From my beloved adopted city, Philadelphia, comes, of all things, the power metal band OMINOUS GLORY and their ambitious, impressive debut, "The Elven Dream." Comprised of material written way back between 2001 and 2003 (there's a great story in this, I'm certain), it's an hour and 20-minute magnum opus fearlessly and gleefully meshing hints of Norse lore, "Lord of the Rings," and "Dungeons & Dragons" in a story that's familiar and often-told (the whole light vs. dark, good vs. evil thing) but uniquely and cleverly delivered.

Their Bandcamp page says they are "mostly influenced by albums that came out of the European scene between 1995 and 2002" (specific enough for ya?), and they cite bands like GAMMA RAY, FREEDOM CALL, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, SYMPHONY X, and EDGUY as influences. So you see what we're going to get here. And get it we do, with both barrels, and, except for a few errors in the mix, we get it almost perfectly.

"March Of The Elf King" is narration in which we are introduced to our cast of characters (Prince Galen, son and heir of the late King Jareth; Lomek the Green; the "dwarf prince" Valos; and Duke Gigas of the Jotun Deserts) and our settings (Gethron and Sylvangard), as Galen is crowned the new king (a section that could be louder). Do visit their Bandcamp page for the lyrics, as it will help immensely to keep everything straight – plus it's part of the fun. The music is stately, with chimes and military drumming conveying a definite sense of mourning. The narration ends with Rek's brilliant, shattering wail and a solo from Alistar (including one with really unusual wah effects, which becomes his signature), more impeccably crisp drumming from AJ, and a glorious melody.

"Eternal Destiny" starts with whispered Latin lyrics (because power metal), spoken by Julianna, the evil queen who wants to "slay the light" – the lovely airy acoustic melody is established as her signature, so when you hear it, you know it's her. Keyboards and Alistar's flamenco-tinged solo and deft strums lead into a lilting gallop, with lots of space and lift in the main melody. And then the race is on, with impressive speed and clarity in the playing and the mix and an aggressive, snarling electric solo. Rek has that sort of late-era DICKINSON rasp and vibrato (think "Brave New World"). That chorus is exhilarating, stirring, pure joy, in a track that is a call to battle ("Keep hope within yourselves and to all you seek stay true/The flame of justice burns alive in you") – it's definitely setting the stage, getting the plot rolling, letting us know that danger is afoot. This is, as are all the tracks, from several characters' perspectives, starting with Oraekja, who is seeking "refuge from sorrow." Bronach seems to be a leader rallying the troops ("Stand or fall/Fight withal!" he urges), and later warns of "a day within the night" and Julianna's pending wrath.

Another acoustic start, in "The Elven Dream," marks Julianna's return. She begins this one too with whispered words, which really should be louder because what she is saying is important, especially the line that hints that all will be lost "unless five walk as one" – those five are Galen (we find out here that his father was killed), Oraekja, Lomek, Gigas, and Valos. Galen sings the "fanfare chorus" that gets things started; the death of the king, "the land forsaken," Rek's voice conveying the character's grief. Alistar's signature guitar effect helps show Galen what's coming ("And a voice is telling me/As my soul starts to slowly bend/What is meant to be"). Oraekja acts as cheerleader in his "Interlude" (Rek's voice changes a tiny bit here, adding more projection and power, as he assumes this other character), saying, "Though you may feel alone, hope will endure withal," and he too notes, "We the five must walk as one. Lomek chimes in on chorus two, warning Galen not to submit to Julianna's influence ("Keep your soul and your mind from this chaos devised/Or the light's grace will fly/To the whispering witch" – and that's why her vocals are whispered, get it?).

