This is a female fronted metal band. That said, they also have some strong folk stylings and even work into some prog territory. I have to say that I think opening the disc with the two songs they use for that slot was a mistake. Those two songs are among the weakest material here, and it really makes going on seem a chore. If you stop there, though, you'll miss some great stuff. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of the vocals on this set, but there is enough great music to make this well worth the effort.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Road in the Night
Keyboards and spoken vocals about the stars open this. The cut powers out from there to a cool epic metal texture.
Before the Storm This is a bit more of a raw jam. It's driving in tempo and rocks out with an almost punk venom.
My Revenge Seeming to land somewhere in between the first two songs, this is a powerhouse. It's one of the strongest here. It's the first cut that has completely worked for me. This makes me think of Warlock in some ways.
Flying in the Sky Coming in furious and very heavy, this is another screamer. In some ways this makes me think of a cross between Black Label Society and Girlschool. It's another standout tune.
I Don't Believe Here comes the ballad. This is very folky and has some elements of world music over the top. They rock it out at points. This is another that lands in the strong half of the set.
The Ritual As this pounds into being it makes me think of Iron Maiden quite a bit. There are something here that again make me think of Warlock. There is also a bit of spoken male thing that has a more modern metal feeling to it. The late track instrumental section even reaches toward progressive rock. This is definitely another highlight.
Orion The title track is more in line with the first couple songs. It's definitely laced with NWOBHM sound. It's just not all that strong. Still, it has some cool Maidenesque guitar fills.
The King of Camelot The opening segment is almost a cross between folk prog and epic metal. It's definitely well suited to fit the title. It grows ever so gradually as it moves forward. The powered up jam on this brings it into prog rocking territory. It doesn't really climb into metal territory, though. Instead, it drops back down to the earlier movement (perhaps a bit powered up) to take it to the close. Some silence after the track is followed by a quick bit of backwards tracking.
