Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night (2004)

Sonata Arctica have always managed to bring out some good music, but inconsistent albums overall, and that's kind of the same here with this, their fourth release.
After the pretty good opener "Misplaced", there are such gems as "Ain't Your Fairytale", "Don't Say A Word" and the glorious "My Selene", but other tracks like "Blinded No More" and "The Boy Who Wanted To Become A Real Puppet" work less well. But the almost nine-minute opus "White Pearl, Black Oceans" managed to combine complexity and pop hooks with success, showing that these Fins know how to do it right when they put their minds to it.

***1/2

Edenbridge - Shine (2004)

I still find it hard to class Edenbridge as simply heavy metal. Alright, they're not seen as 'simply' heavy metal, as they come into the subgenres "power" and "symphonic" as well. But, even though they have the heavy rhythms, skilful guitar solos and pounding drums of metal, the speed of power (although not a lot here) and gradiose keyboard sounds of symphonic, they (as I've written in the past) have a grace and dignity that make these labels sound insufficient. 
This is the band's fourth album and, like their first three, it takes some work to get into, not because the songs are excessively complex, but the melodies and song structures are such that they don't leap out at the listener, and yet remain memorable and captivating. Lanvall, the writer and multi-instrumentalist, must be one of the most underrated metal perfomers around and Sabine Edelsbacher's angelic vocals are just getting better with every release.
It's hard to select stand-out tracks here - it's the way these Austrians work. But the record starts well with "Shine", and finishes just as well with "The Canterville Ghost", while in the middle is a collection of lilting and grabbing songs, with deftly poetic lyrics, that just become better and better the more one listens to them. And that really is one of Edenbridge's strengths - they mightn't have breathtaking ingenuity, but they somehow manage to offer much with what they do, and are a band whose material just continues to grow on the listener.

****

Steel Attack - Enslaved (2004)

Blimey, here we go again.
Alright, the music first.  Steel Attack's previous album, PREDATOR OF THE EMPIRE, was better than their first two by far, but this one, with another new vocalist in Ronny Hemlin, is a step back, showing less inventiveness and catchy hooks than before. However, it's still nicely fast and heavy, with skilful playing, and the melodies aren't a complete waste.
Now to the lyrics, and I'm afraid it's time to get religious again.
Sorry, but at the risk of sounding childish, these bands start it!
Here we have what seems to be a battle of religious beliefs in God, Satan, etc, and I'm going to try and piece it all together.  So we have a God who demands obedience or you get purgatory ("Out Of The Flames"), and being a follower of God is nothing but slavery that someone should want to be free of anyway ("Enslaved"), and let's not forget the multitude of Christians who kill in the name of Jesus Christ ("Bless My Sins"). Then again, there is a Satan to be wary of ("Immortal Hate") or some kind of evil ("Voices"), and this is all bookended by the desire to ultimately be with God in Heaven (the opening "Gates Of Heaven" and closing "Afraid No More").
And we shouldn't forget the band's "One Way To Heaven, One Way To Hell" that was a highlight of PREDATOR.
I'm not going to come to any more conclusions. Such lyrics certainly hold the interest, and are much better than "Ooohh, baby" from your average chart hit. And the music is good. Just not as good as these Swedes have done before.
Now, where's Narnia when I need them?

***

Arwen - Illusions (2004)

Arwen's debut MEMORIES OF A DREAM was very impressive, and this follow-up has a similar sound and style, even if it's not quite as good. Again, it's very positive, with the anti-war "No More Tears" one of the highlights, along with "Riding Alone", which has a keyboard sound which actually reminds me of Cyndi Lauper's "All Through The Night". There are two keyboardists in the eight-member ensemble and, again, male and female vocals are exchanged impressively, while the tunes are lilting and alternate between major and minor keys effectively.
Illusions was the final release from this Spanish band, which is a pity, because they developed their own, notable sound, which was put to some winning and charming material.

