Release Day Roundup: 2/28/25

Top Picks

Sleep Paralysis – Sleep Paralysis (weird piano-metal)

As promised, I'm laying the melodic metalcore to the side for a bit* and dedicating this week's top spot to one of the weirdest records I think I (or you) have probably heard in a while. Sleep Paralysis is the twisted brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Stephen Knapp of Cerulean—whose album Carrion Angel from 2023 I kind of half-remember, and somehow made its way into not one, but two previous release roundups—who is responsible for every single sound of this nightmarish odyssey, save for a single guitar solo, courtesy of Temblad’s Lorenzo Kemp (me neither).

One-man progressive black(ish) metal projects are hardly a unique prospect these days, but I'll wager you haven't heard anything quite like Sleep Paralysis. Sure, modern vanguards like Imperial Triumphant and Oranssi Pazuzu provide prominent points of reference, alongside a nightmarish, psychedelic layer, somewhat reminiscent of Scenes from Hell (2012) and In Somniphobia (2012)-era Sigh, except much more menacing and often punctuated by dissonant death-metal sections and occasional bouts of ominous, crushing doom. What really sets Sleep Paralysis apart, however, is its prominent use of (programmed) piano and occasional electronic elements, which only add to the record's eerie, otherworldly aura.

Despite all that, Sleep Paralysis isn't hard to listen to—or, like its namesake, it is simply transfixing in its terror. There's something engrossing about the swirling chaos concocted here by Knapp. The way the album's soundscapes are constantly shifting remains engaging, while also sounding natural and contiguous, in a way that much of today's jarring avant-garde often isn't. It's especially impressive, given that the album's two primary instruments—piano and drums—are entirely programmed, although again, each sound convincingly authentic. Ultimately, what Sleep Paralysis is so striking, not because of what or how different it is, but because of just how well it is executed. What Knapp has conceived here is a truly transportative experience, and one of those few avant-garde albums that feels like it has some proper staying power.

*I'll let you make your own mind up about the new Architects album...

Avantasia – Here Be Dragons (symphonic power metal, melodic cheese-rock)

Ok, fine. I also said last week that I can't fight who I am, and with Here be Dragons, Avantasia have struck upon a balance of propellant power metal and memorable melodic rock whose over-joyous allure I am absolutely powerless to resist.

Opener "Creepshow" sounds like Reckless Love and comes complete with a campy, "Backstreet's Back"-esque, haunted house music video that I am utterly charmed by. Although it wouldn't feel out of place on Edguy's Rocket Ride (2006) or Space Police (2014), this is as straightforward a composition as the notoriously overblown Avantasia have ever put their name to. It's also completely distinct from the rest of the record, which is otherwise packed with more expected power metal and melodic metal melodramatics. It's a risky move, likely to put off many of the band's more longstanding and serious savants, and may have been more effectively positioned as track two, following the more conventional and expectedly epic title track. At the same time, this band have been nothing if always bold, and it has proved effective at hooking in new fans like me, who otherwise would have likely let this album pass them by.

The rest of the record is also suitably streamlined to make their long-confronting sound much more digestible. What follows is much less Jim Steinman and much more Blind Guardian than even the most straightforward material from among their previous outings (if such a thing exists). There's a lot here that would fit comfortably amid Edguy's mid-period output—knowingly so, if the Hellfire Club-style "Ooohhhhhhhh Yeeeaeaeaeaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" that erupts at the start of thrashy late-album highlight "Unleash the Kraken" is anything to go by. As usual, the album is also a star studded affair, featuring current and ex-members of Kamelot, Queensrÿche, Helloween, Seventh Wonder, Pretty Maids, Magnum, Seven Spires/Winds of Plague and the mighty Kenny Leckremo (of H.E.A.T), who lends his mighty wail to the blistering “Against the Wind”, alongside guitarist Sascha Paeth, who shreds up a storm throughout—although, unfortunately, longtime collaborator Jorn Lande is nowhere to be heard.

There's no denying that Here be Dragons is a stripped back effort, which will likely come as something of a disappointment to those eager for another fix of Avantasia's trademark bombast. For me though, the added accessibility is exactly what I needed to latch onto providing new fans with a less intimidating entry point from which to (hopefully) delve deeper into the further wonders of their expansive discography. Plus, it just fucking rocks.