The band that is on most Power Metal fan’s brains is ALTERIUM; they are a brand new band that are due to release their debut album Of War And Flames and it’s a great taste of what the band can offer up. After having caught them at Epic Fest earlier this year as well, they are ones to watch out for. Let me explain.
It opens up with Drag Me To Hell; it was one of the first single releases so if you haven’t heard it, imagine anime style guitar riffs that uplift you and make you feel like you can conquer the world. There is also a rhythm shift within the song that I think works well.
The band have released several singles in lead up to this album; if I had an album of great songs to showcase, I would want to release as many songs as possible myself. Examples of the single releases include Siren’s Call, Crossroads Inn and Crystalline.
Siren’s Call is a call-back to Symphonic Metal released in mid 2000, bands such as VISIONS OF ATLANTIS and NIGHTWISH come to mind when listening to this enticing track. Crossroads Inn takes you to a Medieval Tavern as the ambience of the song is done so brilliantly, given the song is about a tavern simulation game of the same name; I wouldn’t expect anything different. Crystalline is a beautiful melody showcasing a more delicate and softer side to the band. It’s that break from the heaviness before that allows time to reflect.
There are also great tracks on this album that haven’t yet been released as singles and like the singles, they showcase the band’s diverse sound. My personal favourites are Firebringer, Shadow Song and Heroine Of The Sea.
If you wish to hear an idea of what a video game action sequence could sound like, Firebringer will provide you with this. This song has an empowering melody that provides a worthy backing for the uplifting lyrics. It’s the song UNLEASH THE ARCHERS wish they had written and given the other bands I had mentioned before, this really shows how versatile Nicoletta Rosellini’s vocal range is. I would also like to note that air guitarists will be rejoicing when the solos come around.
Shadowsong has a strong melody in the chorus that communicates the message of dark and light across very well. Shadows can either be dark and sombre or mischievous and playful, this song allows you to come up your own interpretation of this. Heroine Of The Sea allows you to unleash that inner desire to be the captain of your own ship, the gallant and majestic melody allows this to happen. I would also like to mention Thieves Of The Sea coming to mind here.
It ends triumphantly with a great cover of SABATON classic Bismarck, it was evident how well this went down when watching this live at Epic Fest. They took the best parts of the original and gave it their own twist; that’s the sign of a great cover.
Of War And Flames is a strong debut that will open doors for the band and tells the world that ALTERIUM are a band to watch out for. This is a band journey that you will want to be a part of.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Of War And Flames will be released Friday 8th March via AFM Records.
Find ALTERIUM on Facebook.