***1/2

Nostradameus - Hellbound (2004)

Hellbound.
Hmmm...
One thing I've been very fortunate about in regards to power metal is that I generally like the lyrics as well as the music. Black metal's hateful, anti-Christian stance is matched by its sound, so I have little temptation to get into it (although I admit I dabble on YouTube just a little bit), while power metal usually has more uplifting, postive themes, which suit the music.
However, that doesn't mean they can't come against things like religion, the Christian church, etc. T. Sammett likes to shake his fist at religion every now and again and, of course, things like The Crusades can make for great, violent album themes.
On this, Nostradameus' fourth album, they're again lamenting evil in the world with a rage which I think, in regards to a former album of theirs, I once described as "almost hateful love". The title song here comes right against some religions, although it's unclear whether it's against Christianity, Islam, a few others or all combined, but when they sing things like "kill the ones who refuse to believe in the holy words", one wonders what they must think of us. Do they really think the average Christian really wants to go around killing nonbelievers?? Um... no, we don't. Neither do we want to "rule the world by these fairytales", or by any other means.
I would normally say that songs like these are just focusing on the bad eggs of religion (which is obviously far more fun than focusing on the good), but it seems much more personal here. As someone who regularly debates atheists online, it's all stuff I've heard over and over and over, so it's hardly a shock; more of a head-scratching, "do you really know what you're talking/singing about?" attitude.
And I'm afraid it's hard not to agree with the line "I'm hellbound and there'll be no salvation for me."
Alright, sorry,  I wouldn't normally go into such depth about this kind of stuff, but there are times when I just have to speak out (even if no-one's listening) and offer some kind of rebuttal.
Of course, I haven't even spoken about the music on this record, which is quite good sometimes (perhaps ironically, "Hellbound" is one of the weakest songs in that regard), but not the band's best and no, I don't think I'm letting the lyrics sway me there. It just seems more inconsistent than normal.
Ah well. I have enjoyed some of Nostradameus' work in the past, and still respect what they do. I certainly wouldn't want them to come across as false. As I said, like many bands with such a stance, these Swedes obviously mean well, but when they show such spite like they do in, for instance, "Seven", they almost seem to contradict their stance.
Sorry, I'm off again.
I suppose they will continue to long for goodness in the world, which is an attitude that's hard to argue with, even if I can't agree with every view they have as to how it should be attained.
And they still do produce some good rock sometimes.

***

Dragonland - Starfall (2004)

Three albums in, and Dragonland still aren't doing it for me.  There are fair moments, particularly the final, three part "The Book Of Shadows", which is largely instrumental, though with heaps of back story in the booklet (all the songs have that to some degree), which I really could not be bothered reading, although I understand (from Wikipedia) that it's a story guitarist Olof Mörck wrote about some adventure that goes from the UK to Egypt to the USA. It shows potential. But, by now, Dragonland should be showing more than just potential, and the overall material, together with Jonas Heidgert's rather mediocre voice, just doesn't make the grade.

**1/2

Twilightning - Plague-House Puppet Show (2004)

Twilightning's second album is certainly an improvement over their rather ho-hum debut, with nice, and quite strong, keyboard sounds and some catchy songs, highlights including the opening, title track, "In The Fervor's Frontier", "Fever Pitch", "Diamonds Of Mankind" and the concluding "Lubricious Thoughts".
Nothing outstanding, but enjoyable.

***

Rhapsody - Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret (2004)

Could they keep it up?
After a run of classic albums, I wondered whether Rhapsody could keep things going at such a high quality. And, inevitably, this release (which, despite the title, is not a sequel to the classic SYMPHONY OF ENCHANTED LANDS), is a bit of a comedown.
There's still much to like, of course. For a start, they have Christopher Lee doing narration. There is no-one, no-one, with a better voice for such a task. He is in class of his own. He even gets to sing a bit in "The Magic Of The Wizard's Dream", and doesn't do badly there either! There's also the classic rock song "Unholy Warcry" early on, and throughout, we have the usual orchestration and choirs accompanying Fabio's wavering, melodramatic tenor. There also seems to be more variation this time around, which is certainly not a critism, and this comes across best in "Guardiani del destino", a song with plenty of variety on its own, and another definite highlight.
But the album just doesn't quite hit the consistent heights of its last few predecessors, partly because the material isn't always that terrific, and also that, at seventy-three minutes, there's just too much of it.
But this band would have to record themselves doing nothing but sword practice for me not to be gripped by whatever they bring out, and the record, which was the last to be released under the Rhapsody name, before they became Rhapsody Of Fire (and then on to other names later), is still a must for fans, with much to explore and, maybe, learn to grow more and more fond of.

