Remember why you fell in love with HEAVY METAL? INTENSE, AGG
Nikiforos V. Skoumas | Athens Greece, Cambridge UK | 04/13/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Astral Doors" is a Swedish heavy metal band occasionally borrowing power metal, melodic metal and neoclassical elements. The group is led by the super-talented singer Patrik Johansson (ex- "R.A. Space odyssey", "Lion's share") who is often and rightfully credited as the heir of Ronnie James Dio with a singing style and vocal capability that match perfectly the sound of the legendary American singer.
Performance wise you can expect thick rhythm guitars, classic riffs, aggressive drumming, meaningful guitar solos and substantial twin guitar harmonies. But once again the focal point is Johansson's unsurpassable vocal performance: We are not only standing on technique here but also confidence! It's impossible to describe how confident the guy sounds; his evident conviction in singing heavy metal causes other, more appraised, singers to sound insecure in comparison.
"Requiem...' features 15 mind blowing songs each offering a somewhat different metal experience to the listener as the band switches effortlessly between the musical subgenres mentioned previously.
Having played the album over 30 times, one may interpret the album title as the `demise of time' where Heavy metal never gets old or outdated. What the metallers have done here goes way beyond making a superior 15 track album, they are aiming at a timeless, possibly monumental, album which you will be playing again and again and again.Just take a look at the tracklist: "Testament of rock", "Power and the glory", "Call of the wild", "Rainbow warrior", "Anthem of the dark", Greenfield of life", "Fire and Flame" sound as classic as their titles suggest.
"Rainbow Warrior" sounds very much like early 00s "Firewind", "Call of the wild" has a "Saxon" vibe mixed with tons of style, swagger and aggression, while "Testament of rock" is the ultimate allegiance to the rock/metal sound. I must also stand on "Greenfield of life", lyrically a testament to American Football.
Personally, I know I will be playing the album in 5, 10, 15 years time and still be `awesomized' by its quality. If you are a fan of heavy metal (including melodic, power, neoclassical) do not deny yourself the enjoyment of this groundbreaking album, it is by far the best heavy metal you can buy in 2010.
If at some point you felt let down by the quality of Heavy metal, I believe this album will restore your faith in this musical genre.
This release is unrivaled.
"Rock Hard" Greek magazine (issue 49) marks this album with 7,5/10 commenting: "Requiem of time is a truly valiant attempt in the genre of classic heavy metal.""
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1