World Of Ice

A very interesting album indeed. The first thing that strikes though is the poor production and that's too bad cause the content is here. Don't get me wrong it's not that bad, but the sound could be much better. The music is a mix of Stratovarius and Edguy (but let's face it not as good any of them), with some inspiration from Helloween and Blind Guardian as well. The singer is 2 steps behind the rest and this is probably the first thing to improve in the band : vocals. The drums are fast, very fast, but too synthetic, they don't sound like real drums, or at least not powerful ones. The guitars are really nicely used and the main melodies are very symphonic, as if they were coming from a classic piece. As for the riffs they are very nice alternating powerful and softer ones depending on moments. Again the production is the weakest point and so is the mix (what the hell is that guitar sound on World Of Ice ?, somehow a totally missed Axel Rudi Pell effect). Keyboard is very nicely installed in the background as symphonic arrangements, adding depth to the songs. Although some songs may be original, the others tends to be all the same and almost boring (the chorus mainly, not standing enough from the verses). The talent is here, now they need a second album with a much better production and some progress on vocal and they might just rise up in front of the scene cause I've the feeling they have what it takes to make very good True Metal.