Metal Reviews

Best album since Shadowland IMO.

Yeah, another good release for the year. Not as good as what they've done in the past, but still very solid. The tempo is slowed down a bit, but the choruses are still as catchy as ever. 75/100

Is it just me or does this album remind you at times of COB not that I mind mixes well with their style. It is sad that a lot of bands seem to be slowing the music down to more melodic metal what's happening to power metal come on new Gamma Ray and Avantasia releases.

I have a feeling the same will happen with Avantasia, never with Kai though.

You could be right imagine Avantasia being melodic new metal (or Rammstein as the guest performers)what's the world coming to.

Well i doubt that but I fear it'll be like Rocket Ride, which is an album i really dislike. I'm hoping for it to go all out epic power metal like the first Avantasia.

Yes hard to believe the same band released the amazing Theater Of Salvation.

I read a review of this on another site that said it was total garbage and the review liked the Grand Illusion so it put me off on buying it.

It's in the same direction as Grand Illusion IMO. Not as good though. You'll like it.

Guys, this album is crap. Its the same songwriting formula as Grand Illusion (all 4 minutes long, all more or less midtempo, solo in the same place every time, all based on a big chorus...) but just done nowhere near as well, and with some pretty commercial intentions at heart if you ask me. The choruses are often more pop than anthemic, the riffs (when they are even there) are utterly forgetable, the solos are well-played but feel just dropped into the song at random, the electronic beats are so stupid and out of place its laughable.....

Eight albums in and NR finally dropped a turd.

I think the electronic beats are ridiculous too, but since when have big choruses been a problem for you Rad? Hello Freedom Call. Anyway, Rad's disappointed, I am to a certain extent, but still a solid release.

This album is totally kicking my ass, just absurdly catchy stuff. I hear people complaining that it's too poppy and that the song structures are too formulaic, but the same can very much be said about Shadowland (the only other NR I've heard), which is more than just a little AOR-influenced. The 8th Sin simply expands further on that and I guess this time it just turned out a bit too much for the heavy metal fans. The pop-metal fan in me has little to complain about, though. Call Out to the World = pure ownage and power metal song of the year.

Bit too radiofriendly for my taste but i agree it's a well-written album.

If you like this kind of stuff.

Eight albums in and they finally dropped a turd??? They've had chronic diarhhea since Afterlife. They've made their money, and their point: that you don't have to be good to make money. Now they can fire Jonny Lindquist and rehire Anders Zackrisson and totally blow my mind all over again. Go on NR....I'm waiting. Oh? You're not going to??? you're going to keep on releasing shitty watered down metal for Johnny-come-lately power metal fans?? Guess I should have seen it coming since the day i heard David Hasselhoff is a huge fan of Edguy. That's it!!! NR have made their sound unequally shitty, in a futile attempt to appeal to the Hoff himself. Well I have bad news for them, but the Hoff only has room in his heart for one group of self absorbed out of touch with the metal scene Northmen.

Oh please.

I want more Zackirsson too, but you're still a homo.

A very well thought out and intellegent reply. Congrats. You've made the jump to 7th grade insults. Or perhaps you possess a special skill which enables you to gleam people's sexuality by their written words. Oh how I envy you sir.

PS. I think we should start a petition to have Anders readmitted to NR.

Hey while we're at it, why not one for Machine Head to break up in order to reform Vio-lence?

Not gonna happen. Move along.

Ahhh, whatever, there's no point trying to make a reasoned argument with you. I know the albums since Afterlife ahve been less tr00 and been more formualaic, but until The 8th Sin they were still good, still metal, and still sounded like they had a degree of integrity. My tuppence worth. Your agreement is neither expected nor neccesary.