Darkest Era - The Journey Through Damnation.
Another band seen tearing it up on a recent Reanimator bill.
Thanks to the band for the CD.
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The Morrigan. Atmospheric
intro with major Celtic influence. Builds progressively before
the opening scream which leads into a well played classic/power
metal track. Not keen on the chorus which grated. The bridge
section after the secong chorus works well in a Thin Lizzy
meets modern metal kind of way. Regrettably the end of the
bridge sounds like Dragonforce on 16rpm (oops showing my age!).
Final chorus and ending didn't work for me at all.
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Visions Of The Dawn. Opening
riff is very Iron Maiden influenced and the track is more
direct than the opener. Choruses sound much better too. Bass
tone on this one is superb. Slower section breaks the song
up well initially but then gets slightly tedious. A modified
version of the opening riff with a strong Celtic feel leads
back to the main riff. Tempo changes are well handled and
the song overall works well.
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Another World Awaits.
Solo drum intro joined swiftly by one of the guitars and bass.
Full band launch into Black Rose era Thin Lizzy riff. Soon
becomes more subdued but retains a good lilt/groove. The chorus
is again disappointing, it's nowhere near dynamic enough.
The bridge however is superb and the closing strings and pipes
are a nice touch.
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On The Crest Of Doom.
Great opening with quality riff. Pick of the tracks for me,
it's faster and has the best sounding chorus. It's well played
and constructed, continues in a similar vein to the rest of
the EP.
Has to be said that this is slightly diappointing
after seeing them live. My main gripe concerns the vocals, the
tone isn't right and the range is limited. It's well produced
and the instrumental bridge sections are excellent. A band to
keep an eye on - this CD doesn't really do their musical abilities
justice I'm afraid.