Awakening the World

This was the first Power Metal album I ever purchased (I'm quite new to this business) and very possibly the best. From start to finish the songs are more or less of the very highest quality. The musicianship is simply pristine - guitarist Wojtek Lisicki and drummer Christian Nyqvist in particular play some awe-inspiring stuff. The vocals are not of this world. Daniel Heiman (who sadly decided to leave the band recently) has a simply incredible voice, with a falsetto that would frighten Ralf Scheepers or even Rob Halford himself. The guy get such sheer power from his vocal chords when hitting the unbelievable highs and emotional lows. Bass player Martin Furangen's conrtibution is muffled somewhat by the fact that the bass lines for the most part follow the drums, but, having seen the band live, it is evident that everyone on this album weighs in with a phenomenal display from start to finish.

On to the songs:

[I'll point out here I won't be discussing the lyrics - all the songs are about truth, self-empowerment, etc, and I think I would cheapen the lyrics by attempting to strip them down]

Track 1 is "The Quickening", a short instrumental opener with synth effects playing over the sound of rolling thunder. Normally I'm not a great fan of intros, but in this instance it sets the mood perfectly.

Track 2, Heart of Storm is simply perfect as the 'real' opening track, opening with a drum intro before blasting into an incredible slice of power metal. Keyboards (also played by Lisicki) add a depth to the end passages without getting in the way. The way the song crashes to a thunderous halt at the end with Heiman screaming lines from the movie 'Highlander' mean the track could have also served as an excellent album closer (more on perfect album closers later ;) ).

Track 3, Sworn In The Metal Wind. This is probably the best song on the album. The opening showcases Heiman's incredible vocals perfectly. If the listener hadn't noticed by the end of the first track, the point is rammed home forcibly here. With no real chorus, this song is a non-stop rush of energy from beginning to end.

Track 4, The Song of Air. This is a short keyboard interlude. Again, I'm normally not a fan of such things, but the soothing, crystaline chiming of the keys is at once uplifting and relaxing.

Track 5, World Through My Fateless Eyes. Back to regular business here with another speedy track. This song the only one on the album that comes close to being a weak track. Not to say it is a bad song, but with the competition it has to compete with here it is unfortunately the most forgettable. Still has a killer chorus.

Track 6, Perfect Warrior. The only ballad-esque track on the album is one of sweeping, inspirational quality. Heiman's vocals are subdued slightly, but the emotion he rings from the lyrics is a joy to listen to. Great solo by Lisicki.

Track 7, Denial of Fate, and the pace is jacked back up with a serious vengeance. The obvious 'single' on Awakening The World, Denial of Fate is a pure adreneline rush, again with fantasticly utilised keyboards and a chorus to sing over and over again. One of the most uplifing Metal tracks ever recorded in this fan's humble opinion.

Track 8, Welcome Back. Soothing keyboards and bass open this track, and Heiman proves his voice can be used to fantastic effect on the less 'powerful' lines as well. The track eventually kicks in to an absolutely killer chorus with the instruments raging to full effect throughout. The song again comes to a thunderous end, leaving a few seconds breathing room before...

...Track 9, The Kingdom of My Will, an epic in every sense of the word. This nine-minute opus closes the album perfectly, changing speed several times but never coming close to losing the listener's attention . Again (again!) the chorus is superb. The guitar leads and solos are mesmerising and the bass is given a chance to fully shine. Double bass drumming that at times sounds more like a gatling gun pound every ounce of energy out of the faster parts, and Heiman is at the very peak of his powers, shrieking like a banshee at every opportunity. Fantastic.

Track 10, The Redintegration is an outro that is, frankly, almost pointless - Kingdom of My Will is the perfect closing track. Still, for an album of such an amzing quality that even manages to boast a very good intro and keyboard interlude, a dull outro is of little concern.

So there it is, Awakening The World, one of my all-time top Heavy Metal albums. The only factors keeping it from a perfect "100%" is that fact that the album is perhaps a little short (would one more song really have hurt?) and the fact that track 5 doesn't quite scale the highs of the rest of the songs. A must for all fans of Power Metal.