Album Of The Week
Illusions – Thomas
Bergersen
This week we take a look as my only album, so far, by Norwegian composer Thomas Bergersen with his 2011 debut solo release, Illusions.
Bergersen came to prominence as one
half of the music production company Two Steps From Hell who he formed with British
composer Nick Phoenix. They soon became major names in the production of music
for film trailers and computer games but as well as licensed music for film
industry use there was a growing demand for their music to be released for commercial
public listening. Therefore, in 2010
they released their first album, Invincible, which consisted of popular pieces
from previous industry recordings.
Alongside work within Two Steps
From Hell both Bergersen and Phoenix pursued solo projects and in 2011 Bergersen
released Illusions, his first solo commercial album.
It was about this time that I was
developing a keener interest in film score music and I already had the Two
Steps From Hell album Archangel in my collection. I was slowly building a
collection of soundtrack albums to films and television series and the releases
by Two Steps From Hell grabbed my attention with their mix of dramatic scores,
anthemic instrumentation and big bold choral sections.
This style of bold, dramatic music
also sat perfectly alongside my love of symphonic metal and there are many similarities
in the soundscapes, with the emphasis on the dramatic mixed with beauty and
elegance.
It was with much interested that I
bought Illusions and it did not disappoint with all the sonic elements detailed
above spread over 19 tracks ranging from shorter 2 minute pieces up to 8 minute
epics.
It may be a slight negative to say
that an 80 minute album may be drawing it out a bit but the whole album is
packed with sonic delights with its mix of gentle, quieter pieces through to
the big, bombastic orchestral anthems that assault the senses with multiple
layers of instrumentation and vocals.
The only thing that surprises me as
I appraise this album is that I have not added any more of Thomas Bergersen’s
albums to my collection up to now but I am sure I will rectify that.
If you are not familiar with Two Steps
From Hell or Thomas Bergersen but are a fan of Hans Zimmer’s dramatic scores then
this may have some appeal.
My first selection is the album
opener, Aura.
Nine Destinies And
A Downfall - Sirenia
This week we dip into my metal collection with the first selection from my 11 albums by Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia with their 2007 release, Nine Destinies And A Downfall.
Although operating under a band
name, Sirenia is driven by its founding and 1 constant member, Morten Veland,
who has been running this project for 26 years.
Veland was a founding member of the
Norwegian gothic metal band Tristania, who along with fellow Stavanger based
band Theatre Of Tragedy became leading lights in the gothic metal scene in the
mid to late 1990’s.
After 2 albums with Tristania,
Veland left the band and within months formed Sirenia, very much in the same
style of Tristania with emphasis on multiple vocal styles including harsh and
clean male vocals, female vocals along with choral passages.
Veland is the principal song writer
and plays guitars, bass guitar, keyboards and does the programming and
engineering for the studio albums making him very much the creative driving
force of Sirenia.
The band has had a rotation of female
singers over the 26 years although current vocalist Emmanuelle Zoldan has been
a member of the band since 2016.
Nine Destinies And A Downfall is
the 3rd studio album from Sirenia and featured Danish singer, Monika
Pedersen, who was also a member of gothic metal band Sinphonia with who she
recorded 2 albums.
What struck me at the time with
Nine Destinies was the quality and clarity of the production along with the
greater emphasis on a more standard rock based sound with a melodic tilt that
seemed to align with a lot the gothic metal on offer at the time.
However, this does not dilute the
intensity of the album and with Sirenia there are still the occasional black
metal references with some of the musical passages and death vocals.
Thematically the album focuses on
more personal subjects often rooted in obsession, mental torment, love and
loss, matters that are often the mainstay of the genre.
Although Nine Destinies And A
Downfall could have been the “difficult third album” for me this is a very
strong album in their catalogue of, so far, 11 albums.
My first selection from the album
is the lead single, My Mind’s Eye, released prior to the album the song offered
an insight into the melodic and anthemic direction as well as well an in
introduction to the new singer, Monika Pedersen.
Manran – The Test
Manran first came to my attention
about 15 years ago during a time when I was delving quite heavily into modern
folk music.
With my love of the now retired
Scottish band Runrig, I came across Manran and was drawn to their mix of influences
and styles with their combination of English and Gaelic delivered songs. Although
less rock orientated than Runrig there was an appeal to Manran that led me to
add their self-titled debut album to my collection which was released to much
acclaim. Among many positive reviews they received recognition at the Scottish Trad
Folk awards receiving “album of the year” recognition for the release.
