Quick-Reviews: Sonata Arctica, Kee Marcello, Meat Loaf

Hey folks,

long time no update, but I needed some time to collect a few albums for review, because August and September didn't offer many interesting releases. But now I can present you a pretty decent mixture of sub-genres: Prog/Melodic-Metal, classic Hard Rock and some theatralic Rock.

- SONATA ARCTICA - "The Ninth Hour"
- KEE MARCELLO - "Scaling Up"
- MEAT LOAF - "Braver Than We Are"

SONATA ARCTICA - "The Ninth Hour"

I'm one of the very few people, who fell in love with this band during the last two releases "Pariah's Child" and "Stones Grow Her Name" - for me two milestones in the Melodic Metal genre, no matter what other people say. With "The Ninth Hour" Sonata Arctica went a step back. The record reminds me a lot at "Unia" and "Days Of Grays"" because the progressive elements were increased once more and many songs aren't that accessible anymore, which is a bit sad, because I loved the very melodic side of this band. But with each listen this album grows on you and has some very decent songs like "We Are What We Are", "Life" or "Fairytale" to offer. With that said this album is also a step back for me, but still worth to have it in your collection. R: 8/10

KEE MARCELLO - "Scaling Up"

I didn't expect much after Kee's latest release "Judas Kiss", because I didn't like the dark and too modern approach. The more happy I was when the former Europe guitar player announced that the new album will sound like Europe's "Prisoners In Paradiese"-record from the early 90s. And that's totally true. I was very surprised when I listened to the opener "Black Hole Star", which could have been an Europe song back in the days. Also the following tracks "On The Radio", "Fix Me" and "Don't Miss You Much" are melodic jewels and some of the strongest tracks Kee ever wrote in his solo career. Also the guitar work is once more outstanding. The second half of the album has two or three fillers, but as a whole this is Kee Marcello's best record to date! R: 8/10

MEAT LOAF - "Braver Than We Are"

Oh my dear Meat Loaf, what happened to your voice? It sounded to good to be true when it was announced that the new album will feature original material from songwriter Jim Steinman, who wrote many iconic hits for the living legend. But what we get here is a very experimental record, where over half of the songs are just average stuff presented and produced without any power. If that wasn't enough Meat Loaf's vocals sound so weak this time. It really hurts to hear him sing on some passages of this record. For sure there are also some decent tracks like the overlong "Going All The Way Is Just The Start", where some kind of brilliance shines through, but even here most of the vocals are handled by a female singer. This record is simply a disappointment. R: 5/10