****

Silent Force - Worlds Apart (2004)

I hereby promise not to comment on an album with DC Cooper and rave about his voice.
Just to say it's glorious.
Oops.
Anyway, this is Silent Force's third album, their first in three years, and it's more melodious, driving and highly enjoyable power metal, with positive and good-willed lyrics to match, including an ode to the 2001 USA terrorist attacks ("Heroes") and a lovely ballad about, I think, Cooper's young son ("Spread Your Wings"). Add to them such flying tracks as "No One Lives Forever", "Master Of My Destiny" and "Iron Hand", and you have an excellent release from a very worthy band.
With a great singer.
Sorry, I can't help myslf.

****

Forgotten Tales - All The Sinners (2004)

Canadian band Forgotten Tales' second album is another reasonable power metal effort, helped by the strong vocals of Sonia Pineault. She's not of the operatic type, but she's a damn site more impressive than the likes of Sister De Boni and Elisa Martin. The songs do their bit, and the highlight is the uplifting "March For Freedom", but there's nothing exceptionally remarkable about them.  
Forgotten Tales would wait six years before bringing out their next album, WE SHALL SEE THE LIGHT.

***

Tierra Santa - Apocalpsis (2004)

Tierra Santa's sixth album is pretty much like their others; their work has never really excited me, and what's best here is what has always been their strength, an excellent guitar sound, which comes across best in songs such as "Esa tierra es mia", although "Rumbo a las estrellas" has synth bits that sounds like 1984-era Van Halen. Also, their records aren't too long, this one being around forty-one minutes.  A written introduction suggests there's a running story through this but, of course, I have no idea what it is.
Apocalipsis is pretty much run-of-the-mill for his Spanish quartet, and it would be nice for them to try something... well... different.

**1/2

Angra - Temple Of Shadows (2004)

I hesitate to write a review of this album at the moment as, during the listen I just gave it, I don't think I gave it as much attention as I should have, and I've seen that many hold it in high acclaim.
This Angra piece is about The Shadow Hunter, someone involved in the Crusades who is troubled about what is happening, and his experiences.
The early "Spread Your Fire" is wonderful, and it's a very grandiose, lively record altogether, with much to recommended it. Additionally, it has guest vocals from Kai Hansen, Hansi Kursch and Sabine Edelsbacher.  But I found the music a bit harder to get into as it went along, and I suppose the topic (which is hardly new in rock circles) had me reflecting on the foolishness of the Crusades, and how they have disgraced the Christian church, as well as messing up what is, essentially, a pretty straight-forward and yet beautiful message.
It's impossible to imagine Angra doing a bad or even ordinary album; they're so professional and skilled in their endeavours, and Temple Of Shadows is no exception. But I just don't know what I think about it really, and I think I'm going to have to give it another try and see if I can get more out of it.

UPDATE:  Well, I have listented to it again and, much to my surprise, I enjoyed it less than last time. I still adore "Spread Your Fire", but so much of the rest rambles around the place, losing my interest, and it also just goes on too long.
I'm afraid I can't join in the adoration for this Angra offering. :-/

***

Sacred Steel - Iron Blessings (2004)

Why don't I hate Sacred Steel? They're pretty much the black sheep of power metal, with their grim and dark lyrics of war and Satanic battles (titles this time include "Screams Of The Tortured", "At the Sabbat of the Possessed (The Witches Ride Again)" and "Annointed By Bloodshed" and they use more and more harsh vocals (I think I've go a handle on that term now) to join Gerri Mutz's strangled squawk/singing (to be fair, he is improving - slightly), and it's not exactly melodious stuff (aren't I using a lot of brackets here?).
But the heaviness and speed just draws me in, and... I don't know... I had a pretty good time with this, and I suppose it's as close to black metal as I'll ever get.
Which is fine by me.