It's not going easily for Galen though, and Alistar's solo emphasizes that, but the spell is broken in verse two by Lomek, Gigas, and Valos ("As I walk into the light, three lords standing to face this hell"). Each then introduces themselves: Gigas is "Fire," "Bringer of life"; Valos is "Earth," "Source of all things, treasures grand" (sung by guest vocalist Mike McElwee in a terse, tight tenor) Lomek is "Life" and he reprises his prechorus and chorus. A blazing solo section follows the bridge, full of dueling effects from Alistar and Michael, then all goes back to the acoustic, her signature, as Julianna whispers her warning, "You will never know the slumbers of before" and "Your heart shall seek my door." It's long but the story and its telling is done wonderfully well; the multiple characters are easily distinguishable and each has a specific voice, even though Rek sings most of them.

In "Oraekja (Erick The Viking)," we learn more about our mysterious leader – think of him as Aragorn, in a way; while Galen is the heir to the throne, Oraekja is the rallying point. The almost devotional-like chorus is Galen, Gigas, Valos, and Lomek praising him and vowing to follow ("With a thunder heart he rides ... We will follow him") – the double kick is relentless but precise, heavy but not overpowering,. The solo is a take on the main melody, first by Jamison's flute, then both guitarists in dual harmony. The last chorus has Rek doing a great descant over the melody, but again, these little aural treats would be so much more appreciated if they were a bit louder.

As expected from the title, "Wayfaring Journeymen" sees our five heroes making their way to "bury the darkness" and "push back the night" and winding up in Kobold City (there's the nod to "Dungeons & Dragons"). It's optimistic and almost gallivanting, like they are on this dire mission but they're enjoying the journey, too. The chorus is overdubbed a capella Rek in a wonderful statement of purpose, then things get rolling with one of their trademark bright, cheery melodies. Oraekja describes asking for aid, and Gigas (as voiced most scornfully – and I mean that in a good way – by Mike) sneers at the Kobolds' reluctance to get involved. The bridge is all stripped away and delightful and Alistar solos on a modulation of the chorus melody – they don't miss a trick, and you can tell how influenced they are by classical composition as well. The last chorus modulates again and we end on open, soaring chords and a flourish of Jason's bass and AJ's drums.

The opening organ in "Julianna (Queen Of The Dark Star)" might be soothing, but the guitars are heavy and foreboding, as if preparing us for what's coming, and indeed the tempo picks up on dark chords and wicked fast, typewriter-precise drumming. Galen comes face to face with Julianna in a dream and sees himself becoming king, but also that becoming so might bring disaster ("Walking without a choice/Into the throne room where all light will end") and he says in the chorus, "Look ahead, see my future." In verse two, the whisper at last gets a voice, courtesy of guest vocalist Sarah Teets, and she can rip it up. Her chorus is just brilliant, with genius parallel lyrics ("Here in my throne room where all light will end," and "Look at me," she hypnotically drones, and "See your future," where her voice is entwined with a growl provided by harsh singer Ryan Hogan as a character called Erebona). It's just excellent, deliberately crafted storytelling. There's one last shift in the last chorus as Galen shrieks in defiance, "Look away, not my future/Look away, from the future," as if to acknowledge it could go either way. The final cry of "Queen of the Dark Star" is Rek and Ryan as light and dark counterparts in another masterstroke of detail.

The instrumental "Nordania," with its airy, drifting keyboard notes, actually sounds, well, cold. A vaguely Celtic melody on "strings" and a dramatic guitar riff punctuated by cymbal-heavy drumming leads into a marching swing, resolute and strong. At a tad over three minutes, it's just enough of a break in the action. And it leads perfectly into "The Kingdom Of Light," which indeed calls Nordania the "snow covered land of the sky." Galen sings of their arrival in another stirring round of riffing, and Rek's voice is lilting and full of wonder as he describes the place. But Oraekja says, hey, all is not well here ("the sun has gone dark now") – it's kind of obvious he may have been there before. The chorus has that purposeful swing again, like a marching chant ("We the Gethron born wayfarers ride/To the kingdom of light"). There are hints of an environmental theme starting to crop up, too ("the Dark Star poisons the air," referring to Julianna, but perhaps more directly to pollution, a beautiful place laid waste). The solo is just delightful, the harpsichord all chilling and minor key, then the guitar takes over in a stretched-out take on that melody. Lomek sings the last chorus and mentions "a voice never heard now claims these halls/Erebona's night falls," a tidy reference to the character from "Julianna."

