Ancestral Energy

Pure Steel Records really do have the niche cornered for this kind of wispy melodic Metal these days, and they know their market so well that their press packs even have English as a second language behind German. Whether or not this style has much of a fanbase outside of the traditional stomping grounds of Germany, Finland and Japan I do not know, but the filing of this under the “Melodic Progressive Metal” heading only tells part of the story. Don't be put off by the photoshop-burnished logo, the dry ice in the promo shots or the high school music teacher look all 4 members are rocking- Artizan are not quite as wimpy as you might immediately think.

“I Am The Storm” kicks things off by forefronting the “melodic” side of the equation straight away, and if you missed this band's Curse Of The Artizan debut 2 years ago then the first thing you'll notice is just how much frontman Tom Braden can be compared to Michael Kiske in his prime. There are other musical nods to Helloween too, though maybe more from the Andy Deris-era than the 80's output, but what really makes this opening jam interesting is the progressive drumming flourishes from Ty Tammeus that are a signature of this band's style.

Compositionally-speaking “The Raven Queen” owes a lot to Iron Maiden's Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son while “The Guardian” has one of those very repetitive choruses that in an alternate universe could easily be sung in time by fans to Bruce Dickinson. The latter track also shows that Operation Mindcrime and Empire may have been on heavy rotation too for Artizan, but things really revert back to Maiden with “The Death Of Me.” This time some sections (particularly right at the start of the song) put me in mind of what studio demos for the modern-day Irons albums must sound like, before breaking into a more Sonata Arctica vibe (or maybe more closely Mehida, for those better acquainted with Finnish Power/Prog.)

That last reference point might crinkle the noses of those who I told not to pre-judge this as being wishy-washy Power Metal, but surprisingly it is actually the Maiden points of comparison where the weakness lies. Like I said, it's like a studio demo of contemporary Iron Maiden- the musicianship and the ideas are there, but it's just lacking that real verve and dynamism to make it sound fully-rounded. This is a bit of problem when, despite the fact Artizan are at their most interesting with their restrained progressive touches come into play, this sometimes feels too much like it is relying on Branden's voice to carry it. He is a great vocalist, but the band need to find a way to connect the dots and sound more like a sum total of all their individually great parts if they wanted to be seen in the same light as their influences. They come closer to this on “You Can't Take The Metal” but even this up-tempo early 1980's Judas Preist-esque rocker can't turn the tide.

The closing title track underscores this limitations to his technically excellent voice even more. Appropriately enough for featuring Matt Barlow it begins in a slow-burning Iced Earth fashion with some old school Omen-like vocal effects to kick it into gear and even a bit of what sounds like classic Manilla Road put through a 90's Prog/Power filter. Really though, how could this song's crowning glory ever be anything but the majestic baritone of the former-Iced Earth frontman? He dominates with his unsurpassed range and puts on a better display than on any of the later Iced Earth albums he sang on, and shows that while Tom Branden can't carry this whole album, Matt Barlow with his small contribution certainly can. If you're a Barlow fanatic (or even a Michael Kiske one given Branden's sonic likeness to him) I would recommend picking this album up, as I would if you like Iron Maiden's recent efforts. For Artizan themselves though it feels here like they are still somewhat like apprentices, with still some honing of their craft to do. [5/10]

From WAR ON ALL FRONTS A.D. 2013 zine- www.facebook.com/waronallfronts