***

Platitude - Nine (2004)

Platitude's second album is a pleasing listen, without being anything remarkable.  There are some haunting keyboards (two of the seven members are credited on said instruments), and such songs as "Trust", "Halcyon Days" and "Avalon Farewell" are enjoyably tuneful, although the record does fade somewhat in the second half.

***

Turisas - Battle Metal (2004)

I have to thank Rate Your Music here, I think, because I came across this band quite recently just surfing around the site, and was intrigued by what people were writing about them.
So I sought out the debut from this Finnish act, and it is terrific!
First, the vocals, provided here by the gentleman who goes by the name of Warlord Nygård .  Let's see if I've got this right - they are "harsh vocals"? That's something between the low of death metal and the high of black? By rights, I still should be repelled by them, and I don't like them all that much, but I don't find them off-putting either, and they almost seem to fit the music.
And what wonderful music we have here! Yes, this is battle metal, full of rousing orchestrative melodies and, along with the roaring voice, there are choral touches and violin solos that take the place of the guitars, with moments of folk throughout. And there's enough speed to put this in the power metal catagory, even though it still transcends it.
Such songs as "Battle Metal", "One More", "Midnight Sunrise" (which sounds like Fairyland at times) and the semi-epic "Rexi Regi Rebellis" are inspirising and just plain fun, almost having one want to pick up a sword and charge against the enemy, without really caring who the enemy is.
The worst part of this is that I now have another band whose catalogue I have to track down if I want to sleep at nights.
Between battles, of course.

****1/2

Artension - Future World (2004)

I've never really got into Artension, and they're not much of the power metal variety either, so they probably didn't really need to be in this blog, but since this is their last album, I thought I'd see them through, since I've got all their CDs, and then I'll list them on Ebay. Well, I've actually just done that, so all their albums are available for sale at Doc's CDs as of now. :-)
Vitalij Kuprig continues to dominate with his exceptional keyboard work (from electronics to piano, he can do it all) and, together with John West's vocals, Artension does have something of a unique sound. Unlike some bands, they don't merge with two dozen others. But the material just doesn't leap out at me much.
Having said they're not really power metal, the opening song here, "Dark Before The Dawn", is fast, as is "Stand & Fight" later, but whatever genre they might be put into, while they're professional at what they do, and I can see why some people would appreciate them, this just isn't really my kind of thing, which is a shame, since keyboard-dominated rock should, in theory, do more for me.
Ah well. It's a diverse world.

**1/2

Iron Savior - Battering Ram (2004)

Iron Savior's CONDITION RED was a rip-roaring classic, and any follow-up was almost inevitably going to be a bit of a comedown. And so Battering Ram is - but not by a lot.
At about eight minutes shorter, Pat and the crew have again given us a straight-forward, dynamic slice of power metal, which one assumes continues the story of the Iron Savior spaceship that they started right at the beginning of their recording career, although I admit I've lost all track of it by now.
It's the music that works.  The opening "Battering Ram", "Time Will Tell" and "Riding Free" are three of the best songs here and, as usual, there are no ballads.
Just fast, pounding rock for those who are happy with such music to be lacking in complexity, but overflowing with power and melody.

****

Nightwish - Once (2004)

Nightwish's fifth album was also the last with Tarja Turunen before she was... um... ousted from the band, in not the happiest of splits, but she finishes on a high here.
Utilising the London Philharmonic Orchestra, giving it all a more symphonic sound than ever before, this is another fine effort, even if, again, I'm not entirely sure how much I like it (I tend to be that way about all Nightwish's releases). Early songs like the knockout single "Wish I Had An Angel", with Marco Hietala's roaring voice blending with Tarja's superbly, are highlights, and "Planet Hell" is also good, but I get a bit stuck around about the middle -  I'm not sure what I think of "Creek Mary's Blood" and "The Siren". But it certainly picks up again, especially with the grandiosity of "Ghost Love Score". And Turunen herself has never sounded better.
I don't think there are many bands who  managed to blend power and symphonic metal, with touches of progressive, as well as Nightwish do, and they do it excellently here. One day, I will go through all their Tarja albums again, and try and work out how much I really do like them. I have a feeling my fondness will grow over time.

