Probably one of the most straight-ahead in-your-face Melodic Metal albums I have heard in a long time. Rather than pigeonholing these guys in the whole Power Metal category, you have to say that these guys are straight up Melodic Heavy Metal with it's with tinges towards the progressive, power, and even the symphonic Metal sound.
As the band evolved through five albums prior to their latest and sixth release, Rising Symphony, going from an
AOR Metal sound to adding progressive elements to later predating the whole neo-classical craze in their own right,
Stormwind aligns the melodic sound from
Takara and Riot, while adding a more mild Malmsteen/Rising Force approach to the whole progressive edge. Guitar work is exceptionally carried out by Axeman Thomas Wolf, whose style is smooth, yet intense, keeping emphasis on riffs while carrying out solos with classical precision, carrying an ever-changing style through the record; bringing the late period Sabbath style riffs to the of the dark
"Excalibur" to fulfilling the brutal crunch of the Priest/Dio-esque
"White Man".
While not completely being brutally brought forth like your everyday Metal album, the similarities of Power Metal still fall within. There are cuts on the album that might resemble Rhapsody or Stratovarius, like
"Stranger from the Sea" with its operatic chorus and pounding double bass (which is also present predominantly on the album). Oh yes, and there are keyboards on the album, coming out of the whole Dream Theater/Rudess/Sherinian improvisation arpeggio train of thought, but yet they do not ruin the record. Thomas Vikstrom's vocal style brought an different element to the album, being of tenor quality with an expanded range, which reminds me of a somewhat, eased
Jeff Scott Soto crossed with
Danny Vaughn (Waysted/Tyketto), keeping the vocal harmonies more of a desirable aesthetic, emphasizing the low-to-mid end approach to a vocal range rather than trying to outdo everybody else's falsettos.
The fact that the song structure on the album has a lack of consistency, going from heavy to ballad to dark and back again, prevents the record from becoming a plethora of melancholy, keeping you in tune with the album through the changes. Two Ballads grace the record, the dark and emotional acoustic "River of Love" with the 12-string guitar and dark synthesizer orchestration providing the backdrop among the
nylon string classical guitar brought forward with light flamenco style intensity, while the more electric "Streets of Prishtine" has a more "power-ballad" vibe to it, without being cheesy.
The cut that stands out the most is
"Eyes of Change," which I will say would have been my first choice to play on my now defunct radio show, where it would have received good rotation among other cuts on the record, man does this song have a great hook found within the tight vocal harmonies in the chorus.
Give this album a try, I will admit that not all the cuts grabbed me, but the ones that did, really did. It's a great record and really outdoes itself while standing out among many of the new records today. I believe it was the hooks in the songs, the production, and the diversity in the changes on the album itself that kept me interested the whole way through. I liked it; I enjoyed it, and will continue to do so.
Written by
Hashman Saturday, July 5, 2003
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