It would be fair to say that this
mix of traditional and contemporary styles did show a similar approach to the
early Runrig albums especially with the bi-lingual delivery of the lyrics.
What we have with Manran though is
more emphasis on the purely instrumental songs that feature some captivating pipe
and fiddle driven songs driven by strong rhythmic melodies with the pipes and fiddles
providing a wonderful Gaelic feel.
I added The Test to my collection
fairly swiftly after release, purely on the strength of their first album and
very much enjoyed the development of their sound on this second album.
I like the contrast between the
more up-tempo songs, which has a very live and vibrant feel to them, and the slower,
more atmospheric offerings. There is a mix of traditional and original songs along
with a nod to Runrig with a cover of Tillidh Mi, a song that appeared on their
1978 debut album, Play Gaelic.
My first selection from The Test is
the opening track, MSR, which is a traditional set of tunes driven by pipes and
fiddle. This version shows some versatile Gaelic vocals, a style which I have
heard performed by Scottish folk artist Julie Fowlis.
The Shouting End Of
Life - Oysterband
We go back to 1995 for this week’s album, the first selection from my 15 releases by the British folk rock act, the Oysterband with The Shouting End Of Life.
This is the 3rd album
released by the band under the name of Oysterband though between 1982 and 1990
they released numerous album under the name of Oyster Band and prior to that as
Oyster Ceilidh Band.
The band originate from Kent in England
and their name derives from the fact the area they were based is well known for
its oysters. I will have to take their word for that as that is definitely not something
that appeals to me.
Although active throughout the 1980’s,
the Oysterband did not come to my attention until well into the 1990’s as they
were mentioned in the same regard as the Levellers, a band that I had got into
from an early stage and a band that were instrumental in my developing interest
into folk based music.
Although they had been on my radar
for a while, it was not until I heard a song of theirs played on a folk show
that I bought their 2000 release, the compilation double album, Granite Years
(The Best of Oysterband 1986 – 1997).
This album was an excellent
routeway into their earlier music which I very much enjoyed and by the time
they released Meet You There in 2007 they had become a worthy addition to my growing
collection of folk based albums.
Because of the Granite Years I
delved into their back catalogue and was very impressed with the mix of folk roots
and punk sensibility, a stance very much
akin the Levellers and other bands that had found a natural bridge between
these two genres that were rooted in political issues and social history.
In 1993 Oysterband released Holy
Bandits which was seen a breakthrough release and with a reworked release in between,
The Shouting End Of Life continued a more political, direct approach from the
band and although the is plenty of acoustic instrumentation there is a definite
punk edge to the album with the social and political themes running through the
album.
I was instantly grabbed by this album
with the way is moves between and blends the rock and folk influences giving
and very balanced, varied flowing album.
The Oysterband had become very
adept at delivering very tuneful, melodic songs that tapped into the anger,
heart and concern at the subjects they were singing about. On top of this is
the vocals of charismatic frontman, John Jones, whose distinctive voice helps
make the Oysterband sound unique and instantly recognisable.
It is fair to say that there is not
one weak track among the 12 on offer with The Shouting End Of Life and some
went on to be firm live favourites right up the end of their touring days in
2025.
In 2024 the band announced their retirement
from touring but 3 of the band, John Jones, Ray Cooper and Al Scott now tour as
the John Jones Trio, they play a mix of solo, traditional and Oysterband songs,
keeping these great songs alive on the stage. Julie and I saw them this month
(May 2026) at the Phoenix Art Centre in Exeter and as a trio they were superb.
The rawness and punk edge of 30 years ago has obviously been left behind but
what remains is a considered, personal and engaging folk act.
My first selection from The Shouting
End Of Life is the opening track, We’ll Be There, a song about protecting heritage
and environment against the onslaught of development.
The Unforgiving –
Within Temptation
This week we have the first of my
12 albums selected from Dutch symphonic metal band, Within Temptation, their 5th
studio album, released in 2011.
Within Temptation first came to my
attention in the early 2000’s when I was exploring the whole realm of heavy
metal much more especially with bands that were incorporating gothic and symphonic
elements into their music.
In 2004 I bought their 3rd
album, The Silent Force, after hearing the song Stand My Ground on a cover CD
from one of the metal magazines of the day. I was impressed by the combination
of the metal power yet flowing melodies aided by synths and orchestration.
Topping this was the impact of lead
vocalist, Sharon den Ardel, whose big voice matched the scale and breadth of
the music itself.
