New month, new selection just as tempting with its batch of progressive releases with Clive Nolan and Sylvan or Trettioariga Kriget which face the new albums of headliners like Blackmore's Night, Peter Frampton but also the new sensation Greta Van Fleet without forgetting the big list of French artists like Elyose, Los Dissidentes del Sucio Motel and many others.
But before revealing the ranking of this new TOP WAVES, let's take a look at our hexagonal charts (Source Snep).
Sofiane enters directly in first place with "La Direction" followed by Damso and the third place goes to an artist whose name we do not discover, in this case Grand Corps Malade (for his 35th consecutive week in the ranking!).
For this end of month, the new album of Twenty One Pilots is directly ranked at the 6th place with its new album "Scaled and Icy", "Delta Kream" of The Black Keys is positioned 29th, "Fortitude" of Gojira is maintained at 39th, Lindemann enters at 65th place with "Live in Moscow", "Let the Bad Times Rolls" of The Offspring appears at 119th place, finally, "Power Up" of AC/DC continues to make resistance at 166th place for its 26th week of presence in the top!
TOP WAVES GENERAL - MAY 2021
This month, it's a real plebiscite: Sylvan succeeds Galaad. "One To Zero" inherits more than double the number of points than the two other albums that complete the podium!
This new delivery is "much easier to approach than "Home", less dark, less symphonic [...] and with a less marked metallic aspect".
"The great merit of the Germans is to have known, while aiming at this immediacy, to keep a remarkable quality on the whole album"
"More immediate than "Home" but less striking than "Posthumous Silence", "One to Zero" confirms Sylvan's know-how in progressive rock music. (Abaddon)
SYLVAN One To Zero
The second place goes to a real surprise and discovery Before & Apace. While the band "has been around virtually for almost 20 years [...] they're only releasing their first album this spring."
"Brilliant but tortured", its mastermind Devin Martyniuk is inspired by Meshuggah for the heaviest and most jerky phases but also by his compatriot Devin Townsend, from whom he borrows a pronounced taste for epic and progressive music with extreme tendencies.
"Against the back of alternative and progressive metal, "The Denisovan" is a master stroke of entry for Before & Apace. An album as complex and twisted as it is technical and immersive. A revelation." (Newf)
BEFORE & APACE The Denisovan
The podium of this new TOP WAVES is completed by the first eponymous album of Smith / Kotzen : "marriage" of Adrian Smith, Iron Maiden guitarist, and Ritchie Kotzen, who doesn't need to be introduced anymore...
"The marriage of two very different styles works wonderfully on this first album which smells good classic rock and old school hard rock.
"This album is the testimony of two artists in total symbiosis, in perfect possession of their many talents, with nothing to prove except that rock will never die as long as it is played with such faith, mastery and sincerity." (Newf)
SMITH / KOTZEN Smith / Kotzen
The detailed general ranking
SYLVAN: One To Zero (Progressive Rock) 33
BEFORE & APACE: The Denisovan (Progressive Metal) 17
SMITH / KOTZEN: Smith / Kotzen (Hard Rock) 15
BLACKMORE'S NIGHT: Nature's Light (Pop) 10
SEVENTH CRYSTAL: Delirium (Melodic Hard Rock) 9
THE WRING: The Wring2 – Project Cipher (Progressive Metal) 8
DEMANDE À LA POUSSIÈRE: Quiétude Hostile (Black Metal) 7
GRETA VAN FLEET: The Battle At Garden’s Gate (Hard Rock) 7
HERMAN FRANK: Two For A Lie (Heavy Metal) 5
THE LOSTS: Mystery Of Depths (Heavy Metal) 5
ROBIN MCAULEY: Standing On The Edge (Melodic Hard Rock) 4
WEDNESDAY 13: Necrophaze - Antidote (Gothic Metal) 4
WHITE MOTH BLACK BUTTERFLY: The Cost Of Dreaming (Atmospheric Rock) 4
TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET: Till Horisonten (Progressive Rock) 3
LUCIDE: Homme De Paille (Rock) 3
NORDGEIST: Frostwinter (Black Metal) 3
BLACK DIAMONDS: No-tell Hotel (Hard Rock) 3
PETER FRAMPTON: Frampton Forgets The Words (Rock) 2
CLIVE NOLAN: Song Of The Wildlands (Progressive Rock) 1
DRÖPKICK MURPHYS: Turn Up That Dial (Rock) 1
TOP WAVES METAL - MAY 2021
The winner of this TOP WAVES METAL of May is in accordance with the general classification: the palm goes to the revelation Before & Apace!
