Rhapsody - Symphony Of Enchanted Lands (1998)

Rhapsody's second album continues the Emerald Sword saga, and, well, what can I say? This is the kind of rock music I've always dreamt of. Well, actually, I suppose I never really dreamt of it, since I hadn't ever imagined it, but if I could have, I would have. If that makes any sense.
Choirs, orchestras, fast guitars, expansive keyboards... and Fabio's melodramatic voice, which still doesn't do a heap for me. But it all comes together so incredibly well. One could say that it stutters now and then, like with "Beyond The Gates Of Infinity", but then, it is a dark part of the tale. But even in this case, repeated listens brings out more, and that's one of the beauties of this record - sometimes it is immediately catchy, like with "Emerald Sword" and "Eternal Glory", but in other places it is far more complex, not easy to like at first, but full of new discoveries each time it's explored.
And none of this is exemplified better than with the 13-minute title song which concludes it all. Medieval folk, heavy metal, balladry, and the choir.  The choir. The chorus (if that's the right description here) is sung twice, and there is a part when the choir hits a high note which is absolutely breathtaking. Seriously, tears come to my eyes whenever I hear it.
Credit has to be given primarily to the two song writers, main man Luca Turilli, of course, but also keyboardist Alex Staropoli, who arranged the orchestra. They've done something wonderful here.
Reading through different reviews, I see "cheesey" being written more often than in a supermarket freezer aisle. Is it? Well, if so, then this is the best cheese I've ever tasted.

*****

Nightwish - Oceanborn (1998)

Nightwish's second album has them establishing a style, that of a pompous power/symphonic rock act, and the result is a fine, if sometimes difficult listen. It takes a while to get into some of the songs, particularly the early ones, but Tarja Turunen's operatic vocals are captivating throughout, especially in the suitably-titled "Passion And The Opera", where her soprano has it easy to picture her on stage performing "Faust" or something. The catchy instrumental "Moondance" is the most accessable piece here, but "The Riddler" is also good, as is the lovely version of "Walking In The Air", a song from the 1982 children's animated film "The Snowman".
I suspect more listens could have me enjoying this record all the more; it's got much to offer those who have patience.

***1/2

Narnia - Awakening (1998)

As a Christian, it has been quite strange as to why I have never had very much Christian music in my collection. There are various reasons for that, most of which I'm not going to get into now, but one reason has been that I just haven't always been particularly excited by the music. 
In my power metal indulgence, I really have tried to find some Christian acts, and Swedish duo Narnia came up.
This is their debut. The production is fine, Christian Liljegren has a good voice, and Carl Johan Grimmark plays the instrumentation with skill. But the music just isn't very good. It's there, but not compelling or interesting. As far as the lyrics are concerned, it's nice to have some Christian flavour for a change but, while they're not as bad as something like Hillsong, they're not exactly "And Can It Be?" either.
Overall, I really, really would like to enthuse more about this record. But I can't. It's not bad. It just isn't much of anything.

**

Stratovarius - Destiny (1998)

Stratovarius' seventh studio album bucks a trend of long tracks being either at the middle or end of the album, by putting one at each end. The opening, ten-minute title song is grandiose in the extreme, and I'm not sure what I think of it. Likewise for the concluding "Anthem Of The World". In the middle are more straight-forward pieces including three ballads, which is at least one too many, although "4000 Lonely Nights" is very worthwhile. There is certainly much to like here, with such quicker pieces as "No Turning Back" and "Playing With Fire", although the band rarely goes really fast. The lyrics, apart from the sappy ballad ones, follow their traditional the-world-is-in-trouble-but-don't-give-up-keep-trying-and-live-to-your-best messages, as well as their habit of songs starting with a couple of verses, then the chorus, followed by the instrumental break and chorus again until the end.
Destiny isn't the best release from this Finnish band, but it's still worth a listen, as it remains most enjoyable.

