This album, frankly, is kind of silly. It takes the lyrical and melodic qualities of power metal and pushes them to an extreme that can’t fail to be perceived as cheesy. But damn, some of these songs are fun!
The song that works best for me, and which I think is close to a masterpiece, is “Pride of the North.” The big orchestra, upbeat drums, and passionate vocals singing over-the-top lyrics praising the bravery of a regiment entering battle—“we are forever the cry of the North”...It feels badass to me, even if it parodies the kind of music that I usually prefer.
Not every song on this album works for me. In fact, I find most of them a little dull. For an album with so much energy, it might be lacking a little tension. This is an imperfect comparison, but I’m reminded of Nightmare Logic by Power Trip, another high-energy over-the-top album that I liked more because of its dissonances and surprising twists in song composition.
Still, for “Pride of the North” alone, this album merits a place on my website.
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