Greatest review of a powermetal album ever

Yngvai X

Dark Emperor
Jul 18, 2002
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from http://www.maelstrom.nu/ezine/review_iss10_479.php

FREEDOM CALL - Eternity - CD - SPV/Steamhammer
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review by: Roberto Martinelli

You know you'll get more totally wussy power metal with the release of a new record by Freedom Call. The band doesn't even try to hide the fact its music is totally gay. In case you think I'm exaggerating, consider the fact the first record is called Stairway to Fairyland. Even by German power metal standards, this band is pretty fruity. They give Edguy a run for its money.

Freedom Call's last record, Crystal Empire (review in issue #3), is one of my favorite anti-albums ever. Since then, I've grown to appreciate and even shamelessly like some of this brand of music that is really about as far away as what heavy metal was intended to be but at the same time defies classification as anything but metal. Eternity is cheesy and often embarrassing, yes, but there's something finely controlled and calculated about it that makes me think it's not such a bad album. (Objectively, the only thing that really falls flat on the record is when something like death metal vocals are attempted on a short part of one song.)

In fact, I think it's a pretty good album. Sure, it's total cheese pop mixed with metal; inane lyrics about hailing the metal invasion presented in a sing along way with beats and structures you've heard a million times. But Freedom Call can play and seem to know exactly what they're doing, and damn it, I enjoyed some of the songs. It's fun and it's light and it's mindless, and it's well done. Don't be afraid, embrace the gayness, you may find you like Freedom Call, too.



The greatest part about this review is that you can edit out Freedom Call's name and insert in the name of almost any other powermetal band and it will fit. Those exempt from that are Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Rage, most Gamma Ray, Persuader, or any other powermetal band that actually has "power" and agression in their music.


P.S. - embrace the gayness :D
 
karelrulez said:
bands like Sonata Arctica for instance.. how adventureless can music be?

Angra, now THAT's a great powermetal band.
dude, sonata arctica rules. They have their bad songs, but they have some really great songs too.
 
Listen to Ecliptica by Sonata. I can't see how anyone could see this album as being less than a solid Power Metal record to say the least.
 
Pity about the drumming on ecliptica
The drumming is some of the worst ever to grace a pm band.
Angra though rocks.
 
It's fun and it's light and it's mindless, and it's well done.
Which is why I enjoy Freedom Call once in a while - sometimes I just really like listening to them. I think their singer rocks.

But yeah, it is pretty much unadventurous, cookie-cutter power metal most of the time.

Sorry, since I'm a loser and I haven't heard Angra I can't contribute to that whole end of things.
 
What's wrong with the drumming, or anything else, on Ecliptica?

Sure power metal can be lame, cheesy, wimpy, dorky, etc, but sometimes that's half the fun. Behind the cheese is usually some very talented musicians who create dazzling energizing fun music.

Angra rawks it.
Sonata Arctica conquers all.
I haven't heard much Freedom Call yet. :(
 
In my opinion, there was nothing wrong with Ecliptica, except the drum opening for Blank File. It seemed out of time. If you're talking about about the level of technicality, yeah, there were a lot of repeated patterns...but not everybody's a Portney...