Kilmara - Love Songs and Other Nightmares (2014)

Meet another metal band from Spain, well Barcelona to be specific, it is Kilmara on the spot now. The quintet just release their 3rd full length album titled Love Songs and Other Nightmares. Having already produced two albums before, Kilmara enjoy their mature period as a metal band that really spanned their music styles across the heavy metal genre. Do not see the cover appearances only, which may led you thinking about gothic-esque metal, and also their death-metal sounds band name "Kilmara". Indeed, they are one of multi-styles band that mixed power, heavy, thrash and death metal as they pleased. In short they have something of European meet American things. It may sounds overwhelming and confusing on paper, but Kilmara wrapped them in quite a polished manner.

We start with "Fantasy" which offer grooving guitar riffs as the intro. Sounds very 'European' power but yet we quickly surprised by the 'American' singing styles by the vocalist. Not further away, the arrival of death metal voices in the background blurred the things out. This is the style we need to compromise for the next hour. This opening bring us a reminiscence of Rage and bit of phrases borrowed from as far as Queensryche and Death. "The Devil's Eye" is simpler and straightforward to described. It is kind of '80s thrash metal tune with lower vocals and Slayer-like twin guitar attacks. Indeed this sounds is what they favor.  In this similar styles is group of songs : "The Break Up", which is thrash to power with lots of vocal harmonies they toyed out so far;  "Cold Rain",  intro is catchy, again a baritone voiced in charge separate this song from traditional high pitch power metal. Happened to be their strong cuts; "Nothing to Me", full throttle double pedal attacks but with a vocal that kind of modern and clean. Those who close to European power metal are "Usual Strangers" and the folk and rhythmic "Alpha". The last three songs fall into different feels, from progressive "Insomnia" and "Play to Win", to alternative-stoner "Time Flies". This last song also come in Spanish-Deustch, and it is clear that the song should be enjoyed more in their native language.

We will also found two interesting details about Love Songs and Other Nightmares; Roland Grapow is on board, well as producer or mentor perhaps, and it is released now under Sony Music. Not so clear how the maestro Roland Grapow in influencing their styles (they seems out of ordinary styles, though....). This album should be listening without concerning what the hell the categorization they may fall in. The guys just trying to composed good music, and with their huge library of music, this is a successful one.

CHECK METAL HAREM INTERVIEW WITH KILMARA

Favorite tracks: Nothing to Me, Usual Strangers, Alpha
Metal Harem class: ********* eight stars out of ten

Buy it Here - Amazon

Kilmara - Love Songs and Other Nightmares (2014)

01. Fantasy
02. The Devil's Eye
03. The Break Up
04. Cold Rain
05. Believe
06. Nothing to Me
07. Usual Strangers
08. Alpha
09. Insomnia
10. Play to Win
11. Time Flies
12. Time Flies (Spanish / Deustch) (Bonus Track)

Line Up:
Christian Wolfgang Kohl (vocals)
Jonathan Portillo (guitar)
Enrique Torres (guitar)
Javier Morillo (drums)
Raul Ruiz (bass)

Guests:
Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween)
Pilar Villatobas (Resilence)

Record Label: Sony Music