Review Summary: Freedom Call's most famous album. Sure to be hailed and enjoyed for all of ETERNITY.
Freedom Call is a Power Metal band from Germany. They formed in 1999 and have since released five full length albums. What? Another power metal band from Germany that formed in the late 90s? Yes, but don’t turn your nose up in disgust just yet. Virtually unheard of outside of the Power metal community, Freedom Call will never be heard on a movie soundtrack and will never get to open for Iron Maiden in Stockholm, but within the power metal community, they are hailed for their distinct sound, showmanship and complete and utter lack of subtlety. Eternity is their third album and contains some of the band’s best known songs.
So why does this album get a 4.0 putting it ahead of the power metal curve? Because the songs are memorable, original, glorious, and uplifting. Power metal should instill a feeling of joy and passion in its listener. It should cut a blazing path through the sky filling mankind with ecstasy and slaying the demons within their hearts. Much of the power metal that has come out in the last ten years has been sterile, meaningless, overly complicated, thematically timid or generic (and I promise to review some of this lackluster power metal soon) and everything other metal is that Power Metal tries to avoid. Freedom Call, although not possessing the raw composing talent of bands like Rhapsody, Kamelot, and Nightwish are everything a power metal band should be on Eternity.
The one thing that astonishes me most about this album is the complete lack of musician’s ego. I know this may come as a shock, but occasionally metal musicians play ridiculously complicated passages so as to show off their chops to the world; and if you’re not a 13 year old boy just learning to play an instrument, you are probably unimpressed with such pomposity. This would explain the immense hatred for bands like Dragonforce, Yngwie Malmsteen and Symphony X among both casual and devoted listeners of power metal alike. Freedom Call is a song-centric band and sound very purposeful and together in their songwriting. The music is what you would expect a great power metal album to sound like. Complex but tasteful, soaring melody without sounding generic, and powerful precise and creative drumming. Musically, this album is a huge improvement from 1999’s Stairway To Fairyland.
So why not 5/5 then? Although the songs are tasteful and well thought out melodically and structurally, there is a lack of variance on the album. All of these songs sound similar and in this day and age, it is not enough to write an original melody; bands should try to come up with original ways of presenting their ideas, and Eternity is slightly juvenile in its delivery. Also, it may not be their fault, but Germans suck at writing English lyrics. These lyrics, although written and sung with obvious emotion and feeling, will make any English professor cringe. Freedom Call generally sticks to one topic—they are holy knights from heaven, sworn to protect the world from evil. I think I’ve heard this before.
From Warriors:
At night, high up in the heavens we fight
Faster than lightning we strike
Like fires that rip through the night
Surrounded by light
Raging thunder in the skies
Time has come to sacrifice
We are warriors,
born from the light
An army for freedom,
defenders of life
Warriors,
euphoria will rise
Returning from darkness
we bury all lies
A nice sentiment, but try harder next time.
Ask any power metal fan and they will tell you that vocals can make or break a power metal alum. The lead singer of Freedom Call definitely enhances his band’s sound with pure and clear vocals that can be enjoyed by anyone, metal fan or subhuman scum. One thing that sets this band apart from most other bands that use choir vocals is that the band is the choir. I remember reading the booklets of Rhapsody Of Fire and Nightwish’s CDs to discover massive and most likely expensive professional choirs listed in the credits. Freedom Call prefers to sing as a band and the choir vocals on Eternity are stunning.
So a hail to you, Freedom Call. You solidified your position in power metal’s elite with this album. May you some day outdo yourselves
Recommended songs:
-Metal Invasion
-Ages Of Power
-Warriors
-Land Of Light
-Island Of Dreams
