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