#morganalefay — Public Fediverse posts

Coroner – Dissonance Theory Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Whether it’s the mystifying hourglass of parenthood or a sudden collision of earth to brain, time erodes both in steady, unnoticeable stutters and blink-speed slides.1 I’m sure Coroner never quite planned to sit this long on new material, with its inception a decade ago sliding to present today in maturity. But after thirty-plus years, there’s little rush in releasing anything for the sake of the release itself. In thoughtful construction, a composed comeback will warrant discussion upon emergence and later on down the road. And with Dissonance Theory, both a foot in a deep thrash history and desire to explore a progressive sound, Coroner seeks to prove that a vital record can still exist under their storied name.

While the aged gap between albums presents as a hurdle to momentum, Coroner hasn’t been dormant leading up to Dissonance Theory, a healthy festival and gig routine since 2010 stoking their creative flame. And cornerstone guitarist Tommy Baron has remained engaged in studio management while weaving through extra-Coroner band activities over the years, like his brief stint with fellow thrash legends Kreator in the late ’90s2 or his more modern chug-a-lug with the alternative/industrial-laced 69 Chambers. Along this timeline, then, it makes sense that Dissonance Theory presents not as a widening of the take-it-or-leave-it Grin but as an exploration of how history has shaped their own interpretation of their sound. Lower-tuned tap ‘n’ go strides follow the splinter that spiraled dark groove machines like Nevermore and Morgana Lefay (“Consequence,” “Symmetry,” “Renewal”). Heavier anthemic numbers mirror the booming stadium feel of modern Kreator (“Sacrificial Lamb”), even verging on Lamb of God thrash-thuggery at its most simple (“Crisium Bound”). Many faces have worn Coroner over the years, but Coroner wearing them back reveals new wrinkles.

Yet Dissonance Theory hits what makes modern Coroner a force when layered guitar textures and screaming solos have space to warp and twist about dips into classic thrash breaks and screaming solos. Baron has always been an expressive guitarist. But in the long road since the Celtic Frosted days of RIP, he’s found a way both to whip the frenetic scramble of a pit-ready bridge into heroic fretboard gymnastics (“Consequence,” “Symmetry”) and drop jaws with melodic, bluesy tone-wailing (“Transparent Eye”). Likewise, jangling chords find resonant space and careful modulation in pocketed drum rhythms and steady, growling bass, showcasing the careful ear for harmony that Coroner has always endorsed (“The Law,” “Transparent Eye”). And though a couple tracks may use their space less effectively than others, finding a slight meandering in their joy of sound, Dissonance Theory breezes by in a veteran flex of songwriting maturity.

However, I take some issue with the ways in which the Bogren production job bolsters Coroner into the modern day. Again, part of what makes Coroner, well, Coroner is a vibrant guitar identity that twangs and twirls and cuts with buttery precision. And while a nasally compression still helps to define the chatter of Dissonance Theory’s most thrashing moments (“Consequence,” “Symmetry”), more weight finds a home in a thick and pulverizing rhythm tone. Ron Royce’s thick-stringed assault, naturally, finds a happy home with the lean into low-end emboldening, and that partnering with the muddier rhythm tone finds a unison richness on certain brooding runs (“Sacrificial Lamb” through “Symmetry”). Furthermore, new drummer Diego Rapacchietti finds a powerful march and kick clamor that creates a playful propulsion against bright, palm-muted runs (“Sacrificial Lamb,” “The Law”). Against the flat rhythm guitar characterization, alas, all of these production accents don’t always add up to song sections that feel distinct over the whole of the album.

Coroner’s influence continues to ripple through thrashy and deathly forms alike despite the current day being far removed from their initial declarations. But more importantly, Dissonance Theory proves that in 2025, Coroner has been paying attention to their progeny in order to shape a new face for the flock of hopefuls to follow. I don’t think Dissonance Theory carves quite as deep a notch as the Swiss stalwarts had hoped, though in its collective wisdom, it can be hard to put down. As first steps in a new direction, Dissonance Theory fills me with hope that a Coroner second coming will bear fruit at least once more with a greater level of determination.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Century Media Records | Bandcamp
Websites: coronerofficial.com | coronerofficial.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025

#2025 #35 #CenturyMediaRecords #Coroner #DissonanceTheory #Kreator #LambOfGod #MorganaLefay #Nevermore #Oct25 #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveThrashMetal #Review #Reviews #SwissMetal #TechnicalThrashMetal #ThrashMetal

Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.

Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.

For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.

Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.

As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025

#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose

Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.

Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.

For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.

Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.

As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025

#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose

Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.

Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.

For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.

Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.

As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025

#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose

Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Katagory V, not to be confused with any band called Category 5 or Five or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s Resurrect the Insurgence. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries Memory Garden and Tad Morose but with a stronger foot in early USPM progenitors like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche, Katagory V carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, Awaken a New Age of Chaos hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.

Awaken a New Age sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the Katagory V early days, with Resurrect vocalist Albert Rybka (Acracy, Empyrean Sanctum) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, Katagory V’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s Present Day or 2007’s Hymns of Dissension could have sat comfortably alongside the Sanctuary and Morgana Lefay CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across Katagory V’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.

For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper1, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on Awaken to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which Katagory V exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.

Katagory V, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps Awaken from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the Iced Earth-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the Death-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” Katagory V can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning Fates Warning in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though Awaken doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of Katagory V’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.

As an act like Inner Strength has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With Awaken a New Age of Chaos, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-Meshuggah world,2 leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. Katagory V never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of Awaken a New Age of Chaos not being likely to accelerate their ascension—Katagory V can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Labels: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)
Websites: katagoryv.bandcamp.com3 | facebook.com/KatagoryV
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025

#20 #2025 #AwakenANewAgeOfChaos #FatesWarning #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IcedEarth #InnerStrength #KatagoryV #May25 #MemoryGarden #MetallicBlueRecords #MorganaLefay #PowerMetal #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Sanctuary #TadMorose

@TeaDrivenDev I beg to differ. In fact, I discovered them through their "The Sevent Seal" Album (Released as "Lefay" instead of "Morgana Lefay", due to legal reasons). I agree that their style changed, but I like both.

Grand Materia is a killer Album, for example.

#MorganaLefay - Grand Materia 🤘
https://youtu.be/4tECLoypvlY

Another totally underrated Metal Band: #MorganaLefay from Sweden. If you like trashy power metal, this is for you!

The band is not really active any more, but they released several fantastic albums.

Their singer, Charles Rytkönen has a pretty unique voice that contains a hint of insanity and madness.

#MorganaLefay - Mad Messiah
https://youtu.be/2xal_8afuHs