POWERPLAY MAGAZINE
Area 54s second album, Beckoning of the End, bodes well for the future
of British metal. The London-based quartet, which started out back in 1997,
have produced a very engaging piece of work that is particularly well
executed. Area 54 clearly mean business and they kick things off at a real
gallop with Living a Lie. Although clearly influenced by Iron Maiden, the
band use the next 60-or-so minutes to provide excellent value for money and
also demonstrate their own capabilities, coming through with flying colours.
In my view, the albums standout track comes when matters are reduced to
more of a walking pace with the hauntingly beautiful Another Life. The
vocals of Lakis Kyriacou are impressive throughout, but here they are
afforded an opportunity to really shine, initially accompanied by an
appropriately sensitive use of keys and strings before the rest of the band
enters the fray.
The remaining tracks continue to impress with their style and delivery,
before matters draw to a close with This is the End of Everything, a
typically Maiden-esque epic (weighing in at over 14 minutes) that crucially
stands up in its own right, gradually building towards a deserved, emphatic
conclusion. 8/10
HOW VERY SUPER!!
Area 54s second album, Beckoning of the End, bodes well for the future
of British metal. The London-based quartet, which started out back in 1997,
have produced a very engaging piece of work that is particularly well
executed. Area 54 clearly mean business and they kick things off at a real
gallop with Living a Lie. Although clearly influenced by Iron Maiden, the
band use the next 60-or-so minutes to provide excellent value for money and
also demonstrate their own capabilities, coming through with flying colours.
In my view, the albums standout track comes when matters are reduced to
more of a walking pace with the hauntingly beautiful Another Life. The
vocals of Lakis Kyriacou are impressive throughout, but here they are
afforded an opportunity to really shine, initially accompanied by an
appropriately sensitive use of keys and strings before the rest of the band
enters the fray.
The remaining tracks continue to impress with their style and delivery,
before matters draw to a close with This is the End of Everything, a
typically Maiden-esque epic (weighing in at over 14 minutes) that crucially
stands up in its own right, gradually building towards a deserved, emphatic
conclusion. 8/10
HOW VERY SUPER!!
