Before the year began, I hadn’t heard the name REXORIA until recently. They have released their latest album Imperial Dawn, which is my first experience of the band’s sound and one thought came across my mind; why didn’t I listen to them sooner? Imperial Dawn is the new go to album if you need that morale boost and lift. Let me explain.
It gets right down to business with opening with Paradigm. Through the pumping music and empowering lyrics such as “We are running in the neon lights, This is the mission of my life” and “I am a fighter, I am ready for the Notorious abyss” you feel ready to take on anything. This was the first song that band wrote for the album which you can read more about in my interview with Frida Ohlin and Jonas Gustavsson by clicking here.
Each song has a different sound to it that all have one thing in common; you will feel that little bit better after listening to this empowering album. They are all fantastically written and each one has a strong melody to match. Below are just a few examples of what this album offers up.
Devious Desire sees a softer side to Frida’s vocal style, and it takes a slower tempo. It’s at a speed that will allow the listener to sway along to the rhythm and lose themselves into the music. Due to the folk elements you can hear within the sounds, images of hazy summer days at open air festivals and live shows come to mind.
BATTLE BEAST track Bringer Of Pain comes to mind when listening to Rage And Madness. Not that it’s a bad thing, both are great songs. They don’t sound too alike that you can’t tell the songs apart but they both have that empowering impact that helps you let out any frustrations and irritations. This is done through the rapid, heavy melody communicating lyrics such as “The fury grows, inside of me, the heaven’s falling down” and “The government has told us, this will be the end”.
Horizon is a battle cry that are currently struggling and need that morale. The melody in this track has a phoenix rising through the ashes effect as in you instantly feel lifted and warm once you have listened to this track. This is also done through encouraging lyrics such as “The glimpse of the moonlight, It’s time to redeem” and “show me the horizon and leave it all behind”.
It closes with a future anthem Enchanted Island. Imagine if an early power metal band from the early 2000s wrote a song for a video game from the nineties, this should give you an idea of what it sounds like. It’s heroic and triumphant, a great closer to the record. I should mention that SKYBLAZER’s Johannes Frykholm makes a guest appearance on this track.
Whatever you happen to be doing, Imperial Dawn is that go to album you turn to in order to feel that bit better about things. It’s also solid proof that REXORIA are a band that we all should be keeping our eyes and ears out for.
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Rating: 8/10
Imperial Dawn is out now.
Find REXORIA on Facebook.
