War of the Wizards

During the fiasco that was "Eye of the Storm" and the band's failure to successfully sell out, Stormwitch went through quite the significant line-up change in that their guitarist duo that had been there from the start, Lee Tarot and Steve Merchant, left the band (albeit on good terms). Any fears that the fanbase might have felt proved unfounded however, as a new and capable set of axemen was found and allowed the band to move forward with their next musical project, "War of the Wizards". This is the first Stormwitch album that can be classified as straight up power metal without hesitation. Not only that, but the band reaffirmed their dedication to the Maiden-inspired aesthetic of "literature metal" with the admittedly daunting task of composing a Tolkien-themed album...with a caveat. That being how "War of the Wizards" is about The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings...but technically, it isn't.

I am not entirely sure whether complications involving copyright were to blame for Stormwitch not using actual names from the books, or whether this was a stylistic decision entirely at the band's choosing. Considering how Blind Guardian was openly composing songs that mentioned LotR characters by name, I am leaning towards the second explanation. The album's narrative thread follows events from J.R.R. Tolkien's books, although loosely at times; knowing that they'd be taking artistic liberties with the source material as their intention wasn't to release a multi-album epic retelling the entire literary trilogy, Stormwitch saddled key characters with pseudonyms so as not to give the impression that this LP is a 100% faithful rendition of Tolkien's work. For clarity's sake when listening to the music and/or reading through the lyrics, I'll mention the key players: Bilbo becomes Flix, Frodo is Theja (feminine-sounding to my ears, apparently unisex), the dragon Smaug becomes Smash (LOL) and finally, Aragorn and Arwen are Aaron and Arleen. As well, Sauron takes on the admittedly badass name of Xänteur as he sends his "Ringspirits" to locate and retrieve his property.

I must say that I was impressed with how well lead guitarist Damir Uzunovic and rhythm guitarist Joe Gassmann performed on this album, especially as they had some big shoes to fill. From the opening riffs of "Listen to the Stories", you couldn't be blamed for thinking that you might be listening to one of HammerFall's more energetic offerings. Andy Aldrian, who apparently dropped the "Aldrian" moniker effective this album, adapted seamlessly to the power metal delivery and his vocals have much more power and clarity to them than on the previous album (which admittedly isn't a tall order but my praise is sincere; Andy wasn't known as the strongest wailer out there during Stormwitch's grittier early days, whereas he sounds like he's in his wheelhouse on much of "War of the Wizards"). The backing harmonies during the catchy chorus also serve to render "Listen to the Stories" as pretty much the most satisfying power metal opener you could ask for. As for the guitar solos themselves, they deliver a mixture of melody alongside a more aggressive speed metal edge. Nobody talks about it but Damir Uzunovic was more or less shredding proto-DragonForce solos all the way back in 1992. A fine example of this is on the anthemic track "Wooden Drum", where the solo combines with the infectious sing-along quality of the chorus to deliver another quintessential power metal earworm.

If there's one area where Stormwitch stood out from many of their peers, it was always in the atmosphere department. That's where the strongest track on this album, "Dragon's Day", also excels. First describing the narrative from the dragon's POV to a driving guitar riff, the song then switches to a softer acoustic melody whenever it shifts over to the Hobbit. A melodic guitar solo followed by more vocal harmonies tie the song up nicely as the Hobbit accomplishes his task. Another song that goes out of its way to set the appropriate epic mood is the titular "War of the Wizards". The fitting pastoral sound effects and woodwinds lead to the folk-inspired sung intro, culminating with the song itself describing the battle between opposing armies. Andy's vocals in this section might seem questionable at first (sounding too close to Dave Mustaine's "Hello, me, meet the REAL me" for comfort), but they're actually part of a rather clever call and response style where those raspy vocals indicate the advance of the evil army, while Andy switches to more energetic, high-pitched vocals when describing the counterattack efforts of the good guys. After a de rigueur speed metal solo, the song switches to a sombre acoustic delivery to indicate the aftermath of the siege and the grave task of counting the bodies.

"Time" warrants a mention as it is the song where Andy's vocals fly particularly high. Its fist-pumping rhythm coupled with the Halfordesque screams during the chorus mark it as reminiscent of early Gamma Ray with Ralf on vocals, so I have a soft spot for it. As for "Fate's on the Rise", it marks a return to a more classic style of ballad that is already more palatable than three-quarters of the ballads on "Eye of the Storm", so no complaints here when a band opts for quality over quantity in that department.

If there are any gripes worth mentioning, I might as well point out that Stormwitch's lead songwriter of old, Lee Tarot, was no longer an active member of the band and that his absence can be felt in some of the writing. Tarot's command of English was above reproach whereas some instances of broken English did manage to creep onto this album. Notably on what strikes me as the weakest track overall, "A Promise of Old": "I would like to use the ring to defend the flat", what in the Mordor are you rambling about, Denetyde? The "flat"? That's how Euros say "apartment". No, Denetyde. Aside from that one silly instance of "Engrish" (by way of Germany) that can pull you out of immersion, song quality does tend to taper a bit after the ballad is over and we aren't treated to any more noteworthy solos. But "Wanderer" is a decent enough album closer, if you can wrap your mind around this album's head-canon that Arag--Aaron ends up becoming the Ringbearer.

"War of the Wizards" is quite the overlooked gem, and while it may not rank all the way up there with the choice cuts of Blind Guardian and Rhapsody of Fire's discography as far as high fantasy albums go, it has an endearing quirkiness to it. It's homebrew LotR and still more enjoyable than it has any right to be by that metric. Although it does not surpass the Stormwitch magnum opus "Tales of Terror", I just had way too much fun listening to this album.

Standout tracks: Listen to the Stories, Wooden Drum, War of the Wizards, Dragon's Day, Time