Review Summary: Completely derivative power metal.
Everlasting Flame includes standard, basic power metal. The highlight here is the male/female singing duet, while not original, it gives them an edge. Harmonizations are incredibly well done, both singers are great, and the spotless production arises easy access to clean melodies. However, there’s quite a few drawbacks. So many I haven’t ventured back to this album in a while, nearly forgetting about it afterwards.
If originality by itself was the mark of good music, Everlasting Flame wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Anything Dreamtale can do, Visions of Atlantis can do better. For the sake of time, I will not include an entire essay’s worth of bands Dreamtale sound like. One song, Ghostride, is blatant plagiarism of Anette era Nightwish, for example. On an equally dark note, the rinky-dinky keyboards sound terrible, straight Europop regurgitation; they don’t sound heavenly, they sound corny and ancient. In terms of a soundscape, that’s mostly all you get.
The music within is fine, serviceable power metal that’s at least pleasant and forgettable. My frustration with the album is simple: Dreamtale could be doing so much more. In this day and age, an album that is just good enough, or one that rides on the coat tails of other bands, is not enough. There are so many better power metal albums this year. A few catchy songs will not have me returning to this album any time soon.
