Metatrone - The powerful hand 3.5/5
Reviewed: 1-26-07
Tracklist:
1. Vent creator spiritus
2. The best way
3. One in a million
4. Free and forever
5. The song begins
6. The rock
7. Mirror city train
8. War is pain again
9. The prince
10. Not afraid
11. Ave Maria
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Italian band Metatrone has entered the metal world to help keep the Italian power metal style (that began in the late 90s) alive and unforgotten. Musically and vocally comparable to Labyrinth, Sigma, Oracle Sun, Vision Divine, Concept and maybe Projecto, the band has brought us a nice debut 'The powerful hand'. Just like some of these other bands, Metatrone has a lot of keyboards present and they also have a slight progressive side that helps keep their music on the interesting end. Christian beliefs/lyrics are very much dominant, and in fact, one of the reasons the band was created is to prove that the gospel can be spread through the more intense music genres (heavy metal).
'The powerful hand' starts out with a short intro "Vent creator spiritus" (sung in Italian) and there's no hesitation to get things rolling with the fast track 2 "The best way", which is your typical power metal song and one that contains a great chorus. The following track 3 "One in a million" (my favorite!) is more of a catchy/pounding song with symphonic highlights (a la Kamelot) and it also has an exceptional chorus. A fantastic song that leads us to the fast and somewhat generic (but still good) track 4 "Free and forever", which does mix up the tempo a bit before it reaches the end. Track 5 "The song begins" starts out with soft vocals (a brief but nice comparison to Wonderland is heard) and is a decent mid-paced song.
Track 6 "The rock" takes the excitement factor up a notch, as it's got many vocalists in harmony, almost like a small choir. It's a very catchy song and is fairly original as well. The fast-paced and keyboard-laden track 7 "Mirror city train" is quite good too, but track 8 "War is pain again" has a bit too much of a progressive influence when compared to the rest of the CD and is probably my least favorite. The mid-paced and smooth track 9 "The prince" quickly picks up the quality again though, and it's another song that has a terrific chorus. The slow then bouncy track 10 "Not afraid" is also very good and it's the last of the real songs, as only the short outro "Ave Maria" (sung in Italian) follows.
When all is said and done, 'The powerful hand' is an entertaining and very memorable CD, due mostly to the high amount of excellent choruses. In addition, and the reason I went through a brief rundown of the tracks, the CD has an outstanding song variety which makes Metatrone a bit different than the typical Italian power metal band. So if you've always liked the Italian style, but are in need of a CD that offers some variety, then surely pick up 'The powerful hand'.
CLINT
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