• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

November 2024

• Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
• Lionville: Supernatural
• Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
• Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
• Lonerider: Down In The Dust
• Seventh Crystal: Entity
• Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
• Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
• Impellitteri: War Machine
• Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

• Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
• DGM: Endless
• Daytona: Garder la Flamme
• Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
• Frost*: Life In The Wires
• Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
• Fans Of The Dark: Video
• Radioactive: Reset
• House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
• Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

September 2024

• Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
• Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
• Eclipse: Megalomanium II
• SteelCity: Reverence
• Hydra: ReHydrated
• Heartwind: III
• Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
• Find Me: Nightbound
• The Nail: The Nail
• Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
• Stryper: When We Were Kings
• Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
• Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
• Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly

August 2024

• Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
• Paralydium: Universe Calls
• Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
• Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
• All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
• Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2

[ More Music Reviews ]

Hypnos: The GBG Sessions

(Melodic) Heavy Rock

4.0/5.0

Facebook
The Sign Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 04.04.2018

With two studio albums under their belts, The GBG Sessions marks a transition for Sweden's Hypnos by introducing new singer Linus Johansson from the band Trial. The GBG referring to their hometown of Gothenburg, the band is calling the album a live session, but recorded in the studio.

Hypnos

If you've never heard Hypnos before, their music is simple to explain. Hypnos offers very guitar-centered heavy rock overflowing with generous riffs and blistering solos. Then they add stylistic nuances from blues to heavy metal to toe-tapping boogie. This album features two new songs Ain't No Fool and Looking Out, both released as singles and will appear on a forthcoming fourth album this Fall. Like most songs here, with Ain't No Fool has brisk pacing, an abundance sharp riffs abundant and a seemingly endless amouunt of guitar solos. Looking Out is crazy fast, and short, like the speed punk of a Ramones song, but with some psychedelic guitar work.

Alternatively, Nightmares is moderate in pacing with a few flurries of speed, but also a bit darker in character, and then driven by a blues guitar motif. Some of that blues feeling can be found within the lengthy songs 1800 and Hands Of Evil, both of which are exercises in guitar excessiveness (in the best sense). Being fine Swedes that they are, Hypnos cover an ABBA hit, Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie. But Hypnos replaces the symphonic lines and the dance groove with slick guitar lines and a rock rumble. As for the new vocalist, Johansson is a good fit. The timbre of his voice gells quite nicely with the Hypnos sound. All in all, especially as an introduction to the band, Hypnos' The GBG Sessions is a fine album of guitar-centered melodic heavy rock. Recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

All in all, especially as an introduction to the band, Hypnos' The GBG Sessions is a fine album of guitar-centered melodic heavy rock. Recommended.

Alphabetical Index

eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]