Olympos Mons - Conquistador
Well, here we have another record that helps to hollow out a great genre, the half-symphonic Power Metal, trying to ride along the already starved-out wave of bands playing this style.
In terms of quality, I put Olympos Mons in the same category as Dragonhammer, Majesty and countless other acts, all bands that are totally lacking any kind of imagination and personal identity.
The band tries to sound like Labyrinth, Rhapsody, and similar acts, with the usual run-of-the-mill double bass drums, melodic choruses and semi-orchestral arrangements, but the attempt fails badly, due to a total lack of nerve, charm, or just a few surprising moments.

I must mention, in all fairness, that the musicians are good at handling their instruments, and a few approved parts are to be found here and there.
The music is far from simple in structure, and tracks like The Last Light Of The Moon and Black even has some quality in them. These songs are a little more dark and melancholic and have a mysterious feel to them, which suits the band a lot more than the conventional Euro Power Metal styled tunes.

The main problem is, that the album is boring. Plain and simple. The songs seem stretched out and uninspiring, and having a terrible singer in front, doesn't exactly enhance the experience. Ian E. Highhill's highpitch sounds extremely forced on several occasions, which the very annoying Black Desiree is a perfect example of. This song will hunt me in my nightmares!
Furthermore the singer too needs to look up the word "enthusiasm" in a dictionary and learn it's meaning!

The more sinister and mystic passages, as the fine chorus in Black works , and could be developed further, so maybe there's still hope.
The band is capable of playing, even the slightly complex stuff, but usually the songs with many different parts appear as a bag of bones, without a spine. Lots of ideas floating around without any real fixpoint to bind them together in a satisfying way.

Written by Nina
Monday, January 31, 2005
Show all reviews by Nina

Ratings

Nina: 3/10

Members: No members have rated this album yet.


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RevelationZ Comments


Comment by metalman (Anonymous) - Tuesday, February 1, 2005
i think u suck at giving ratings,
really !

you gave dragonhammer a 3 as well
and even though these bands might not be orginal or just clones ,they arent "BAD"

and according to you guys rating system a 3 is bad.

hormonal perhaps ?




Comment by Mads J. (Anonymous) - Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Rating bands that are mediocre at best, doesn't nescessarilly have to be hormonal.
I'd done the same thing myself, and trust me buddy...my hormones are just fine!

Besides, saying anyone suck at rating albums is pretty lame...taste is individual for F**k's sake, man. Steen nailed it pretty well just a couple of days ago on this site...read the comment and maybe you will understand as well!

Great for you that you like the aforementioned bands. Personally I hate standard Power Metal clones, but that doesn't make me laugh at people who do. The variety of sub-genres is a cornerstone in Heavy Metal and it's one of its greatest strengths...without individual taste it wouldn't be so. Therefore respect individual taste, no need not to.


Comment by pseudome (Anonymous) - Thursday, February 3, 2005
Well put Mads. Any review that's thorough, well grounded and objective is generally a good one. Even if it doesn't reflect my personal opinion.

Anyone can give perfect scores to one's fave band. But are the fan made reviews really the most trustworthy ones? Hell no.

Besides, the Gauss-curve the reviews should follow is already weighted towards the higher marks. More low rated reviews, please!

I personally disagree with many reviews on this page or anywhere around the net. Still I enjoy reading them because some new viewpoints always open up. Criticism make progress possible. Thanks for the good website!


Comment by The hobbit (Anonymous) - Monday, February 14, 2005
Another review based on the reviewers own musical taste.
Sometimes it seems that those
who just "thinks" they know something about music are the
ones giving the hardest judgements.
I bought the record a couple of weeks ago and I think it´s great, in fact I think they have a slightly unusual sound that makes them stand out from the crowd, catchy tunes too!!

Definitely hormonal!!!





Comment by Mads J. (Anonymous) - Monday, February 14, 2005
@Hobbit

What a lame comment...what else would you base a comment on? The position of the Stars, the weather condition, the singer's hair??? For God sake, grow up!




Comment by Mads J. (Anonymous) - Monday, February 14, 2005
Hehe... *base a review on* ofcourse.

Those guys from "confuse a cat ltd." again :)


Comment by Blah (Anonymous) - Monday, February 14, 2005
Practice what you preach, Hobbit.
"I think it´s great, in fact I think..." You nailed it twice in one sentence. You think. Ain't that based on your tastes?

You think your opinions represent the absolute and unquestionable truth or something? Moron. May not be hormonal but certainly reveals a nutcase.




Comment by Darlan Deathscythe (Anonymous) - Sunday, March 6, 2005
Thank god that there's still a thing called "different tastes".. Personally I like the album, but bear in mind this is my opinion and not of others. If you want to know if you like it, you should find it out yourself, don't rely on another one's taste..

And if you're wondering why my grammar is so bad, my spelling as well I must admit, that is because I'm Dutch ;)


Comment by Adam Herman (Anonymous) - Friday, March 25, 2005
I'm not going to criticize the reviewer, but I do think this is a very good album. Basically, if you're sick of power metal and only want to hear the best of the best, then skip this one. But if you are still hungrily buying solid power metal releases still, like I am, this one is very good. Good production, good hooks, good choruses(excellent choruses actually), and good musicianship. That's a lot more than a lot of power metal bands these days. Not in the top tier, but they certainly have the potential.











Review by Nina
None

Released by
Limb Music - 2004

Tracklisting
1. Seven seas.
2. Stars.
3. The Last Light Of The Moon.
4. Wanted Man.
5. Black.
6. Through The Ice And Snow.
7. Black Desiree.
8. Cleopatra.
9. The Princess Of Saba.
10. Lady In White.
11. Conquistador.

Supplied by Target


Style
Power Metal

Related links
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Olympos Mons - Official Website

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