Golden Decadence

BY Karelia

(Customer Reviews)

$15.00

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SKU: RBRCD1224

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Rock Sector

: Category:
Power Metal

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"Five years on from their Restless release and French eclecto-rockers Karelia are back with album number five, Golden Decadence. When I say back, what I actually mean is a couple of Karelia are back, with only singer Matt Kleiber (he also handles FX and there are plenty of them) and guitarist Jack Ruetsch actually return, with newcomers Sam Clauss (guitars), Phil Sissler (bass) and Fr-edd Seller (drums) now completing the line-up. However Golden Decadence certainly doesn't sound like a band settling in, instead being a bold confident, if not always sure-footed step from a band never easy to pigeon-hole into one genre box or another. It makes for enigmatic if not exactly essential listening, that offers up something a little different, while still somehow being exactly the same. Everything from Rammstein to Avantasia, Scorpions to Primal Fear belts past, huge exploding drums blasting, vocals growling, howling, soaring; melody pouring forth, while sing along choruses bounce off gritty abrasive riffs. On occasion it is completely compelling, at points utterly superfluous, although impressively it is never boring. A little left of centre undoubtedly, sometimes so far so that it soars straight past the point, however it also from time to time lands fairly, squarely and effortlessly slap bang in the bull's eye.

The hugely melodic synth dweeps and scything guitars of "Ride It Wild" is a great shot of where this album works, the melody never sacrificing the aggression, the brutality never blunting the accessibility. Add to that some classy, poised guitar playing during a restrained break-down and there's a maturity on show that straight power metal usually lacks. That said the attempt at chest puffing posturing on "Body's Falling Apart" goes in completely the opposite direction, never quite being one thing or another. In the end being too tame for metal of power, too bristling for melodic rock and too sweet for industro-metal. This however is the price paid by a band desperate to be everything and none of the above, walking a tightrope thin line between success and failure. Other winners appear in the shape of "Bill For The Ride" and "Vanity Label", while "Animals" and "War Party" prove to be also-rans.
Not an album that works from start to finish, there's still enough about the music of Karelia that makes each visit worthwhile and while the satisfaction levels can vary wildly from song, their wide ranging outlook deserves to be taken notice of." - Sea Of Tranquilty