Dire trouble awaits in "The Ice Demons of Ragnarok" – courtesy of the keyboard effects of chimes and horns – then the riffing seizes you by the throat and off we go, AJ's drums viciously leading the charge. The verses blast you with RHAPSODY OF FIRE's "Rain of a Thousand Flames" vibes up the wazoo, especially in the vocal harmonies. The slower prechorus, describing "Masses of the blackest star/A legion of demons from times afar" – don't forget the "blackest star" is Julianna) sets up the exalted, doom-laden chorus, depicting said demons as "Thirty times a thousand" – uh-oh. The second chorus adds double kick drumming to match the pace of the battle. In this invasion, several characters from the previous song, Nikulas and Leidolfr, have joined in the battle, with Oraekja, Valos, and Lomek singing the plot. One tiny musical misstep happens in the solo, where the keyboard part is tragically completely lost in the mix – the guitar, though, comes through loud and clear, if you will.

Again, the keyboard mix in the opening of "Forgotten Alliances" needs adjusting to be more upfront, but the flute and acoustic melody (with touches of harp) that follows is gorgeous. Rek's voice builds in intensity, swelling to a crescendo at the end of the verses. The chorus, though, is smaller and for a good reason – it's almost prophetic, like an oracle ("This peril has been foretold/The will of time's master/Brings cosmic disaster"). Here is a whole new series of characters (if you have the lyrics – did I mention you should??) and it's not clear who they are or what part they play, at least not yet. It again touches on Norse myth, mentioning Ygdrasil (the world tree), and on LOTR ("Why do your orcs wish to bear this cost"). The title hints that these may be new allies in the fight.

You'd gather that with its tender keyboards and wistful, longing tone (and its title), that "Love Knows No Distance" is a power ballad, and it is. Almost hymn-like, reverent and reminiscing, unabashed and truly spectacular, it's emotional without being treacly or syrupy. Rek's voice is in full-on rasp, big and full and wrenching, as Galen sees the end coming ("I can feel the coming of fate's hands" ... "Soon to face the arrows of the sage of grey") and remembers "my beloved Aubree." The harmony overdubs in the prechorus are devastating; Alistar's initial solo is awesome, as is one later with guest guitarist Jeff Teets (how they build it and build it is just terrific). Sarah sings again here as Galen's lost love "lost with the Dark Star fall" (thanks a lot, Julianna), reminding him, from the great beyond, to "never give in to despair" and warning, "Beware of the future, of the cosmic master/Within his gaze, your life may burn faster" – another reference to this mysterious "master." She's amazing, and the same vocal overdubbing in her section is another example of great songwriting continuity. Her take on the chorus is stunning and when they do it together, well ... chills. A reprise of that earlier solo brings it to a majestic, dramatic, huge close.

The transition track "Echoes In Time" gets the plot headed in the direction of the battle. Galen begins with the oddly-timed chorus ("echoes trapped in time falling" might be a way of saying we repeat our mistakes, and if so, that's a nice bit of foreshadowing). Rek as Galen does a spoken section, and again it's a shame that these are not much more clear in the mix – granted, the whispered technique fits what's going on (they're trying to be quiet as they "make our way/Ruined city of the god of war), but surely we should be able to hear the words. When Lomek speaks back to him, it's a little better ("prepare yourself for nothing is as it seems") and you get the idea that it's about to go down. The music picks up accordingly and it gets decidedly more prog and less power with its looping, circular rhythm and Galen describing perhaps hallucinations or illusions ("Flowing water is the air within these halls") and how they are threatening their sanity ("My thoughts speak as words, resounding they return/Madness threatens us, our ears begin to burn").

