Extra listen to Freedom Call

I'm currently going through the year 2000, getting "ready", so to speak, before sitting down and having a proper listen to what power metal had to offer that year.
But I've just given Freedom Call's STAIRWAY TO FAIRYLAND another spin and, as I thought might happen, I've bumped the rating up to five stars. It really is terrific stuff.

Zonata - Tunes Of Steel (1999)

Swedish band Zonata never found much success, and only lasted three albums, and maybe that's partly because they never really stood out from the crowd.  This debut is quite acceptable power metal, without being anything really special. It does what it wants to do, and does it well enough, but that's about it.

***

Wuthering Heights - Within (1999)

Wuthering Heights are a Danish band who are as much into progressive metal as they are power. This debut, after the brief introduction, provides six extensive pieces that are skilful, but don't particularly grab me. "Too Great Thy Gift" is the best, and maybe I'd warm to it more with more listens, but at the moment, it's not an album I'm interested in rushing back to.

**1/2

Helloween - Metal Jukebox (1999)

Cover albums... I tend to have two problems with them. One, I really prefer to hear an artist's original work than them doing a whole collection of someone else's. Two, no matter how much music I've listened to, over many different genres (and I really have heard a lot), it always seems like the majority of songs selected I've never heard, or heard of.
In regards to Helloween's Metal Jukebox, I'm familiar with four.  Two of them are the most bizarre choices on here, ABBA's "Lay All Your Love On Me" and The Beatles' "All My Loving", while the others are David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and Cream's "White Room", although I admit I've come quickly familiar with Hocus Pocus' novelty hit "Focus".
One thing that bothers me is that I did not recognise Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath", since I have most of their stuff and, while AQUALUNG isn't my favourite of theirs (that goes to THICK AS A BRICK), I thought I should have picked it.  Mind you, Andi Deris does a pretty good Ian Anderson impression. And then there's the Scorpions' "He's A Woman, She's A Man", which opens this set, although there's some of that band's catalogue I'm yet to listen to.
Anyway, forgetting all that for a moment, I have to say that this is an entertaining record, with Helloween tackling everything with gusto and passion, while showing they're not afraid to try something different. Well, they'd already shown that years previously anyway, but since they bombed, it's great to see they haven't been scared off experimenting too much.
I still don't really go for cover albums - I don't suspect I ever will. But Metal Jukebox is certainly fun and, in the end, no matter who wrote what songs when, it's all about what you're actually listening to at the moment.

***1/2

Rage - Ghosts (1999)

Rage continue their somewhat slower style with this release and, while it's not quite as good as the previous XIII, this concept album, about someone who dies and becomes a ghost, has much to like, with quite a majestic quality at times. The orchestral "sounds" (as apposed to an actual orchestra) blend perfectly with the hard rock, and such songs as "Back In Time", "Vanished In Haze" and "More Than A Lifetime" are fine moments.
After Ghosts, Rage went through a major change, with all but Peavy Wagner leaving, and yet the band has continued, and they certainly do still have much to offer.

***1/2

Luca Turilli - King Of The Nordic Twilight (1999)

I don't always understand the thing about members of bands going solo. Here is Rhapsody's leading force Luca Turilli releasing the first of a solo trilogy. But it has a singer and other performers, as well as a choir and some orchestration. So isn't that pretty much what Rhapsody is?
Anyway, forgetting all that for a moment, this is certainly similar to Turilli's famous band and, while it can't reach the heights of SYMPHONY OF ENCHANTED LANDS, there's still much to like.  Songs like "Black Dragon", "Legend Of Steel" and "The Ancient Forest Of Elves" are fine power metal anthems, although in the midst of them are a couple of songs, "Lord Of The Winter Snow" and the ballad "Princess Aurora" (with a female vocalist), both of which are reasonable, but don't quite succeed.
Of course, it's the concluding, eleven-minute title track that works the best, and shows Turilli in his element, although the choir moments remind me of Therion.
So, this is a solo album. To me, "solo" is Bruce Springsteen picking up his guitar and harmonica and recording NEBRASKA. But who cares what the label is? For Rhapsody fans, pretty much anything this very talented and passionate Italian has his name to is worth the indulgence, and King Of The Nordic Twilight is no exception.

****

Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica (1999)

Finnish band Sonata Arctica have become one of the leaders of the power metal genre, with a sound that owes more than a little to fellow countrymen Stratovarius, right down to the strong keyboard presence of singer Tony Kakko.
This debut is quite enjoyable, without offering anything particularly outstanding. The track that works best is "FullMoon", while the opening "Blank File" impresses with both its speed, and the fact it starts up straight away, without any prologue or slow build up that had already become a power metal cliche by 1999.
This is a good listen, but not a great listen. One hopes they can kick on from here.