At the second place, we find "Two for a Lie" by Herman Frank.
"Originally a simple recreation, Herman Frank has become the German guitarist's main project [especially] since his departure from Accept in 2014 and the shelving of Victory."
"Two For A Lie" is a nice little surprise from Herman Frank. He signs his best album to date by offering an effective balance between raw power and unstoppable melodies. It may not be enough to bring him out of anonymity, but it will delight fans of melodic heavy metal." (Noise)
HERMAN FRANK Two For A Lie
The podium is completed by another discovery: The Wring...
"The originality of The Wring lies in the marriages that Ron Dewulf allows himself in this short album that presents itself as a formidable playground for his own experiments. "The Wring is a refreshing discovery that offers a personal reading of modern metal" and poses as a band "to be followed closely, of which we await with interest new tracks soon. Hoping at the same time that the band will become a permanent one..." (Nuno777)
THE WRING The Wring2 – Project Cipher
The detailed Metal ranking
BEFORE & APACE: The Denisovan (Progressive Metal) 23
HERMAN FRANK: Two For A Lie (Heavy Metal) 16
THE WRING: The Wring2 – Project Cipher (Progressive Metal) 11
DEMANDE À LA POUSSIÈRE: Quiétude Hostile (Black Metal) 10
METALITE: A Virtual World (Melodic Metal) 9
WEDNESDAY 13: Necrophaze - Antidote (Gothic Metal) 9
OCEANS: We Are Nøt Okay (Death Metal) 7
THE LOSTS: Mystery Of Depths (Heavy Metal) 6
NORDGEIST: Frostwinter (Black Metal) 5
MARIUS DANIELSEN: Legend Of Valley Doom Part 3 (Melodic Metal) 5
BEWITCHER: Cursed Be Thy Kingdom (Heavy Metal) 3
PER WIBERG: All Is Well In The Land Of The Living But For The Rest Of Us . . . Lights Out (Stoner) 2
SLEAZYZ: March Of The Dead (Alternative Metal) 1
HUMANITY'S LAST BREATH: Välde (Death Metal) 1
TOP WAVES ROCK - MAY 2021
Not surprisingly, the TOP WAVES ROCK goes to Sylvan who has double the points of second place Smith / Kotzen. But who is in third place?
It's a rock star who completes the podium: Peter Frampton!
We already knew that: "Peter Frampton is an immense guitarist with an innate talent and a feeling perceptible in every note. As much in the choice of the titles as in their treatment and their reinterpretation, the septuagenarian proves that he is always able to magnify all that he touches. He undeniably brings his touch to these sometimes unknown titles, giving them a second youth. For fans of jazz blues and guitar in the broadest sense, a guaranteed pleasure." (ProgRacer)
PETER FRAMPTON Frampton Forgets The Words
The detailed Rock ranking
SYLVAN: One To Zero (Progressive Rock) 38
SMITH / KOTZEN: Smith / Kotzen (Hard Rock) 19
PETER FRAMPTON: Frampton Forgets The Words (Rock) 12
SEVENTH CRYSTAL: Delirium (Melodic Hard Rock) 11
BLACKMORE'S NIGHT: Nature's Light (Pop) 11
GRETA VAN FLEET: The Battle At Garden’s Gate (Hard Rock) 11
CLIVE NOLAN: Song Of The Wildlands (Progressive Rock) 7
TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET: Till Horisonten (Progressive Rock) 7
WHITE MOTH BLACK BUTTERFLY: The Cost Of Dreaming (Atmospheric Rock) 6
ROBIN MCAULEY: Standing On The Edge (Melodic Hard Rock) 6
KICK MURPHYS: Turn Up That Dial (Rock) 5
LUCIDE: Homme De Paille (Rock) 5
BLACK DIAMONDS: No-tell Hotel (Hard Rock) 4
ROZEDALE: Rozedale (Rock) 1
SUPERDOWNHOME: No Balls, No Blues Chips (Rock) 1
More informations on http://www.musicwaves.fr/