Review Summary: A modern take on traditional heavy metal.
If there’s one constant in the Greek metal scene, it’s the love towards trve heavy metal. From the press, to the fans and bands there’s adoration over everything old school. Even the early black metal scene that boasted bands such as Rotting Christ, Necromantia and Varathron, was clearly influenced by legends like Manowar and Iron Maiden.
As a result of the above, it’s not surprising that Diviner’s debut is deeply rooted on the sound of early and mid-eighties heavy metal. While listening to
Fallen Empires many of you will probably spot similarities to Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept and Manowar with a modern power metal twist that brings to mind Iced Earth. Therefore, the basis of almost every track can be traced back to when those giants ruled the world, but with a contemporary production. Even though the music is more aggressive than that of the aforementioned bands – bar Iced Earth – there is a sense of melody on the guitar playing and a hint of lyricism on the vocals.
This brings us to Diviner’s two strong points; the guitars and vocals. While the songwriting is on the simple side, there is an abundance of memorable riffs and catchy choruses. In addition, the performance of the band’s vocalist is world class; possessing Dio-esque qualities but following a heavier approach, vocalist Yiannis Papanikolaou has to be one of the best modern heavy metal singers. Moreover,
Fallen Empires is a riff driven release. From the galloping of “Riders from the East”, to the anthemic “The Legend Goes On” and Iced Earth influenced “Sacred War”, the dual guitars set the tone.
When it’s all said and done, Diviner’s debut is a very solid effort that might be proved a bit polarizing though. Those who adore the aforementioned behemoths and traditional metal will definitely find reasons to love the album. However, at the same time, there will be listeners who might find the outcome a bit dated at its core and in spite of the modern production. Nevertheless, the level of guitar playing and the brilliant vocals will probably appeal to most heavy metal fans.
