Celesty - Reign Of Elements (2002)

We come to the end of 2002, and to complete it is one of the better power metal albums of the year, Finnish band Celesty's debut Reign Of Elements.
Featuring a story of some evil being fighting the Elemental Gods who banished him somewhere (a rough sypnosis), this benefits from being consistently speedy (apart from the unfortunately inevitable ballad at the end) and the tinklings of keyboardist Juha Mäenpää (including the piano), whose work rescues most of the songs from their rather rudimentary melodies.
With highlights including "Revenge" and "The Sword And The Shield" (vocalist Kimmo Perämäki doesn't pronounce the W in sword! Unfortunately, he does pronounce it nearly everytime he says the word 'I'), this is not especially fantastic, but it's pretty enjoyable, typical power metal all the same.

***1/2

And so I come to the end of another year, 2002. Off the top of my head, Rhapsody, Freedom Call and Iron Savior stood out for me, while I should also give boquets to others, like Axenstar, Arwen, Falconer and Power Quest. There was some ordinary stuff there, but good as well.
Now it's time for another break here, while I get ready for 2003.  Over the last couple of weeks, I've booked a trip to the UK in May, where I will be for about five weeks. I'll certainly should be able to cover 2003 in that time, and would like to try for 2004 before I go as well.
We'll see. But the good thing is, I started this blog over a year ago, really not sure whether I would get tired of all this power metal stuff, not to mention writing about it. But, through the positives and negatives, I haven't. There's plenty more to come, and I'm looking forward to it. :)

Iron Mask - Revenge Is My Name (2002)

Iron Butterfly... Iron Maiden... Iron Savior... Iron Fire... now here's Iron Mask.
This band is otherwise known as Dushan Petrossi's Iron Mask, due to Belgium guitar hero Dushan Petrossi being the driving force.
But, whoever is driving it, this debut is not all that great.  In fact, the only song that really flies is "Hold The Light", which comes near the end.  "You Are My Blood" is a ballad dedicated to (and about) Petrossi's young son, and it would be mean to bag a song with such a topic. But I will - it's boring.
Vocalist Phil Letawe is also another singer who pronounces the "W" in "sword". I know these people don't have English as their first language, but you'd think, since they sing about the things often enough, they could learn how to say the word properly.
Revenge Is My Name (the record's name, as well as some of the songs, are taken from Alexander Dumas' "Man In The Iron Mask") is an alright listen, but nothing really special.

**1/2

Dionysus - Sign Of Truth (2002)

Swedish power metal band Dionysus had the advantage of having metal illuminaries like Tobias Sammet and HammerFall's Joacim Cans working with them on this debut, not to mention the vocals of Olaf Hayer, whom Luca Turilli uses on his "solo" albums, but the result still isn't all that much.  The lyrics are very positive, showing a consistent lament for evil and a desire to overcome it.  Children figure prominently in "Sign Of Truth" and what seems to be the child abuse-themed "Anthem For The Children", while "Holy War" states "So we will fight the sins, killing the tyrant and shedding his blood/To show the world that the evil is dead for eternity".
Unfortunately, the music is rather generic. Only the opening "Time Will Tell" and "Holy War" really catch hold, and even these are very much 'typical' power metal tunes, without offering much that's new.
It's not a bad listen at all, but here's hoping Dionysus can do better with their following releases.

**1/2

Symphorce - Phorceful Ahead (2002)

I've liked Symphorce's work so far, and this, their third album, is another good one, although maybe not quite up to the standards of the first two.  Andy Franck's vocals are strong again (although he almost parodies Dave Mustaine a couple of times), and there are some fine guitar riffs, but there's not a lot that stands out - one song is generally like another.  They're not speedy; more driving and, well, phorceful.
But it's good.

***

Artension - Sacred Pathways (2002)

Through my power metal trip, there are going to be certain artists I just don't like, and there have been a few I've decided to just leave for the time being. One is ShadowKeep, while I've also pretty much given up on Manticora, even though some seem to hold them in high regard. They're just too tough for me.
Artension is another band I've been "eehh" about, not helped by them not really being a power metal band anyway, being more in the "progressive/neo-classical" group. But I've got their stuff, and there are only a couple more albums to go (this is their fifth), so I might as well see them out. And, like their previous MACHINE, I do quite like this. I keep mentioning keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij, which is fair enough, since he's the driving force, and my love of keyboards means his regular flourishes do tend to keep me entertained, and can even be soothing at times.
The songs themselves are reasonable, highlights including "Sacred Pathways" and "Nightmare".  Artension is probably a band I'll soon forget when I'm finished with them, but they've not been a dead loss, showing professionalism throughout.

***

Symphony X - The Odyssey (2002)

I've been finding this one tough to get into. Symphony X has become steadily more progressive as their career has gone on, which makes it necessary to have more and more concerted listens to really take in what they're doing. Maybe I haven't done that enough with The Odyssey yet, so I'll say there's a lot of good stuff here I'm yet to discover.
The length doesn't help, of course. At almost seventy minutes, it's quite the long haul, made to seem all the longer by the twenty-four minute, seven-part title track that finishes the record. I like the orchestral parts in this, and maybe it could have been easier to enjoy if there hadn't been so much that had gone on before it. I love Jethro Tull's THICK AS A BRICK, but it's just one forty minute song, nothing else.
I don't like saying I'm not a fan of progressive rock/metal, and just prefer 'simplistic' music. I'd like to think I can appreciate complex works like this, but maybe I don't put enough work into them. Maybe I cast the net too wide and try to listen to too much.
Or maybe I am simplistic in my musical tastes. :-|

***1/2

Platitude - Secrets Of Life (2002)

Swedish band Platitude are a seven-piece who have not done a lot of work, but this debut, while nothing remarkable, is a pretty good listen.  They're more into philosophy and love songs than dragons and elves, which is fine, and they have a strong vocalist in Erik "EZ" Blomkvist. Highlights include "Amena" and the concluding "Evil Sky".

***