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Rating:
8.7 |
MyGrain - MyGrain
12 January 2011
01. Into The Parallel Universe
02. Shadow People
03. Dust Devils And Cosmic Storms
04. Of Immortal Aeons
05. A Clockwork Apocalypse
06. Eye Of The Void
07. Trapped In An Hourglass
08. Xenomorphic
09. Cataclysm Child
On their two previous efforts the Finnish MyGrain have put out thrash and keyboard driven modern melodic death metal spiced up with melodic vocals. Their self-titled third album is more melodic and more experimental than their earlier releases but it still retains the aggressive sound the band is known for. Most importantly, it's their best album to date and a breath of fresh air to the entire scene.
It would be a lot to ask for a better album opener than "Into The Parallel Universe" which essentially represents the band's sound progression. The track starts with a hauntingly atmospheric clean guitar intro, building up to a dark and high-energy track with powerful and creative melodies and vocal lines, accompanied with a dynamic rhythm section. This is a quite good description of the album as a whole; very well written, energetic and diverse Gothenburg metal with a lot of stuff going on.
Vocalist Tommy's overall ability has improved notably and this contributes to the impressive vocal performance which is one of the best I've heard in this type of music. Despite going from well performed clean singing to extreme pitch altering and falsettos, the power is always in control. Band members have always been very comfortable with their instruments and now the vocals just crown the cake. Eve Kojo's use of synthesizer sounds has been slightly streamlined and so the arrangements vary from occasional leading melodies to jam style improvising, creating layers and building up songs to memorable finishes. Lead guitar compliments the overall energy and adds depth with creative solo work, having that 80s touch in the softer sections.
The band has reached a state where they can go different places with their style without sounding like a copy of something else. Mygrain should definitely be among the highlights of the year and is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys diverse melodic metal.
The highlight tracks are "Into The Parallel Universe", "Of Immortal Aeons", "Xenomorphic".
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Performance:
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10 |
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Songwriting:
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9 |
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Originality:
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8 |
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Production:
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8 |
written by Blizk | 30.04.2011 |
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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Comments
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Will check out. Always on the search for new Finns  |
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Written by Milena on 05.05.2011 at 15:39
Will check out. Always on the search for new Finns
If you're really feeling the need to listen to these guys, you should at least check out Signs of Existence. All in all their pop-ish Gothenburg sound isn't anything worth looking into unless you're into a more upbeat version of Noumena. If that's the case, you'll probably like all three of Mygrain's releases.  |
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 Blizk - 05.05.2011 at 17:18
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Written by Troy Killjoy on 05.05.2011 at 15:43
All in all their pop-ish Gothenburg sound isn't anything worth looking into unless you're into a more upbeat version of Noumena.
That comparison is just poor in all it's superficiality and doesn't help anyone who's into melodeath. I'll just say the two bands are mostly from different sides of the melodeath spectrum |
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Written by Troy Killjoy on 05.05.2011 at 15:43
Written by Milena on 05.05.2011 at 15:39
Will check out. Always on the search for new Finns
If you're really feeling the need to listen to these guys, you should at least check out Signs of Existence. All in all their pop-ish Gothenburg sound isn't anything worth looking into unless you're into a more upbeat version of Noumena. If that's the case, you'll probably like all three of Mygrain's releases.
I'll listen to everything that interests me now, and be picky about it later or, maybe not, have to get into college first.
The most important thing when it comes to different albums done by the same band, for me, is whether they've improved in some way and whether they've kept some bits of their essence if there was a genre change. If the band is playing what they feel fine with and not making it crappy, I'll be happy to listen to pop-ish Gothenburg  |
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Written by Blizk on 05.05.2011 at 17:18
Written by Troy Killjoy on 05.05.2011 at 15:43
All in all their pop-ish Gothenburg sound isn't anything worth looking into unless you're into a more upbeat version of Noumena.
That comparison is just poor in all it's superficiality and doesn't help anyone who's into melodeath. I'll just say the two bands are mostly from different sides of the melodeath spectrum
Poor in all its superficiality? Both bands play Gothenburg - one focusing on the depressive atmosphere stereotypical of Finnish bands while the other plays a more upbeat version that is slightly more pop-influenced. I'd like to think my description would be very helpful to those interested in melo-death. |
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Written by Milena on 05.05.2011 at 23:49
The most important thing when it comes to different albums done by the same band, for me, is whether they've improved in some way and whether they've kept some bits of their essence if there was a genre change.
They've changed a bit with each release, for better or for worse, so you'll probably find them worth checking out once you have the time. |
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Blizk - 06.05.2011 at 09:02
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Written by Troy Killjoy on 06.05.2011 at 04:53
Poor in all its superficiality? Both bands play Gothenburg - one focusing on the depressive atmosphere stereotypical of Finnish bands while the other plays a more upbeat version that is slightly more pop-influenced. I'd like to think my description would be very helpful to those interested in melo-death.
That's better Though it won't hurt to mention MyGrain's grooving thrash style, which is not just being more upbeat and pop to that of Noumena. Their guitar work and doom influence is significantly different. |
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| This album is freaking awesome, I've been following this band since last year and I have to say they're now one of my top... talking about melo-death scene, MyGrain is relatively a young band, but actually I think this guys are one of the best bands now and they're doing a great job since their first album. Tommy's voice is marvelous IMO, and I loved that in some songs he put "heavy" screams that fits very well . Check this band (especially their album Signs Of Existence), they're evolving with each album for better... I'm sure that in some years they'll have a strong presence in metal scene. |
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| On the first listen, I find this release the best of the three... though it still doesn't reach the level or type of aggression I want from my melodeath, it's quite enough to keep the interest up for a couple of listens, and the guitars aren't annoying and the cleans aren't all that whiny. The previous two come off as more bland. |
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