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"Oh Italy, will you ever stop delivering kick ass metal? Now don’t get me wrong folks, I love the San Francisco Bay Area I’ve called home for the majority of my life, and am very pleased with the area’s contributions to heavy metal, namely the thrash era of the 1980’s, but at the present moment, no country has been consistently delivering like Italy has, especially when it comes to just buckling down and busting out some no holds barred, guitar crunching, drum smashing, vocal chord tearing heavy metal. And when it comes to metal that is blunt and to the point, Astra pretty much nails it on their album Broken Balance.Astra began their journey in Rome in 2001 as a four piece instrumental band, three of which are still in the band today, Andrea Casali (vocals and bass), Silvio D’Onorio De Meo (lead guitar), and Emanuele Casali (keyboard and rhythm guitar), and after a few changes, settled on drummer Filippo Berlini. According to their bio, they cut their chops on Dream Theater covers, and managed to win the first Italian Dream Theater Tribute Contest, leading them to a show with the Wizard Rudess himself for the Italian fan club’s 10 year party. From that point, they followed the tried and true path of releasing albums and touring. In 2005 they released About Me: Through Life and Beyond, and followed that with the 2007 release of From Within. Now, it’s time for that ever crucial third album, so let’s take a look at Broken Balance….Now, unlike a lot of the music I’ve been reviewing in recent days, there is no genre bending, no quirks or hidden aural agendas. From note one of the opening track, Losing Your Ego, Astra makes it crystal clear that they just want to rock the fuck out. The song, and the whole album for that matter, is a catchy riff fest with a strong hard rock/metal vibe. It’s the type of music that would have taken a very high place in the annals of late eighties metal, with the searing high vocals of Casali, the constant double bass of Berlini, and the relentless guitar riffs and solos. They do mix it up a bit, throwing in a few time changes here and there, some subdued moments, and a growl or two, just to add some flare and color to the overall product. Hole in the Silence picks up right where the opener drops off, without skipping a step. The third track, Sunrise to Sunset, has a slightly balladesque touch to it, with a soaring and catchy chorus that really showcases the vocals of Casali. Buried in the midst of the soaring vocal work is a brilliant instrumental section and a jaw dropping solo. It’s surely my favorite on the album, a song that will be listened to many times, me singing at the top of my severely under qualified lungs.From there they go right back to the metal. Song after song they are relentless, one of those albums that screams “LIVE SHOW PLEASE!!!!!!”. Too Late has yet another catchy chorus, something of a standard throughout the album actually. The title track, Broken Balance, opens with a sultry tone, something else they are rather adept at, and delivers a fairly complex song afterwards, teasing at exploding out multiple times before restraining themselves, working the listener into a furious sense of expectation as to what’s going to come about. Then comes the instrumental, where they let loose in a fury of notes scattered around before the guitars take control. Six more tracks follow, delivering a good variety on their version of solid metal. Another ballad comes in the form of Mirror of Your Soul. Risk and Dare is a crushing and rather dark