Ghost Town

I've been following Narnia since the early 2000's and greatly enjoyed their earlier material for their particular brand of Yngwie Malmsteen goes Christian type of power metal. They also seem to have bits of Stratovarius and Helloween influence in their music as well and should appeal to many fans of this genre. Over the years they have developed a more original sound that still owes a lot to the Swedish shredder extraordinaire without being copycats (neo-classical at times, but still distinctive in their own right). If you like your power metal a bit more mid-paced with a touch of prog-metal added in, shredding guitar solos, and very Christian lyrics - you will probably like these guys. They are arguably one of the top Christian metal bands and have better chops and production values than many other similarly theologically minded metal bands.

The album starts off with the first single 'Rebel' which is a fairly typical Narnia song. It is good but it reminds me of songs they have done in the past such as 'Reach for the Top'. It just has a formulaic feel to me. Some of the following songs get a bit more interesting due to some more experimentation with song structures and lyrics along with some greater intensity. The following track 'Thief' is a bit darker sounding, while 'Hold On' has some fantastic lead work throughout. 'Glory Daze' really kicks and is one of the heaviest and best songs on the album because the energy and tempo kicks it up a notch with guitar leads going into hyper shred mode. I also really like the epic prog metal of ‘Descension’, which also has a great guitar solo. 'Out of The Silence' is a great song featuring the Lord's Prayer and yet another epic solo by guitarist Carl Johan Grimmark. Closing track 'Wake Up Call' is one of the few fast rockers on this album and has the intensity of 'Glory Daze'. This song reminds me of Stryper with its anthemic feel.

Some of the things I really like about this album are the inspiring lyrics sung by Christian Liljegren. I think that he is one of the best Swedish singers in this genre and has excellent projection and pronunciation in his singing. Drums are handled by Andreas Johansson, also of Royal Hunt, who is arguably one of the best drummers in the genre. His variety of tempos and drum fills add a lot to the music. Martin Härenstam on keys offers some great soundscapes and piano arrangements to the songs, with bassist Jonatan Samuelsson bringing some impressive bass guitar work to the fore. However, it is guitarist CJ Grimmark who really fires up this show with his killer lead and riff work.

Basically, if you like the bands mentioned above and also have an affinity for Stryper (particularly their lyrics), but with more of a power metal feel I would highly recommend these guys. This one is better than their last two releases, because Narnia has taken it up a notch in production and songwriting. The result is a strong melodic metal album with some excellent musicianship, songwriting, and production values.

I was a big fan of Narnia during their initial run, even though they were the softest sounding band of the Euro power second wave. I still think ‘Long Live The King’ and ‘The Great Fall’ are fun albums, but I much preferred vocalist Christian Rivel’s work in DivineFire and Golden Resurrection, and of late, the rather stunning album by The Waymaker. Narnia started beefing up their sound from ‘Enter The Gate’ onwards, down-tuning their guitars and giving Christian a chance to spit out his Christian lyrics with more gusto than ever before. I even liked the derided album they did without him, 2009’s ‘Course Of A Generation’, but missed out on the last two they put out. I was traveling and in the mood for some new power metal, though, and thought I’d give ‘Ghost Town’ a whirl, and though it won’t blow you to smithereens, it’s actually pretty good on its own merits.

It takes a while to grow on you. At first, all I could think of when I tried to recall this album was the song of the same name by Mob Rules, and to a lesser extent, The Specials. But the more I spun it, the more I realized I liked almost every song here for a chorus, a vocal line, a riff or little melodic piece that stuck to me like glue. It’s kinda more than the sum of its parts in a way, as Narnia haven’t changed their core sound much, but have made it a bit proggier and less accessible, which is a good thing, really. Opener ‘Rebel’ wouldn’t make you think that, as it’s a nicely melodic power metal banger that is quite in line with the stuff they did on ‘Enter The Gate’. CJ Grimmark’s guitars are still boss heavy, weaving subtle neoclassical themes of old in unexpected spots, but then ‘Thief’ starts fucking about with this snare-driven riff and odd vocals before going into a prog metal chorus that somehow works very well. ‘Hold On’ sounds like a lost Audiovision song, boasting a predicable synthy AOR chorus, and it’s not that great, but ‘Glory Daze’ makes up for it with its driving tempo and a stellar vocal out of Rivel. Like most of this album, that tune is only fast by virtue of the others being quite slow and ponderous, although there is one speedy double kicker on here in ‘Wake Up Call’, which closes out the album like something from their first four albums, albeit heavier and more proggy. Rivel does a pathetic scream at the beginning of that one, though. It’s pretty funny to witness, considering he gives a really controlled and pleasant performance across the rest of the album.

On the whole, ‘Ghost Town’ is quite a sedate record with ballsy guitars and melodies that take a while to become memorable, but I assure you they do. There is one very weird moment in ‘Out Of The Silence’, which is part ballad, part prayer from Eric Clayton, and I can tell you right now that won’t sit well with folks who aren’t Christian, but whatever. I quite like this album despite its faults, especially ‘Glory Daze’, as it sounds so much like Threshold doing a power metal song it makes my heart smile. With Easter just around the corner, I’ve found this a fitting soundtrack, and if melodic Christian power metal lights you up, you’d best give this a whirl. Also, the artwork by DivineFire/Waymaker affiliate Jani Stefanovic rules.