Empires Of Eden: Reborn In Fire

Australia seems an unlikely place for power metal bands to thrive but perhaps that will change with the latest release from Empires of Eden entitled Reborn In Fire, the follow up to their debut Songs of War and Vengeance. Billed as "A crushing power metal masterpiece" my expectations were high before I even had the chance to listen to this disc. The mastermind behind the band is axe slinger Stu Marshal. Besides playing guitar, bass and orchestra he also had a hand in recording, mixing and mastering as well as production. His neo classical shredding, blistering arpeggios, chugging riffs and melodic solos are prevalent here. This is melodic power metal and although the band does not break into new territory they do what they do very well. The songs are well crafted with strong melodies throughout. What makes this album a little different from standard metal fare are the lead vocals. Marshal has help from no less than eight vocalists, all well versed in the metal world. They include Zak Stevens (Savatage), Steve Grimmett (Onslaught, Lionsheart), Mike Vescera (Obsession, Yngwie Malmsteen), Carlos Zema (Outworld), Sean Peck (Cage), Louie Gorgievski (Crimsonfire), Chris Ninni (session vocalist) and Mike Zoias (Dune, Transcending Morality). It is an impressive list and it is not surprising the vocals on Reborn In Fire are outstanding. Drum duty is handled by Jasik whose double bass blasts gives this music that extra kick.

Things are off to a fine start with the Gamma Ray inspired melodic power metal anthem "Of Light and Shadows". Marshal's guitar is all over the place and Viscera's unique vocals fit in nicely. The shredding and synth lines in "Enter the Storm" remind me of Stratovarius while the dramatic beginning of "Total Devastation" leads to some darker atmospheres and a whole lot of heaviness. The orchestra comes out in full force in the dramatic "Prognatus Ut Obscurum", perhaps the CD's most progressive song with various tempo changes and an atmospheric/ambient middle section complete with choir and crashing guitar rhythms. Add to that the vocals of Zak Stevens and we have the album's best song.

This is as majestic as power metal gets and will be sure to please fans of the genre and metal in general. Released in 2010 by 7 Hard Records.

Track Listing:
1. Of Light and Shadows
2. Enter the Storm
3. Total Devastation
4. Prognatus Ut Obscurum
5. Reborn In Fire
6. Beyond Daybreak
7. Death Machine
8. Searching Within
9. Rising

Added: September 12th 2010
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Bnad's MySpace Page
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Language: english

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