Welcome to the Theater

I hadn't given this band the time of the day since being massively underwhelmed with their debut release, but I have certainly noticed their popularity increasing over the last few years. Welcome to the Theater is the fifth full-length from ReinXeed and the station I decided to jump back on the train, and I've got to say the ride is far smoother and enjoyable.

Thematically I think this album will divide opinions, and I'm sure the power metal naysayers will be lining up to call this pink, or gay, or whatever. The album's theme, for those who haven't been paying attention (or simply are uninterested), is that of blockbuster movies. ReinXeed achieve this theme through their lyrics and their orchestral elements. If you've seen the films Tommy and the gang are singing about (which you should have as these range from Terminator to Jurassic Park, and from Braveheart to Star Wars) I'm sure you'll notice some particularly familiar melodies throughout. Now having grown up with a vast majority of these films and still enjoying them today, I think the theme is just great and I had a lot of fun on my first two listens figuring out which song was about what (it really wasn't too hard).

Okay, so enough about theme, let's get to the power metal. This is undoubtedly the strongest I've heard ReinXeed sound, feeling proud and professional. The overall style of power metal is largely of the symphonic variety and fortunately the band doesn't forget to keep the riffs interesting and surprisingly quite heavy in places. Tommy's vocals are well done here too, boasting a certain endearing quality that really cemented my enjoyment of Welcome to the Theater.

There isn't a lot bad to say about Welcome to the Theater, I guess the drums could do with sounding a little better, with the snare having a particularly synthetic feel. A few of the tracks don't hit the mark as well as they could either: "Save Us" is overly long, and is definitely one of the less interesting cuts. The female vocals sadly make me want to cringe. The same can be said of "Freedom" which would definitely benefit from being cut by a few minutes, although the alternating vocals definitely keep things interesting. The title track itself could have been a phenomenal power metal cut but it looks like the theme got to Tommy's head a little too much, just about all of the lyrics reference a different film and whilst it starts off fun "spotting the film reference", the song is a little too much.

However these niggles are relatively minor and for the most part Welcome to the Theater is a tour-de-force in symphonic power metal and knocks spots off the latest Pathfinder release. Tracks such as "Life Will Find a Way" and "Somewhere In Time" are really some of the coolest songs I've heard in the genre this year. I think I'll be keeping a closer eye on ReinXeed from now on. In the meantime I think I'll go for the matinee. Recommended!

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

What's the most metal thing you can think of? Vikings? Nun defilement? Zombies? The concept of death? Winter and its associated landscapes? Indiana Jones? Dinosaurs?

You're really close with those last two. But the correct answer is: the 1989 blockbuster "Back to the Future part II".

ReinXeed a hyper-melodic power metal band out of Sweden. It is the brain child of one Tommy Johansson, who plays guitar, sings, and does all the composing. There may be other band members, but this can basically be treated as his solo project. For their fifth album they decided to take the next logical step in their development: If the music is heavily cinematic and epic sounding, why not just sing about actual movies? This idea may seem incredibly cheesy to you. And you would be right. But with all the charisma that ReinXeed have, it ends up working well.

Almost all the songs on this album deal with one specific movie, except for the confusingly-placed closer, "Welcome to the Theater", which just crams as many movie titles into 4 minutes as possible. The films chosen are all big-budget and well-known. I'm guessing that they were chosen because they are all about two decades old, available to see in Swedish theaters, and thus had the biggest impact on a young Johansson's musical endeavors. It's easy enough to figure out what movies are being referenced without even reading the lyrics. When Johansson wails "I am your father!" it's pretty obvious what's going on. Or when he says "Parley has no meaning on this ship". The song "No fate" is hard to figure out until he says at the end, "I'll be back".

You can also hear the occasional theme from the soundtrack of the movie. It's not usually very noticeable, but if you are paying attention and are a fan of movie soundtracks you can catch some things. Those two things combined make for a fun listening experience.

Musically, it's the same old ReinXeed sound. The album starts out with an intro that sounds almost like it came from a movie. The orchestral samples use throughout the album are very good quality, but it's easy to tell that it's just a dude and his computer, rather than an actual orchestra playing. I can't imagine that the budget allowed for such extravagancies. The arrangements that are the backdrop of every song are what makes this album stand out, and their composition is excellent. They easily accomplish their goal of sounding movie-like, even if it is a bit cliched at times. Not every bit of a soundtrack is 100% full-force epic. But I have a feeling a melancholic piece wouldn't really fit well with everything else.

