Mirador - The Azrael Tales
Rivel Records - RRCD018 - 26/01/2005
By Patrick Walsh
Now here's a band that sounds a little different (at long last). Mirador blend traditional heavy metal with a doomy, '70s Black Sabbath vibe that, along with plenty of other nice touches and a strong Candlemass influence in places, lifts The Azrael Tales well above the glut of power metal hopefuls i'm routinely confronted with. Opener 'Redeemer' is a bombastic dirge that is at once epic and uplifting. It quickly becomes obvious that Mirador are not in the business of following the power metal herd and distinguish themselves with all manner of odd twists and turns, choral arrangements and an overall sense of weirdness. This may or may not be because of the shock of hearing a power metal band not trying to sound like the rest of its peers, but either way Mirador have lovingly crafted an album of good songs that certainly deserve to be heard above 90% of the Helloween clones doing the rounds these days. The vocals are the only thing that threaten to spoil things, as for the most part they're of the standard power-metal variety that everyone's heard a million times, but when 'No Loss Cut' winds down the more subdued strain sounds great, whilst the unexpected folky refrain of 'Perfect plan' oddly suits the rest of the track's mid-paced gallop. Even the obligatory ballad 'Soul Distortion' carries itself off with dignity, and is in fact quite engaging with the added electronic elements. Overall, an above average slab of epic-doom from these newcomers and one that shows a concerted effort to be a bit different will often yield exciting results.
7.5/10
Rivel Records' Official Website
Rivel Records - RRCD018 - 26/01/2005
By Patrick Walsh
Now here's a band that sounds a little different (at long last). Mirador blend traditional heavy metal with a doomy, '70s Black Sabbath vibe that, along with plenty of other nice touches and a strong Candlemass influence in places, lifts The Azrael Tales well above the glut of power metal hopefuls i'm routinely confronted with. Opener 'Redeemer' is a bombastic dirge that is at once epic and uplifting. It quickly becomes obvious that Mirador are not in the business of following the power metal herd and distinguish themselves with all manner of odd twists and turns, choral arrangements and an overall sense of weirdness. This may or may not be because of the shock of hearing a power metal band not trying to sound like the rest of its peers, but either way Mirador have lovingly crafted an album of good songs that certainly deserve to be heard above 90% of the Helloween clones doing the rounds these days. The vocals are the only thing that threaten to spoil things, as for the most part they're of the standard power-metal variety that everyone's heard a million times, but when 'No Loss Cut' winds down the more subdued strain sounds great, whilst the unexpected folky refrain of 'Perfect plan' oddly suits the rest of the track's mid-paced gallop. Even the obligatory ballad 'Soul Distortion' carries itself off with dignity, and is in fact quite engaging with the added electronic elements. Overall, an above average slab of epic-doom from these newcomers and one that shows a concerted effort to be a bit different will often yield exciting results.
7.5/10
Rivel Records' Official Website