***

Sacred Steel - Wargods Of Metal (1999)

Sacred Steel's second album is so awash in metal and steel and death and war and destruction, that it almost seems like the ultimate Manowar tribute record.  Put it all together with Gerrit Mutz's yelping, half-singing, and it's a bit of a giggle at times. They also get really evil with the Satanic "Tonight The Witches Ride", but even this doesn't provide any particular shudder.
And yet there's something about the whole thing that makes it fun, to a degree, and something of an improvement over their debut.  The six-minute (by far the longest track) "Dethrone The Tyrant King" is an impressive attempt for a slower, more majestic piece, but with titles like "Army Of Metalheads", "By Steel We Rule", "Crusaders Of The Metal Blade" and "Empire Of Steel", I mean really...
In the end, they seem so caught up in fighting for their gods and leaving bodies lying everywhere, that it becomes one lump.
But it's an entertaining lump.

***

Virgin Steele - The House Of Atreus, Act 1 (1999)

After marrying Heaven and Hell for a while, Dave DeFeis embarked upon his next project, Greek mythology and the Trojan War. 
I probably need to give it more listens, as this one didn't grab me as much as recent efforts have, and yet I think it should have.  It's certainly a very impressive undertaking, showing DeFeis as a true craftsman. The balance between dynamic rock songs, instrumentals and other brief interludes is ideal as he skilfully takes us through the various dramas at the House of Atreus. This was initially meant to be a "proper" opera on stage, performed by various people, and I think a drawback here is DeFeis handles all the vocals himself. Surely he could have brought at least a couple of others in to handle some of the other characters. 
Well down the track, I might praise this record more. But a problem albums of 75 minutes have (apart from them often being just way too long for their own good - not that this one is) is that there is only so often I can run them through, when there's so much other stuff I want to hear.  Of course, that's a problem my end. Other listeners probably have their own way of doing things that works much better - like not being greedy and listening to so many different artists.
Ah well.

***1/2

Vision Divine - Vision Divine (1999)

Vision Divine are an Italian band started by founding member of Labyrinth, guitarist Olaf Thörsen, and also vocalist Fabio Lione, he of Labyrinth and, of course, Rhapsody. This debut is in traditional power metal style, with very fast playing for most part, and reasonable melodies, but nothing in particular that stands out.  It would be nice to like it more than I do but, in the end, it just doesn't do all that much for me.

**1/2

Grave Digger - Excalibur (1999)

The third of Grave Digger's trilogy of medieval albums is definitely the weakest, although it's in no way bad.  This one covers the legend of the Knights Of The Round Table, with stories of Merlin, Sir Lancelot and, of course, King Arthur.  In one way, there's not a lot new here, with a collection of steady and fast metal, but the songs just don't grab as well as with the likes of the classic KNIGHTS OF THE CROSS. The melodies, too often, are almost gutteral which, I suppose, suits Chris Boltendahl's voice, but don't make for a wonderfully engaging listen. There's still much to like; the stories themselves are grabbing, and Grave Digger know how to rock so well, but Excalibur remains something of a disappointment, compared with what has gone before it.

***1/2

Tierra Santa - Legendario (1999)

I wish I liked Tierra Santa more than I do. It's very rare for me to listen to a band who sing their material in a language completely other than English (in this instance, Spanish). The closest I have got to that in the past is when Enya or Clannad sing in Gaelic.  Of course, this makes it hard to understand what they are actually singing about, although titles like "La Cruzada", "Atlántida" and "Drácula" give me a few hints. But the music still doesn't do a lot for me. "Reconquista", "Drácula" and "Los Diez Mandamientos" are songs I quite like, but Tierra Santa are still a long way off being one of my favourite groups.

**1/2

Balance Of Power - Ten More Tales Of Grand Illusion (1999)

Balance Of Power's third album is another collection of melodic and harmonious hard rock which doesn't do anything incredible, but offers a few winners with the likes of "Day Breaker", "Prisoner Of Pride", "Blind Man" and "Sins Of The World". They're really not typical power metal, and nor are they complex enough to be progressive. Dare I say they're pop metal, with more than a touch of eighties? In any event, this record is a decent enough listen.

***

Dark Moor - Shadowland (1999)

Like Tierra Santa (the only other Spaniards I've listened to thus far), Dark Moor are from Spain. Unlike them, they sing in English.
Unfortunately, they don't sing very well.  At least, Elisa Martin doesn't. Her voice is just too weak, and her pronunciations pretty bad, and marr what could have been a very decent debut.  As it is, the songs are strong enough to still make Shadowland worthwhile, particularly the likes of "Calling On The Wind", the quite lovely "Magic Land" (where the male vocals add strength) and "Time Is The Avenger". With touches of folk, there is some really good material on here, but they really need to fix up the vocal part of their make up.

***1/2