Moonlight Agony, a group of fiery Power Metal aficionados, is now a Power Metal force to be reckoned with. This is of course thanks to their amazing debut "Echoes of a Nightmare." The band, which is fronted by vocal tour-de-force Chity Sompala (Firewind), has created an album that consists of eight strong songs. And all of these just so happen to be well written, arranged, and performed at that. Keyboardist Martin Mellstrom puts in a notably amazing performance, and his contribution helps make "Echoes" the solid and epic album that it is.

Now my first point that I want to convey, is that this is how I think Power Metal should sound. "Echoes of a Nightmare" contains all of the ingredients that I desire. These ingredients consist of heaviness, melody, musicianship, and top notch vocals. There is however one other thing that I find in Power Metal albums that really makes them special and that sets them apart from the pack. I love it when I listen to a record and it paints a mental picture or tells a story though the music itself. I'm not talking about the vocals (although they help), but I am referring to the actual music and the imagery it conjures up in my mind as I listen. When I first heard the Moonlight Agony demo over a year ago, I couldn't help but be reminded of all out Castlevania type of stuff. This is a good thing I must assure you. Yes, I am a total nerd, but I have always been a big fan of the Castlevania soundtrack material over the years. With "Echoes," this influence is still present in my ears; however I find myself imagining Pirates and ships in addition to Castles and epic landscapes as I listen to this. And that my friend, is fucking cool.

Now, if I may, I would like to take a moment to rave about the title track on this album. Holy crap is this song amazing. If you are somewhat interested in this band based on what I have said so far, then get off your ass and download this song. It's like a super melodic Castlevania, Pirate romp and it totally melts my face every time I listen to it (which is a lot). I promise you that you will go running to your record store or online distributor to get this album if you take three minutes and listen to this.

The production duties were handled by Evergrey front man and Dragonland accredited producer Thomas S. Englund. Tom and his producing partner in crime Arnold Lindberg, have once again shown that they know what it takes to kick out an awesome Power Metal record. It's both Crystal clear and ballsy, and that to me is more than enough to equal a solid production. "Echoes of a Nightmare" is an incredible piece of work, and will no doubt make my top five of 2004 list.

Written by Jonah
Monday, November 22, 2004
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Ratings

Jonah: 8.5/10

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Comment by Steen (Staff) - Saturday, December 4, 2004

View Profile Comments: 518 Saw Moonlight Agony live in Sommersted two days ago. Even though it was only me and two drunk Germans in the front banging, the band seemed grateful of the reception. The show convinced me to buy their album and listening to it now I am impressed. The first thought that popped into my head when I put in the cd and "Into darkness" started was "Dragonland"! Listen to their song "Ride for glory" and maybe you'll hear what I mean. Anyway this is an excellent debut. Not perfect, but the band shows great potential. Love the melodies and atmosphere but I do think the drums take up too much of the sound and would have liked a bit more punch in the guitar sound. The ending song, Vanished is a killer. At this point I would rate it 7/10, but there is a definite potential for growth in these songs. Posted by Steen (Staff) Saturday, December 4, 2004