Source: Album Artwork
Scandinavians are not known to do things by halves. Just look at their brutal landscapes, stellar Eurovision record and unbeatable furniture contributions. Further proof is right here with Twilight Force, who lay claim to being the world’s first “adventure metal” band. Take power metal, merge it with Dungeons & Dragons, JRR Tolkien and a dash of Skyrim and you are beginning to get close to the sound of Twilight Force.
They certainly gathered attention with their 2014 debut album Tales of Ancient Prophecies as they were taken on by none other than metal powerhouse Nuclear Blast! Records. Sophomore record Heroes of Mighty Magic is likely to be unlike anything else you will hear this year.
What becomes immediately clear here is that these six fantasy-fanatic Swedes can play. Like, to a serious degree. The technical proficiency on this record is exemplary. From the mind-blowing vocal range of frontman Chrileon, to the blistering pace of the guitars of Lynd and Aerendir and the marching drums of De’Azsh, these characters know their craft. Sure enough, there’s even a lute to be detected throughout the sprawling 70-minute record.
‘Battle of Arcane Might‘ and ‘Riders of the Dawn‘ are bonafide battle anthems that do a fantastic job of conjuring images of vast battlegrounds where elves and orcs and men and dragons fight to the death. Meanwhile , ‘Flight of the Sapphire Dragon‘ and title track ‘Heroes of Mighty Magic‘ slow the pace and are utterly victorious and triumphant in tone.
There is however, one issue. When you stick with a theme as staunchly as Twilight Force have, everything begins to sound a bit samey. As impressive as it all is, nothing feels new by the time we hear a similar arrangement for the fourth time in the row. Truth be told, many of these tracks are indistinguishable from one another and therein lies the problem.
All in all, Heroes of Mighty Magic is a superficially outstanding record, on a musical level. As a full product, it falls flat, offering nothing new outside the opening 15 minutes. A lot is to be said of their dedication to their craft, with their fictional alter-egos, full fantasy stories forming the subject of their music and their full costumes – there is no doubting that this works on a visual level – but as an aural product, it may not hold up quite so well. A valiant effort, but sadly, the battle may be lost here.
