Gaia Epicus - Symphony of glory 3.5/5
Reviewed: 7-1-05
Tracklist:
1. Welcome (intro)
2. Time and space
3. Miracles
4. Sieze the day
5. Hand of fate
6. Wings of freedom
7. Spanish eyes
8. No release?
9. Chamber of secrets
10. Be thy cross my victory
11. Symphony of glory
|
Very interesting cover artwork with this CD. Futuristic knights with light-swords upfront, ancient Greek (or Egyptian?) theme in the background, and pirates at the center of it all. The creature standing over these pirates is bewildering as well, but it's the opened treasure that contains many copies of Gaia Epicus' debut 'Satrap' that's the most unusual. I certainly wouldn't call 'Satrap' a "treasure", but it is a debut that showed some promise. Gaia Epicus has now lived up to that promise by improving on this 2nd CD 'Symphony of glory'. Their sound is still very similar to the debut, so again, comparisons to bands like Sonata Arctica, Dreamtale and Twilightning can be made. But just as with their debut, I'm constantly reminded of Twilight Guardians, especially musically. Twilight Guardians also recently released their 2nd CD ('Wasteland'), and the improvements made with that CD are similar to what Gaia Epicus has done here. The production is a little crisper (yet still has room for improvement), and the quality of the songs are more consistent.
The majority of the songs are fast-paced with outstanding guitar work and enough hooks that will surely keep power metal fans interested. There aren't quite as many keyboard parts as there are with some of the mentioned bands, but I've found myself really into the guitars anyway. I do, however, feel that the choruses are lacking a bit on this CD, as I recall 3 or 4 catchy sing-a-long choruses from 'Satrap'. This leads to one of the few CDs that I cannot declare a few favorites, a few highlights, or even just one song that I can say is better than the rest. But on the flip-side, I hear no below average or even average songs, which is definitely a rarity. So if all the songs are consistently very good, there's no need to complain, because these guys keep the excitement and pace going from start to finish. No ballads make an appearance, and (besides the 10 minute "Symphony of glory") the songs are all straight to the point and offer very few changes in tempo. A talented band, a very listenable CD, and confusing cover artwork all wrapped up into one!
CLINT
MORE REVIEWS... FULL REVIEWS
MORE REVIEWS BY CLINT... CLINT
MAIN -
A -
B -
C -
D -
E -
F -
G -
H -
I -
J -
K -
L -
M -
N -
O -
P -
Q -
R -
S -
T -
U -
V -
W -
X -
Y -
Z -
MISC
Email: metalcdratings@yahoo.com