***1/2

Balance Of Power - Book Of Secrets (1998)

Balance Of Power's second album is based on Michael Drosnin's The Bible Code, and was the first with American vocalist Lance King, who's not afraid to go high when the song takes him there, and it's not as annoying as one might expect.
The record overall is good and solid, without being anything wonderful.  The songs pretty much follow the same pattern of verse-chorus-verse-chorus, which is fine by me in itself. What is added to it are moments of dramatic narration, which actually work quite well, thanks to them not being over the top.
Checking back, I see I was quite strong in my praise of Balance Of Power's debut WHEN THE WORLD FALLS DOWN. I can't remember anything of it at the moment, but my rating for this one will be a tad lower. All the same, there's much to like from these Englishmen so far.

***

Iced Earth - (1998) Something Wicked This Way Comes

I haven't really taken to Iced Earth thus far, but I have found myself quite enjoying this one. It doesn't seem to have much to do with the Ray Bradbury novel of the same name, but there's much to like with such songs as "Melancholy (Holy Martyr)", "Watching Over Me", "Consequences" and "Blessed Are You", while the concluding trilogy, "Something Wicked This Way Comes", is still certainly about something wicked coming this way, that being the chap on the album cover.
It's more of a steady and, at times, slow listen than a fast one, but the melodies are better than in the past, and the record a satisfying listen overall.

***1/2

Cage - Unveiled (1998)

Alright, it seems this American band can be classed as power metal.
Full of laments of war and politics and what-have-you, this debut is quite good for a while, highlights including "Shoot To Kill" and "Buried In The Box", but it does become a bit monotonous on the second half, and that goes for vocalist/lyricist Sean Peck as well, despite him having a good voice overall.

**1/2

Kamelot - Siege Perilous (1998)

Kamelot's third album, and their first with impressive vocalist Roy Kahn (known just as "Khan" here) and drummer Casey Grillo, this is certainly an improvement over their first two, although it still doesn't really leap out in any major way. But it's decent enough, with the haunting opener "Providence", "Millennium" and the pretty good ballad "Once A Dream" (although with sappy lyrics) standing as highlights.
Keyboardist David Pavlicko, whose work is effective here, left before the band's next release.

***

HammerFall - Legacy Of Kings (1998)

HammerFall's second album is not quite as good as their debut, with the ballads not as strong, but there's still some good music here with the likes of "Heeding The Call", "Stronger Than All" and "At The End Of The Rainbow", a mid-tempo song that has a melody that just has me swimming in melodious pleasure.
It's not particularly surprising or innovative, but it certainly does enough to prove worthwhile, and I have to apologise to Joacim Cans (who, of course, must be reading this), as I said in my review of GLORY TO THE BRAVE  that his voice sounded a bit weak. It sounds great here - not every heavy metal singer has to be a screamer.

***1/2

Angra - Fireworks (1998)

Angra have struck me as being a dignified and even graceful band, and they have used such attributes to produce two outstanding albums.  This third one is again one of quality, although it can't match the ones before.
It has a more traditional and straight-forward metal sound, and that's not a negative in itself; it's just that some of the songs don't jump out at me all that well, although more listens could help in that regard. Such early songs as "Wings Of Reality" and "Lisbon" are great, and there are other good moments - this is certainly no disgrace.  But I do prefer ANGELS CRY and HOLY LAND.
Sadly, the band went through a major split after this, guitarists Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt the only ones staying. But they did get a new Angra together and brought out REBIRTH in 2001.

***1/2

Labyrinth - Return To Heaven Denied (1998)

1998's been a great year for power metal so far, but this release, the second album of Italian band Labyrinth, lowers the quality a bit. It's certainly better than their debut NO LIMITS, with consistently fast playing that, on its own, I always go for (I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm sure I will again - I liken the speed of this kind of metal to an exciting car chase in an action film), but the material just isn't really all that great. The best songs for me are "Moonlight" and "Thunder", while the concluding "Cry For Freedom" isn't bad, and vocalist Rob Tyrant (hehe funny name), who debuts on this, has excellent pipes. But Return To Heaven Denied just doesn't do a lot for me overall.

