Extremely listenable second album from Finland's Twilight Guardians here, a rushing collection of slickly-produced power metal jewels that flow over the ears like white water rapids. Not only does this album contain some super-catchy songs and lightning fast instrumentation, but it also has a lot of longevity too, as I bought this when it came out and it's as good today as it was then.
Taking their cues from countrymen Dreamtale, Twilight Guardians play fast, keyboard-led, neo-classical power metal laced with that ever-so-loathed candy-coated brand of melody bands like Edguy, Morifade, and Sonata Arctica tend to write so well. There are plenty of sweeping guitars here, a lot of double kicking drums, some powerful choruses, and of course, a crystal-clear Finnvox production that is one of the most beneficial factors when weighing up this beauty. The sound is one of the reasons this is so easy on the ears, as at times the guitar/keyboard interplay can get a little overpowering, particularly in the solo sections. Song-wise, most tracks are winners with definite highlights being the graceful "Angels", fiery opener "Weak Generation", and the epic "King of the Wasteland" all ticking the right boxes.
The album does have its weak points, however, one being the pretty odd cover of Priest's "Rocka Rolla". The other lies with vocalist Vesa Virtanen, whose rich tones are a little stuffy for the bombastic flair of the material, and though he carries the melodies well, a little more dexterity in his range would have helped. Still, a quality power metal record that will have you singing along at every turn (to some pretty weird lyrics, I'll admit). Fans of the genre would do well to check it out.
Originally spun at www.metalcrypt.com
Twilight Guardians is a power metal band from Finland. Yes, another one. For those of you who like power metal, this is a potential winner, right? Well, no. This band is another example of having talent, but completely wasting it.
Well, musically this isn’t that bad. I mean, everyone here has potential. You know when you listen to a record and you wonder how they acquired the vocalist? Well, you’ll be asking god why the fuck Vesa Virtanen is singing on this record. This is awful. He’s so bland you’ll wonder why they didn’t pick you to sing. It doesn’t help that the lyric writing is nothing spectacular, I might save it, but this is a sinking ship that no one can salvage. I understand that it’s incredibly difficult to ruin an entire album on vocals alone, but this almost does. Every song here is stale or just feels misplaced. Carl-Johan Gustafsson is a good guitarist and should be recognized as one, but the bad writing is just unacceptable. This album just gets under skin. There’s a cover of Judas Priest’s “Rocka Rolla” on here, which is cool considering no one, appreciates this song for what it’s worth, and the band, at least musically, performs this well. None of the originals are worth you’re time.
Don’t buy this record. You will be upset with yourself.