Glenn Tipton Baptizm Of Fire (1997) [japanese, Amcy 2058]

A Deeper Kind of Slumber moves Tiamat even farther away from traditional heavy metal, with synthesizers dominating the arrangements and Johan Edlund doing completely away with metal growling in favor of an unearthly croon. Although it's not very metallic, the music is quite heavy in its own way, creating a numb, sleepy ambience that feels both introverted and resignedly pessimistic; perhaps this is due to Edlund's conceiving the album at home with little outside input, and his relationship difficulties at the time. A Deeper Kind of Slumber is perhaps a cut below Wildhoney in terms of consistent listenability, but Tiamat certainly cannot be accused of refusing to develop or experiment.

Brymir is perhaps best known for their beautiful and epic orchestrations, adding an extra dimension and a huge sound to the band. Previously, this has been kind of a challenge, as the guys have also taken care of the production side of the albums themselves. Years later, vocalist Viktor Gullichsen, now has the experience he was lacking back then and as a result the sound of this album is huge, very cinematic, while on the other hand the album kept in touch with its genre and also has this raw edge to it. Impressive. But what would a fantastically produced album be without epic songs? In that aspect Brymir certainly delivers. This album contains a wide assembly of styles and genres and shows Brymir’s various musical extremes more dynamically than ever before.

Inexplicably, Ernie Watts thought it a good idea to record an album dedicated to the movie Chariots of Fire, while having very little to do with the overall plot of the film. The opening number is indeed the theme to Chariots of Fire, but sped up to be danceable. The result is what disco connoisseur Morgan Geist might deem to be an "unclassic" - really bad but in a very laughable way (it also could double as the fine theme to an afternoon syndicated talk show). James Ingram also makes an appearance on the smooth rocker "Hold On," and there's a ridiculous cover of the Lionel Richie/Kenny Rogers hit "Lady" and one of Donny Hathaway's "Valdez in the Country," which would be appropriate music bedding for your local cable weather forecast. The album is finally put out of its misery with a "slower" and more reggae-based interpretation of "Chariots of Fire" that is just as amusing as the album's opener, if not more so…

Japanese Edition with Bonus track.
The Italian symphonic power metal institution Rhapsody Of Fire returns with their album Challenge The Wind, presenting us with another instalment of their Nephilim saga, which began in 2019 with the album The Eighth Mountain.
Epic orchestral arrangements, bombastic choirs, fast and melodic guitars, a gripping story… These are all attributes that we have come to appreciate and love about Rhapsody Of Fire, and that's exactly what we get on Challenge The Wind.