The Fall of Chivalry

Isle of Avalon are a young power metal band from a remote corner of the British Isle, a country which has so far produced only one power metal band of note; the horrendously overrated and repetitive Dragonforce. Isle of Avalon are a Europower band, but they're not just another Europower band. All the key elements are there, but they're done far better than average. Coming from a few miles near the birthplace of King Arthur (the photos being shot at Tintagel itself) Isle of Avalon are very fitted to their Arthurian theme, though the lyrics of this particular CD do not though upon his legends.

The vocals are not as high as many power metal singers but are well performed and very catchy. They could do with more projection and power but his clear English accent suits the Arthurian theme perfectly. In 'the Legend of Zagor' there are some low contrast vocals that have clearly been synthetically lowered to get a demonic dark feel, but end up sounding synthetic and somewhat laughable, death growls or a natural low voice would have been better here.

The twin guitars are the standout feature here, with catchy riffs and melodies and plenty of solos. While most power metal bands stick to power chords with the occasional melody Isle of Avalon pull out the stops. The guitar is Castle Argent is certainly a highlight.

The keyboard parts are too quiet and subtle to make a huge impact on the music, though they are well done they would be better with more bombast and power like the rest of the music.

Bass is an instrument usually ignored in power metal, but here it certainly adds to music, very well written and performed for the genre.

Drumming is as you would expect from a power metal band, with plenty of fast double bass drumming. The drumming is generally excellent.

The production is very clear and professional despite the quiet keyboards.

The lyrics don't stray far from stereotypical power metal fare, but thankfully don't fall into the pitfall of being merely a list of clichés with no story. The songs follow a story based on an old Fighting Fantasy book, so do not expect much emotion or originality, but they are still rather epic. Though some phrases are almost cringe worthy (ie 'demon warlock' and even the name 'Zagor') some are delightfully cheesy and memorable such as 'raise your fist into the sky, salute the dragon flying high'. There is a very typical sense of anonymity with some generic knights slaying a generic foe who destroyed a generic town for no particular reason.

This EP is more of a glorious celebration of chivalry than a lament at its fall. Though it doesn't tread any unexplored territory it's very catchy, heroic and uplifting. The short length of the CD is disappointing and gives the band little room to experiment, as some medieval folk sections or ballads would have added a lot of Arthurian atmosphere. Overall this won't win any sceptics to the genre but will be a worthy buy for any fan.