Nocturnal Rites - Tales Of Mystery And Imagination (1997)

Nocturnal Rites' second album is immersed so much in power metal, it's hard to believe they ever played music of the death variety.  From the lyrics of battles and magical rings and suchlike (titles like "Pentegram", "Eye Of The Demon" and "Burn In Hell" sound more 'evil' than they actually are when one looks at the context of the record), to the continuous speed of the guitars (no ballads here), this is nothing revolutionary, but it has a charm that makes it undeniably likeable.  "Change The World" is the most melodious and, it must be said, cheesiest of the bunch, but there's enough here to make Tales Of Mystery And Imagination (no, it's not The Alan Parsons Project singing about Edgar Allen Poe) quite enjoyable.

***

Primal Fear - Primal Fear (1997)

From the opening (after the brief, self-titled introduction) "Chainbreaker", it's easy to see the Judas Priest inspiration for this German band, fronted by ex-Gamma Ray vocalist Ralf Scheepers who, indeed, did try out for the vocalist job of Priest after Rob Halford left them, and bassist/keyboardist Mat Sinner.  This debut speeds a long with power and vigour as they sing against war ("Battalions Of Hate"), sing about race driving ("Formula One") and cover Deep Purple's "Speedking", while pretty much just having a great time producing good old fashioned metal for a nineties audience. 
Good fun.

***

Nightwish - Angels Fall First (1997)

I wrote that Rhapsody were amongst the first power metal bands to grab my attention, but Nightwish were in that category too. Alright, I think there is a debate as to whether this Finnish group are power metal or not, and this debut certainly doesn't suggest it; indeed, with its accoustic and folk touches, it's hardly even metal, let alone power.
What appealed to me initially about Nightwish were two things. One was the incredible song "The Wishmaster", which blew me away when I first heard it. And a few times after that.  And the other was Tarja Turunen's operatic vocals.  To me, such singers were hard to find in pop or ballad-laden divas, let alone a heavy metal group, so Turunen was different from what I was used to, and she remains, to my ears, a beautiful singer.  Conversely, keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen sounds quite weak when he joins in with his voice.
I actually like this record more than I think I should. It works more in parts than as a whole. The most complete song is the opening "Elvenpath", while they have moments of progressive rock as they sing about things from a centurion who acknowledges Jesus as his Saviour ("The Carpenter") to rather kinky undertakings ("Nymphomaniac Fantasia"). "Tutankhamen" is pretty good, while I also quite like "Know Why The Nightingale Sings".
The general consensus is that this is a modest start to a fine (and very successful) career from Nightwish, so it will be interesting to see how they progress.

***

Sacred Steel - Reborn In Steel (1997)

Power metal loves steel. It is used for swords and suchlike and, of course, it is a kind of metal. So it's inevitable that there will be bands with "Steel" in their names (Steel Attack is another one coming up), and here we have German group Sacred Steel, who have clearly endulged in Manowar with their standing-for-true-metal attitude in the liner notes, as well as various "fuck you" comments to whom they don't like.
Likewise, the record itself has attitude, but not a lot else.  I like the speedy and riffing guitars (I generally don't like black metal, but it does sound a bit like that genre at times), but there's a distinct lack of actual melody through the whole thing, while  Gerrit Mutz has vocals that are more suited to crying out than something like singing. So, I suppose, he fits right in.
Sacred Steel gained a lot of favour early in their career, but I'm afraid they do very little for me at the moment.

**

Royal Hunt - Paradox (1997)

Royal Hunt's fourth studio album continues the quality, etherial sound of the excellent MOVING TARGET, although the subject matter has them rather cynical about religion, no more obvious than in the musically outstanding "Message To God". Other, more cryptic references to Christianity are found, and it's hard to know exactly what the band is actually trying to say.  The music is mid-tempo most of the time, and has an almost hypnotic quality, while D.C. Cooper's vocals are, again, wonderful. Sadly, he left the band after this, going on to form Silent Force (yes, I will be covering them when I get there), but Royal Hunt has continued, releasing FEAR in 1999.

