Master Of Light
Freedom Call
Sometimes, it seems that Power Metal is over, as many Metal styles seem in many moments of time. I remember clearly that on the 80s, Black Metal and Death Metal were considered dead styles due the Thrash Metal invasion that started back on 1986 and endured until 1990. So I learned to never say that a style is dead, because someone will revive things up one day. So, we can say that the new album from the German quartet FREEDOM CALL, called "Master of Light", is a resilient sign to many. Their style is nothing that we haven't heard before, being in a place between HELLOWEEN and GAMMA RAY, using excellent melodies and choruses, but employing a musical technique that could sound too complicated. The choruses used give an epic taste to the songs. No, they are not creating something new or that they haven't done on their earlier works, but the album is truly good.
Chris Bay produced the album, having Stephan Ernst at his side (who did the mixing and mastering as well), and the result is a fine and tender sound quality. Of course you have the due proportions of weight and clearness, and an excellent balance between melody and aggressiveness. So you will understand clearly what they are playing and can get the best of their songs. The art created for the cover by the hands of Michael Dorschner is very good, aligned with the album's musical identity. The album has some good guests, as Tobias Heindl playing fiddle on "High Up", and Oliver Hartmann, Dr. Haag, Chris Stark, and Felix Piccu making vocals on the chorus.
The 12 songs of the album are really excellent, and they will get you. The best ones are the hymn "Metal is for Everyone" (excellent melodies and chorus, with heavy guitar riffs and vocals, and what wonderful lyrics), the melodic and tender ones "Hammer of the Gods" (showing very good tempos and beautiful esthetics on the bass and drums arrangements) and "A World Beyond", the heavy weight energetic flux of "Kings Rise and Fall", the excellent guitars presented on "Hail the Legend", the catching melodies of "Ghost Ballet" (very good work from vocals, both on melodic lines as in the chorus), and the fast and charming "Riders in the Sky". It's an excellent album, indeed.
9 / 10
Almost Perfect
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Master Of Light" Track-listing:
1. Metal is for Everyone
2. Hammer of the Gods
3. A World Beyond
4. Masters of Light
5. Kings Rise and Fall
6. Cradle of Angels
7. Emerald Skies
8. Hail the Legend
9. Ghost Ballet
10. Rock the Nation
11. Riders in the Sky
12. High Up
Freedom Call Lineup:
Chris Bay - Guitars, Vocals
Lars Rettkowitz - Guitars, Backing Vocals
Ilker Ersin - Bass, Backing Vocals
Ramy Ali - Drums, Backing Vocals
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