Power Metal – Page 16 – Wonderbox Metal

Neverworld – Visions of Another World (Review)

Neverworld are from the UK and this is their début album. They play Power Metal.

Visions of Another World starts with a short, atmospheric intro track before launching into their first song proper which is immediately all double bass, speedy riffs and keyboards/horns. It’s a strong opening that clearly states the intent of the band and the genre they play. Once the vocals kick in it’s cemented and you know it’s going to be a good run.

The band specialise in long songs that make the most of their many talents. The songs are colourful, rich and above all Metal. Soaring guitar melodies and omnipresent keyboards ensure that there’s never a dull moment to be had. There are also more solos than you can shake a stick at and it all sounds goooood.

The band boast a strong vocalist with a grand voice. He carries the tunes effortlessly and provides a focal point to the extravagant and showy music. He delivers a sterling performance.

This is a band that could never be mistaken for anything other than pure fucking Metal. This is epic, grandiose and pure class. The UK is not really known for Power Metal as much as the rest of Europe is, but Neverworld have created a shockingly good album that will surely see them rival the best that other countries have to offer.

If you’re a Power Metal fan you should make it your mission to snap this album up as quickly as you can.

Favourite Track: Blood and Romance. An epic song, the longest here and also features a great duet with Christina Gajny, (ex-Interlock). Fantastic stuff.

Unisonic – Light of Dawn (Review)

Unisonic are from Germany and this is their second album. They play Power Metal.

Confident and mature Power Metal floods the speakers when you play this album. It’s the product of absolute veterans who know their genre and know their roles. Even more importantly, however, they also know how to write good songs.

This is the kind of Power Metal that’s distinctly European in flavour and is powered by upbeat drums and high vocals provided by Michael Kiske of Helloween/etc. fame, no less. Also featuring other past members of bands such as Helloween, Gamma Ray, Pink Cream 69 and Krokus; you can see the calibre of the people involved in this project.

The vocals, as would be expected, are typically professional and flawlessly delivered. The choruses soar. The musicianship, also as would be expected, is tight and proficient. The sound is professional and slick, and nothing is left to chance.

For the most part the songs are in the 5 minute mark, with each track feeling like an epic-in-miniature. These are rocking, catchy tunes with highly memorable sections and hooks aplenty. In their competent hands, even the dreaded “power ballads”, (Blood, You and I), are handled well.

This is an album of greater depth than some might credit it with; on first listen it’s obviously highly accomplished and very good, but the more you listen the more the melodies seep into your consciousness and the more you want to listen to it. It’s downright addictive! The vocals in particular are deceptive. Michael Kiske is known for his exceptional voice of course, and Light of Dawn is no different, but the impressive thing is that there’s no showboating or ostentation with his voice; his talent is born from simply being a great singer and having a voice that flows smoothly like the finest wine.

Light of Dawn is an exemplar of the European Power Metal style. There are no surprises here but if you’re a fan of European Power Metal then there’s a wealth of treasure contained in this album.

This is a band destined to do well.

Amaze Knight – The Key (Review)

Amaze Knight are from Italy and this is their début album. They play Progressive Metal.

The band waste no time showing that they can play. Widdly, Jazz-influenced Progressive Metal with keyboards comes at you hard and heavy upon pressing play.

Each of the 5 tracks are around the 9/10 minute mark and each track is full of orchestrated Prog with exploratory and experimental playfulness.

There’s a slight Power Metal vibe to some of this as well, especially form the vocals, but the main feeling is definitely Prog.

The songs have a good mixture of the experimental and Progressive combined with an actual song structure that keeps the band from veering too far off course.

It’s an enjoyable listen as the musicians are talented and the music is allowed to be self-indulgent in a way that I’m quite happy to listen to. The keyboards and effects add an extra layer to the band’s wanderings whilst the bass is allowed free range to travel far and wide.

The singer has a good voice, although he definitely plays second fiddle to the music in many ways. When he does appear it’s with a confidence of delivery that many Power Metal bands would envy and he fulfils his role with ease.

At 47 minutes in length this is a meaty début album with lots of things going on.

Enjoy!

Hard Tension – Fear and Guilt (Review)

This is the second EP from Portugal’s Hard Tension.

The band play Heavy/Power Metal with plenty of steel and melodic edge.

The guitars are a mixture of Rock-y riffs, Iron Maiden-esque licks and lots of well-played solos.

The band court an almost spaced out aura on occasion with the keyboards and synthesizers, and use these in both prominent and subtle ways depending on what they believe the song needs.