number on an album that is overall fairly uplifting. Three more rockers lead into the closing track, You Make Me Better. This one opens on the heavy notes, and then settles into ballad zone. It’s a love song of course, with all the requisite cheesiness lyrically and the solid climactic moments.Astra gives at the core of this album a polished sound for sure. Though there are very few mistakes on it, they also don’t break down any barriers. It is altogether a good, fun rocking album, the kind that is meant for cranking up and punishing your neck and your neighbors. Their tightness as a band is clear on every song, and the catchiness of the album should ensure a good deal of longevity for yet another addition to the growing pantheon of Italian metal." - Lady Obscure
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Epysode
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"The successor to "Obsessions" (2011) was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen studio in Denmark (Volbeat, Pretty Maids, Amaranthe a.m.m.)Beside band leader Samuel Arkan, the following vocalists and musicians contribute to"Fantasmagoria": Tom S. Englund (Evergrey) Henning Basse (ex-Metalium, ex-Sons Of Seasons, Mayan) Ida Haukland (Triosphere) Matt Marinelli (Borealis) Tezzi Persson (Between The Silence) Mike LePond (Symphony X) Léo Margarit (Pain Of Salvation) Julien Spreutels (Ethernity) Simone Mularoni (DGM)The quite unusual thing is that all these guests came to the Noise Factory studio (Belgium) to track down their parts. Nobody recorded his/her parts at home, like with some many other projects."I wanted the whole thing to get a real "band" feeling", Arkan says. "Therefore having all vocalists and musicians here was very important to me. We got to know each other better and better while spending time together. The new material sounds very fresh, dark, heavy, modern and "true" with "straight in the face" guitar riffs, intense voices and melodies, massive work on progressive atmospheres and orchestral parts. All the artists who participated in this album gave their soul to it, gave their best, they travelled deeper into sensitivity and sincerity. That's probably the best words which define this next album... sincerity & spontaneity! This album comes from the heart of each musician and vocalist who worked on it, and you can feel it when you listen to this new EPYSODE album."Compared to the debut "Obessions" the new material is a step forward in every way, with even better songwriting, a massive sound, powerful production and an intensity you rarely find these days.With the top notch vocalists that are gathered here (a.o. Evergrey’s Tom S. Englund, who is contributing to 5 songs) the "Fantasmagoria" concept story comes to life in a very intense and thrilling way, with lots of facets, expressive singing, deep & dark emotions. Englund’s duet with Ida Haukland (Triosphere) on the album’s title track especially gives goosebumps to the listener. There is also a plot to the "Obsessions" album and many fans of concepts will have their pure delight in discovering the story behind the story.The "Fantasmagoria" recordings took place from December 2012 to end of April 2013. Responsible for all keyboards, piano, arrangements was again Julien Spreutels, "my brother in crime, without him Epysode would not be as it is", Samuel says. "He did one more time an outstanding job and gives magic to Epysode, It's always a pleasure and very inspiring to work with him". "
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Aurora Project, The
Selling The Aggression

