Numbers are a funny thing as they can often have different meanings to them depending on the situations they are used in. Take the number 666 for example which is often believed to be the number of the beast and although there has been so called proof that it is not the case, the number 666 is still associated with the devil in the Rock and Metal world so what if you were to reissue a release 666 weeks after it's original release? That's where FREEDOM CALL come in.

"666 Weeks Beyond Eternity" is the name of the reissued edition of their 2002 studio album "Eternity" which was released, wait for it, 666 weeks ago and to commemorate it, the band have re-issued at as a two disc set featuring the original "Eternity" album which has been remastered as well as some bonus content on the second disc including live tracks, acoustic tracks, special versions of their songs as well as a new anthem written exclusively for this release.

Formed in 1998 in Nurnberg in Germany, this quintet of Heavy/Power Metal (Happy Metal! //Editor's note.) musicians have released a total of 8 studio albums, 1 EP, 4 singles, 1 compilation, 1 DVD and 2 live albums and have garnered themselves a large following over the years. Soon, they will be going on the road as special guests to SONATA ARCTICA where they will be performing special sets featuring songs from the "Eternity" album to commemorate and promote this special reissued version.

I'll start this review by talking about the remastered version of the "Eternity" release. I've been aware of this bands material before having heard their songs being played on a few internet radio stations including one I was once a member of, but this is most likely the first time in which I've been able to really have a proper listen to their stuff and upon first listens of this disc, I am very impressed by what my ears are hearing but that's a good thing of course as I do find myself liking their material and I can see now why the have such a large following.

I didn't know how the original "Eternity" album sounded what with this version being a remastered release and all, but I am really digging the sound on this one. Usually I don't get all that excited about Power Metal releases for some reason as they often sound the same to me but this one is a bit different as it uses Heavy Metal elements too and the orchestration of the keyboards makes it sound more Symphonic which makes it more enjoyable to listen to.

By listening to this, you really get that strong impression as there are some powerful anthems on this such as "The Eyes of the World", "Metal Invasion", "Warriors" and "Land of the Light" as well as some impressive ballads which include "Bleeding Heart" and "Turn Back Time" and there is plenty of enjoyable music here so you will never get bored thanks to the heavy guitars, the pounding drumbeats, the symphonic orchestrations of the keyboards and of course the vocals which are surprisingly good for a Power Metal release so things are looking good so far. Faults? There's nothing really majorly big that is worth worrying about as there is plenty of punch, oomph and good mixing which allows you to enjoy the music more and not worry about any problems you may or may not find.

That's the first disc covered and now it's time to move onto the second disc which starts off with a brand new anthem written for this reissued edition which shares the same name as the album and it sounds quite cool. You can probably spot a few references to the original "Eternity" album in the lyrics and possibly the music as well which is very impressive if that is the case.

The remainder of the release features some songs from their "Live Invasion" and "Live in Helvetia" albums which sound very well mixed for live versions, songs from the limited edition of their 2012 release "Land of the Crimson Dawn" which sees other bands covering their songs and they are okay but not great in my opinion, a Folk Metal version of "Metal Invasion" from the second disc of their best of compilation "Ages of Light" which sounds different yet unique plus an acoustic version of "Warriors" from the second disc of their newest release "Beyond" which sounds very cool for a stripped down version of a Power/Heavy Metal song and all of this additional bonus content makes this an impressive package if you have this much content crammed into two discs commemorating 666 weeks since the release of one of your albums.

Bottom line, this is a very impressive two disc package commemorating the 666^th week since the original "Eternity" album was released and if you're a fan of FREEDOM CALL or Heavy/Power Metal then this is definitely one to get to add to your collection as there is a lot of enjoyable music on both discs which is worth splashing out cash for even if you own the original album.