****

Skylark - Wings (2004)

As I've gone through the years of power metal so far, some bands have faded in my mind, and I've had to go back through this blog to remind myself what I've thought of them, while others I find hard to forget, and the former is not necessarily because they're bad, or the latter because they're good.
I've long been intrigued by Skylark, despite them bringing out so much mediocre material; there's just something about this Italian group that draws me in.
Well, with Wings, their first release in three years, they've brought out a real curio, and one knows this is going to be different right from the opening song, "Rainbow In The Dark". It's a ballad. At least until it picks up in the later part. How many metal bands start their albums with ballads and, what's more, how many of them record a ballad that's good? Skylark has done both here!
What follows results in what has to be one of the quietest power metal albums in existence. Every song has at least some slow parts, sometimes piano-led, mixed with quick patches, and with the first three tracks (the aforementioned "Rainbow", "Summer Of 2001" and "Another Reason To Believe"), it sounds like they're really onto something here - it's quite enchanting.
Then things start to go awry, not helped by the silly Belzebu character making a return. I'm yet to work out whether he's supposed to be Satan or not, but they're still running from him. The rest of the record isn't bad, but there's just something missing that the first three tracks had. And they finish with a cover of Def Leppard's "When Love and Hate Collide" which is, yes, a ballad.
It must be said the vocals (as usual, male and female shared) have improved to a degree, even if they're still not that great, and the album art is lovely.
This is a flawed piece of work, but it's such an admirable attempt at something different, I can't help but give it a reasonably high rating, and see it as Skylark's best record to date.
I'm certainly not giving up on them now.

***1/2

 

Altaria - Divinity (2004)

Altaria's debut INVITATION appealled to me with its simplicity, and this follow-up does the same.
There is absolutely nothing remarkable about these Fins. Every song goes verse-chorus-verse-chorus (usually sung twice)-instrumental break-chorus (again, usually sung twice), at usually the same, steady tempo (the drummer really doesn't have a lot of improvisation to do here), with some tunes that are reasonable, without being breathtaking, highlights including "Discovery", "Stain On The Switchblade" and the concluding "Final Warning".
And this is all fine by me. There are times when it's nice to just sit and listen to a simple, predictable, straight-forward album. Of course, that could be incredibly dull, but when the melodies themselves pass the mark, like this does, it scratches such an itch.

***

Highlord - Medusa's Coil (2004)

Highlord's first album was awful, their second was terrific, and their third was generally good. So how does this one, number four, stack up?
Probably between two and three.  With it's rather nifty cover (I've had a fascination for Medusa since childhood), and excellent production (so different from HEIR OF POWER), this is a fine listen, with a strong keyboard presence that is always likely to appeal to me, and good songs like "Far From The Light Of God", "Scarlet Tears" and, to a slightly lesser degree, "Your Story Too".
There's not a heap more to say about the record, except that it's not a classic, but still has much to like for power metal fans.

***1/2

Manigance - D'un autre sang (2004)

I've said before that I like it when non-English speaking (at least as their first language) bands sing songs in their mother tongue, even if I can't understand what they're singing about. It's a reason why I quite like Spanish group Tierra Santa.  Manigance is a French act who is similar (singing in French, not Spanish), but their debut, admittedly, did not do a lot for me.  This follow-up is quite similar, but I really tried hard to get into it, and maybe that's why I'm rating it a bit higher. It's hard to pin point a particular song, as there's not a heap of variety here, but the concluding "Enfin délivré" is as good as any of them and, overall, it's a professional, skilfull effort.

