Heralds of the Sword - Chronicles of Tyrinthia: Sword sworn 3.5/5
Reviewed: 9-1-13
Tracklist:
1. Mystical lands of Tyrinthia
2. Kingdom of old
3. Order of the Valenguard
4. March of the heralds
5. Battle of the Tyrinthian plains
6. Lodac's wrath
7. Glorious, Tyrinthia!
8. Hymns of Eldoria
9. Litany of swords
10. Riders of Kassadar
11. Gates of Kaldolmarr
12. Siege of Castle Durnhaus
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Heralds of the Sword is a band from the U.S. that was formed in 2008 and they've been working on this debut 'Chronicles of Tyrinthia: Sword sworn' since then, finally self-releasing it this year (2013). Their style is symphonic power metal and they remind me of bands like Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire, Kaledon, Derdian, Holy Knights, Final Chapter, Thy Majestie, Skylark, Dark Horizon, Landguard, Ekzistencia, 7 Seals, Kyrie Eleison, Dragonhammer, Sound Storm and Bride Adorned, as well as another U.S. band - Lorenguard.
The CD is based on a story surrounding a place called Tyrinthia (think Lord of the Rings' story for a comparison), and it's obvious that a lot of thought has been put into the story, not just the music. There's a female narrator throughout the CD, though mostly at the beginning. I must say that the narrator does an exceptional job and I find her to be really pleasant. As you would expect, there are some slow symphonic (non-metal) parts, but there are also some extra-fast power metal parts with screaming guitar solos. Overall, I thoroughly enjoy the balance of tempo and the CD has a smooth flow from beginning to end.
The band's vocalist is Khadgar of Valineth (all of the members have creative names), and his voice fits the band's style perfectly, but even though he does a good job, I wouldn't quite label him amazing. There are also backing vocals at times and they're typical of the style, and are also well done. Though the production is not at the level of what we hear from Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire (for a quick example), it's solid and probably what you'd expect from a new band's debut. Plus, the songwriting is at a fairly high level, which is much more important than the production in my mind.
For me personally, I've found that this CD is great when I'm focused on listening to each and every detail (as opposed to when it's playing in the background while my attention is on something else), and I consider it to be really promising - certainly worth checking out if you're into symphonic power metal - and I hope to see more from the band in the future.
CLINT
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