Celesty
Reign Of Elements

When in 1994 the stores displayed the first album of Rhapsody, for us power metal lovers, it was the beginning of a new era. We, who loved the magically effective keyboard solos and melodic choirs with double bass drumming, delved into a new power, encouraged by the fact that the band was Italian, this time very fantasy and epic, extreme and polished.

It lasted for years, and those who had the chance to grow up realized perhaps too late that they had wasted a lot of time, or rather had inserted themselves into a very banal context, a context that buried power metal and covered it with concrete, letting it die slowly. After consuming "Vision" by Stratovarius, and "Ecliptica" by Sonata Arctica, I was still looking for "powerful metal" in Finnish schools, when I came across 'Celesty'. And so I achieved a conquest, a rebirth, a new force, a power metal worthy of the name.

For me, this is a five-star power, here it is: "Reign Of Elements". Honestly, with this album, we don't have much more than melodic metal music set in medieval zones that never existed, all seasoned with epic symphonies, but the beauty lies in the internal simplicity of the project. If Rhapsody does complicated and super-fast solos, Celesty doesn't even try, and they manage to satisfy the listener by being able to represent what they want without having to dive into absurd techniques.
The music is straightforward, has a direct impact, the melodies get into your head on the first listen, the choruses are ready to be sung without first learning the song, and the "Gasante" effect doesn't take long to rise to the surface of the skin. The voice is excellent, because for once it seeks to express emotions rather than hitting high notes and is warm and theatrical, perfectly enjoyable. Add a participation of Jani from Sonata Arctica on guitar, and here you have an epic\power metal that is powerful, intense, sweet, melodic, straightforward and sincere, ready to satisfy those disappointed by the trend of many bands, starting with Stratovarius onwards.

It's not a new album, but rather from 2002, a rediscovery that anticipates the already reviewed "Legacy Of Hate" and closes the discography of a band in just two albums that could have stood out wonderfully, having all the credentials to compete with other metallic clones. The recommended listens range from the fast, powerful, and melodic "Revenge" with melancholic traits to the very epic and theatrical title track.