***

Pyramaze - Melancholy Beast (2004)

Pyramaze is a Danish band who released three albums, this being the first.  With former Balance Of Power Lance King as vocalist (who's actually British), this is a reasonable listen, with two particularly notable songs, "The Journey" and "Legend". The rest are alright, sounding nicely haunting at times, without being anything outstanding.

**1/2

White Skull - The XIII Skull (2004)

White Skull's TALES FROM THE NORTH is one of my favourite power metal albums, but their following two releases, while good, have been a bit of a comedown. And this, their second with raspy (to put it mildly) vocalist Gus Gabarro doesn't really buck the trend. Again, it's quite good, and offers promises early with the likes of the catchy "Top Secret" and "The Skulls", but it all becomes a bit samey and uninspiring after a while, and it wasn't long before Gabarro had me wishing for Federica De Boni, until I reminded myself that she wasn't that great either.
But no matter who is at the microphone, come ooonnn, White Skull, recapture your best.

***

Dream Evil - The Book Of Heavy Metal (2004)

Wow. Dream Evil has really exploded here.
With their first two albums, these Swedes showed they could do some good stuff, but not consistently - rather like Mob Rules. But, starting with the monstrous "The Book Of Heavy Metal (March Of The Metallians)", this has them powering out of the stables with plenty of hard-hitting metal goodness. Yes, there are "we live for rock/metal" lyrics all over the place once more, but they justify that living with such tracks as the afore-mentioned piece, as well as "Into The Moonlight", "Chosen Twice" and "M.O.M." The only real disappointment is at the end - "Only For The Night", rather like "Crusaders' Anthem" earlier, veers too much towards eighties glam rock, while the ballad "Unbreakable Chain" is an unfortunate choice with which to conclude things. This record needed to finish with a bang, but instead got a whimper.
Nonetheless, there's enough great stuff on here to justify its place in any book of heavy metal.
Guitarist Gus G. and drummer Snowy Shaw left after this.

****

Mob Rules - Among The Gods (2004)

Mob Rules' fourth album is another good, steady effort, with such songs as the opening "Black Rain", "Invitation Time", "Meet You In Heaven" and the closing "Arabia" offering melodious pleasure. As usual, they're not as consistent as they could be, but this still might be their best release to date. Mob Rules don't offer quite enough to really stand out from the crowd, but they always manage to bring out something worthwhile, and Among The Gods is no exception.

***

DragonForce - Sonic Firestorm (2004)

So here they are again, the much-derided DragonForce, with their second album.
I loved VALLEY OF THE DAMNED, for its speed, fast solos and flying melodies, as did many others, while heaps of people hated it for mostly similar reasons. So what's the band to do? If they repeat the process, they could sound stale, but if they change things too much, they'd disappoint so many fans.
They've gone for the former option here. This is more of the same. Yes, it's predictable. You know you'll have mostly fast songs, five of which (including the one ballad) have key changes, steady build ups to the melodious choruses, and lightning guitar solos throughout.
But again, it's such fun! Maybe there isn't a hugely rousing "Heart Of The Dragon" here, but such songs as "Fury Of The Storm" and "Above The Winter Moonlight" are so disarming, they're impossible to dislike. Alright, impossible for me to dislike.
It seems the band was calling themselves "Journey Meets Slayer" by this time of their career, which I'm sure was enough to make fans of both those bands choke on their razor blade breakfasts (alright, maybe Journey fans just settle for Coco Pops), but they've got damn better melodies than Journey, and... well, let's forget about the Slayer comparisons.
I'm a wimpy, girly metal fan.
And I'm proud of it. :-D

****

Elvenking - Wyrd (2004)

Elvenking's second album, three years after their debut, is another reckless, but interesting mixture of power and folk metal, with as many violin solos as guitar, and wild songwriting that sounds like they're sometimes making it up as they go along, but with moments that are captivating. The highlight is undoubtedly "Moonchariot", while "Another Haven" is also good, but there's much to like here, if you can plow through the chaos.

