Another diverse selection of albums you might want to check out.
Gypsy's Kiss - Piece by Piece
The top of the Iron Maiden family tree draws the necessary attention. This as over 50 years ago a certain Steve Harris was original member of the band. Nowadays the biggest overlap with Maiden is that co-founder vocalist/guitarist David Smith often posts messages on West Ham on FB. Musically Gypsy's Kiss do not play metal, but heavy rock. To me this is feel good music of the better kind. Great songs, melodies and vocals, while covering all kinds of topics in their lyrics. I discovered the band when they were announced for last year's Mearfest. I ordered the albums Heat Crazed Vole and 74 at the time and consider myself a fanboy ever since. This only increased after seeing them playing live where we were not only treated on a great set, but afterwards they turned out to be on of the most sympathetic bands you come across sharing beers and laughs. This new album is anoter hit with twelve songs covering close to one hour. No metal, but just plain good hard rock with three guitars for the necesarry spicing up. Now all that misses is their Dutch debut show, but who knows them in the low lands? Ending with a critical comment. The lyrics in the booklet are printed so small, I realize I need stronger reading glasses, or do I?
Impvreza - Alcázares
Impvreza or is it Impureza? are from Orleans France. Yet they play Hispanic metal, sing in Spanish and on this concept album tell us the story of christian muslim battles on the Iberian peninsula centuries ago. Hispanic metal is not a real term, but they mix flamenco in their death metal. As the moors do participate in the battles a few times this crying arabic singing blends through as well. Now I have very little with flamenco music and much less with arabic sounds I don't consider music. In comes Alcázares and we get one of the most interesting, original and captivating death metal albums of the year. The flamenco bits do give you the necessary breathing space at times and even the moors sound ok when blended with death metal. Turns out this is their third album, but a new band to me. I might want to discover their past albums too. A nice option to upgrade your Spanish language skills too, but the colours used in the booklet again point me at stronger glasses.
In the Woods... - Otra
In the Woods... are among the many Norwegian bands who started of as a Black Metal band in the nineties and slowly morphed into something different. More doom gothic progressive sounding now. Actually the opening track The Things You Shuldn't Know sounds more Swallow the Sun to me than StS's last album did. Herefater the blend stays within the styles mentioned above. This is no summer music, but even now these dark moods work beautifully. Lyrically sad and slashing religion this is a work of art that got surprisingly little waves on pages I follow. For me one of the doom albums of 2025 so far (with In Mourning and Green Carnation coming soon to challenge them). In the Woods.. headline this year's Dutch Doom Day 1 November in Dordrecht. I better get my ticket fast.
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