Pandaemonium
Return to Reality

Do you think a band's bassist can review their own album? This review aims to answer this age-old question.
Let's see.

"Return to Reality" is the second album by the band from the Como-Milan province called Pandaemonium, released a good 6 years after their debut album "…And The Runes Begin To Pray". Although the official release date is around the summer of 2005, "Return to Reality" was composed and recorded much earlier, in 2001, and came out so late because of us damned pirates, who by downloading music from the internet reduced the revenue of independent record labels, who thus had difficulty "processing" the masters they had in the pipeline.

Pandaemonium's music is a teutonic-style power metal with marked veins inspired by medieval music, in short, nothing extraordinary; however, it must be said that our group embarked on this path in unsuspecting times, when this genre was not yet flooded by tens of thousands of bands – especially Italian ones – who from the late nineties ventured into the narration of epic deeds riding the wave of the success of fellow countrymen Rhapsody.
This circumstance perhaps allowed the group to interpret this much-maligned genre in a sufficiently personal way, without becoming a pointless copycat band.
Compared to the first album, the compositions of the four are decidedly more immediate and direct. Although the tracks lost some compositional and structural ambitions that often enamored demanding listeners (the debut album was very warmly received by critics), the compositional and instrumental experience accumulated by the band is evident, marking a clear step forward for “Return to Reality” compared to its predecessor.

The tracklist, after the obligatory orchestral intro, unfolds through eleven tracks equipped with engaging refrains, well-crafted arrangements, and a good dose of majestic choirs. Standouts include the immediate and energetic opener “Time of Glory”, the compelling mid-tempo “Fires in the Sky”, the furious “Return to Reality”, and the martial march “Hymn to the Fifth Element”. Other interesting tracks include the complex and intricate “Evil Star”, the airy “Miracle” (which nods to early Helloween), and the instrumental “Flying Over the Clouds”, where the admirable Steve Volta showcases his guitar skills. The listen concludes with the acoustic ballad “Land of Dreams”, a delicate piece where the group's minstrel-like inspiration is given free rein.

Certainly, “Return to Reality” presents certain adherence to the clichés of "Italian-style power metal" that will make many turn up their noses, but the technical and compositional skills of the four still make the album an appreciable work. All that remains now is for the band to shake off the rigid power-metal trappings worn so far to embark on a more personal musical path. For the few remaining fans of the genre in question, I suggest getting hold of Pandaemonium's CD quickly, they won't be disappointed.

Okay, I'm done, I tried to be objective and honest, if you want to come and see us play, we are performing on May 27th in Genoa at the Underground Symphony festival. For all the metalheads in the South, the appointment is on August 10th, at the legendary Agglutination festival. I authorize you to download our album from the internet, but if you like it, buy the original.