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Third album from this Dutch progressive band is a conceptual work. This one has strong political leanings so it might bother some of you out there. It basically deals with changes in the geopolitcal climate since the late 90s. While the band's first album was squarely in the metal camp, the subsequent albums find them moving more and more into the prog rock arena but maintaining an underlying heaviness. Plenty of keyboards featured throughout the mix in a way that complements the guitar driven heaviness. For me the stand out is vocalist Dennis Binnekade. He has a stunning voice and I noticed that this time around someone coached him on his pronuciation. Rock solid contemporary prog. Highly recommended.
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Sandstone
Delta Viridian

Progressive Metal

"With this, their fourth album, SANDSTONE give the fans a perfectly prepared album which will make not only fans of progged metal structures happy, but also those who prefer fisty, hard compositions. The cleverly designed mixture of Power and Progressive elements, with a large dose of melody, attracts comparison with the greats of the scene, such as Fates Warning, Queensryche, Pagan's Mind, Symphony X or Vanden Plas - and also convinced ex-Judas Priest singer Tim 'Ripper' Owens to add some guest vocals!"
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My Soliloquy
The Interpreter ($5 Blowout Price!)

Progressive Metal

My Soliloquy is a British band formed in 2002 by multi-instrumentalist Pete Morten. Since then the band has released a number of demos, gaining traction in the metal underground. The band had a number of notable support shows with Pagans Mind, Power Quest, Oliver and Rick Wakeman, and Threshold, as well as a second-to-headline set at Bloodstock 05 and a showcase at 2007’s ProgPower UK II.Since 2007, Morten has been an active member of British prog metal legends Threshold. His membership has raised awareness (and created anticipation) for My Soliloquy’s long awaited debut.The essence of My Soliloquy is pure forward thinking metal – symphonic keyboards, shredding guitar leads, soaring vocals – all finely woven together with a blend of intricacy and melody. The Interpreter was mixed and mastered by Rob Aubrey who has been a mainstay of Marillion’s camp for many years.
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"Helloween really couldn't have picked a more appropriate band to support them on their 7 Sinners Tour than Stratovarius. There's more than a few parallels between their respective careers and not just because the two are among the most influential in power metal. While they've each had their fair share of successes, both Helloween and Stratovarius have also faced a great deal of (well documented) adversity. Between all the internal drama, which eventually saw the exit of important band members, as well as poor musical output, future prospects must have looked bleak. But Helloween was able to bounce back; 2010's 7 Sinners was their best record in twenty-two years, and the two that preceded it were worthy listens as well. Stratovarius isn't quite there yet, but with Timo Tolkki gone, and the songwriting reins taken up by pretty much every one else, they seem to be moving in the right direction.Elysium more or less continues where Polaris left off in 2009. Think mid-paced, European power metal they helped popularize years ago alongside groups like Helloween and Sonata Arctica. Hardly revolutionary, to be sure, but that isn't Stratovarius' aim. Unfortunately, this serves to limit the scope of Elysium. As far as middling power metal goes, the album is top notch. But at the end of the day, middling power metal is still middling power metal. Give Stratovarius credit for when they do pull through; Matias Kupiainen's guitar work is consistently excellent, particularly in "Darkest Hours", and keyboardist Jens Johansson is no slouch as well. Problem is, this doesn't happen often enough. In a song like "The Game Never Ends", while the riffing is quite good, the formulaic structure and bland chorus hold it back. This isn't a problem unique to Stratovarius (one might remember Helloween struggling with the same issue ten years ago), but rather comes with the whole melodic power metal shebang. Because of how derivative it is, it's difficult to be very impressed. That isn't to say it can't be done; Sonata Arctica very nearly perfected the style between Elicptica and Reckoning Night. But they were successful because they incorporated a far more spirited dynamic into their music, something that can't be said about Stratovarius consistently enough.Interestingly, Stratovarius shows the most promise on the album's title track. Given the uneven level of quality heard throughout Elysium, (and the unfortunate tendency of other groups to screw up this type of song) an eighteen minute track seems ill-advisable. But it works. Although not departing too far from the band's comfort zone, "Elysium" at least breaks out of the rigid power metal model that constrains a lot of the earlier material. In doing this, Stratovarius adopts a more progressive approach, seamlessly incorporating a number of different movements into what turns out to be the most satisfying song the band has released in years. Impressively, Stratovarius avoid sounding bloated and overbearing, a pitfall that traps so many of their contemporaries; what could have sunk Elysium instead emerges as its biggest highlight.As it stands, Stratovarius haven't quite recaptured the flare that helped them claim initial success. However, Elysium is at the very least a clear step above much of the material the band has released, and considering how weak Stratovarius was, it’s a start. The band still has trouble with consistency and variance, and given how keen Stratovarius seems to be on playing it safe, Elysium is unlikely to draw in new listeners. However, the solid songwriting in the title track is encouraging enough; whether Stratovarius can fully revitalize ala Helloween remains to be seen, but listeners finally have reason for optimism." - sputnikmusic.com
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Divine Ascension
Liberator

