Review Summary: Every legend has a beginning! And “La Llama Eterna” was the beginning of the best power-metal band in Spain.
As long as we don't count the group's first demo called “Ready to the Glory” released in 1993, of course. Already with a consolidated line-up, Alberto Rionda composed and produced this album in the mid-90s, finally releasing it in 1997, at the height of power-metal in Europe, joining the style of bands like Blind Guardian or Stratovarius.
Unfortunately, “The Eternal Flame” has two major flaws that prevented it from going any further. The first is Rionda's own production. The keyboards sound dated, the mix isn't the best (sometimes the instruments don't fit together as they should, some sticking out too much) and the pre-recorded drums sound really fake.
The second of the defects is Juan Lozano, the singer of Avalanch at that time, who has a good vocal range, but accompanied by a really unpleasant voice timbre that on more than one occasion sounds out of tune. And it's a shame, since with a better singer and a superior production, "La Llama Eterna" would have been an excellent album that simply remains good.
Since otherwise the compositional level is very high, mixing the typical European power-metal with some very fresh Latin touches, predictable but good quality lyrics, and excellent guitar work that began to show why Alberto Rionda is one of the best Spanish heavy metal guitarists.
Fortunately, all the defects that I have mentioned were partly solved in Avalanch's second album, “Llanto de un Héroe”, which is a true classic!
Best Tracks: La Llama Eterna (an excellent power-metal song, with a good chorus), El Mundo Perdido (very original Latin touches and progressive influences), Excalibur (a fast song that advances the style that would predominate in "Llanto de un Héroe") and Juego Cruel (perhaps the song on the album that has lasted the longest, more hard rock oriented)
