Arguably, '
My Inner Demon' should come with a sticker, assuring us that "no risks were taken in the making of this power metal album".
But in fairness, to brand it "lowest common denominator" Power Metal would be an injustice.
'My Inner Demon' will appeal to a wide spectrum of metal fans, not least to those who follow the likes of
Edguy,
Kamelot,
Gamma Ray and their imitators.
Opener, '
Wings Of Eternity' sails closer to GR's relatively uncomplicated quest to be the stadium rock band of the power metal genre than any of the others.
'Miracle' hurtles headlong into one of those thick cut, melodic metal songs that
Edguy do so well. Strong on melody, but still credibly metallised. The iron fist in the velvet glove.
'The Flight Of Icarus' is an epic metal track, full of preposterous, mock heroic notions and climaxed by an uplifting symphonic metal crescendo of a chorus. Bombastic, over the top, and loving every minute. You either adore or despise this stuff. There's no in between.
'Taste Of Sin' is undeniably heavy and densely constructed , acting as a suitable trailer for the album's title track,
'My Inner Demon'. The ominous,
Kamelot like intro, promises much for this 7 minute, slow burning, classically shaped opus. And
Silverlane deliver. Not with originality but with all the best bits that you've ever heard from all the best power / symphonic metal bands - widescreen keyboard passages, thundering riffs and an impressive overall command of orchestral pace and power.
Ecki Singer, the band's, er, singer is a heavily accented vocalist, but his controlled, strength-in-reserve vocals make this entirely transparent.
Elsewhere, the balladic
'Tears Of Pain' is sketched around a dominant piano and compliant strings. Heavily romanticised, cinematic keyboards paint a thousand pictures on
'In The Desert', essentially the intro to
'Kingdom Of Sand', very effectively encouraging us to visualise the burning sands of the Kalahari or the Sahara, stretching out as far as the eye can see.
'Full Moon' takes us full circle, back to full on,
Gamma Ray like arena metal.
'Serenade of Wind' owes much to the classics, especially to Ravel, and
'The Dark Storm' is all that the title suggests - rampant riffs, pounding rhythms and a verse, bridge sequence that rises to a suitable satisfying symphonic metal chorus.
They may not be the most original band in the power metal world, but that aside, you'd be hard pushed to find a better exponent of the genre than this.
Written by
Brian Tuesday, March 17, 2009
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