Power Metal

"These guys might be late to the party, but deserve every bit of your attention regardless. This album really took me unawares, being my first experience with this fairly new yet incredibly accomplished sounding female fronted Australian unit. Their seemingly auto-generated band name may not inspire a lot of confidence, but nonetheless, on Liberator, Divine Ascension serve up progressive power metal of the highest rank. Really any power metal fan craving something heavy and guitar driven is urged in the strongest possible terms to have a look.Vigorous and eager to prove itself at every turn, this is a very full-bodied, attacking presentation, almost bringing Outworld to mind in its all-out directness. For prog/power, Liberator is a veritable ass-stomping of ripping riffs and lead runs, and a metal album first and foremost. Think Mercenary's crunching, at times Gothenburg-flavored axework and you're close. Neck muscles aching, airguitar strings breaking; not what I typically look to this sub-genre for, but there you have it. Keyboards and symphonic elements are given no less priority, being remarkably well arranged and produced and naturally composed in harmony with the metal. Orchestral arrangements in the vein of Rhapsody and Nightwish are employed, as are more electronic strains of bands like Pagan's Mind and Edenbridge. There's a lot going on on top of the already busy guitar work, but every piece of it is complementary, making for music that is constantly epic, and constantly heavy as bricks without the need to sacrifice one for the other. Sit back and soak in the chorus of "Stronger": total Within Temptation-style bombast and grandeur ala "The Howling," but made even more intense by big, riffy guitars that chug and harmonize along with some truly serene keyboard arrangements. It's one of the most stirring, spine-chilling metal moments I've heard in years.The label "progressive" in metal is elusive and subject to debate, but these guys I think make a decent claim for it, other than through sheer genre trappings (i.e. sounding more like Symphony X than Helloween). Key and time changes abound, keyboards and guitars play off each other in creative ways, and individual riffs and whole song structures both often detour from paths conventional. The band is confident in their ability to draw in the listener by piling on cool instrumental parts, and so the songs on Liberator often take a minute or so to establish before the vocals start doing their part, without ever feeling slow in getting to the point. So much going on and so much of it good: between all instruments, most songs here carry enough good ideas to provide for two songs for other bands. This is not as restrained and subtle an affair as something like The Black Halo (although Kamelot's heavier bits are at times not a far off comparison for style), but there's nary a sense of overreaching or a "more is less"-kind of effect. The intro of "Hideaway", by Gods go jam that shit: somber yet lush ambience straight out of a movie score, then razor sharp Children of Bodom-like axe ripping ("Black Widow" is a good point of comparison for the whole intro) that twists and mutates a bit until SMASH descend the fast double bass drums interlocked with another rousing riff that just leaps from the speakers – so much is accomplished within the first minute, and hey, there's the splendid remaining 80% of the song waiting to greet you beyond that! The album as whole is truly an exhilirating but also dynamic and not at all wearying listen.Vocalist Jennifer Borg is a somewhat unconventional but expert choice, as she delivers a more restrained performance than the rest of the group. Not weak or unenthusiastic; restrained, like the best kind of actor who knows to best serve the movie or play at hand by stepping into and becoming a character without feeling the need to draw attention to oneself by "putting on a show." Big vocal acrobatics or soothing, "angelic" stylings expected of female vox in a symphonic metal band are not what she's about, and needn't be. Utilizing a lower and narrower range than usual for the style and putting aside excessive drama, Borg's vocal lines give off so much soul, power and depth with subtle elements. All in all, a mature (horribly cliché word in music critique, but I insist) and dignified effort that contributes a good deal of artistry and uniqueness to the package.Throughout the album's 64 minute filler-free runtime, it amazes me how many typical genre pitfalls the Aussie sextet manages to sidestep. Excessive and confusing technicality for the sake of being "prog" that just kills the flow? Nope. Dragging "atmospheric" sections where nothing happens just to have variation? Also not here. Aiming for "epic" but arriving at "pretentious?" Look elsewhere! At least the closing acoustic ballad is an insufferable cheesefest, right? Actually, power/prog's poignant answer to "More than Words" is more like it, what with its percussive guitar slapping bringing that one to mind. If I'm going to dock the album for SOMETHING, well, "The Final Stand" does feature a real pet peeve of mine: that gimmick where the sound mix goes from demo/wet towel on speakers at its onset, to proper studio quality at a flip of a switch (e.g. Slayer - Ghosts of War). I find it overused and generic to the point of befitting the band moniker, but it doesn't hurt the song much and I've heard it done worse.Prog/power is rarely where I look for new metal these days; the genre's heyday is long gone and that may be for the best. That's not to say I'll disregard an island of brilliance like this one though. Good art is good art and while Liberator may sound a decade old, it still exhibits an identity of its own, cool chops aplenty and little triteness. Could Australia simply be a decade behind on this brand of metal, and thus less mined for talent than Europe or South America? Oh, I do hope. For the follow-up, I'd be curious to see how DA can expand their sound from here; perhaps adding elements from more modern metal would help revitalize the genre some? Until then, this is one shining example of tried-and-true that I wouldn't want my worst enemy to miss out on." - Metal Archives
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Diabulus In Musica
Argia

Gothic Metal

Argia is the third album from this female fronted band from the Basque region of Spain. The band has been reconstituted with only founding members Zuberoa Aznárez and Gorka Elso returning. There aren't a lot of "beauty and the beast" metal bands around any more with most of them either breaking up or moving on to all clean vocals. DiM still do it and do it well. This album sounds absolutely massive, reminding of the glory days of After Forever. Monolithic keyboards, layers of choir-like vocals, and crushing riffs are the order of the day. Occasionally a wicked keyboard solo will pop in for good measure. Complementing the great vocals of Zuberoa are two guest appearances - Thomas Vickstrom (Therion) and Ailyn Gimenez (Sirenia). If you like the style this one is highly recommended.
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Whyzdom
Symphony For A Hopeless God

