LOCH VOSTOK

Loch Vostok is a progressive metal band from Sweden. As with most modern death metal, especially progressive death metal, their sound centers around the Gothenburg sound, which seems to be making a huge surge throughout the metal community. The fast riffs and harmonic guitar lines that have made the Gothenburg style popular over the past couple of years is very evident on this album, and is quite possibly the biggest factor of the album itself.

The music itself is very good, and comes in two versions. Some of it is simple guitar driven songs with blast beat drums to accompany it, while others are more complex and intricate prog melodies. The guitar work is absolutely excellent on this album and encompasses many styles from traditional heavy metal melodies to more djent flavored riffs. One thing I've noticed about newer progressive metal bands is that more and more of them are using this djent sound, which I'm not that big a fan of. On this album, though, it blends right in and I actually like what it does for the album. The vocals on this album are another high point. Like most Gothenburg style bands they use both clean and harsh vocals. The growls on this album are really cool, and well done, while the clean vocals kind of out there in terms of style. I enjoyed them a lot, but for some people they might take some getting used to because they really aren't fit for the genre that much. Usually the clean vocals are deep and dark while these vocals tend to be a bit higher, and don't have as dark of a tone. I love how they go with the music though so it was a big high point for me. One thing that stuck out to me the most about this album was the use of blast beats. Sometimes there would be blast beats during slow sections, like on 'In the Wake of Humanity', and this added a cool element that isn't usually found in this style of music.

Any fan of melodic death metal would be as pleased as I was with this release, and many progressive fans will find this a good listen as well. The progressive leanings mixed with the djent riffing, and melodic death metal passages provide a great listen and an album well worthy of 4 stars.

Reveal No Secrets is the third full-length studio album by Swedish power/ death metal act Loch Vostok. The album was released on Nightmare Records.

The music on the album is unmistakably the sound of Loch Vostok for better and worse. The band´s mix of heavy power metal with clean vocals and melodic mid-paced death metal with growling vocals is a well tried formula by now. The band exercises their style to perfection and fans of the style will find much to like here. Well written compositions, excellent production and excellent musicianship too. What you won´t find on Reveal No Secrets are progressive nor adventurous ideas. The band seem content with the style they have created and don´t deviate much from their quite formulaic songwriting style. The last song on the album Breakthru, which is also the longest song on the album, does show a few almost progressive ideas but not enough to make my blood boil.

The production is professional, clean and suits the music well.

Reveal No Secrets is not an impressive nor a very interesting album in my book, but objectively seen it´s a quality release and a 2.5 - 3 star rating is deserved. I do hope that Loch Vostok will make an effort to challenge their audience on their next release though. This is getting way too predictable.

A new musical bomb from a great musician called TEDDY MOLLER has arrived! Finally the new LV is here!And the long wait worth it plenty!A solid album,a fabulous ,crystal clear production and some very inspired compositions performed by a very good band!They have something to say and this is aggressive,sometimes brutal,but definitelly intelligent music! Great balance between the angry vocals sometimes and the nice ones that Teddy has,sometimes reminding us about Tom from EVERGREY!Sweden still has many secret weapons and LOCH VOSTOCK is one of them!Even if the title of the album is REVEAL NO SECRETS,this album reveals plenty of them,especially the one that 2009 is a good year for aggressive albums made with intelligence and not delivering cheap musical frustrations! After 2 very promissing albums this 3rd one means the full testimony that LV is a mature and competent band,with avery defined musical direction and a strong personality!Not even a single moment of boredom on the album ,a good balance between the very agresive songs and the calm,midtempo ones...well calm in the measure thet LV can offer...and a guaranteed very pleasant audition offerd by this very inspired album!The compositions are very elaborated,the presence of keys in some crowded musical amalgam proves thet keys must have a place in every mature and elaborated music ,even it's agressive! LOCH VOSTOCK is a guarantee that brutal music can be intelligent and well composed and performed by skilled musicians thet refuse to step on safe musicla territories and try to fing new ways of musical expression!

Destruction Time Again! is the second full-length studio album by Swedish heavy metal/ death metal act Loch Vostok. The album was released in 2006 through Escapi Music.

The music has developed in a positive direction since the debut album Dark Logic (2004) . The songs are better composed and the arrangements are a bit tighter. The music still reminds me a lot of Evergrey´s melodic metal just with occasinally added death metal growls. The vocals are mainly clean though and singer/ guitarist Teddy Möller has a very strong singing voice. The music is pretty heavy but not overtly progressive so don´t expect tech metal madness or complex song structures. There´s lots of keyboards in the music which help create the atmosphere.

The musicianship is good and the production is much better than on the debut.

Destruction Time Again! is generally a good melodic metal album ( with occasional growls) by Loch Vostok. It never really excites me greatly though and it is pretty average for the genre. It´s an improvement over the debut though. A 3 star rating is deserved.

Dark Logic is the full-length debut studio album by Swedish melodic death metal act Loch Vostok. The album was released in 2004 through Magnetism Records, contains 11 songs and has a total playing time of 52:42. The album is produced by prolific Swedish producer, mixer and engineer Daniel Bergstrand ( Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad, Darkane, Andromeda, In Flames, Scarve, Soilwork, Stonegard, Behemoth, Ram-Zet...etc) and the band´s guitarist Niklas Kupper

The music reminds me a bit of the melodic semi-progressive metal by Evergrey just with added death metal vocals and a generally heavier approach to songwriting. The music is generally very melodic with lots of keyboards, strong and powerful clean singing in addition to the above mentioned death metal growls. There are also some occasional female backing vocals. The songs are very simply structured but there are a few progressive elements here and there. A song like Marrow is an example of the more progressive side of the band but Dark Logic is generally not a very progressive album IMO.

The musicianship is of high quality and frontman/ guitarist Teddy Möller has a really strong voice that carries the music far beyond what the instrumental side of the music might deserve. The instrumental side of the music is rather generic to my ears. The guitar riffs are not especially distinct sounding and come end of the album I don´t remember a single one. The music does work well when all things go hand in hand though and that´s the force of the music on Dark Logic.

The production is a bit muddy but still pretty good. It´s one of the weaker Daniel Bergstrand productions I´ve heard though but it might have been a matter of not enough money.

Dark Logic is a good album if you like your metal with both clean and growling vocals, lots of keyboards and heavy guitar riffs. I´ll give a 3 star rating here. Dark Logic is not really to my personal taste but it is a professional and well sounding album.