The backbone of the album is entirely straightforward power metal rockers accompanied by a bombastic edge. Mr. Johansson really shines here. His vocals are soaring and perfectly in tune. He also makes himself understandable, something that was noticeably absent on his earlier works. His voice can be a little piercing at times, but the guy didn't win the World Karaoke Championships for no reason.

The guitar work is similarly impeccable. A metal purist might deride the lack of interesting riffwork, but it works well with the style ReinXeed are trying to achieve. Tommy really shows off his chops with the solos and leads on this album. The leads complement the symphonic arrangements well, taking over the melody from the vocals. The solos are typical scale runs, but Tommy has a trademark style that makes them sound very ReinXeed-esque. That can be said of the whole album, as well. If you found yourself disliking previous ReinXeed albums, there is nothing that will change your mind here.

There is a real drummer on this album, which is a nice touch, but it still ends up sounding not very humanlike. If there a thing to be said against this album, it's that it sounds very mechanical. It's produced in a way that the guitars lack any sort of grittiness, and the bass might as well be absent. All the instruments are extremely precise. Even the solos, where you might expect some imperfections, are totally clean and error-free.

I enjoyed previous ReinXeed albums a lot, but this one tops them all. I'd consider this one of the best recently released power metal albums. It has everything: songwriting, solos, grandiosity. And don't forget the most important thing: a song about "Back to the Future part II", the most metal concept available!

Tommy Johansson and company sure don’t disappoint. Another year, another ReinXeed album, and this time they’re even less subtle about their thematic material (which doesn’t make it any less enjoyable). Yes, ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls; metalheads of all ages; Welcome To The Theater is a bombastic tribute to cinema, featuring some of everyone’s favorites (Even mine, and I hardly watch movies!).

The curtain is raised with “Welcome”, an introduction that somehow manages to snare the essence of dozens of Hollywood films and squeeze them into an orchestral piece just over a minute in length. This spirit of energy, optimism, and grandeur is also exactly what you should be expecting from the rest of the album. ReinXeed was at the top of its collective game with the very good 1912, but the envelope has been pushed further yet in terms of sound and ambition. With their absurd covers of pop favorites and even Youtube videos, this band is capable of turning nearly every subject under the sun into a gleeful and galloping romp. Now, they turn that same formula on Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Spiderman, and a plethora of other favorites- with fantastic results!

“Ok great, but does this album actually sound distinctive?” Well, ReinXeed’s sound is somewhat singular, especially with Tommy’s voice leading the charge, but the short answer is: yes, in fact, it does. The formula hasn’t really changed all that much, but Welcome To The Theater presents the band at their most bombastic, polished, and, well…theatrical yet. In addition to this, and perhaps surprisingly, this is also easily their heaviest work to date. Despite all the orchestration, there’s no lack of brilliant leads, ripping rhythm lines, or shredding solos. The production is perhaps the best that it’s ever been, accentuating the heavier guitar tone while simultaneously lessening the trademark “cold” and “distant” sounds that I’ve described the band as having in the past, though these elements are still present in places.

Bolstering Reinxeed’s formidable compositions is guest vocalist Ronny Hemlin of Steel Attack (and more recently Tad Morose). Appearing on the verses of “Freedom”, Hemlin lends his potent, gruff tone to Johansson’s crystal clear tenor to mold an already strong song into a fantastic vocal experience. Tommy himself has never sounded better, and a couple of his lines in “Freedom” in particular are on par with some of the best screams that I’ve heard in modern power metal.

The cinematic theme really helps each and every song on this album to stand out rather uniquely, unlike Majestic and 1912, where the songs occasionally ran together a bit. Because everyone is bound to find their own favorites here, I’ll just throw mine out: the Jurassic Park homage of “Life Will Find A Way”, the superb and anthemic title track, and especially the excellent “Temple Of The Crystal Skulls”. The latter, in addition to being a very fun tribute to all four Indiana Jones films, is one of the most hyper-melodic and upbeat songs I’ve heard yet this year.

