Monday, November 22, 2010

MISTHERIA - Dragon Fire


One thing I like about guest appearances is that there are a lot of artists that I like into a single release. This is exactly the case here, where the original members are only Mistheria, the keyboardist, John Macaluso on drums, and Alberto Rigoni on bass. Along with them, there are five singers and as many guitarists, all well known and famous artists, that give their own trademark to each song. The style of music is Neoclassical, but since it contains enough influences as well, it's much more diverse than that. There's a song that is very close to AOR, some more complex, close to Progressive moments here and there, but always catchy, melodic and to high quality standards. The keyboard melodies dominate the whole result, but they do it in a very wise way, adding to each song, and giving depth to the music. The production is perfect, crystal clear, the kind of production this kind of music should have. Despite the fact that the album is catchy, and has enough songs to sing along and move with the rhythm, it's not an easy album. There's a lot of Classic music here, a lot of complexity, and the listener has to be a bit more cautious to reveal all the details. Great vocals, great guitars, even greater keyboards, and perfect songs. What more can you ask?

9/10

MAGIC KINGDOM - Symphony Of War


This is the third album of the Belgians, six years after their previous release. Although not familiar with their previous releases, this album managed to keep my interest high for quite some time. The mastermind of the band is guitar virtuoso Dushan Petrossi, and Olaf Hayer on vocals, while Iron Mask bass player Vassili Moltchanov, Philippe Giordana on keyboards and Freddy Ortscheid on drums complete the lineup. The band is playing Melodic Power Metal, the style that fans of Rhapsody of Fire will be please to listen to. Symphonic, pompous, with great vocals, shredding guitars, and tons of melodies. As cliche as this might sound, the band is talented enough, to deliver music that stands above the mediocre, with the majority of the songs being very good. The rhythm section is solid and sounds like a machine, but also leaves plenty of space for the both the guitar or keyboard melodies to evolve. Another strong point is the excellent singing of Olaf Hayer, a singer that has already proved his vocal capabilities in the genre. As a result this album has a perfect balance between melody and heaviness, with the songs being as catchy as it should be, but without losing on power at any time. The production is as clear as it should be, and is another strong point of the album. A music journey through magic times, suggested for friends of the style.

9/10

Friday, November 19, 2010

RAZORWYRE Issue Debut EP As Free Download

New Zealand's heavy metal prodigy RAZORWYRE have just shared their debut EP Coming Out as a free download at

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Dedicated to all original JOURNEY and Steve Perry Fans!



Gotta love Steve Perry leading a packed house @ AT&T Park, San Francisco in 'Don't Stop Believing' during the 8th inning of Game 5 in the NLCS.