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Artist: Freedom Call |
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In 1999 a new dawn in metal arrived in the form of Freedom Calls debut album 'Stairway To Fairyland', an album that sent waves around the metal community, so much so, that the album propelled the band into the German charts ... and so history was written. Now more than ten years later the band are still producing monster metal albums that forge the bands status as world leaders in power enthused heavy metal. The band latest release ‘Legend Of The Shadow King’ is once again a titanic slab of metal and is without a doubt the bands finest hour. The new album covers musically and lyric wise a concept about Ludwig II, King of Bavaria. He had a close connection to the composer Richard Wagner. Freedom Call was moved and inspired by King Ludwig’s extravagance and his passion to musical theatricality. Which get us underway in emphatic style with ‘Out Of The Ruins’, an all out metal attack from beginning to end in true Freedom Call style, with the almost frantic riffs of Lars Rettkiwitz and Bay, with Bay also defining the genre with some superb vocals as always. It’s a more traditional metal feel that runs through the veins of my favourite off the album, ‘Thunder God’, a thumper of a track that just makes you want to get out you air guitar and join the metal masses take on the world. The band have always produced some mighty albums and this one is no different as it continues with the massive ‘Tears Of Babylon’, on which the bands trademark orchestral and choral backing is heard once again. A real anthemic piece that rocks big style. The album delves into the realms of fantasy with ‘Merlin – Legend Of The Past’. Again a real tour de force, full of full on metal guitar with deep rhythms from both bass guitar and drums courtesy of Samy Saemann and Dan Zimmermann. Two greater titans of the metal rhythm sections you will not find. This album contains a lot more than simply great power metal songs on this album, as the likes of ‘Resurrection Day’ shows with its stampeding drums from Zimmeramann. The band have that special ability to bring a lot of melody to the genre with the likes of the superb ‘Under The Spell Of The Moon’ and the equally magnificent ‘Dark Obsession’, with it’s almost film score feel and haunting female backing vocal. The band still bring a lot of traditional metal vibes to their albums and for the traditionalists amongst you then ‘The Darkness’ and 'Merlin – Requiem’ will definitely float your boat. And for the more melodic metal fans then check out ‘Ludwig II – Prologue’ and the excellent ‘The Shadowking’. Track of the album for me has to be the totally awesome ‘Kingdom Of Madness’ no not the Magnum song, this one is good old fashioned rock full of great guitars and a towering back beat, but its Bay’s vocals that really push this on to new heights. The album closes probably
in fine style with the almost Helloween/ Sisters Of Mercy crossover ‘A
Perfect Day’ a perfect way to end and album that is sure to be in my
top albums of the year come December. |
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Tracklisting: 1.
Out Of The Ruins |
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