Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Mantric Momentum, Jackyl, Fans Of The Dark, Threshold, & Electric Mob

Index

Mantric Momentum is a melodic metal band that features Pyramaze vocalist Terje Harøy and Divided Multitude multi instrumentalist Christer Harøy. This band does a terrific job of balancing both the melodic and the metal. Take your normal melodic hard rock band and turn that intensity up and you will have Mantric Momentum. Songs are excellent as well. This band really has good chemistry and the listener benefits from what is presented here. These two musicians have worked together before and are cousins which is another interesting tidbit. I am definitely familiar with Pyramaze, but not as much with Christer's bands. As far as melodic metal, this is definitely one of the best releases of 2022 of that side of the genre. Hopefully we will see more output from this band in the future as 'Trial By Fire' is a great batch of songs!

Release Date: November 11, 2022

Three decades already. Time flies, especially when you are having fun which is what Jackyl is all about. '30 Coming In Hot' is a celebration of those three decades with a bunch of live stuff and 3 new songs. The 3 new tracks are very typical of what Jackyl does. Catchy party rock with attitude. I thought all of these tracks were good and will definitely go back to them. The live stuff which encompasses most of the album is good. I have seen Jackyl although it has been some time now. I remember their energy the most and this is displayed in the live recordings. Sound quality is okay, not top notch, but I guess it gets the job done. Track selection in the live stuff is as expected. The band's top songs are there and the crowd interaction is fun to listen to. I always loved Jackyl. They showed up as things were changing in music and here they are 30 years later!

Release Date: August 19, 2022

We talked about these cover EP's last week. Fans Of The Dark has gotten in on the action and with the sound they embrace in their original music, I was not surprised at their selection of songs for this 4 track EP. Classic stuff by more classic oriented bands. You get covers by Balance, Blue Öyster Cult, REO Speedwagon, and Rush. Songs are pretty faithful to the originals. The cover of 'In My Dreams' has a bit of a different feel to it, maybe a bit more edge and a thicker sound. I enjoy these mini albums as I have mentioned before. I really dig Fans Of The Dark and it was cool to see songs being covered that I was a big fan of by the original artists. This one can be bought on digital platforms. Occasionally Frontiers will do a physical copy, but we are seeing quite a few of these on digital like Amazon Music, etc. Fun throwback listen!

Release Date: December 9, 2022

Recently, Threshold released their new album 'Dividing Lines' and it is excellence once again. The band have once again returned with a great sound. Progressive in nature, but a different kind of progressive. You have transitions and plenty of depth which is always there with Threshold, but the songs are almost mainstream in ways. The songs have a degree of sophistication, but not to the point of alienating your casual listener. It's more about the songs. They are well crafted and have just the right balance. Performances by all in the band are top notch as always. This band has set a high bar for this type of music through the years. You always expect high quality and they always deliver it. 'Dividing Lines' will have plenty of appeal to a wide audience. Regular rockers should dig as should fans of progressive. Another brilliant album!

Release Date: November 18, 2022

Really looking forward to the second release by Brazil's Electric Mob who released a great album on the Frontiers Records label back in 2020. The band has a great raw and gritty sound to them with good hooks and musicianship overall. This new record shows the band once again delivering catchy hard rock songs that will have you headbanging as well as singing along. I found the music to be once again memorable as was the case with 'Discharge'. Renan Zonta has been making a name for himself as a premier frontman who has also worked with Brother Against Brother and Skills. There is a great contribution from each member of this band and that is why their music is so good and confident sounding. Plenty of energy and a blues infusion into their sound make these guys an excellent choice for you if you are looking for new music. Excellent!

Release Date: January 27, 2023