immediately into the spotlight – and rightfully so. I couldn’t think of any other band currently, who have perfected the mix of pop vocals with a modern prog-metal background to such a level. Actuall incorporating the melodies into the heaviness rather than letting them stand side by side as Sleep Token tend to do should guarantee them a huge crossover appeal to audiences from different scenes and any upcoming live appearances might just become absolutely explosive, not only performance-wise, but also in terms of attendance. Even with 6 of the 10 songs being released as singles before, I can still see myself return to this album a lot in the coming weeks for its sheer quality. This is how it’s done! Dario