***1/2

Rhapsody - Legendary Tales (1997)

It's hard to put my finger on what particular song (if there was one) that grabbed my attention and drew me in to the world of power metal, but I know for a fact Rhapsody had a hand in there somewhere.
This is a band that could have come out from my hidden dreams. The baby of guitarist Luca Turilli, it is fast, dramatic, heavy metal act which knows about melody, uses choirs and classical interludes (as well as some folk), while singing about battles against dragons and suchlike, with stunning artwork to match.
This band is my Duran Duran of the nineties and beyond.
Legendary Tales was the debut for these Italians, and the first of five records which depicted the Emerald Sword Saga, where the Ice Warrior searches for said sword so he can defeat the evil Dark Lord Akron.
In truth, this isn't a truly great album, as there are some rather mediocre passages in places.  But the grandness of it all cannot be overlooked, and such songs as "Warriors Of Ice", as well as the final three pieces, "Echoes Of Tragedy", "Lord Of The Thunder" and "Legendary Tales" (seven of the ten songs have 'Of" in their title, looking almost like a list of fantasy novels at your local bookshop),  where the dramatic choral vocals come to the fore, show what the group is capable of, while "Forest Of Unicorns" best realises their folk leanings.  I'm not overly excited by Fabio Lione's wobbling tenor (I have already encountered him with Laybrinth, and don't think I thought a lot of him there either), although he does suit the material rather well somehow, so maybe I need to get a better handle on what he's about.
Legendary Tales is not a truly legendary release, but it is the start of a heavy metal band that I could not have imagined. Many hate them, I know. But many love them.
Ah, isn't variety the spice of life.

***1/2

Axxis - Voodoo Vibes (1997)

After the rather ordinary MATTERS OF SURVIVAL, Axxis find a reasonable return to form with this album. It's more funk and grunge-orientated than normal (how much does the opening of "Allright" sound like they're covering "Smells Like Teen Spirit"?), although not being as dark as the ominous cover and title might suggest, but it's also catchy, highlights including "Voodoo Vibes", the  very poppy "Fly Away", "A Little Mercy" and the closing "The Show Is Over".

***

Arachnes - The Goddess Temple (1997)

Italian band Arachnes (why do so many power metal bands have names that start with the letter A?) are driven by brothers Enzo (vocalist/keyboardist) and Frank (guitarist) Caruso, and this is kind of their debut album, but not quite. The version I've got has a different track listing, as well as a different cover, from what, I gather, is the 'official' one (according to Rate Your Music), and includes a bit from their following release, PARALLEL WORLDS. I always find this kind of thing rather annoying, but there's no point making a fuss over it. It remains an album in its own right, and it's quite a good one, with passionate playing and some catchy moments, including an impressive cover of Iron Maiden's "Flash Of The Blade", which is not on the original release. It also finishes with a few instrumental snippets from the opera "The Barber Of Seville", which is on both releases, and I always like hearing what rock bands can do to the classics.

***

Domine - Champion Eternal (1997)

Italian band Domine had been around for some years before they brought out this debut album of swords and battles and heroes fighting evil. With titles like "The Chronicles Of The Black Sword" and "Rising From The Flames", as well as two extended suites (the five-part "Army Of The Dead" and eight-part conclusion "The Eternal Champion"), this looks like great fun, but isn't really very successful.  Clearly influenced by Manowar (including having a rather hysterical vocalist in Morby), the record has its moments, and captures the flavour of what they're trying to portray pretty well, but the material is a mixed bag, and Morby isn't always that great at hitting the right notes. Overall, considering the possibilities, Champion Eternal is rather disappointing.

**1/2

Artension - Phoenix Rising (1997)

Artension's second album is again dominated by keyboard wizard Vitalij Kuprij, and again there's no doubting his skills, but the material still fails to really grab me. There are some good instrumental passages from all the band members, but the melodies themselves just aren't all that interesting, and, at an hour, it's too long.

**1/2

Kamelot - Dominion (1997)

Kamelot's second album, and their last with melodramatic vocalist Mark Vanderbilt and drummer/lyricist Richard Warner, is not much of an improvement over their debut, the highlight definitely being the save-the-Earth song "We Are Not Seperate". There's not much more here that's particularly exciting.

**

Concerto Moon - Fragments Of The Moon (1997)

Here's another first. After Brazil and Spain, Concerto Moon mark the first time I have listened to a band from Japan (I did start to get into Loudness, but didn't get very far - just couldn't be bothered trying to track down their large catalogue), and what caught my eye about them was their name, which I think sounds absolutely wonderful.
Unfortunately, I don't have the same opinion of this debut album. Not that it's bad - there are some good guitar riffs here, like on "Alone In Paradise" and "Hold On (To Feeling)". But that's not usually enough to really win me over when it comes to music of any kind, while vocalist Takao Ozaki has not got the next diction. At least, I think he's singing in English. The titles are all anglo saxon, that's for sure, but a lot of it sounds quite foreign to me, and the lyrics aren't printed.
Hopefully, Concerto Moon will soon win me over as much as their name has.

