Magic Circle Music
2006
1. Dar-Kunor
2. Triumph Or Agony
3. Heart Of The Darklands
4. Old Age Of Wonders
5. The Myth Of The Holy Sword
6. Il Canto Del Vento
7. Silent Dream
8. Bloody Red Dungeons
9. Son Of Pain
10. The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight
11. Dark Reign Of Fire
Triumph Or Agony marks a new label and a new extended version of the band name. This one follows closely on the heels of Symphony Of Enchanted Lands 2 which really rejuvenated the band's sound and my interest in them so my expectations had to be fairly high.
Well I've gotta say... this album kind of drops the ball. Not a bad album altogether but there's very little of the intensity I've come to expect of Rhapsody (Of Fire). Really there's only 2 songs that at all recall their speedy symphonics of old. I like the new sound but this whole album just seems too airy. Simply put, this album seems more symphonic than symphonic Metal. After track 2 and 3 don't expect any speed really. The songs on this album are actually pretty good and do have a majestic feel to them, but it's not really the album I was looking for and some parts could use a serious trimming. The most obvious example of a disgustingly bloated for the sake of being long song is of course the 16 minute epic The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demon Knight. That song could've had a good 10 minutes cut from it easily.
This really isn't a terrible album or anything, but I don't really like the direction this one heads in. There are songs that work like the upbeat title track, majestic The Myth Of The Holy Sword, and the head moving Silent Dream which is somewhat heavy but midpaced and catchy. The thing is I just kept waiting for this album to neoclassically shred me like the Rhapsody of old and it just didn't happen.
Highlights: Triumph Or Agony, Silent Dream, The Myth Of The Holy Sword
Rating - 3.0/5
2. Triumph Or Agony
3. Heart Of The Darklands
4. Old Age Of Wonders
5. The Myth Of The Holy Sword
6. Il Canto Del Vento
7. Silent Dream
8. Bloody Red Dungeons
9. Son Of Pain
10. The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight
11. Dark Reign Of Fire
Triumph Or Agony marks a new label and a new extended version of the band name. This one follows closely on the heels of Symphony Of Enchanted Lands 2 which really rejuvenated the band's sound and my interest in them so my expectations had to be fairly high.
Well I've gotta say... this album kind of drops the ball. Not a bad album altogether but there's very little of the intensity I've come to expect of Rhapsody (Of Fire). Really there's only 2 songs that at all recall their speedy symphonics of old. I like the new sound but this whole album just seems too airy. Simply put, this album seems more symphonic than symphonic Metal. After track 2 and 3 don't expect any speed really. The songs on this album are actually pretty good and do have a majestic feel to them, but it's not really the album I was looking for and some parts could use a serious trimming. The most obvious example of a disgustingly bloated for the sake of being long song is of course the 16 minute epic The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demon Knight. That song could've had a good 10 minutes cut from it easily.
This really isn't a terrible album or anything, but I don't really like the direction this one heads in. There are songs that work like the upbeat title track, majestic The Myth Of The Holy Sword, and the head moving Silent Dream which is somewhat heavy but midpaced and catchy. The thing is I just kept waiting for this album to neoclassically shred me like the Rhapsody of old and it just didn't happen.
Highlights: Triumph Or Agony, Silent Dream, The Myth Of The Holy Sword
Rating - 3.0/5
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