It was Sharon alongside partner and
now husband, Robert Westerholt, who formed the band in 1996 and they have been the
creative driving force of the band since. From 2011, Westerholt no longer tours
with the band as he looks after the couples children although he is still a creative
member of the band and performs studio guitars and production.
As a note of interest, Roberts brother,
Martijn was also a founding member of Within Temptation but had to step down
due to illness although he has since founded symphonic metal band Delain who have
become a major name within the genre of symphonic metal.
By the time The Unforgiving was released
I had already added their previous 4 albums to my collection and Within
Temptation had become one of favourite metal bands, especially on occasions when
I wanted my metal to be less challenging.
The Unforgiving itself was written
initially as a soundtrack but developed into a concept album that coincided
with the writing and release of a comic book that explored the themes of the
album. Although I am nor into comics the short story videos gave a visual image
to what the band were trying to do.
The album concept very much follows
the theme of how good people can be tainted by making bad decisions when they
are not inherently bad themselves.
Musically, the album is very tuneful
yet powerful with a superb mix of guitars and synths with the orchestration providing
flow and depth.
With the band 5 albums in there is
polish to the release and clear sense of identity while continuing the shift
into a more mainstream sound away from the gothic infused themes of the first
two albums.
Personally, I thought the album was
great and my opinion has not changed in the intervening 15 years.
Commercially, The Unforgiving did
very well and went to number 2 in the Dutch album charts and number 23 in the
UK album charts.
I have been fortunate enough to see
Within Temptation live twice and the first time was at the Brixton Academy in November
2011 on The Unforgiving tour and they were superb with the scale of the music transferring
to the stage perfectly.
My first selection from the album
is the first full length track, Shot In The Dark, the third of three singles released.
The single came with a performance promo video but also a short film from their
“triplets” series that told a story around the themes of the album.
The Hope –
Ferocious Dog
We return to my 8 album collection by Nottingham based folk/punk band Ferocious Dog this week with their 2021 and penultimate album, The Hope.
As we covered in October 2025 for
my review of Fake New & Propaganda, I first became aware of Ferocious Dog
when Julie and I saw them supporting Mad Dog McCrea at the Plymouth Guildhall
in 2013.
I was captured by their energy and
conviction with their blend of folk based punk in a style that was reminiscent
of the Levellers in the early 1990’s.
Moving on 8 years to 2021 and Ferocious
Dog released their 5th original studio album and as it transpired,
the most commercially successful of what was to be their catalogue of 6
original studio albums.
Having just signed a new record deal
in 2020, there was a degree of polish to The Hope while maintaining the fire
that is evident throughout all of the Ferocious Dog albums. From the opening
strains of the instrumental Port Issac there is a feeling that this album saw
the band stepping up a gear in terms of production and delivery.
The band make no attempt to hide
their folk influences as is evident of their rendition of the traditional sea
shanty Haul Away Joe, although typical of Ferocious Dog their version is
delivered with full on celtic punk rock vigour.
Throughout the album they tackle various
social and political themes and as typical of any good folk act they delve into
history for their subject matter, as is the case with lead single Pentrach
Rising, named after the Derbyshire uprising in the 19th century.
The theme of armed conflict is also
included with the tracks 1914 and the heartfelt Broken Soldier which was
another heartfelt song influenced by the death of the band leader, Ken Bonsall,
whose son took his life at the age of 24 following problems with PTSD following
service in Afghanistan.
There is plenty of balance on the
album from the touching ballad of the title track though to the full on punk assault
of Punk Police which takes a swipe at those who feel the need to make punk an
exclusive membership club based on certain criteria. The subject of domestic
abuse is also covered in the up-tempo but lyrically chilling Born Under Punches.
Despite some gruelling subjects covered
throughout The Hope the overall feeling of the album is hope, strength through
adversity and the belief that good will prevail.
In my opinion, Ferocious Dog have
never released a poor album but there is touch of something special about The
Hope and this was reflected in its commercial success. The album reached number
31 in the UK albums and spent 18 weeks in the UK folk charts and peaked at
number 1.
It was with a degree of sadness when I read the band were calling it a day but Julie and I saw them at the Phoenix Art Centre in Exeter recently as part of their farewell tour and they certainly said goodbye to Devon in style as they were superb.
My first selection from the album
is the lead single, Pentrach Rising, as mentioned above, a song about a workers
uprising in Derbyshire in 1817.
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