Cost: $1.00
This CD is available for trade.
Fantasy-themed power metal. This is quite solid for a first release and the musicianship is very good overall, particularly the guitarwork. There is keyboard usage, and while they aren't terribly intrusive, I found they don't add much to the sound other than the harpsichord effects in "Glade of Mists." The guitars are the main focus in the mix anyway. The vocalist is the weakest link here--the standard singing is plain and unnoteworthy, and the attempts at falsetto aren't very good. Especially for the musical style, this is just a short CD-EP at 19 minutes (albeit with a 2 minute opening narration track and another 2 minute atmospheric keyboard interlude). The music itself doesn't really reveal any overblown epicness or grandeur, but...
The inner booklet just reeks of schlocky nerdiness. Rather than regular pseudonyms, there's a sort of cast list where each member is a fantasy character. Reading the thanks list, it wouldn't surprise me if the band was formed during some Dungeons and Dragons sessions (just for full disclosure, I was so isolated and universally hated growing up I never had the chance to play any role-playing games--I think that was for the best). I didn't find the fantasy world of the lyrics to be a particularly compelling or engrossing one. That's not to say other bands haven't used concepts I find equally ludicrous, but this is ultimately a self-financed debut EP.
I should note these guys finally released a full-length in 2011 with a new lineup (including new singer). If I see it in the bargain bin I'll certainly buy it and give the full album a fair shot, but the two tracks I heard sounded like typical European neoclassical-influenced, keyboard-laden power metal. That style certainly has its share of fans but it's also pretty bloated. The drummer also wrote a self-published book about the band's fantasy world. Go figure.
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