Stygian Fair – Equilibrium (CD)

 

Stygian Fair from Umeå, Sweden, made their debut in 2017 with the EP ”Into The Coven” and the year after they released the debut album “Panta Rei”, followed by “Nadir” in 2019. Now they have produced their third album “Equilibrium”. I shall admit I have totally missed out on the band’s previous releases, but after having digested this album, they definitely need to be investigated! The album starts with “The Covenant”. I had my fears this could be some bland power metal, but wrong was I. Sure, you could probably file this under “power metal”, but it has a healthy dose of classic hard rock merged into it and I also got some nice vibes of early Queensrÿche in the opening track. I really like that singer Pontus Åkerlund doesn’t fall into the power metal trap with wailings and high pitch yelling. He has a really solid voice, and his way of singing is more theatrical, almost tale telling with a really nice melodic feel. He kinda made me think of Christian Liljegren of Narnia, but with less vibrato and his own touch. “Gorgon’s Eyes” continues in the same vein while “Into The Light” takes it down to both heavier and softer regions. I almost had a feel of Manilla Road meets Brocas Helm, which is fine in my book. If someone had just played me this album, I would’ve had a hard time determining when it was recorded. It may as well have been the late eighties. “Infinitum et Finis” is also quite theatrical in its sound, with nice melodies and different parts that makes a nice change. It actually made me think of US band Legend (with the album “From The Fjords”). “Dark Angel” picks up the tempo a bit and here are some nice progressive retro vibes going on. Pontus sings really well with a nice feel and powerful voice. Great stuff, indeed! “Father Of Light” takes it down again, and here I kinda got a feel of old US metal band Culprit. The production, by Nils Johansson, is really good with a nice analogue feel to it. Besides Pontus, the band features Anders Hedman on bass, Emil Holmqvist on guitar and P-O Jonsson on drums. The closing title track is a real masterpiece with some really nice changes in tempo and feel. The album contains nine tracks, and I can’t find any weak links. A really even and good album that should attract fans of bands like Manilla Road, Culprit as well as Iron Maiden and vintage Queensrÿche.

/Janne Stark

Year: 2021

Label: Sonic Age

TWINS CREW - Judgement Night (CD)

Swedish melodic power metal band Twins Crew (featuring twins David and Dennis Janglöv on guitars) have previously released two EPs in 2008 and 2009. Both releases have been quite promising, however slightly lacking in production. Now the band has taken it to the next step by releasing a full album in a digipack with really nice artwork. The band has also taken it to the next step when it comes to both production and music. The previous releases were really good, but already in the opener Eternal Nights the buys show they mean business. This track is more in the vein of vintage Queensryche. This is also the first time I’ve really noticed what an awesome singer Andreas Larsson is. He has a bit of Geoff Tate in the higher register, but a lot more power in the lower ones, more in the vein of Russell Allen. The guitar work is also more well-composed and feels like it has elevated to a new level. Furthermore, the song material has also been taken to a whole new level. The previous more traditional power metal has changed more into slightly progressive heavy metal with a powerful touch, a bit like Nevermore or Iced Earth (but better) mixed with vintage Queensryche and with a tad Maiden:esque riffing and some Helloweenian melodies here and there. One track, Light, however take it in a different direction, pushing the pedal to the metal and sounds very much like Dragonforce. This is the stuff I don’t really enjoy, to be honest. It’s melodic and all, but I’m not really into this type of speed-twiddle-sing-along stuff. Impressive guitar-playing, though, I must admit. The songs are well-arranged and the production, by Nicko DiMarino and the band, is really good. Definitely an album well worth checking out for fans of melodic heavy metal.

Janne Stark
Label: self released
Year: 2011
Country: Sweden
Link: http://www.twinscrewband.com/

DREAMCATCHER - Souldesign (CD)

Man, it was actually a while since I heard any new interesting prog metal bands with the classic old Queensryche touch, but Dreamcatcher was a really refreshing acquaintance with a nod to the old school! The guys and girl however do look quite young. I must say this is a really classy production, both sound-wise and visually, for being a private release. This is something I would expect to see on a label like AFM or Massacre. Dreamcatcher fall in somewhere between bands like Symphony X, Andromeda and old school Queensryche, but with a strong touch of modern melodic bands like Within Temptation and Nightwish. The big difference being that Dreamcatcher are equipped with male singer Lucas Jackson, who reminds me a bit of Geoff Tate (back when he could actually sing well) and Midnight (R.I.P). What also makes me think of these bands are the way the keyboards are used, to create an ambient wall of sound more than the Rudess, Johansson style twiddling. The production is quite big and rich, where my only complaint would be the heavily trigged drums (which has more to do with me being an old school analogue fart). The songs are really good, well-written and flawlessly performed without feeling too technical or pretentious. This is a really good album I must say! Highly recommended for prog metal fans!
Janne Stark
Country: UK
Label: Private
Link: www.dreamcatcherofficial.com