After the release of
Fairyland's second album, Fall of an Empire,
Fairyland's main composer Philippe Giordana was left without any band members as they all parted ways. To some degree this also happened after the release of the band's debut, Of Wars in Osyrhia. As this new album shows, Philippe continues undeterred. Instead of pursuing new band members he is now the sole member of
Fairyland and has guest musicians doing the rest. This gives way to new opportunities as can also be seen by the very long list of people who are playing on the album. It brings some diversity to the music and since Philippe already wrote all the music and lyrics himself the core of
Fairyland is intact.
Score to a New Beginning was released back in April of 2009 but I have only recently discovered it. Being what can be described a quite fond of Symphonic Power Metal Score... was a delightful discovery. Of Wars in Osyrhia lingers in my distant memory as a great debut but I never listened to the followup.
Score to a New Beginning continues and concludes? the Osyrhia saga and as is the case with Rhapsody, though
Fairyland is a step up in that department, I've decided that the lyrics aren't meant to cause major headaches. It's all about the music.
Fortunately the music is grand, powerful and filled with interesting detail. There is a sweeping movie soundtrack quality to the instrumental passages which will make you want to sit back, close your eyes and imagine faraway places. The music sparks the imagination.
The 10 songs flow together very well and give the impression of one long symphony in several acts.
Instant favorites were
Assault on the Shore and
Master of the Waves.
Assault... builds intensity in it's opening verse with aggressive vocals and a rising keyboard melody. As the chorus arrives melodic bliss takes over. With my thoughts going out to Rhapsody I can't help being taken away by this superbly catchy and happy section where everything works towards bringing out the melody. Slick and effective.
Master of the Waves has a dramatic opening and segues nicely into its main melody. The chorus is again a highlight but the whole song flows very well.
Elsewhere there's plenty to enjoy with 7 vocalists delivering strong performances and a genuinely grand orchestration. The production is sufficiently huge and makes you turn up the volume further and further in order to catch everything. The only thing I've noticed is the vocals are sometimes too low in the mix. Nothing serious but enough to occasionally get noticed.
Score To A New Beginning is not particularly original but it's effective and hugely enjoyable. If you're impatiently awaiting the new Rhapsody album then Score... is the perfect way to make time go by a bit faster.
Written by
Steen Friday, February 5, 2010
Show all reviews by SteenRatingsSteen: 7.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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