The singer has a good voice. Not as clean as a pure Power Metal vocalist; he has a rougher edge to his voice that lends his voice an authority that it might otherwise lack.

Overall the songs are a good collection of rocking Metal tunes with added effects and keyboards that play to the bands strengths of simple songs and good beats, all backed up with some old-fashioned fretboard wizardry.

Although the band could do with polishing up their sound in a couple of places this is not a band release at all. The more I listen to it the more I enjoy it. Hopefully their début album will be even better.

Check them out.

Favourite Track: Heading for the Light. Reminiscent of a mix between early Queensrÿche and Iron Maiden; it’s got a strong chorus and is just a great tune.

SuddenFlames – Under The Sign Of The Alliance (Review)

SuddenFlames are from Canada and play Power Metal. This is their second album.

Opening with an instantly catchy riff, I have high hopes for this release from the outset. My fear, as is always the case with this kind of band, is that they’ll ruin things by having a sub-standard singer. I’m pleased to report that this is not the case and SuddenFlames have a very, very good singer who has charisma and capability. Top stuff.

Bands like this live or die by the quality of the songs – judging by this standard SuddenFlames should have a very long life indeed.

The tracks are catchy, Metal and written to a high standard. Predominately of the Euro-Metal Power Metal style, they also have elements of Thrash, Heavy and even a bit of Progressive Metal incorporated into their sound. They don’t do things by halves; this album is the full Metal package.

Emotive and stirring, heroic and edgy; the band dip into all manner of feelings in their songs and the overall experience is of a fine collection of tracks that put to shame many of the more established names in the genre at the moment.

Double-bass leads the charge and melodic guitars duel and Thrash their way around the playing time. There are so many vocal hooks that you can do yourself an injury and the solos are free-flowing and played with fervour.

This reminds me of the kind of quality Power Metal that Angel Dust did so well, and I also hear a bit of Gamma Ray in there as well.

A sharp production and punchy sound seals the deal; this is one band who I’ll be enjoying for some time.

Canada seems to be unleashing a whole clump of talented Power/Progressive Metal bands on the world at the moment, and I love that they are as each one I hear is a pure joy. SuddenFlames are no exception.

Withem – The Point Of You (Review)

Withem come from Norway. This is their début album of Progressive/Power Metal.

It’s orchestrated, complex and obviously talented. This is melodic and colourful with frequent keyboard ostentation that recalls Pagan’s Mind at their sparkly best.

The songs make an impression with their enthusiasm and passionate Metal delivery. They’re well composed with lots to hold attention and frequent changes/alterations in the musicianship to keep things interesting. They do manage to keep this coherent enough to fashion into songs that have a direction though rather than just sounding like a mishmash of conflicting instruments.

The musicianship cannot be faulted and all instruments have the opportunity to shine. The leads and solos are represented well, as is to be expected with this style; the guitar riffs and rhythms are interesting and changeable; the drums are not just a backbone to the band as they seem to have a life of their own on occasion; the bass isn’t just going through the motions and is an audible enhancement to the tracks; and the keyboards…well they’re simply everywhere but manage to not get in the way at all. None of this would be possible of course if it wasn’t for the strong songwriting.

But what of the vocals? Well, the singer has the kind of voice that soars effortlessly and has no problem at all reaching the higher notes. It’s very fluid and sounds a treat.

This is a remarkable achievement from a band that are still relatively new. With this being their first release it’s an impressive one.

Tragodia – Mythmaker (Review)

Tragodia are from Italy and this is their third album of Progressive/Power Metal.

Featuring good songs and a strong sound, Mythmaker is an album that delivers the goods.

On the slightly heavier side of the spectrum, Tragodia recall bands such as Nevermore and Angel Dust with their thickened riffs and impressive vocals.

The band are melodic and tight, with some nice elements of Classic and Modern Metal finding a way into their sound on occasion. The Power Metal side of things is kept in check by the heavy guitars and the Progressive edge is felt in the musicianship.

The song structures themselves are the most important thing of course and this is an album that has all of the strengths of the genre but none of the weaknesses. This is quality Metal done right and played well. There are no slips into cheesiness or retro-worship. This is thoroughly state-of-the-art while dragging all of the essential classic elements of the genre into the here and now.

The singer is one of the best I’ve heard in a while. He has depth and range was well as being capable of full emotional delivery.

I’m just blown away by this album. Tragodia: Please receive your mark of A+ and go to the head of the class.

