Anthriel
The Pathway

Anthriel also come from Finland, the land of lakes. The homeland of hundreds and hundreds of metal bands, in all its forms. From the cold landscapes of Northern Europe, so many bands emerge that they often don't even make the news. Many (too many) try to clone others, in a game of imitation that has now saturated the market and destroyed even those few worthy realities that circulated. This is not the case with Anthriel, but they, like other bands of this type, are evidence of the almost total flattening of metal as a whole.

The group in question was formed in 2004 around the city of Tampere, from where they started taking their first steps. But it is only several years later that the Finnish label Lion Music managed to snatch a contract from them. The first work that the five members produced is "The pathway", released in September 2010. Largely inspired by the epic of the dark elf Drizzt, a creature of the American writer R.A. Salvatore, the CD explores the more melodic veins of progressive metal, especially the more symphonic and intense style of Symphony X, without forgetting some veiled allusions to vintage power metal, largely influential in northern Finland.

The reviews of "The pathway" have been more or less positive: critics have mostly highlighted the simplicity and genuineness of the proposal. Indeed, these Anthriel prove to know well the difficult ground on which they move, distancing themselves from the baroque styles and technicality of Dream Theater, to venture into safer but also more overused territory.

The five members of the band demonstrate their ability to create a good album of progressive metal, showcasing interesting qualities from a technical point of view, less so from the standpoint of originality and songwriting. Anthriel emulates the greats of the genre, but above all, the proliferation of realities of this type makes works like "The pathway" now devoid of inventiveness, lacking elements that can make them truly interesting. A well-played product, impeccable from an execution standpoint, less so from a qualitative one.

While maintaining a good overall level and containing enjoyable tracks like "Haven of grace", "Dark divided minds", and the courageous final suite "Chains of the past", the Anthriel-branded platter will hardly be remembered, even by genre enthusiasts. The problem is that it merely does the bare minimum, clashing with the myriad of similar bands that have invaded the metal world in all its forms and subgenres. So a good, standard work, but unfortunately with the sour taste of déjà heard.

1. "Devil's Lullaby" (6:01)
2. "Mirror Games" (5:35)
3. "Guardian" (6:24)
4. "Repression" (2:12)
5. "Haven Of Grace" (6:36)
6. "Dark Divided Minds" (5:14)
7. "The Deliverance" (1:48)
8. "Controversial Euphoria" (6:42)
9. "Light Divine" (4:40)
10. "Scent Of Dawn" (1:07)
11. "Promised Land" (5:49)
12. "Chains Of The Past" (13:48)