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Rating: I don't hide from anyone that I missed the previous "Chapter I, II, III, and IV" by the Romans Kaledon simply because they play power metal. In fact, I found this album in my hands thanks to a friend of mine who is crazy about power, dragons, and swords, whose sole purpose is to live for power.
Obviously, I turned up my nose at yet another power album (to be honest, he lent me a few, all of which, according to him, should be listened to with great attention!!). Why listen to yet another work from a power metal band? Why hurt myself? Why self-torture? However, I'm not one to like generalizing, because generalizing itself is not scientific and leads nowhere. And so, I said, fine let's listen to these Kaledon guys who have an album with a long and somewhat idiotic title, let's willingly hurt ourselves for free.
Well, in truth, this time I was too prejudiced, perhaps because of the various disappointments taken recently within the power metal scene, not least the overrated Dragonforce who, in specialized music magazines, have not yet received a 3/10 but only scores above average (in fact only excellent scores).
But here we are not talking about those fancy Dragonforce but about Kaledon.
Kaledon, who have a real singer who doesn't sing like a eunuch but sings like a man, and this is already a point in their favor. Then, regarding the songs on the album, they are not constructed with the usual speed metal formula at two eighty but are well-thought-out songs, in which the melodies are touched upon very willingly, very fairytale-like indeed, but never boring. And so chapters like "The End Of The Green Power" or the more orchestrated "A New Man" and "Under Again" are not at all banal, nor predictable. Orchestration, mind you, does not serve as pomp like in classic symphonic-power albums (call it whatever you like, as for me, it’s always power), but as accompaniment to the choruses, which makes everything indeed really interesting. A song like "Mozul", then, catches you off guard because it is constructed on excellent mid-tempos in which Kaledon themselves manage to surpass themselves and produce epic and suggestive melodies. There is no shortage of slow pieces and ballads as in every respectable power metal album, but they are ballads that are not overly sugary and syrupy, let's say... sweetened just right, such as to only make the construction of the entire work more intelligent.
The album concludes with a "Return To Kaledon" constructed with a nice epic sound wall, with solemn choruses and acrobatic solos. Very well, finally, the rhythm section and the drummer giving their best.
What can I say.... If you're fed up with the usual power metal nonsense, perhaps Kaledon with this work of theirs, will be able to revive you a bit.
Dynamic and engaging.
Tracklist
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