***1/2

Vision Divine - Stream Of Consciousness (2004)

There are times (when listening to a musical act from any genre) when one has to say, "Look, I've tried, but they're just not doing it for me, so I'll leave them." On this blog, I've pulled the plug on several bands, including Sinergy, Manticora and, perhaps most contentiously (since they're quite popular), Labyrinth (four albums in, and I still couldn't get a handle on them).
After two underwhelming efforts from Vision Divine, I was considering giving them the old heave ho as well, but I'm so glad I haven't, for this album blows the first two out of the water.
Fabio Lione has gone from the mic, to be replaced by Michael Luppi which, must be said, is an improvement in itself, and what we have is fourteen "chapters" (a mixture of songs and a few instrumental vignettes) which seem to convey a story of someone's battle with mental illness.
It balances the extravagances of progressive metal with the melodies and speed of power ideally, with such songs as "Colours Of My World", "La vita fugge", "Shades" and "We Are, We Are Not" deft and captivating, gradually pulling the listener in with their graceful melodies and song structures. The instrumentation is first rate, and I particularly like the electronic touches here and there.
This doesn't leap on the listener instantly like the most poppy of power metal bands, but neither does it alienate with endless, complex noodling. It gets the balance just right, and shows that Vision Divine really do have something to offer.

****

Magic Kingdom - Metallic Tragedy (2004)

Belgium band Magic Kingdom brought out their debut album, THE ARRIVAL, in 1999, which is not easy to find. I listened to it a bit on You Tube, and was glad that I hadn't found it, since it was pretty ordinary. Fast-forward five years, and they released their second LP, and it is, sometimes, quite impressive. There's nothing particuarly expectional about it all - largely fast rockers, about the usual fantasy things, and reasonably melodious pieces, highlighted by the likes of "Child Of The Nile" and "The Fight", but what really tops it off is the thirteen-minute title track.
It's an opera which, again, doesn't offer much that new in the subject matter, it being a battle of good  and evil. But it's done the way all rock operas should be done, with each part (five, in this instance) given a different, and distinctive, vocalist. So we have clean male vocals playing the part of the Knight and the King, an operatic female as the Angel, death grunts for the Demon and black metal screaming portraying the Witch. 
While yes, the last two are styles I usually can't stand much of (I've just been listening to After Forever, and will be giving a Haggard album a spin soon, so the grunts are really starting to take their toll on me), they're used intelligently here. They fit the evil characters ideally. And, of course, the proper singers do their parts successfully as well. Metal bands take note - give notably different vocals to your characters, and also, it is alright to do an opera that's one lengthy track, rather than a whole, hour long (or more) record.
This release isn't a classic, but it is worthwhile, and it's a shame they waited another six years before bringing out their third album, SYMPHONY OF WAR.

***1/2

Edguy - Hellfire Club (2004)

Tobias Sammet - sorry, I mean Edguy - continue with this album, which again shows the man's knack of catchy songs, even if it can't match the quality of the band's previous MANDRAKE.  The flying "We Don't Need A Hero" has them at their best, and there are other good moments throughout, although "Lavatory Love Machine", about Sammet making love to an airline stewardess while their plane is crashing, is not one of them. It's not clear what some of the other lyrics are about, but references to "Hellfire" and Lucifer don't exactly inspire fear.
Edguy albums can't help but be entertaining, and Hellfire Club certainly is, but it's not quite their best work.

***1/2

Metalium - As One: Chapter Four (2004)

Metalium is responsible for one of my all time favourite power metal songs, "Steel Avenger", from STATE OF TRIUMPH: CHAPTER TWO, and they have a similar opener (after the introduction) here in the rip-roaring "Warrior". When they hit their peak, these Germans are a knock-out.
However, they don't hit said peak all that often and, like with that album, what follows here, on this record of Greek mythology, with references to the likes of Medusa, Aphrodite and the Hydra, could be seen as a bit of a let down. But it shouldn't, for there is still much to like, whether they slow down for the pomposity of "Illuminated (Opus One)", or move along steadily with "Power Strikes The Earth", before concluding with the pounding "As One (Finale)". Their 'Shouting Choir' is very effective, more than ably supporting Henning Bass' crying vocals, and there's no denying the passion for metal the band has.  They mightn't always get it right, but when they do, the results are dynamic.