**1/2

Grave Digger - Knights Of The Cross (1998)

I must say, rather to my surprise, I've become quite the Grave Digger fan, more than I ever thought I would be. This album is simply terrific, full of hugely catchy choruses, crunching instrumentation and, yes, Chris Boltendahl's roaring voice, which I now am used to, and personally think is more appealling than Virgin Steele's Dave DeFies' snarls.
It would be nice to say this is a fun record, but 'fun' would not be a very apt word, since it's a concept piece (the second of the band's medieval trilogy) about the Knights Templar and the Crusades. Hence, it is quite grim. As a Christian (although not Roman Catholic), I'm well aware of this dark part of the church's history, and am not proud of it, so it's hard to really follow all this through with a smile on my face.  But I am also one who can accept that what has happened, has happened, and cannot be changed, only learnt from, and see nothing wrong with a band wanting to put this stuff to music. It's catchy and grabbing, sure, but they don't make light of it.
Best songs include "Monks Of War", "The Keeper Of The Holy Grail" (this is where they put in some fiction, singing about the literal blood of Jesus and its supposed healing properties), "The  Curse Of Jacques" and the dynamic closer, "The Battle Of Bannockburn". The English aren't portrayed very well in that last song either, and since I'm also English, I should be doubly offended.
But as someone who is an Englishman who lives in Australia, and has been a Christian for most of my life, I'm used to insults, so this really does nothing to wound me.
And the music really is great.

****1/2

Helloween - Better Than Raw (1998)

While Helloween have generally been seen as the kings of power metal for some time now, I haven't been in complete adoration of them, but at the same, I do like them, and this album is a most enjoyable, almost fun listen. It's fast and breezy, with varying topics, including one,  "Lavdate Dominvm", which is sung completely in Latin, and seems to be a dig at TV evangelists (then again, Wikipedia says it's a tribute to the band's fans in Roman Catholic countries), while "Hey Lord!" is a call to God of some sort. Helloween are going religious.
I also must mention the cover. I've read it's inspired by The Smurfs, with the mad lady and the pumpkins replacing the little blue critters. Now, I can't stand the Smurfs, so that is enough to impress in my books.

***1/2

Symphony X - Twilight In Olympus (1998)

Symphony X's fourth album is another good one, but not quite up to the standard of THE DIVINE WINGS OF TRAGEDY. The three-part "Through The Looking Glass" (about Alice, of course) and the concluding "Lady Of The Snow" don't do a lot for me, while the little Beethoven interlude is nice (I always appreciate classical moments like that), but seems out of place, as if it was dropped there by mistake.  However, "Church Of The Machine" and "The Relic" are excellent, and Russel Allen's Dio-like vocals are oustanding. And the band plays wonderfully well, even if, way too often, guitar solos just don't do a lot for me.
This is, of course, more progressive metal than power, but I find Symphony X easier to get into than Dream Theater (who I've put aside for now) and Fates Warning (who I put aside even earlier), although they can't touch the best progressive metal band in my view, Savatage.
This was the last Symphony X album to feature bassist Thomas Miller.

***1/2

Rage - XIII (1998)

Rage had been starting to get into a rut, so for this album, they did two notable things - they slowed the tempo down somewhat, and they brought in an orchestra.  And both are successful.
Although Peavy Wagner sounds too much like Metallica's James Hetfield for some reason, this is an excellent release, with the songs offering plenty of melodic interest, and the orchestra combining very well for some beautiful passages, particularly in the three-part "Changes". It can't quite sustain the quality to the very end (I'm not sure what to think of the cover of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black"), but this certainly remains one of Rage's best albums.

****

Concerto Moon - From Father To Son (1998)

This second album by Japanese band Concerto Moon is a bit of an improvement over their debut FRAGMENTS OF THE MOON.  It doesn't leap out immediately, but there are some solid songs, like "Surrender", "From Father To Son" and "Into The Fire", with some solid guitar riffing and understated keyboards.  The lyrics aren't clear, since they're not printed, and I thought maybe vocalist  Takao Ozaki could be singing them in Japanese, but patches of obviously English words, plus the face all the titles are in anglo saxon, suggest he, instead, has the worst diction since James Reyne#, although at least he has the excuse of not coming from a primarily English-speaking country.
With it's beautiful cover art, From Father To Son might not stay in the mind for very long after playing it, but it's a reasonably enjoyable effort.