Sovereign Council – New Reign (Review)

Canadian band Sovereign Council play Power/Symphonic Metal.

Well, it’s happened again. Another band from Canada who fooled me into thinking they would be another Nightwish et al rip off, (due to lazy assumptions on my part from descriptions of the band), whereas in reality there’s a lot more going on here. They’re not female fronted for a start.

Along with the recent album from Merkabah, they must be doing something very right in Canada, as even though the two bands don’t sound massively alike they both come from the Power/Symphonic mould and the Canadian scene at the moment seems a hotbed of talent.

The band play their music competently and have the right idea with the music. The symphonics and keyboards are relatively subdued for this genre; you can definitely hear them of course but they’re not over the top. The band also have a bit of an electronica influence here and there which adds a nice touch.

The main male vocals are restrained and confident; no show boating here just quality emotive singing. The female backing vocals add a layer of texture and colour to the songs, and are not anywhere near as ubiquitous as the descriptions would have you believe. Mix this with a few harsher screams and growls and it all comes together as a package quite nicely.

Sovereign Council are also savvy enough to know that ultimately this is all about the Metal and don’t bury the guitars under the admittedly talented vocals. Instead the two walk side by side, with the guitars being just as prominent as the vocals, as they should be.

Check this band out and give them your support.

Merkabah – Ubiquity (Review)

Merkabah come from Canada and play Symphonic/Power Metal.

I must confess that upon seeing the words “female fronted” and “symphonic” in the description I immediately feared the worst and was expecting some form of Nightwish rip-off. This deplorable state of affairs is caused by the sheer abundance of such clones, so maybe you can forgive my cynicism. You should already be able to tell, however, that I was wrong, and happily so.

This is not a what I was expecting, as it’s far more of the Power Metal genre than the Symphonic/Gothic Metal one and as such it’s a very fresh, energising and downright exciting release!

I’ve stated previously that Freedom Call are one of my favourite Power Metal bands, and although Merkabah don’t sound especially like them, I get the same feelings of happiness and excitement off both bands.

This is life-affirming Metal, that deserves the capitalisation more than most.

Melodic Power Metal, with keyboard/Symphonic accompaniment and top drawer songwriting; this was never going to be anything other than a winner with me, notwithstanding my initial erroneous assumptions.

The singer has a fantastic voice that wipes the floor with most Power Metal vocalists. Her voice is a perfect combination of beauty and power.

The songs are on the longer side, especially the final title track which clocks in at 12:00. These lengths give the band ample room to explore their chosen musical territory and flex their creative muscles, expanding their horizons into more Progressive waters on occasion. Red Letter Days is a great example of this, although at 5:44 it’s actually one of the shorter tracks.

The songwriting is immaculate and the album blazes bright, burning away any false Metal daring to stand in its hallowed presence. I can’t recommend this enough.

Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead (Review)

Germany’s Gamma Ray are somewhat of a Power Metal institution. This is the band’s 11th album and I must confess I’ve been looking forward to it.

As soon as I noticed that the first track Avalon was the rather epic length of 9:22 I was excited, and the song is exactly what I was hoping it would be. Epic, stirring and memorable in all of the right ways.

After more than two decades of creating quality Metal, it’s great to see that Gamma Ray are not wanting for ideas or passion. They still have the hunger and devotion to Metal that is not commonly present in bands who have been around for half this amount of time.

So what do we get then? State-of-the-art sound? Yes. Rousing anthems? Yes. Guitar wizardry and fretmanship? Yes. Catchy and memorable hooks and melodies? Yes. Sing-along choruses? Yes. Riffs to pound chests to? Yes. Keyboards that enhance but don’t overpower? Yes.

The band spend time emphasising their Speed Metal aspect on some of the tracks, with Hellbent in particular showing a Judas Priest influence. The next song Pale Rider has an almost AC/DC feel to it, albeit heavier and with a distinctly non-AC/DC chorus. Time for Deliverance is more in the power ballad territory, with even somewhat of a revival feeling to it in places.

These are good demonstrations of the fact that Gamma Ray may have a distinct style but within this they vary things and keep things interesting so that they’re not simply playing what is effectively the same song over and over again.

The best songs are the bookends of the album – Avalon and I Will Return. This doesn’t invalidate anything in the middle of course, as taken holistically this is a thoroughly enjoyable slab of Heavy Metal.

How many other bands are on their 11th album and still capable of shredding with the best of them? Not many.

Gamma Ray still have a lot to offer the world. Empire of the Undead is the latest, and a top listen at that.