Harp and keyboard give "Arrows Of Cronon" an ethereal, starry feel, and the riff then sends it flying, accompanied by super fast (like SUPER fast), deadly precise drumming. The verse, too, has that same sort of glimmery, shimmery sound. Cronon is an enemy – Galen calls him "traitor in gray," while Lomek says "beware the sting of life's foe" – so he is death, his arrows are indeed called "the scourge of life." It's fun how they sort of trade insults here in the spoken section, as warriors would do (Galen calls Cronon "Scourge of the Nordic sky" and Lomek calls him "Betrayer of the gray"; Cronon, in a basso profundo, in turn calls Galen "Foolish kin of the trees" and Lomek "Conceit brother of the green." But except once again, the mix on Cronon's part makes him less audible the second time he speaks (sadly it's a great line, too, "your adversaries three," that is, past, present, and future). The same thing happens with Julianna's whispered Latin return at the end – what she says is completely inaudible. The music during these parts, though, is stunningly fast and vivid, with a MAIDEN-esque gallop and a flurry of guitar melody and dual harmony.

Alistar solos, accompanied by chimes, to begin "Ominous Glory," the 9-minute climax to the story. Lengthened big chords and drumming condense into a lovely soaring melody that just makes your heart happy as it sets the stage – piano then leads into Oraekja's opening speech, describing the pending doom ("the wind whispers violence"). Rek's voice is never overemotional, never hammy, and his diction and phrasing are dead-on. Lomek in the prechorus says, "though your body succumbs to a wrinkle in time/The flame shall never flicker, power of the will," like their efforts will not be forgotten once they're gone. Oraekja delivers the chorus, full of hope in the face of adversity, mentioning again "when the five shall walk as one," reinforcing that theme that even if they fail, it won't be in vain. Galen knows it has to fall to him ("Providence speaks now/To its saving I will bow"), and the prechorus and chorus again builds everyone's resolve. Later in a spoken section, Bronach describes Cronon's end ("Time's gray-clad tyrant cries") and Julianna's defeat ("The Dark Star has the field lost, winter's lord outnumbered thrice"). Leidolfr's spoken section also describes it: "Remnant ranks of the dark empire/Retreat for the Dark Star's great wall." But neither one, and they are important parts in the plot, is loud enough – if you have to have the lyrics to discover what's being said, it's not loud enough. But despite one more runthrough through the rah-rah chorus, there's a feeling that they've not really won, as Leidolfr notes ("Morthos shouts to the elven king/By shadow thy land be raised/By fury shall thy torment bring").

And indeed, Oraekja says as much in the closing track, the unresolved and ambiguous "To A Future Unknown." Hushed acoustic gives a sense of bittersweet joy, like this is only a temporary victory, and Rek as Oraekja knows it by his delivery, which starts out musing as he looks at the bloody battlefield, then grows in almost frustration when he says, "our victory may have fled to a darkened fate's calling." Galen, too, wonders, "Was this hour's hardship my atonement/Or will the road untrodden bring me to a future toll," like will I have to pay for what I've done? The prechorus, too, asks, "Will the calm paid with loss come to naught ... What will lie at the gates of tomorrow?" But the 6/8 chorus brings back a little of the swagger and defiance as the group says, "Through rivers of time and the bard's last rhyme/We will stand in the black wind with pride ... To a future unknown we will ride." Valos, Gigas, and Lomek have their final observations in the bridge, clearly wanting to put it all behind them ("Storms of the past and the trials of before/They seem a long faded memory"). Jamison and Alistar quietly solo, almost in reverence, before the guitarist lets the characters have their victory with a blaze of glory before the final original chorus and another slightly altered one ("The path stands unclear/In peril and fear/By divine will or by chance devised?/We see not the way, but onward we say").

So this is not a happy ending – this is not a "yay, we won" closing track, this is almost like a "did what we just do make things worse" one. That storytelling twist makes the tried-and-true theme and fantastical characters of "The Elven Dream" believable and relatable – they have doubts and reservations about their actions, and in the end, really just want to go home. OMINOUS GLORY has handled the scope, the ambition, and the cast of (seemingly) thousands of this years-in-the-making debut with deftness and confidence. It's a most auspicious start.