***

#Australian singer who lead popular early eighties band Australian Crawl for a while, before going solo. No-one annunciates as badly as he does.  No-one.

Virgin Steele - Invictus (1998)

I will have to go back to earlier Virgin Steele albums and hear if David DeFeis always "sung" with so much snarling and growling (not the death metal kind) as he does by the time of this album, the third in the MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL trilogy. He just seems to be getting worse and worse.
And that's a great shame, because this remains a terrific album. With more tails of battles against evil gods and final victory guaranteeing freedom for all, this finds Virgin Steele gliding through angry and powerful music with effortless ease and, even if it goes on too long, there's no denying the musical sumptuousness and power of such tracks as "Through Blood And Fire", "Defiance", "Dominion Day" and the ten-minute conclusion, the triumphant "Vedi, Vini, Vici", which has DeFeis finishing with an actual high note, showing he can still actually sing properly.
This could be the best of a very high quality trio of heavy metal albums, but they're all worth indulding in, and are a true triumph for David DeFeis.


****1/2

Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth (1998)

I've long been quite a fantasy fan (I still have my collection of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks), but I've never really got into "The Lord Of The Rings". I saw the first film, and thought it was good but overly serious and overly long, and I'm currently trying to get the hang of the recent card game that has come out.
But fantasy is fantasy, and when it's combined with great music, how can I resist?  Blind Guardian has been the pinnacle of power metal for me up until now, and this album is their crowning glory. Focusing on Tolkein's novel "The Silmarillion" (which is not always easy to follow, since I struggle reading ye olde English writing that permeates the album's track titles and lyrics), it's a mixture of songs and interludes, the latter varying between sound affects and narration and suchlike. This all takes Nightfall In Middle-Earth to the sixty-five minute mark, but it never seems to outstay its welcome.
Not as consistently fast as efforts which have gone before, this, nonetheleess, comes across wonderfully well, highlights including "Into The Storm", "Nightfall", "Mirror Mirror" and "Thorn", with such songs showing the band's deft touch for melody and arrangements. Hansi (who forgoes the bass for the first time) does his usual variety of voices, full of overdubs, creating a choir effect that is uplifting and rousing. Not that this is anything new in regards to what this German band have brought out before, but it's just so consistently successful here.
I don't know if I ever will become a big "Rings" fan. I probably will see the other two films eventually, as well as give the first one another look. But I know I won't ever see Blind Guardian performing in some village full of elves and dwarves, and that's their sad loss.

*****

Paragon - The Final Command (1998)

After the unimpressive debut WORLD OF SIN, guitarist/songwriter Martin Christian got together a brand new Paragon line-up three years later and released this definitely superior album.
It's really speed metal more than power, and with grim lyrics that reflect war and all that. Singer Andreas Babuschkin wails suitably, while the choruses are chanted in gang-like fashion, something I often tend to like for some reason.
The Final Command is certainly no classic, but remains a step ahead for this German band.

***

Edguy - Vain Glory Opera (1998)

We start 1998 with Edguy's Vain Glory Opera, a real jump in quality from previous work.  It isn't a complete success (I could have done without the weak ballad "Scarlet Rose"), but the title track is a classic, and other pieces like "Until We Rise Again" and "No More Foolin'" are also impressive, while the record finishes with a cover of one of my favourite Ultravox songs, "Hymn". While, generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of cover songs by anyone, I do kind of like crossovers like this, and Edguy does a pretty good job with it. And, let's face it, power metal and 80s pop do have a few things in common.
Timo Tolkki produced this album, and appears on it, as does Hansi Kursch (doesn't he appear everywhere?) and, while it isn't up to the standards of those two performers' respective bands, it remains a very worthwhile listen.

***1/2