I am always willing to give something a try once. Though it does not take but a couple of songs to confirm what I suspected about these guys all along. It is really hard to even call these guys metal. There is nothing that comes close to feeling metal until "Dark Empath' which is four songs in. Even then most anime opening theme songs go harder. To their credit "Dark Empath" is at least reflective enough of a song that the bulk of it is not so happy it curdles the creamer in my coffee. I remember when Helloween came out thinking they were a happier version of Iron Maiden, but when I go back to listen to "The Keeper of the Seven Keys" it is at least aggressive enough to work and is totally metal, This takes what that band did and dilutes it with video game like glee. There is such a lack of darkness to it that if you told me these guys were a Christian band I would believe you.
I just finished reviewing Chelsea Wolfe's new album which is her excursion into trip-hop and it is way heavier than this. "Cure For Everything' reminds me more of Europe, another band who no matter how big their hair got was not metal either. The lyrics are like self-motivation for kids who can not do more than three push-ups They do find their balls for one brief riff, so they know what metal is they just do not play it. That's cool just be honest with yourself and your fan base about it. "A Monster Only You Can't See" should be angry based on the lyrics, but instead get a bowl of shredding and cheer. "Teardrops" is a ballad that aligns with Nightwish's least aggressive efforts. The tempo picks up but the song does not seem focused when it comes to having melodies with hooks. There is plenty of heavier music that is much hookier.
"Angel Defied" is an attempt at getting more metallic, but faster does not mean heavier without the heft in your tone to back it up. This album also fails to make an argument for keyboards in metal, as they become only a tool for further wanking here. By the last song, it is apparent there are easier ways for guys to come out of the closet than trying to convince themselves that this is a metal band. I know Finland is not Broadway, but these are clearly pieces for a musical and not even rock songs. They are skilled musicians and somewhere out there is a production of 'Cats" that needs their skills. I will give this album a 5.5, and scoring that high only due to sheer musical talent. Powerless Metal is even a stretch here as we are still using metal to describe it.
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