Tales from WWII

Nexus Opera

"A connection opera, a bridge to link past, present and future to tell these tales […]
By Anamaria Carla Ionita
January 8, 2015
Nexus Opera - Tales from WWII album cover

"A connection opera, a bridge to link past, present and future to tell these tales like a warning for us all...or just for the pleasure to tell'em. The music? Let's call it War Metal!"

"Tales From WWII" is the debut album of the Italian Power Metallers NEXUS OPERA. It closes a circle that began a long time ago. The tracks cover different periods of compositional and stylistic evolution and the sound is a blended of  Power-Prog Melodic and Symphonic Metal. The theme that the album suggests - World War II - gives a large palette of events and people to be discussed among the tracks.

When a band decides to record a war-themed album, we tend to have mixed feelings about it. Why? Because we have the big Swedish War Machine on the market - SABATON. Some of us might be excited about the idea of a new 'panzer' in town, but some can be like 'oh God, you don't have a chance against them'. Although I am a huge SABATON fan, I am more open-minded; I see the world in shades of grey too.

So lets see what NEXUS OPERA has installed for us. With "Ardenne" the band creates the perfect opening for the story. A sinister yet powerful instrumental track, predicting the upcoming war events, a gruesome reminder of the largest armed conflict in the history of humanity.

"Return Of A Hero" tells the story of a French child's fantasy looking at his country occupied by Nazis, dreaming of a hero for salvation. The song has a very slow start, with the sound of a soft keyboard continuing with a lead solo building up to the melody.

Davide Arico's vocal cord is nothing impressive; yes, he can sing, but I don't get any chills, no goose bumps, no nothing. When singing the song of dying men ("Katyn"), you are filled with emotions, emotions that by definition, you deliver to your audience. I hear no such thing anywhere in the album.

The intro to "Nacht Hexen" has a very old school 80's feel to it, powered by the lead guitar. "Freedom Fighters" is more stylized, with a baroque keyboard intro, followed by simple guitar riffs and a poor vocal harmony.

The ballad "For a Thousand Cranes" is the albums best, in my honest opinion. The lead guitar has a powerful solo, accompanied by a harmonious keyboard that transforms the song into a well-defined composition unit.

Reusing a couple of names from 'big daddy' SABATON ("Wolfpack" and "Nacht Hexen" - "Night Witches") reveals a strong wish for copying from 'larger houses'.  This tendency has nothing to do with the music, the band is making it perfectly clear that their sound is nothing like their colleagues, but it is in strong correlation with the idea behind it.

To conclude, the album is weak. I don't know if the band is passionate about history or not, but from this album I can take a wild guess and say not really. Mediocre instrumentalists, average composition skills and a poor voice. Sorry guys, but a good album theme with a great story, sometimes isn't really enough to create a masterpiece.

5 / 10

Mediocre

"Tales from WWII" Track-listing:

1. Ardenne
2. Return of a Hero
3. Katyn (Death in the Forest)
4. Wolfpack
5. Laconia
6. Nacht Hexen
7. Freedom Fighters
8. For a Thousand Cranes
9. The End of war

Nexus Opera Lineup:

Davide Arico - Vocal
Alessandro Pinna - Lead Guitar
Marco Giordanella - Guitar
Enrico Perciballi - Bass
Gianfrancesco Araneo - Keyboards
Alessandro Novelli - Drum

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