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Rating: After the excellent debut "Heaven's gate," the second album of the Keldian duo was released in 2008. "Journey of souls" represents, in my humble opinion, a slight step back compared to their first platter if only for the greater static nature of the tracks. The various influences that had made "Heaven's gate" successful are less present here, even though they are perfectly blended. The typically symphonic power of Keldian lacks the initial hard rock nuances and particularly distances itself from the spacey and dreamy atmosphere of the first album. The group therefore focuses more on riffing, despite the influences that can be found in various songs.
Comparing it to the debut, "Journey of souls" is certainly more powerful and less in search of spatial/fantastic orchestrations. This is already proven by the opening track "The last frontier", taken from classic 80s power, and masterfully evoked by the Norwegian duo. With the subsequent "Lords of polaris", we return to the more refined atmospheres typical of the previous album. The song unfolds between keyboards, symphonic riffs, and Gregorian chants. One of the best on the record. This album's weak point is precisely its precision: all the songs are well-crafted but none of them can be considered a hit. And thus, over time, listening to the album becomes monotonous. What makes Keldian more original than most contemporary power groups, however, is the singer's voice, which is far from Kiske's screaming throat but does its job well and the absolute mastery in creating complex, evocative, and engaging compositions through a skillful use of keyboards.
"Reaper" approaches pop sounds while "Vinland" with its folkloric progressions represents the peak of the album.
Unfortunately, despite an impeccable technical precision and sonic clarity "Journey of souls" is less exciting than "Heaven's gate." Most of the tracks move on typically power coordinates and it is no coincidence that the best-realized songs are precisely those that deviate more from the genre. An honestly played album that will please enthusiasts but remains too tied to the canons of lighter metal.
1-"The last frontier" (3:25)
2-"Lords of polaris" (5:16)
3-"Reaper" (3:34)
4-"The ghost of icarus" (4:14)
5-"Memento mori" (9:22)
6-"Vinland" (5:34)
7-"The devil in me" (4:27)
8-"Hyperion" (4:54)
9-"God of war" (5:01)
10-"Starchildren" (4:33)
11-"Dreamcatcher" (3:39)
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By Hellring
This "Heaven's Gate" by the Norwegian band Keldian astonishes with its freshness and musical offering.
This platter therefore stands as a small jewel in the realm of a power music market increasingly clogged by the mediocrity of "clone bands."
