Review Summary: A solid album, technically.
Snare drums on the off-beat, and endless shredding — huzzah! The latter is the typical reaction from power metal audiences, as such intriguing music is ensnaring because of measurements of gusto to get fists a-shakin’. It certainly is repetitive, as neat riffs are repeated and the vocals whip Hades himself. The singing in the lower range rules with manliness, yet the high range would be intensely difficult to muster, and reinforce on a continual basis. It seems all of a sudden to include Judas Priest(esque) vocals, yet they remain, and they are very loud. However, aside from the volcanic vocal seismic bearnado vocal attack, there is little to talk about. It is a manly power metal album with great riffs, vocals, and everything. We’ve heard this from Blind Guardian to Dream Evil since the dawning of time and men picked up guitars. What more do you want? Well, perhaps production that doesn’t hearten back to 2008.
On another note, the album is excessively decadent. The walls are dripping with the type of juicy shredding that nerds crave, and I am one. The retro style power metal tastes like a Black Forest cake, with moist production, and weighty guitars. Of course double bass pedals run across the field to ensure victory as well. On top of it all, vocals that could punch an Earth shaped hole in the sun are here (just let it happen), and if you add together with math it equals scorchingly intense metal. This album would be too hard to handle for certain clinical, modern metal lovers that prefer their toast buttered gently, and their dolls hugged.
The final verdict is nigh! Indeed, it’s a great album, but the tracks are not memorable. Perhaps if the soul stomping vocal explosions focused on more harmonies we’d have a lovely, flowery scene. Instead, there’s a lot of gruffness, and manly (waking up in the morning) type of rudeness. More metal cannot be complained about, and yet, this brazen piece is overdue to receive a pretty bow on top. The production is questionable, and the melodies fail to storm castle walls. One might say the only memorable aspect of the album is the blisteringly high vocal spaz. Check, enjoy, and then move on.
