Paragon's fourth album is their most balanced and strongest performance. This time we are dealing with a concept about being abducted into a world that has strong resemblance to ancient Rome. Classic themes of tyrants, gladiators, slaves, fight for freedom and a land where the blade is a common mean of communication. The lyrics are well written and perfectly fitted into the atmosphere of the music.
The overall musical style is Power Metal, very aggressive and intense in the vein of Iced Earth. But also more epic and atmospheric moods are created here and there, which remind me of
Manowar and especially their Into Glory Ride album.
A great thing about this album is that every song is interesting and of high quality, here goes some comments that should paint a broad picture of what is going on.
Palace Of Sin opens with a raw riff and then gain pace with some powerful drums. The intense vocal parts are simply stunning and brilliantly performed by Andreas Babuschkin. I am completely amazed by his vocal abilities, his voice is very varied and the raw edge fits perfectly into the album.
The rhythm is very solid and the track features a well played fast guitar solo and a melodic chorus.
Overall this is Power Metal of extreme intensity and quality.
A slower rhythm drives
Armies Of The Tyrant. The great ultra raw guitar riff and very grooving bass lays a tight fundament. The chorus is huge and works very well with the main rhythm. Some cool harmonious guitar arrangements make a fitting contribution.
The epic side of the album comes to light in the 7-minute
Across The Wastelands. The enchanting chorus background and slow pumping bass makes a great atmosphere. The main rhythm is extremely tight and solid, and the central chorus comes out in a great epic way.
Shadow World is a fast and powerful track. The drums are very intense and the varied mid-section is really well arranged. The melodic leads works well with the very raw rhythm. The changing elements and different atmospheres help in making this a very varied and detailed track.
The chorus is a bit simple, but overall this is still a very solid track.
The Journey's End is the best and also most calm track on the album. The acoustic guitar rhythm is functioning perfect, creating a great dreaming mood. The dark atmosphere of the song is broken with a chorus, which is one of the coolest and most bombastic and epic I have ever heard. The greatness is completed by at melodic solo of high quality. The changing pace and atmosphere comes to life in a stunning way.
Back To Glory is a fast monster of a track. The double bass drums are pounding away, but still create some great details. I find the main rhythm tight, but it also seems to be very constant through the song. This is not a problem, but more details would have made it better. The chorus is very melodic and the guitars are glowing with power and tight riffs. The great lead guitar section functions really well, giving the song an extra dimension.
The sound is very raw and tight; it could have been more polished, but anyway it is on the good side.
I am very impressed with the tightness of the band. The level of intensity and power is extreme.
The drums are sounding very powerful and balanced, the guitar riffs balance between grooving, fast and wild, and the bass is solid and plays an important part in the songs. The solos are of high technical quality, and as mentioned above the brilliant varied vocals are something that gives the album an extra plus.
I would have liked more epic stuff, and some songs have a rhythm that could have been more varied. This is just minor stuff, when I think about the album as a whole I am impressed with the nice flow it has.
All in all Law Of The Blade is a very balanced and well arranged album that displays brilliant powerful and epic moments.
Written by
Tommy Tuesday, April 1, 2003
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