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The Grand Inferno
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The Grand Inferno |
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| Tungsten are a melodic metal band from Sweden formed in 2016, releasing four albums across a prolific five year period (to date) - 'We Will Rise' (2019), 'Tundra' (2020), 'Bliss' (2022), and 'The Grand Inferno'... | ||||||
| ...emerging in 2024 featuring eleven songs across forty two highly melodious, symphonic power metal minutes, the band continuing their drive to expand the bands musical horizons into new territories - a drive that began in earnest with 'Bliss', but in all reality began as far back as 'Tundra'. The bands line-up consists of founder, drummer Anders Johansson (ex HammerFall, ex Yngwie J Malmsteen's Rising Force), bass player Karl "Kalle" Johansson, guitarist Niklas "Nick" Johansson, and vocalist Mike Andersson - 'The Grand Inferno' full to the brim with energetic innovation, dynamic instrumentation, and captivating melodies! Tungsten are in fine fettle right now, constantly attracting new fans and followers, and surprising old ones with the bands bewildering array of visionary variation, the album marching majestically into sight with 'Anger', proceeding to pound the ground with one hell of mighty foot stomp! The bombastic oomph is emphatic, the vocals snarling like a dog snarls to warn off other dogs, 'Anger' an overly elegant symphonic power metal swagger to set 'The Grand Inferno' on its way - a way that immediately wanders off into a totally different realm, 'Blood Of The Kings' hitting much harder than 'Anger' progressing to adopt the familiar sound of infectious mid tempo power metal. And this is exactly what Tungsten are all about, keeping one foot rooted in power metal territory while the other is roaming free to stride across any musical border in any direction - the bands locker of various styles constantly getting fuller and fuller! It might just be time for the band to visit Ikea and invest in a bigger one! | ||||||
| 'Cause methinks they definitely need one - now! A "lullaby" according to a brief internet dictionary search is a "quiet, gentle song sung to send a child to sleep" - Tungsten's 'Lullaby' on the other hand probably won't! The band have tweaked, re-worked and placed a brand new slant on the famous 'Lullaby' by British acapaella ensemble The King's Singers from the bands 'New Day' album (released in 1987). 'Lullaby' (by Tungsten) is up beat and bouncy with incredible attract-ability, yet has a much darker theme lyrically than the original, I'm gonna leave it up to each and everyone of you to search for and compare the lyrics! 'The Grand Inferno' marches on with a much higher level of elegance than heard before, the title song 'The Grand Inferno' opening with an exquisite keyboard passage and soulful vocals to indicate strongly an impending ballad - however, the band have other ideas after just a minute and a half! Tungsten immediately take elegance even higher, majesty too, 'The Grand Inferno' (the song) a grand gallop of mid tempo hymn-like power metal swagger that's surely gonna receive a standing ovation wherever it's heard or played! Can this album get any better? Sure it fucking can, 'Falling Apart' punching hard with an industrial groove metal bite behind it, the Swedish metallers maintaining their far reaching exploration into a multitude of genres! And there's some truly terrifying howls and scowls here too, Tungsten sending a chill down the spine of everyone - right from the top of the neck all the way to the bottom! | ||||||
| I tell ya readers, Tungsten have been more elegant across the (albums) first five songs than heard across their entire career to date, 'Walborg' striding tall and very proud right through the heart of heavy metal territory. Oozing a monolithic "listen to me" attitude, 'Walborg' is gonna grab the attentions of every listener, fan and follower tighter than ever before, the band slamming the hammer down harder than Thor for 'Vantablack' - a ground shuddering thunder stomp of an anthem to destroy everything within close proximity to the band! Yet across the chorus break, the melodious intent reaches high in the sky with a sensational sing a long ability that everyone is gonna sing a long to, "A world, so dark, so colourless and grey, You wish you had the power to turn back time, Will you stand tall, 'til the end of our time, All mankind has lost all their hope". Not to mention the chant style section of "Vanta Vanta Vantablack" - an in concert crowd screaming along to that is gonna be one hell of an experience! And I gotta tell ya again readers about the elegance - fucking phenomenal! 'Me, Myself, My Enemy' delivers a punchy crunch that's wrapped up in so many styles it's mind blowing, 'The Grand Inferno' (the album) continuing to surprise and shock at every twist and turn. Have Tungsten produced the most varied album of their career? Yes! Most definitely! | ||||||
| And there's still more to come - 'Chaos' entering the fray with a glorious hymn-like aura that takes elegance (there's that word again) to a whole new level, the band perfectly mixing a punchy nature with a melodic swagger! And everything in-between too, for Tungsten never settle for ordinary, the bands brand of metal music extraordinary! Remarkable too, sending shockwaves right around the entire planet to wake up every metalhead with a sudden jaw dropping jolt! Fingers crossed there's gonna be much more music to come from the Swedish metal band, for which I'm definitely gonna need to find more descriptors as I reckon I've used them all up here! Well hopefully not all of 'em as there's two more songs yet to come - 'Sound Of A Violin' striding in with a tonne of energy, oomph and pizzazz, the band meandering all across metal territory, visiting every corner, nook and cranny! And to bring a terrific album to a close, 'Angel Eyes' features an electronic pop-rock backdrop, Tungsten maintaining their musical exploration right up to the very last minute. 'Angel Eyes' is probably the most hard rocking metal song on offer, attracting the widest audience ever with rockers and pop music fans turning in the direction of the Swedish sensation. | ||||||
| Overall, an immensely elegant and majestic march of melodic symphonic power metal featuring more styles than at a Paris fashion week. | ||||||
| Review by Iron Mathew Collins | ||||||
| Reviewed for Metal Gods TV | ||||||
| Review is also featured at Metal-Roos | ||||||
| Other Reviews | ||||||
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| We Will Rise (single) | ||||||
| "a bombastic blast of heavy metal, heavily whetting appetites for the bands forthcoming album - September 20th 2019, remember the date..." Read Review | ||||||
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| We Will Rise | ||||||
| "a power metal thunderstorm of heavy hitting anthems with touches of the symphonic and thrash metal styles weaved in" Read Review | ||||||
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| Tundra | ||||||
| "a mostly mid paced and mid tempo romp, Tungsten return with a melodic, majestic metal march" Read Review | ||||||
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| Bliss | ||||||
| "a wide and varied musical journey, Tungsten surprise and shock with their most diverse work to date" Read Review | ||||||
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