Gothic Metal

"'Symphony For A Hopeless God’ is the third album from French Symphonic Metal band Whyzdom. After two successful albums relying on the power of Symphonic Orchestra and Metal riffing, as well as on the beauty of female voices, they push their own “Philharmonic Metal” concept one step further with this eleven track release, adding an even more cinematic edge to their songs. The orchestra has never been so powerful, choirs have never been so haunting, riffs have never been so compelling and the vocals have never been so intense, ranging from pure and fragile melodies to harsh growls, all provided by mezzo-soprano Marie Rouyer. Six tracks here run in at over 6 minutes (with one over 7) and there is only one under the five minute mark, so one gets their monies worth here. This is dynamic mind blowing metal at its finest and most compelling, and I believe to be their best release to date. Tracks like the opener 'While The Witches Burn', the pounding and catchy 'Let's Play With Fire' and the bombastic and ever so slightly Progressive 'Theory Of Life' will leave you breathless and wanting more, the latter seeing vocalist Marie let rip! Whyzdom was always knocking on the door of major league female fronted metal, they have now been allowed in big time. Produced by Vynce Leff, being recorded, mixed and mastered at Powermania Studio, Paris, this is one helluva Symphony For A Hopeless God and as a consequence, is a must buy." - Ravenheart Music
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Lalu
Atomic Ark

Progressive Metal

Virtuoso keyboardist Vivien Lalu has created a new progressive metal epic featuring an all star cast:Band [A-Z]---Martin LeMar (Mekong Delta) - VocalsMike LePond (SymphonyX) - BassSimone Mularoni (DGM) - GuitarsVirgil Donati (PlanetX)- DrumsVivien Lalu (Shadrane) - KeyboardsGuests [A-Z]---Jens Johansson (Stratovarius)Joop Wolters (Shadrane)Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater)Marco Sfogli (James LaBrie)Mike Andersson (Cloudscape, Fullforce)Peter Wildoer (Darkane, James LaBrie)Born of Noelle and Michel Lalu, musicians from the ‘70s French progressive act Polene, Vivien Lalu has released a surplus of recordings through an array of different bands and projects since 1997, as the keyboard player for underground black/doom band Time For A Change. At the turn of the millennium Lalu played keys for two underground progressive metal bands from Paris, Sad Warden and then Mind’s Orchard, and in 2002 was hired by Hubi Meisel (ex-Dreamscape vocalist) to compose and record the keys for his solo album EmOcean, the following year doing the same for Meisel’s sophomore album Kailash, both of which were released by Lion Music.It was at this time Vivien Lalu begins recruiting his own associates from major prog and metal bands — some of which he shares time composing music alongside in progressive metal act Shadrane — and forms his own solo project, LALU. The first full-length Oniric Metal was released on Lion Music in 2005 and began an entirely new chapter for this composer and his insatiable need to create mind-expanding, cinematic music.These accomplishments helped Lalu to begin securing score and soundtrack work for film and television; over the last few years he’s written many cues for the orchestral soundtrack for the Warner Bros movie Seuls Two, for the show Science X made in association with Lucasfilm Ltd. Additionally he joined the production team behind Laszlo Jones in order to assist the recordings and production of Banana Nation (Universal Music Group). He’s composed many soundtracks for French television, music and sound effects for Neko Entertainment, worked as a sound designer for Ubisoft Entertainment and much more.After collaborating with Shadow Gallery for a song on their Digital Ghosts album, and working with Canadian drummer Chris Nalbandian for his Paralysis of Analysis solo album — recording all keys and sharing solos with Derek Sherinian and Alex Argento — Vivien finally settled in and began work on the second LALU opus. Handling all composition and songwriting duties, as well as all keyboards on the massive production, Vivien weaved the cloth of the new album with vocalist Martin LeMar (Mekong Delta), bassist Mike LePond (SymphonyX), guitarist Simone Mularoni (DGM), drummer Virgil Donati (PlanetX), the album’s parts recorded in several countries including the United States (Los Angeles and New York), Germany and Italy, produced by Lalu in his own studio, and mixed at Boumbox Studio in Paris by Yan Memmi (Dio’s Lock Up The Wolves, Marcus Miller’s The Sun Don’t Lie, etc.). Additional contributions from Jens Johansson (Stratovarius), Joop Wolters (Shadrane), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Marco Sfogli (James LaBrie), Mike Andersson (Cloudscape) and Peter Wildoer (James LaBrie) were also carefully built into the album, the final product boasting over fifty minutes of exceptional, massive cinematic, atmospheric metal Lalu has dubbed, Atomic Ark.
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This Misery Garden
Cornerstone