**1/2

Gamma Ray - Somewhere Out In Space (1997)

I seem to be in the minority as I see this Gamma Ray album as better than their previous, LAND OF THE FREE.  Of course, more listens to both of them down the track might change this, but for now, I can only say that this is the band's best album since their debut, HEADING FOR TOMORROW, with some exhilerating tracks and powerful melodies as they indulge themselves in science fiction like jumping into black holes, "Star Trek", lamenting the future and suchlike.  Such songs as the opening "Beyond The Black Hole", "Somewhere Out In Space", "The Guardians Of Mankind", "Valley Of The Kings" and the concluding "Shine On" are highlights, while they also do their own version of "Watcher Of The Sky", which Kai Hansen co-wrote with Iron Savior's Piet Sielck, and was also featured on that band's debut album around the same time. Sielck appears on this one as well.
One drawback is that there's a bit too much here; they would have done well to trim it a bit, and they still can't match the leaders (for me) of power metal to this moment, Blind Guardian. But Somewhere Out In Space remains one of the better releases of the genre.

****

Iron Savior - Iron Savior (1997)

Iron Savior is the baby of guitarist/producer Piet Sielck, and he brought in Gamma Ray's Kai Hansen and Blind Guardian drummer Thomen Stauch (Hansi Kursch also adds vocals to one song) for this debut, which was the start of the band's story about a space station which was meant to support the city of Atlantis, but instead ruined the world, before people start to fight back. Or something along those lines. That's not just for this album - that's the band's complete career.
Overall, Iron Savior is fast and invigorating, even if it slows down after a very speedy first few tracks, while the songs themselves suffer a bit from a lack of melodious imagination, but have enough energy in them to make it a worthwhile listen.  Best songs include "Atlantis Falling", "Riding On Fire", "Protect The Law" (especially) and "For The World."

***

Tierra Santa - Medieval (1997)

While Angra represents the first (and, so far, only) time I have listend to a band from Brazil, Tierra Santa carries the flag for being the first Spanish act I have looked into.  And, unlike Angra, they go so far as to sing all the songs in their native tongue, so I don't really know what they're singing about although, going by the title and the genre, I think I can guess.
In any event, it's reasonable metal without being anything exceptional. Generic, and with vocals that are a bit weak, but there's still something here on this debut that keeps my attention, and it helps that it's not too long (about forty-five minutes).

**1/2

HammerFall - Glory To The Brave (1997)

Swedish band HammerFall are one of the leaders of power metal, and this debut finds them in fine form straight away. The playing is tight and vigorous, even though Joacim Cans' vocals are a bit wimpy, and the lyrics of historical battles and suchlike quite reasonable. While a few tunes are kind of ordinary, there are some terrific guitar riffs (like in the cover of Warlord's "Child Of The Damned"), and the likes of "Hammerfall" and "Stone Cold" are haunting. The highlight, however, is the concluding "Glory To The Brave", a power ballad that is actually lovely and moving!
This is promising stuff from a band who seems to know straight away what they're about.

***1/2

Brainstorm - Hungry (1997)

German band Brainstorm burst into the metal scene like old pros with this debut. Sounding something like a poppier Megadeth (vocalist Marcus Jürgens even has slight similarities with Dave Mustaine), this has furious riffing and pounding beats, while the constantly chanted choruses make for consistently catchy tracks, hightlights including "King Of Fools", "Innocent Until Caught", "Welcome To The Darkside" and the concluding "Mr Know-It-All", which has guest vocals of former Gamma Ray singer Ralf Scheepers.

***1/2

Skylark - Dragon's Secrets (1997)

When I listened to Italian band Skylark's debut album THE HORIZON AND THE STORM, I stated that it was promising, but messed up badly by Fabio Dozzo's dreadful vocals. Well, he's still here on this follow up and, somehow, he sounds better. Still not great, but there's certainly some improvement. And that goes for the material as well. Likewise, it's nothing wonderful, but holds the attention as it speaks of battles with dragons and trolls and suchlikes. Is this power metal or what?
It also has a pleasing area of instrumentation, featuring violins, cellos, violas, flutes and even a bassoon. And, according to the credits, those are genuine instruments, not programmed into a keyboard, as at least one person has accused them of doing on the Rate Your Music website. If I turn out to be wrong, ah well.
Skylark remain one of the first bands to really get into genuine fantasy topics to this degree and, while there's still a lot of room for improvement, this record is worth checking out.

