ALBUM REVIEW: Are Twilight Force taking the piss or riding to glory on Heroes of Mighty Magic

BACK in the 70s and 80s when a band wanted string sounds they had to hire a symphony orchestra, or get in some mates who knew the difference between a violin and a viola. Nowadays, some synths, studio trickery - hell even a keytar - you can pretty much have the orchestra at your fingertips.

All of which has contributed to the proliferation of band with the tags 'symphonic', 'power' or even 'adventure' before the mighty word 'metal'.

However, whether any of the proponents of these 'styles' are any good is something that relies on craftsmanship, songwriting, and for the listener that old-fashioned suspension of disbelief from the listener.

But, there are times when even the most devoted fan stands back utters the abbreviation "WTF!"

On first listen to Twilight Force's 'Heroes of Mighty Magic' you could be tempted to snigger, advise them to get an orchestra in to play and reign them in, and then give them a mighty slap around the back of the head and urge them to "wise up!"

But, we are not hasty reviewers. No, for to dismiss them out of hand on one scant listen would be unfair and not, well just not metal...

So, we raised a mug of mead (or three) and made ourselves comfortable and listened again. And, again. And, again. Then finally it clicked. These Swedish rocker's efforts are meant to be taken with a large pinch of humorous salt, a dig to the funny bone and appreciation for the over-the-top orchestration and musical histrionics.

This is firmly planted in the fantasy genre of rock - dragons, wizards, noble warriors etc.

And, this is where you have to really suspend disbelief, set aside the sub-Tolkien plot and go with the flow. Let the ridiculous nature of it all be a subject for escapism.

There is, however, no escapism in terms of the musical effort. This takes the whole scope of power and symphonic metal to a new level.

There are more axe fireworks than an explosion in a guitar factory, more keyboard sweeps than the waves around Hawaii, and vocal dexterity that would confuse Dynamo...

Chrileon's talent in lung-busting singing is only matched by Lynd's lead work and the incessant rhythm of Aerendir (guitar), Born (bass), and De'Azsh (drums) keep the album rolling along. The keyboards of Blackwald are to the fore throughout, often duelling with Lynd.

Songs are prefaced and punctuated with almost folksy elements and there is no shrinking away from taking songs to the lengths Twiligh Force wish to with 'There And Back Again' clocking in at 10 minutes plus and title track 'Heroes of Mighty Magic' just four seconds short of the 10 minute mark.

The latter features a stand-out guest slot from Joakim Brodén (Sabaton) and the former has Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire) stretching his vocal chords.

While these tracks allow the band to elucidate further on the vision of Twilight Force, other tracks such as 'Keepers of Fate' and 'To The Stars' can seem a little samey, unless you listen to them in the context of the album's story line.

And, the story is marred - seriously marred by the narration that occupies more than six minutes. The spoken piece of 'Epilogue'. If you have to tell the tale in words, there must be nagging sense that the story arc hasn't been completed.

It could easily have been cut out and let the martial music and choral elements of 'Knights of Twilight Might'.

Taken overall Twilight Force have produced an album that stays true to epic metal, has its tongue firmly thrusts into its cheek, and importantly rides to fantastical glory...

Heroic tales and massive musical muscular landscapes from Sabaton

HISTORIAN Peter Hart tells the historic sweep of battles such as the Somme and Gallipoli, interspersing each tome with the words of the individuals caught up in the horror and turmoil of the battlefield.

Through their words, their tales, their fears and their raw courage a reader can gauge a sense of what it is like for the ordinary citizen, civilian or solider, when bullets are rending flesh and bombs tearing limbs apart.

In the past Sabaton have recounted the broad sweep of history through mighty muscular music, even going so far on their last album, Carolus Rex, to relate the Swedish Empire's rise and fall from 1561 to 1721, helped by an historian to ensure accuracy.

One this, the band's seventh full-length album Sabaton have turned, like Peter Hart, to the stories of the individual caught in apocalyptic conflicts.

Joakim Broden's vocals are as robust as ever, an edge to each melody, with sing-alongs on the likes of 'To Hell and Back' as if he had a Viking horde chanting behind him. Indeed the template of Sabaton's success has been built on with Joakim's distinctive sound, replete with multi-layered production and well arranged songs.

The core of the band (Joakim and bassist/manager Par Sundstrom) have been added to with guitarists Chris Rorland and Thobbe Englund and drummer Hannes van Daal, which keeps faithfully to the Sabaton sound while adding touches that enhance but don't exaggerate. Indeed, Chris and Thobbe's twin attack (such as on 'Resist and Bite') add to the subtleties many miss amid the strident stomp of Sabaton.

The opening of 'Soldiers of Three Armies' has a Priest like flourish before Hannes powers the pass along with Par's precision playing nailing the tempo down.

It is this musical precision that works together - perhaps better than before - for Sabaton. The entire feel of the band is flamboyant in their 'epic' power metal sound, and as such precision in playing matters more than individual playing. When it suits that flamboyance is there; when it does not the sum of the parts more than exceed that which one could hope to expect.

Lyrically, this is where 'Heroes' stands out. On Inmate 4859 the mid-tempo story of Witold Pilecki, a Polish soldier who walked into Auschwitz voluntarily to ensure the horrors and atrocities could be told to the world, captures the listener through the music as much as the tale, both woven together appropriately and sensitively.

Equally the 'Ballad of Bull' is the story of Corporal Leslie Charles 'Bull' Allen. This piano heavy song is about an Australian stretcher bearer who behaved with unselfish courage in recovering the injured in campaigns from Libya to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and on to New Guinea, walking six miles in one case to ensure transport was available to the injured, and carrying wounded comrades through disease infested jungle. He earned the US Silver Star amongst other citations. He paid through ill-health, what we would now call PTSD and many other issues in later life until his death in May 1982. What Sabaton do with this tale of raw courage is to highlight that it is not just killing that makes heroes, sometime saving men is just as heroic.

Producer Peter Tagtgren manages to balance the tapestry of sound across all the songs, from the delicacy on the 'Ballad of Bull' and the more straightforward 'No Bullets Fly'.

In releasing this album Sabaton have stuck to their own sound, enhanced it, and recorded thought provoking lyrics and a musical landscape worthy of challenging themes.

To assume that battle or power metal is all one-dimensional has always been a mistake, but the Swedes from Falun have once more proved that they can produce powerful sounds and powerful themes; again on Heroes they have set their own agenda and it is one that we can happily join in with.

Come, let us gather round the mid-summer fires and listen to the tales of Heroes!

Heroes is now available on Nuclear Blast Records