Avalon
2006
1. The Dark Memories
2. Spill Blood On Fire
3. Virus
4. The Power & Fury
5. Wasted Time
6. Bravery In The Field
7. Liberty
8. When The Rain Begins To Fall
9. The Prince Of The World
10. The Joker
Heavenly's last album, Dust To Dust, really gained the band a lot more notice than they enjoyed with their first 2 and a fair amount of expectation has been placed on this new release. Such is always the case when a band redefines their sound and puts out a benchmark sort of album like that. I've certainly been looking forward to hearing this one as you can count me among those thoroughly impressed with Dust To Dust.
Well when this album starts up with considerably thicker riffing and a more direct approach from the first track you know that you're in for something a little different. Make no mistake, you still know it's Heavenly and some more epic moments start making their way into the music as track 1 progresses, but there's definitely something different here. The last album struck me largely as a blend of Gamma Ray and Rhapsody and this one seems to lean a bit more toward the old Gamma Ray sound while still keeping some of the epic sound. The big and symphonic moments tend to largely work their way into the choruses, keeping the verse music more direct with a much more riffy feeling to it.
All in all, I think this album comes off as a little more typical and just lacking in some of the aspects that made the last album as great as it was. This is by no means a bad album though as the songs are energetic, catchy, and the choruses are still very grand and memorable. It's just not quite as involving as the last with it's great storytelling through music. Certainly solid though and maybe it's a good move for the band in the long run. Bands who latch onto the symphonic thing Too much tend to retread a lot of ground. This gives the band a little more room to move within their own sound.
Dust To Dust remains this band's crown jewel but I think there's still plenty to enjoy here and they remain among this generation of power metal's stronger bands. Recommended to anyone who likes upbeat, 'happy' sort of power in the vein of Gamma Ray.
Highlights: The Prince Of The World, The Dark Memories, The Power And The Fury
Rating - 3.5/5
2. Spill Blood On Fire
3. Virus
4. The Power & Fury
5. Wasted Time
6. Bravery In The Field
7. Liberty
8. When The Rain Begins To Fall
9. The Prince Of The World
10. The Joker
Heavenly's last album, Dust To Dust, really gained the band a lot more notice than they enjoyed with their first 2 and a fair amount of expectation has been placed on this new release. Such is always the case when a band redefines their sound and puts out a benchmark sort of album like that. I've certainly been looking forward to hearing this one as you can count me among those thoroughly impressed with Dust To Dust.
Well when this album starts up with considerably thicker riffing and a more direct approach from the first track you know that you're in for something a little different. Make no mistake, you still know it's Heavenly and some more epic moments start making their way into the music as track 1 progresses, but there's definitely something different here. The last album struck me largely as a blend of Gamma Ray and Rhapsody and this one seems to lean a bit more toward the old Gamma Ray sound while still keeping some of the epic sound. The big and symphonic moments tend to largely work their way into the choruses, keeping the verse music more direct with a much more riffy feeling to it.
All in all, I think this album comes off as a little more typical and just lacking in some of the aspects that made the last album as great as it was. This is by no means a bad album though as the songs are energetic, catchy, and the choruses are still very grand and memorable. It's just not quite as involving as the last with it's great storytelling through music. Certainly solid though and maybe it's a good move for the band in the long run. Bands who latch onto the symphonic thing Too much tend to retread a lot of ground. This gives the band a little more room to move within their own sound.
Dust To Dust remains this band's crown jewel but I think there's still plenty to enjoy here and they remain among this generation of power metal's stronger bands. Recommended to anyone who likes upbeat, 'happy' sort of power in the vein of Gamma Ray.
Highlights: The Prince Of The World, The Dark Memories, The Power And The Fury
Rating - 3.5/5
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