Sign of Truth

The association between Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine and personification of emotion over reason, and the disciplined style of power metal might seem an odd one, but for the band that took the name, it worked quite well. The resulting music of said band walked a rather conventional road when it came to embracing the Swedish flavor associated with most of its membership, but also possessed a sense of romanticism and lyrically free-spirited quality that was fitting for the care free qualities associated with the deity of the grape harvest. Arguably the chief draw of Dionysus as a force in the power metal world of the early 2000s, which was the undisputed high point of the style, is the showcasing of vocalist Olaf Hayer, the band's lone German representative, who's name had already been cemented into the scene with a breakout performance on Luca Turilli's first solo studio outing King Of The Nordic Twilight, but the overall tone and tenor of Sign Of Truth, Dionysus' own debut is definitely a collective success.

The musical parallels between what is going on here and a number of other prominent Swedish power metal acts of the day is pretty hard to miss, but they are repackaged in a way that was fairly unique by the standards of 2002. The ongoing impact of Yngwie Malmsteen's seminal late 80s studio works are about as easy to spot on here as they were on contemporary works out of Stormwind (also featuring keyboardist Kaspar Dahlqvist) and Narnia, as well as Belgium's answer to Yngwie Dushan Petrossi's more prolific outfit Iron Mask, and it is largely maintained by Dionysus in terms of tonality and tempo. However, the overall flavor of the production is a bit darker and heavier, almost to the point of becoming an accidental precursor to the heavier and less speedy approach that Masterplan would usher into the scene just a year later. Particularly in the case of the more overtly Judas Priest inspired elements heard on "Bringer Of Salvation" and the down tempo character of "Anthem" and "Walk On Fire", things are maybe just a tad out of character compared to most of the album, to speak nothing for the extremely light listening ballad "Don't Forget", which is pretty fluffy and sappy even by the standards of Tobias Sammet's take on the softer side of things at the time.

Nevertheless, the general rule of this album is in line with the older ways of power metal, where things are quick paced, the guitar/keyboard solo sections are prominent and loaded with notes, and the vocals defy the laws of gravity. The classically tinged and almost Freedom Call leaning fanfare of "Time Will Tell" doesn't quite match the high fantasy meets speed metal level of exaggeration of Stairway To Fairyland, but it definitely lands in a similar place. Similarly, subtle nods to the hook-based songwriting meshed with guitar gymnastics of Malmsteen's Odyssey is all over numbers like "Pouring Rain". This approach to metal meshed with classical themes continues in a bit more of a Stratovarius mode of structured speeding on "Sign Of Truth" and "Never Wait", though differing a bit from a typical song with Timo Tolkki at the guitar by having a flashier and busier set of riff work apart from the obligatory shred fests when the vocals drop out. Occasional intercessions of bass activity can be found here and there (though not as flashy as what Malmsteen would put forth), and the drum work is very busy, but overall the guitars and keyboards tend to gobble up most of the intricate parts, to speak nothing for some of the ear-shattering high notes that Olaf belts out on a fairly frequent basis.

A telltale sign of an era that has largely vanished from the power metal scene in favor of either an exaggerated sense of virtuosity on the Dragonforce end of things and a humbler, more restrained on in the likes of Sabaton and Powerwolf, Dionysus represents a different strain of power metal that had more of an eye to moderating the technical and simple aspects of the style rather than passing up one in favor of the other. Arguably more so than the case of the two albums that followed this one, Sign Of Truth is an exercise in well rounded power metal where ritual madness doesn't mean demolishing the entire Colosseum, and the songs tend to be moderate in length and mildly progressive in structure. It doesn't necessarily come off as being nuanced or deep at first glance given the typical excesses of the overall sub-genre, but comparatively speaking, it has a less abrupt character than what has been dominant in the past few years. It has a strong degree of staying power, though like a fine wine, this band tended to get better with the passage of time, and it shows on their subsequent albums.