RockRoast

Ultima Ratio (2002)
Superior

Superior is a German progressive metal band that has seen very limited exposure outside of their home country. Ultima Ratio is easily the least progressive of their three releases, but it’s also the best.

Ultima Ratio is a concept album, following the journey of two men who start a religion based on rationalism and the mastery of emotion. Over the course of the album, their religion’s massive, worldwide success causes things to spiral out of control, and the two friends, seeing two different problems, plan different, drastic solutions. Complex and riveting, Ultima Ratio’s plot is by far my favorite storyline of any concept album.

The music is ingenious, too—there isn’t a weak song on the entire disc. Superior also maintains a good balance between unbridled aggression and calming beauty. The first song, “Ultra,” shows Superior’s dual-guitar attack at its best and immediately plunges the listener into the story. Later on, “Terror Fantasy” begins with a kind of joint guitar/keyboard riff that blows me away every time. And the final song, “Judgment Day,” is difficult not to sing along with. Throughout the record, Jan Becker’s keyboard work adds considerable depth to the sound. Meanwhile, Michael Tangermann croons, growls, whispers and perfectly matches every kind of feeling the music requires of him.

This is a fun album for Queensryche fans, too. It’s filled with little nuggets that briefly pay homage to Queensryche, especially to Operation: Mindcrime. Ultima Ratio avoids blatant ripoffs, however, and the whole album comes off as a brilliant achievement in musical expression and creativity.

Tools of Destruction (2005)
Thunderstone

Tools of Destruction is a masterpiece of power metal. It’s what all the lesser power metal albums want to be when they grow up. Aggressive, emotional, and held together by soaring melodies and tasty guitar riffs, this has everything metal fans celebrate.

First and foremost, the songwriting didn’t take a backseat to guitar histrionics, a crime power metal is often guilty of. “Welcome to the Real” may be my favorite song of all time, sporting a great atmosphere, a fantastic melody, and a laudable vocal by Pasi Rantanen. “Another Time” is the token ballad, mixing acoustic and electric guitar to great effect. And the keyboard-driven closer, “Land of Innocence,” is one of the most epic pieces of music I’ve ever had the privilege of hearing. These three tracks may be the high points on the record, but each of the other songs is in close contention for this honor.

Though it’s not strictly a concept album, Tools of Destruction’s lyrics have a certain cohesiveness. Each song describes some part of sin, addiction, remorse, despair and hope. Ultimately, the album comes off as being lyrically unified, though the order of the songs doesn’t seem to tell a clear story.

Everything about Tools of Destruction is well-done. Each of the five musicians gives a great performance, the songwriting is strong, the melodies are memorable, the production is excellent, and the lyrics are inspiring. “Land of Innocence,” the final track, sees each band member at his best, delivering a brilliantly bittersweet ending to the album. It’s the kind of thing that, after you’re done listening to it, you just kind of sit there silently for a few seconds and take a deep breath. It’s unbelievably refreshing.

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor

This is not an easy album to describe. It’s good, though, I can promise you that. Antennas to Heaven is composed of four lengthy tracks (the shortest is almost nineteen minutes long) presented in complex arrangements. True to the post-rock genre, the songs are all structured around repetition and gradual modification of their themes.

But, surprisingly, despite the lengthy and repetitive nature of the music, the songs seem pass you by pretty quickly. Perhaps the first listen of Antennas to Heaven will leave you feeling confused, as it’s nearly an hour and a half of slow-paced, moody instrumental music and occasionally abrasive sounds. Give the record another chance, however, and you’ll find yourself being drawn into the long, slow-building crescendos to Godspeed’s masterful, cinematic peaks. The band obviously know how orchestrate a dramatic climax, and they demonstrated those skills several times on each of these four songs.

It’s long, and it’s probably boring the first time, but Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven is undeniably worth the time required to properly appreciate it. And most importantly, it gets better every time you hear it.