All too often, decent bands get overlooked because of a lack of publicity. Such has been the case (at least in the United States) with Stairway - a British progressive/power-metal band now on its fourth album. But my buddy over at Silent Planet Promotions has gotten behind Stairway's The Other Side of Midnight and hails it as darn near essential for fans of DragonForce (but not as fast), Iron Maiden (but not as evil), The Darkness (but not as silly), Blind Guardian (but not as obnoxious) and Pyramaze (but not as … well, actually, that's an accurate comparison).
With a combination of Pete Jennens' clean and clear guitar leads; a solid, mid-range singer named Graeme Leslie who sounds like no one else in the genre; subtle yet Christian-based lyrics; and a fiery mix of old-school and modern power metal, The Other Side of Midnight packs plenty of punch. "No Mercy," "Burn" and "Death & Destruction" should please traditional headbangers, and the acoustic-to-electric instrumental "Cantabile" and the smoldering closer "My Life Goes On!" showcase the band's finesse. Meanwhile, "Pray for the Children," "Soliders of Heaven" and "She Calls" reveal intrinsic melodic sensibilities, and the epic "Taste the Blood" hints at where this Stairway could lead on future records.
For an independent release, The Other Side of Midnight's production values rock, and the packaging is professional and colorful. That said, Stairway deserves wider distribution and would feel right at home on a U.S. label like Nightmare Records or Prog Rock Records.
Track Listing:
1) No Mercy
2) Sea of Fools
3) Burn
4) Pray For the Children
5) Taste the Blood
6) Lead Us
7) She Calls
8) Cantabile
9) Death & Destruction
10) Soldiers of Heaven
11) My Life Goes On!
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