When it comes to melodic and mature 80s metal, progressive icons Fates Warning seem to eternally be cast in the shade of their peers in Queensryche, while also being forced to rail against the stylistic clichés of the genre as a whole. 1991's Parallels seemed to change all that for the Connecticut quintet, however, bursting through preconceived barriers of style versus substance, and running with the marked 'n measured intensity showcased on the album's 1989 counterpart (pun intended), Perfect Symmetry.

Enter 2010: Metal Blade Records does fans the service of reissuing this classic piece of cerebral metal to the masses, complete with copious demo tracks, live footage, and an additional DVD, further driving home the point of how classically excellent Parallels still is, almost twenty years later.

Read the complete Fates Warning - Parallels Re-Release Review

(CD cover courtesy Metal Blade Records)

Even metal fans with the most diverse taste will find something to fault with almost every tour package. However, when Kreator came back to The Trocadero in Philadelphia on March 4th for their 25th anniversary tour, they brought along with them the perfect combination of bands. With Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile, and Lazarus A.D. providing support, the thrash metal titans celebrated a major milestone in style. Even under a strict curfew, each band took advantage of the limited time they had on stage to deliver a well-rounded night of head banging and furious moshing.

Read the complete Kreator, Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile and Lazarus A.D. Concert Review

(Kreator photo courtesy Dan Marsicano/About.com)

Immolation have always been a band to buck death metal conventions. Rather than resorting to all out blasts to convey a sense of brutality, Immolation rely upon totally unconventional song structures; that is, within what is usually classified as brutal death metal, to give their music a feeling of spiraling, uncontrolled chaos. Immolation have adopted this unique approach to death metal, and have honed their craft to near perfection on Majesty and Decay.

First off, the musicianship from Immolation is absolutely stellar, with precise riffing delivered by guitarist, and band co-founder, Rob Vigna and veteran second guitarist Bill Taylor, who has now been with the band for nearly ten years. Adding further to the quality of the musicianship is the unconventional drumming of Steve Shalaty, a percussionist whose precision greatly enhances the feeling of spiraling chaos.

Read the complete Immolation - Majesty and Decay Review

(CD cover courtesy Nuclear Blast Records)

The latest release from Finntroll is Nifelvind, their fifth full-length and first since signing to Century Media Records. The Finnish folksters will be supporting the CD with a U.S. tour in April, and are currently on the road in Europe. I'm not sure if the bus fumes got to him, if the questions were answered after a long night of partying, or if he's just an aspiring comedian, but guitarist Skrymer's responses are definitely interesting, very creative and sometimes downright bizarre.

Chad Bowar: How has the band's sound evolved from Ur Jordens Djup to Nifelvind?
Skrymer: Obviously we´ve joined a flying circus somewhere in time, whilst wearing pointy ears. Otherwise, we've gone more (screwed) up. More everything, and then some, you see. We, as an organism tend to spread and evolve.

Was your songwriting or recording process any different than usual?
Apart from the usual fighting, fast food and craploads of video games, it didn´t change at all. No one could remember his parts at the studio, mixing was done with beer cans and the spirit of Tom Waits was omnipresent. Also, John Balance spoke to us via a broken transistor radio every now and then. Groovy!

Read the complete Finntroll Interview
Finntroll - Nifelvind Review

(photo courtesy Century Media Records)