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Review:
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The first thing that strikes you about this debut from
the Dutchmen is the gorgeous artwork by Brazilian Jobert
Mello, it really sets the scene and builds the anticipation,
people who download miss out on so much. That expectation
rises with the grand orchestral intro ’Tabula Rasa’, the
excitement is by now palpable, and then we’re into ‘Thirteen’,
revealing the band to me a more powerful Within Temptation,
or a more gothic Nightwish, whichever takes your fancy.
Flame haired beauty and lyricist Mythe van Beest alternates
between operatic, semi-operatic and rock vocalising to suit
the mood of the music, she really has a wondrous set of
pipes. By the next number ‘Murder of Innocence’ it is apparent
that the band can shift effortlessly between powerful anthems
and delicate interludes. I am hungry for more as ‘Greed’
pounds along, with big synths from Walter Romberg, and more
corking guitar work from chief composer Chris Vrij and co-founder
David de Waal. ‘Games of Madness’ is a world class melodic
rocker, it would go down well in the USA, Bon Jovi meets
Nightwish, with a genius of a chorus, I am positively delirious
by now. ‘Lost in Reality’ takes it down a touch for grand
gothic ballad before it takes off into the stratosphere,
it then calms for some excellent male vocals ŕ la Ayreon,
before taking flight again, then eases down again for a
spine tingling mid section, then turns angry, then it’s
off again, staggering, truly staggering. ‘Forever Mine’
alternates between atmospherics and amped up powerful theatrical
operatics, then ‘War of Hearts’ starts off thundering, then
turns into a soaring waltz, returns to raging, back to waltz,
and finally back again, incredible. It’s time for a slightly
more conventional gothic rocker ‘New Season’, but with more
twists and turns and their own dramatic style, before ‘Almost
Immortal’ fools you into thinking that it is a power metal
headbanger, it turns into a power ballad and ends up a prog
wigout! Finally ‘Song for the Living’ gallops along mightily,
bringing the album to an almighty close. Strewth! The sheer
quality of song writing, production, lyrics, art work, vocals
and musicianship takes this into the Pantheon of symphonic
metal gods and goddesses. Easily available through their
shop, http://www.myspace.com/magionband
, I’ve run out of superlatives, I’ll just say faultless,
10 out of 10.
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