Siege Of Amida Records have now been slogging at it for 5 years… To celebrate, the label have uploaded a 26 track free downloadable sampler
for their website, which features exclusive new material from their roster
as well as new signings Molotov Solution and Boris The Blade (ex The Red Shore).
I had the impression that only beautiful women and athletes come out from Ukraine. And suddenly I discover these guys who totally changed my mind. Morton comes from
Sandstone is a band that hails from Ireland, and are playing a mixture of Progressive and Melodic Power Metal. This is their third album so far, following their latest 2009 work, titled "Purging The Past", which amongst others, received great comments from Bruce Dickinson. Now, the band is blending two almost similar styles of music, creating something that has the trademarks and the strong points of both genres. First of all is melodic, and catchy, something that makes the music easy to get into from the first listening. Parts memorable enough, easy to sing along and a groovy rhythm section, enhance this feeling, and make the songs even better. But, along with that, there's diversity and complexity into the song structures, and enough things hidden, that the listeners have to discover with each listening. The music is heavier than their previous work, due to the addition of a second guitar, and this is a certain step forward for the new album. Along with that, comes the vocals, which are also very good, well worked, and fitting perfectly with the music, either slow and melodic, or harder and more powerful. The production is very good, as clear as should be, and points out all the details of the music. If you seek an album that can combine the fast and melodic elements of Power Metal, with complexity of Progressive, into a mixture that has no weak points, then this is an album that you should check out. After all, coming from a country with a huge tradition in music, is somehow assuring the result.
This is the third release of the band, following their "Astronomy" album which was released about five years ago. The band from Sweden continued on the saga of Dragonland, a fantastic place that was realized in their first two albums. The first impression is that the band is playing Melodic Power Metal, fast and groovy, pompous and well written, the kind that fans love to sing along, since it's both catchy and easy to get into. But, under this skin, the band has created an album that borrows enough items from Symphonic music, from the roles that the vocals create, to the atmosphere of the whole music, and the theatrical parts that are spread around the album. According to the mastermind Olof Morck, the band wanted to create an album that would be inspired by every fantasy movie around, every RPG soundtrack, instead of creating another Power Metal cliche release. So, the album has this fantasy atmosphere, and sounds like a soundtrack to a perfect Epic movie. It takes you to places, it reminds you of movies you've seen, games you've played, and has such a marvelous atmosphere until the end. Technically, the band is perfect, and they are capable to support their musical vision, while the well worked vocals color the songs with various moods, and help in the creation of the Epic atmosphere. Melodies are plenty, created from both the keyboards and guitars, and are well worked and interesting. Even the intros here are important and welcome. An album amazing at it's entirety, with no weak points, a truly superb journey to the a fantastic land.