Doom Metal

Second album from this Swiss band draws very heavily from the Katatonia musical gene pool. Melancholy metal that actually has a groove. Some of the proggier bits remind of Tool.
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Tesseract
Altered State

Technical Metal

Second full length studio album from this British band finds them with new vocalist Ashe O'Hara replacing the great Dan Tompkins. This shouldn't be inferred that O'Hara is any less a vocalist than Tompkins - he's excellent as well.While the core djent sound is there the band has moved a bit more into a prog rock direction. In general its less metal and more rock. O'Hara's vocals don't go in the screamo direction that a lot of djent bands prefer. The instrumental parts are still stupifyingly crazy but crazy in a King Crimson meets Tool way. I'm not sure what the djent metal community will think of this shift in course but I like this new direction. The old was good - to my ears this is better. Highly recommended.
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Civilization One
Calling The Gods

Melodic Metal

"The second album from melodic power metal quintet Civilization One finds a few member shifts as well as a label change- so fear sets in when three-fifths of the lineup receives a re-boot. In the case of these musicians, it was necessary due to proximity and related productivity. Enter drummer Michael Stein- who also plays with vocalist Chity Somapala in Red Circuit, along with new guitarists Oliver Marmann and Nicklaus Bergen. What does the mean in terms of sound relative to their 2007 debut "Revolution Rising"?For one, the emphasis on these 12 songs (plus brief "Aazis" 54 second intro) appears to be on a more lively, easier to replicate sound than the multi-tracked vocal harmonies and waves of keyboards lurking in the shadows. Chity is an affable front man- professional and more than capable of keeping the melodies versatile and memorable: be it in a lower / mid-range capacity for the commercial leaning "The Land In Flames", the more heart-tugging ballad "Reunite" or his potent lung capacity for the conventional double bass driven number "True Believer". Oliver and Nicklaus perform to high caliber standards: challenging the listener with many dazzling lead breaks and a mixture of riffing techniques that combine crunchy, almost thrash-like parts in "The Supernatural Virtue" as well as standard Firewind meets Brainstorm guitar hero work on the title cut and "Hell Awaiting". Many will even smile at the Phil Collins/ "Take Me Home" laid back percussive aspect of closer "Dreams of Fire"- once again illustrating the band's desire for individuality.Another aspect I enjoy is the shorter time frames for the twelve songs: proof that you can cut to the chase, provide the level of energy and excitement, and move onto your next arrangement in a tidy 3-4 minute measure. "Calling The Gods" is a proper follow up to its predecessor, which is always a great move in today's crowded power metal sweepstakes. Those on the fence after their five year layoff will be adequately appeased." - Eternal Terror
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Knight Area
Hyperdrive

Progressive Rock

Hyperdrive marks a new era for Knight Area. The long running Dutch progressive rock band had previously released four studio albums and toured Europe and USA extensively, performing at all major prog rock festivals. 1n 2012 the band welcomed guitarist Mark Bogert as well as legendary bassist Peter Vink (Q65, Finch, Ayreon) into the fold. With these newcomers onboard, Knight Area introduced a heavier element and fuller sound to their repertoire. All the classic symphonic rock traits of their previous albums are still clearly evident but the songs on Hyperdrive are more immediate and concise.The band invited noted prog guitarist Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One) to participate as a special guest on one track. Joost van den Broek, who is known for his production work with Epica, Mayan, and After Forever, mixed the album. Rounding out the package is startling artwork by Gustavo Sazes.
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