CD Review: AlogiA - Semendria (Symphonic Power Metal, 2020)

Finally after some time a brand new AlogiA album see's the light of day. What happened in the four years since the last release?

The cover creates a positive feeling in me.

I think a lot of work and re-thinking has gone into the creation of "Semendria". First of all the sound underwent changes. This time around it's far more compact and dry. It's not that pumped and blown-up anymore. This makes the tunes lighter to enjoy. The new tunes are compact in duration. A eye was held on a limited tme frame so the tracks come to the point.   

New sound meets tradition

Most of the songs are sourced of traditional symphonic power metal sounds. This lays down a classic foundation to the sound. This impression continues with the vocals that add more high screams than ever before.  

But "Semendria" is far from being a "standard" or one of the many albums out there. This becomes evident on clearer moments that shine through. Just listen to the verses of "The Calling" - they slowly build from softer to faster/harder each verse-round.

The title-track is a good example for the evolution. While lyrically and in the basics a classic track it's the fine elements like the flute or the acoustic guitars that give it a special touch.

Refrains like the one on "Visantia" are outworked with a finetuned melody - leave your ears open and you'll recognize.
Finally piano passages make "From East to West" stand out of all of the tracks. A nice way to end the record in a softer style.
 
All in all I'd like to point out the newest output of AlogiA to your attention. It has more to offer than ever before. It has got a lot of variation in it that is a welcomed aspect. Listening becomes a joy. The shorter way to present the music prevents boring lengths and also gives the music a chance if you're cut short on time.   

Also guest performances of Tim "Ripper" Owens, Mark Boals and the fantastic organ of Fabio Leone make it a even bigger highlight than it already is.

CD and Vinyl available
Make sure to pick a phystical CD copy of the album directly of the online shop. Currently a limited vinyl edition of the record is up for pre-order through Elevate Records at a lower price (20 Euro, will be 24 Euro later. Both prices plus shipping and handling.

Night Legion offer download as little sneak into upcoming album

One of the cool things that comes along with running a blog is that you can discover so many new bands often in their early stages. This time we have been notified of a band that is giving a very early insight into their album production process and we have been picked to share it with all of you as a file free to download!

The new band on the radar is called Night Legion and they perform Power Metal with powerful female vocals. The people behind the sound aren't new to people following this blog. This band features members of Death Dealer and Knightmare as well as of Empires of Eden and Aussie metal royalty Dungeon.

A overlook on the band members of Night Legion, (c) by Night Legion, used with kind permission

How does this band sound like? One of the bands trademarks is the voice of Shannon Tipene. With an uncompromising and aggressive style that echoes Doro’s greatest triumphs, or Ann Wilson’s trademark microphone abuse, Tipene’s voice leaves something behind. You'll remember the high peaks of her voice as well as the anthemic refrain. It's like in the classic days of metal and you'll quickly feel home if you've always enjoyed music of this style. Just check out some excerpts in the clip below or even better head over to this place to pick up a free full song of Night Legion im mp3 Format.


Night Legion has recently begun work on recording their debut, slated for a 2017 release, and is in the early stages of exploring which label will offer the most suitable home for the album. This unconquerable touring animal also has its sights on Japan, Europe and possibly Australia in early to mid-2017.

For the latest band news, visit the official Night Legion website and Facebook page.

Interview with Eternal Voyager (2015)

Introduction

Eternal Voyager came to me as a sort of good surprise. Being someone who grew up with the old classic bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal I always loved the old style that these bands represent with their classic songs. Just think of Judas Priest with their Screaming for Vengeance album or Iron Maiden's Piece of mind.

Of course times have changed ever since. It's good to see things evolve - these days productions sound very different, much brighter, heavier and often brutal. But it's always running through my head that I still love the old way of doing records.

Eternal Voyager seems to be the answer to what I am longing for. They keep their traditionell Power Metal in the old fashioned way of songwriting and production. For example there are songs on their album "The Battle of Eternity" that repeat the theme that is presented at the beginning of the track at the very end of it again. I instantly had to think of the old Omen albums again.

Eternal Voyager 2015, (c) by Eternal Voyager used with kind permission

I gave the album some spins and was so curious to find out more about them that I asked the band for a interview. I am glad guitarist and vocalist Brian Blake took the time to answer my questions in a very extended way. Get to know more about how the album came together, the myterious man on the front cover of the album and what they are going to do next.

The Interview

Heavy Metal Underdogs: 
The production on the CD sounds very oldschool. I love this, today's albums are often overproduced in my eyes/ears. I grew up with the old sound so I prefer it. Was the old-school production form something you had clearly on your mind as you went into the studio or how did it all come together?

Brian Blake:
It was a natural thing that happened it wasn’t really planned but it came out that way because of the producer’s style. I too enjoy the old school sound and production to albums. But this time around it was not planned out this way. Of course there are a lot things I would like to change but it captured the songs well enough.

The band underwent a lot of line-up changes and is already around since 1998. How did you manage to keep up the motivation?

It went through a lot of lineup changes for various reasons mostly because many people just didn’t make the cut or ended up with life and musical differences, which is a natural thing that happens. It has never been easy because I have been the original member having to carry the weight of the band through all of it and it was very hard; there were many times that I wanted to give up but I kept going. This new lineup has given me a newfound hope and positive outlook on the future of this band. The album itself finally getting recorded was very motivating and gave me more confidence because prior to that we never had the right people all of those years and I was never successful in getting a good professional recording done.

Did the fans maybe also took part in this by constantly requesting new shows or recordings?

Yes there were a few that followed us somewhat distantly through the years but we made a lot more new fans when the album came out because it was a solid recording . For about 4 years before the making of the album we had a big gap of silence due to lineup complications and member issues.

As for the lyrics of "The Battle of Eternity" - does it have a concept behind it? Is there also a relation to the cover artwork?