Aside from Tommy’s voice occasionally growing slightly redundant (very difficult for this band to escape, and I can understand some people’s issue with it), my only complaint with this album is a nitpick: the placement of the title track. First off, the lyrics (“Welcome to the theater, we’ll show you to your seat!”) seems perfect for an introduction to the album, as does the vivid motif of film references that is drawn on throughout the entire song. Additionally, the anthemic feels and driving introduction just feel much more ideal and explosive after the orchestral introduction than “Life Will Find A Way” comes out sounding. I actually found myself double checking the tracklist a couple of times because I was so certain that this had to be the opener. I’d take more issue with it, except that this song hardly does a poor job of wrapping up the album, and I suppose that I can appreciate the value of having this tapestry of film after all of the other tracks as well.

Ultimately, Welcome To The Theater is a rousing success, a box-office smash, and whatever else is a good reference for a successful movie. There’s variety and drama aplenty, great singing, and a finely woven mass of passionate music that conveys quite clearly the band’s love for films that they doubtlessly grew up watching. I recommend this very highly to cinephiles, fans of all power metal, and maybe even the stoic and handsome Harrison Ford himself. I’ll see you all in the front row!

Original review written for Black Wind Metal

Sweden's ReinXeed are self described as OST (original soundtrack) inspired melodic power metal. Even the name of this release is movie inspired, “Welcome to the Theater.” Anytime a band proclaims itself as cinematic or inspired by the modern theatrical industry thoughts of Rhapsody immediately pop into my head. Honestly, Rhapsody has been flying that flag for over a decade. Is ReinXeed able to incorporate their love of movie scores into a power metal base without compromising the heaviness of the metal or the complexity and emotive nature of OST music?

ReinXeed is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Tommy Johansson. Johansson started ReinXeed as a one man project, doing all composing, vocals and instruments. Only in recent history has Johansson opened the doors for other members, to play shows and whatnot. Johansson and crew blaze through ten tracks of fast paced extremely melodic power metal.

The album starts off with what could be the introductory score for some type of epic adventure drama. The orchestral pieces continue, mostly sounding exactly like a movie soundtrack, through the entire album. Reinxeed just seem to play their brand of power metal over top of the soundtrack music. Every track some form of orchestration accompanying it and anytime the band slows down, the pieces come racing to the forefront, giving a very grandiose feel to them. Surprisingly, the orchestrations are not over bearing or done to the point of annoyance. Even though they are played the whole way through the album, it doesn't take away from the overall feel, but rather adds a spark of continuity throughout the entire release.

Orchestrations aside, ReinXeed are definitely power metal based, but calling them a melodic power metal is very misleading. While the orchestrations are definitely melodic, the metal aspect of the album is a much heavier beast. The music is really reminiscent of keyboard driven power metal with touches of melodic death and even thrash elements. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't like Heathen or Exodus playing power metal or even like Dark Tranquillity taking a stab at the lighter things in life. For elaboration, I will delve into the sounds and nuances of the instruments and vocals.

The guitars, for the most part, are along the lines of standard prog influenced power Metal. ReinXeed doesn't go into the flowery Gamma Weeny styles of many Euro power bands. Rather, take the progressive power styling of Time Requiem and combine with the chugging, galloping power thrash of early Iced Earth and blend it with the intensity and speed of Kalmah. I'm not trying to say that the guitars are extremely heavy, just that they are heavier than most melodic power metal bands. As a whole, “Welcome to the Theater” displays some excellent solos and tasteful lead breaks. The guitarists have definitely done their homework, as this is an extremely fun listen.

The drums and bass provide an extremely solid backbone. The bass has some nice breaks with the orchestrations. The drums are mostly standard run on the double bass, but the fills and tempos move into galloping and rollicking sections a la Iron Maiden. The keyboards tend to keep the score music moving along. Like I said, it seems like the band plays along while the OST music keeps going in the background.

The vocals really remind me of Kotipelto. A higher midrange voice with a very powerful delivery. He manages to be high pitched without whining or getting off key. The vocals take a back seat to the instrumentation, but definitely don't disappoint when they come on.

Honestly, the only similarities to Rhapsody are the fact that they are both power metal and that they both have cinematic themes. I would brand ReinXeed as a progressive power metal band with flairs of the heavier things in life. This is definitely recommended to fans of prog inspired power metal and also fans of heavier music looking to start into power metal. Final analysis: an awesome release that just proves not all power metal albums are created equal. If ReinXeed can continue in this vein, they certainly have found themselves one more fan.

Written for: http://www.metal-observer.com/