Take some epic Rhapsody/Turilli moments and mix them with some Wizard Power Metal, and you'll have an idea of how Galloglass sound. Lyrically we are dealing with fantasy themes, with a couple of dragons popping up once in a while. There is absolutely nothing new or groundbreaking here. Of course, that is not always necessary to make a good album.

It would be easy to write off Galloglass as just another Rhapsody clone playing typical Epic Power Metal with some classical influences, but I gave the album a chance to see how it would grow. The band does manage to come up with some good melodies once in a while, but don't have enough variation to really stand out from the crowd. Especially Ancient times and A Wintertale show good potential for the future though.

Violin is used to underline the melody and create a good atmosphere in many songs. It actually works very good in most songs.

Right from the start the Rhapsody/Turilli link is obvious. Just take a listen to the choirs on the opening song Dragons revenge.

Interesting and good songs include Ancient Times, which has a good drive and where the violin sets a great atmosphere. A Wintertale is carried by it's extremely melodic and strangely familiar chorus. Eye to eye is the fastest song on the album and another personal favourite.

The quest in an interesting sidestep too, but gets nowhere close to the magnificence of say, "A past and future secret" from Blind Guardian.

The two guitarists (Kai Mühlenbruch & Norbert Geiseler) lay a solid foundation and share some good solos, which help pull the album up. Especially the twin guitar solos are excellent.

The drumming is consistent, but a little too 'clean', nothing extraordinary happens here.

Carsten Frank on vocals does a good job and is able to give a couple of songs a special touch, but his voice is not able to seperate the band from the growing crowd of Power Metal bands.

An example of a song that doesn't do anything for me is the long winded Crusade of the damned, which is also bogged down by a forgetable chorus.

There's no doubt that these guys are heavily influenced by Rhapsody, but to be compared to the masters they need to develop their composition skills and come up with much better melodies, than what most of the songs have on this effort.

Galloglass show good potential at times, but never manage to go beyond their influences from Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Wizard etc. Overall this release is just above average in the field of Epic Power Metal and should please the most craving fans. The album has some very good songs, and the rest are ok, but do not leave a lasting impression with me.

Written by Steen
Friday, March 21, 2003
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Ratings

Steen: 5.5/10

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