***

Nocturnal Rites - New World Messiah (2004)

After a couple of drab efforts, Nocturnal Rites return to some kind of form with this, their sixth album.  There've never been any pretensions about these Swedes - they play a straightforward brand of power metal, with verse-chorus-verse-chorus song structures throughout, relying on energetic playing and catchy hooks. Here, such hooks can be found with the likes of "Against The World" and the excellent "Avalon".  Some other songs are reasonable, without doing anything wonderful, but that's how Nocturnal Rites does things, and for the relatively undemanding, this is worth a few listens.

***

Domine - Emperor Of The Black Runes (2004)

Domine continue their extravagent sword and sorcery with this, their fourth album, which is inspired by the likes of "Conan The Barbarian" and the works of Michael Moorcock. It has the speed, the suites, the melodramatic vocals and tales of battles, etc that all simply must be included with this type of music, even though Domine can never reach the epic proportions of someone like Rhapsody.  They don't have 1000-piece orchestras or huge choirs blowing the roof off castles, preferring to trust (mostly) their own five members, with just touches of outside help here and there.
It it still good, with such songs as "Battle Gods (Of The Universe)" and, in particular, "Icarus Ascending", as highlights, and there is something admirable about how they go about their business, even though I still can't help but wonder if their career has been an opportunity missed.
But for those who want straight, fantasy power metal without the overblown bombast, this might fit the bill.

***1/2

Celesty - Legacy Of Hate (2004)

Celesty's second album is another one of those releases which has the initial problem of not only the lyrics being hard to read, but also the song titles.  This creates an immediate barrier which makes the record hard to approach.  It helps even less when the material is as wobbly as this.  The vocals are weak (even the touches of black and death metal screeches and growls don't have much of an effect), and too much of the material is rambling and rather aimless.
There are some reasonable moments here and there, and the attempts by the band for more expansive, complex material (exemplified by the last two, lengthy and segmented tracks, "Legacy Of Hate Part I" and "Legacy Of Hate Part II") are laudible.  But it just doesn't really work - overall, it's an aloof, frustrating album which can't match its lofty ambitions.

**

Primal Fear - Devil's Ground (2004)

Primal Fear's fifth album is pretty much what one would expect from these Germans by now - old school metal played with ferocity, starting with one of many metal-tributes so many bands have done (this one being "Metal Is Forever"), and finishing with a spoken-word interlude ("Devil's Ground"), which seems to be a warning against going to Hell.
I admit to finding this all a bit routine and humdrum. Maybe if it was Primal Fear's first release, or if I'd heard it before hearing so much other metal, I might like it more, but there's just so little here that's new or particularly interesting. Scheepers screams, the band pounds, the songs do their bit, and then it's over.
And, after 55 minutes, I can't say I was particularly sorry.

**1/2

Time Requiem - The Inner Circle Of Reality (2004)

Time Requiem is again dominated by main man Richard Anderson's keyboard skills, as he flies up and down the octaves throughout, while Apollo Papathanasio's vocals manage to be raspy and strong at the same time.  Some of it rambles, but there are worthwhile moments, like with the particularly heavy opener "Reflections", which is followed by the eleven-minute title track, and "Definition of Insanity" is also a higlight. I do sometimes wish I could like certain keyboard-led bands more than I do (Artension is another an example), since I am a fan of such instruments so much, but Time Requiem, while not the best out there, certainly have something to offer.

***

Morifade - Domi<>Nation (2004)

Morifade's final album for some time is based on the works of Wells' "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", and it is a pleasing listen of melodious power metal, something they have shown beforehand that they can be quite adept at. Highlights include "A Silent Revolution", "Clarity (Fragments Of A Dream)" and "The Rising". It's not groundbreaking, but offers plenty of enjoyment.

***1/2