New Revelations is the latest from melodic progressive metal band Astral Doors, and once again the Swedish act come out firing with their brand of Rainbow/Deep Purple/Uriah Heep/Dio/Black Sabbath/Whitesnake styled music that just reeks of class at all levels. At the front as always is the commanding vocal presence of Nils Park Johansson, whose Dio-meets-Coverdale delivery proves to be the perfect foil for the crunchy guitar/organ attack on display throughout these eleven tracks. The singer soars through the heavens on tunes like "Freedom War", "New Revelation", and "Pentecostal Bound", with guitarists Martin Haglund & Joachim Nordlund laying down plenty of massive riffs and melodic leads and keyboard player Joakim Roberg fueling the fire with his snarling organ. On the ballad "Bastard Son", the band settles into a more somber & atmospheric groove, with Nils really hitting on that 70's Coverdale vibe (think "Mistreated"), while "Waiting For the Master" is just a great prog-metal cruncher, complete with meaty riffs and searing keyboards. If you like heavy & melodic power metal ala Firewind, check out the furious "Planet Earth" and "The Gates of Light", both of which see drummer Johan Lindstedt really pounding his kit with reckless abandon. The album closer "Mercenary Man" (and longest at near 7-minutes) is a drama soaked head banger with plenty of atmospheric and progressive moments, and contains some of the CD's slowest and heaviest riffs, as well as some killer guitar solos.
In a time when power metal & progressive metal is steadily gaining in popularity worldwide, the time seems right for a band like Astral Doors to finally get the recognition and exposure they deserve. New Revelations is solid stuff folks, so get in touch with your melodic side and check it out.
Track Listing
1. New Revelation
2. Freedom War
3. Pentecostal Bound
4. Bastard Son
5. Waiting For the Master
6. Planet Earth
7. Quisling
8. Cold War Survivor
9. Gates Of Light, The
10. Shores Of Solitude
11. Mercenary Man
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