Ludicrous, overblown, pompous and powerful are all adjectives that can be applied to successful power metal if it’s done well and here Symfonia tick all the boxes with a release that is as colourful, melodic and frenetic as you would expect from members of Stratovarius, Angra, Helloween and Sonata Arctica but there’s one word yet missing from the list, and that word is FUN. Like the finale of a particularly catchy musical number, the canvas that Symfonia work from is huge and every song explodes like so many coloured glitter bombs whilst the music is both powerful and distressingly catchy, sticking in your mind whether you want it to or not proving that the gaudily coloured and stylised artwork is the perfect representation of the content of ‘In Paradisium’.
Eschewing anything as subtle as an introduction, Symfonia rock from the very first moment of the album when guitarist Timo Tolkki unleashes a riff that is pure old school metal backed by Uli Kusch’s fast-paced drums and Mikko Harkin’s almost Baroque keyboard attack. While musically invigorating, however, ‘Fields of Avalon’ belongs to singer Andre Matos (of Angra fame) who tests his vocal range to the very limit with a brave, impassioned and brilliant performance that will delight fans of his own band and of heavy power metal in general. It’s all completely bonkers of course, with the band unable to resist massed vocals on the chorus and a hook line so brazenly catchy it could have been pulled from some Broadway-hugging musical. Yet what keeps you hooked is that all important sense of fun. Like Warmen or Sonata Arctica at their best you can feel through every steroid-enhanced riff and earthquake-causing beat that the band are having the time of their lives blasting the song out and its impossible not to get swept up in it no matter how hard you may try to resist. Second track ‘come by the hills’ has a similar, epic feel with hints of both Iron Maiden and Nightwish bursting through the opening riff and Andre’s Bruce Dickinson-esque vocals. It’s less overtly theatrical than its forebear although the chorus is once again more addictive than crack. Getting progressively heavier as things move on, ‘Santiago’ is an absolute belter with a huge central guitar riff and another stunning performance from Andre who is capable of multiple styles from gritty hard rock to soaring high notes, often in the same song and who proves to be the perfect front man for this ambitious, energetic band. Certainly ‘Santiago’ has bags of style and the stunning guitar/keyboard break at its core allows both Timo and Mikko to show off their dexterity while bassist Jari Kainulainen more than keeps up in the dash to the finale.
Shifting pace, the initial thought at the start of ‘Alayna’ is that the band have covered a Duran Duran song, before the delicately picked guitar shifts the focus more in the direction of Sonata Arctica’s ‘San Sebastian’, which is no bad place to be at all. Emotive and giving Andre a chance to shine without the band’s usual ‘kitchen-sink’ approach in the background, it’s a gorgeous power ballad that would, if there was any justice in the world, scale the charts destroying hip-hop and so called R&B numbers by the score before arriving proudly at the number one spot. That outcome, alas, seems a touch unlikely so we’ll settle just for knowing that it’s a great track. Seemingly having had enough down time, the band come scorching back in with the brutal ‘forevermore’, the opening riff of which actually recalls System of a down’s ‘BYOBB’ before things take a more obvious power metal direction with the introduction of the vocals. Equally victorious is the chugging, folk-metal stylings of ‘Pilgrim road’ which sees Timo shine brightly once again with a stunning and fluid guitar solo that stands out as this particular song’s finest moment. Opting for a darker, more operatic metal feel the title track sees massed choral vocals and synth strings vying for space against a mid-tempo riff before everything falls away to reveal Andre’s naked voice and a gentle acoustic guitar to great effect highlighting the fact that Symfonia don’t always follow a predictable route preferring to keep the listener guessing what is going to come next rather than pandering to expectations. Hence when the song moves back through its opening riff and then charges off on an Iron Maiden gallop you perhaps shouldn’t be too surprised and the track is another highlight that rocks and delights in equal measure with Andre turning in a performance that recalls Geoff Tate at his peak.
The final part of the album kicks off with the riff-heavy ‘Rhapsody in black’ which is pure old school metal with a hint of ‘Empire’-era Queensryche amidst its driving riffs and vaguely pop-styled verses. ‘I walk in neon’, meanwhile, is aptly titled with the band turning in a blistering performance that begins with a simple keyboard riff and then turns into the sort of chugging riff guaranteed to get the denim and leather-clad hordes into a froth while the chorus is huge beyond belief. The final track, ‘don’t let me go’ sees the band in a reflective mood with a cello added to the mix and a gentle acoustic strum opening a track that will undoubtedly prove to be a sing-a-long par excellence in the live environment with Andre stating “don’t let me go, I’m here to stay, enjoy the moment, live day by day” which could well be the band’s official motto such is the vibrancy of their output.
Overall you probably have some idea if this is for you or not. I know many metal fans who run a mile at power metal and many more who embrace it wholeheartedly suggesting that it is one of the many ‘marmite’ sub genres of metal. However, if you do like strong, driving, melodic and passionate metal then you’ll go a bundle on this colourful and interesting release. To be sure there are times when the over-the-top approach gets a bit much and you yearn for a simple, sledgehammer riff to churn through the various elements but overall this is a great example of talented musicians playing the music they love and it’s almost impossible to not get a kick out of such dedicated artistry. To sum up, then, ‘In Paradisum’ is a vital, vibrant, fun album that will thrill power metal fans and classic rock fans alike.
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