Mob Rules : "Stories From the Verdant Vale"

The German Power Metallers are at it again. This EP is an extension of their 2025 album "Rise of the Ruler". The first actual song, and not an intro piece, is "Master of the Black Crow," which has enough drive for power metal; it also has the happier guitar melodies that I am not a fan of, as they come across as too happy to me. The song after this, "Masquerade Ball," works better in this regard because it's less happy. It also, riff-wise, sounds like "Where Eagle Dwell. I like Maiden much better than Helloween, so there is that. Even the vocals follow that pattern on the verse, though they switch it up on the chorus. You can also hear a touch of Queensryche in this. 

Another problem I have with a great deal of power metal is the silly power ballad that they indulge in. They are always so melodramatic it takes all the edge off of it, and that is what is going down here. It almsot reminds me of Dream Theater in that regard.. Thankfully, they drive "Balance of Power" out with a more thrashing riff. The vocals are belted in an over the top fashion that comes with the genre and sounds great here. Considering that Klaus is at least in his 50s since the band formed in 1994, his voice sounds great.

This album also offers some songs from their 2014 album Timekeeper, but for the purpose of this review, I am not going over these songs since they are not new versions being released last year. This blog has been around since then, and I did not review it when it came out, but I never got huge into power metal, though it does summon a nostalgic feeling for an era of music I do love. They are consistent, and Klaus is the sole original member, but he has kept it going in a way that is true to who thee yare, so I will give this one an 8.5. It drops August 21st on Reigning Phoenix Music.

        

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