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Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews

Mystfall Celestial Vision Review by Gary Hill This is a symphonic metal band from Greece. This album is the kind of thing that really grows on you. It also seems to get stronger and stronger as it continues. I think this is one of my favorite releases of 2023 largely because they are able to take the metal and symphonic concepts and merge them so well on this release. I'm not blown away by every song, but all of them work really well, and the blending overall is particularly strong. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024 Volume 1 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.

Track by Track Review

Resisting Heaven Symphonic elements are on display as this gets underway. This gradually builds out, and it gets some operatic vocals over the top as it continues. The number serves as an introduction.

Celestial Vision Piano starts things here. Then it gets into some powerful metal zones as it continues. We get both operatic vocals and extreme metal ones in the mix as the song evolves. This is metal, but it's also symphonic. The mix is dramatic, powerful and unusual.

Centuries While there are no big changes here, this track is more successful somehow. Perhaps it's because it's more mainstream while still getting quite symphonic. This reminds me of some of the best symphonic metal you can think of it. It just works so well. It is very powerful. The guitar soloing is absolutely on fire. This is definitely a highlight of the disc.

Endless Driving and fierce, this is also symphonic and somewhat proggy at times. It's not a big change, but it manages to stand on its own.

Silence Piano and symphonic elements merge as this gets going. The vocals come in over the top in a balladic way. This does eventually get into more metallic territory. Overall it's more of a power-ballad in a lot of ways, though. There are some cool changes here, and this gets both crunchy and symphonic.

Kings Of Utopia Firing out with up-tempo and driving power metal, this still has some symphonic elements at play. This is another that is among the best here. It just seems to merge all the concepts in a particularly effective way.

Moral Compass The symphonic metal that gets this going is a little more mainstream than some of the rest. It drops to nearly progressive rock territory for some of the vocal parts here. This is another standout getting into some really powerful metallic territory later. There is a drop back to some trippy stuff, but it powers back out into killer symphonic metal from there.

The Balance Of Time More pure symphonic music starts things here. After a time this gets some energy and crunch added as it turns more toward the metal side of things. This one has a dropped back vocal movement that comes in from there. It also has some of the most extreme metal of the set further down the road. This is another that works better than some of the others. It also has some scorching hot guitar soloing.

Freedom Path Powerful symphonic metal gets this going in style. This is another candidate for the strongest track here. It's powerful and symphonic and really rocks.

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