***

Balance Of Power - When The World Falls Down (1997)

English group Balance Of Power don't really show any power tendencies here, being more a straight forward melodic metal band, although I've read they become more progressive as their career moves along. I haven't heard anything else from them yet, so it'll be interesting to hear how things evolve.
But this remains a first rate listen, with extremely tuneful songs enhanced by appealling vocal harmonies and arrangements, and a keyboard sound that helps carry things along.  Best songs include "Against The Odds", "Overnight Sensation" and "When Love Is On Your Side", while the lyrics are standard romantic stuff.  This is the only Balance Of Power album that had Tony Richie as vocalist - I think he stayed with the band, but as a bass player.
Overall, this is a really good debut, whether its characteristic of the group's catalogue or not.

***1/2

Tad Morose - A Mended Rhyme (1997)

Tad Morose hasn't impressed me so far with their BlackSabbath-inspired doom metal, but this, their third release (and first with the amusingly named vocalist Urban Breed), ups the anti somewhat, and is a more pleasing listen, with the likes of "Circuit Vision", "A Mended Rhyme" and the concluding "Guest Of The Inquisition" proving to be worthwhile. The haunting keyboards are as effective as ever.

***

Stratovarius - Visions (1997)

Stratovarius' sixth album would be their best to date, I think. There's still something about them that doesn't grab me the whole way through, but at their best, they are most enjoyable, whether with rousing songs like "Forever Free" and "Legions", or the ballads "Before The Winter" and "Coming Home". The concluding, ten minute title track is taken up half the time by Nostradamus prophecies (metal likes the old coot, doesn't it?), while songs like "Paradise" are very obvious in their 'save the world' lyrics, but this positivism, which puts a lot of people off when it comes to power metal, is one reason why I like the genre.  Also, Timo Tolkki's guitars and Jens Johannson's various keyboards work wonderfully well together.
Stratovarius is yet to release (up to 1997, I mean) a truly consistent album, but there's usually something worthwhile in their work, and that's certainly the case with Visions.

****

White Skull - Embittered (1997)

White Skull's second album is the first of theirs that I actually own, and it's quite good, if not successful overall. It's certainly very angry, which such songs as "Revenge Is Sweet" showing a rather frustrated bitterness.  Federica De Boni has raw vocals not dissimilar to Heart's Wilson sisters, and they suit the material well, but the record is a bit too long, and some of the songs not good enough to make Embittered a particularly exceptional listen.

**1/2

Edguy - Kingdom Of Madness (1997)

German band Edguy has not got one of the more exciting names in music, but they have become one of the leading performers of power metal. This is actually their second album, but their first 'official' one (it got proper distribution, or something like that), and it holds promise with the likes of "Wings Of A Dream", although the production is thin, and vocalist/bassist/keyboardist/main writer Tobias Sammet has not got the best voice, while some of the writing is unimaginative. There's also an eighteen-minute suite that finishes things off, "The Kingdom", which does not work as well as Symphony X's similar effort from about the same time, but does have its moments.
There's enough here to offer hope for the future.

**1/2

Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy (1997)

1997 was when power metal really started to take off, with such leading bands as HammerFall, Rhapsody, Edguy and Primal Fear (they're kind of leading, aren't they?) making their debuts, along with many others who would embark upon long power careers.
But we start the year with something more progressive, Symphony X's third album. It's the one that really put them on the map, and deservedly so, for it is a very impressive effort, from the excellent opener "Of Sins And Shadows" onwards. Like most progressive albums, it takes a while to get into it, and there are slow moments, but not very many. The centrepiece is the twenty-minute title track, based on Gustav Holst's "Mars: The Bringer of War", which starts with a stunningly beautiful choir, before moving into various sections, highlighted by some lovely instrumental passages that sound similar to classic Yes. There's one more song after that, "Candlelight Fantasia" which, why quite good, still ends up being one song too many, making the record overlong (just over an hour), but, overall, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy is well worth the indulgence.

****