TRAGEDIAN is a multinational band formed in Hamburg, Germany in 2002. Fusing their love of Power, Heavy, and Speed Metals, they've created their own unique style. Master Of illusion is their fifth full-length album and features tons of dual guitar Power Metal and keyboard accented Heavy Metal. The latest offering released on March 24, 2023, via Pride And Joy Music. The opening guitar riff for "Into The Light" immediately lets you know this is going to be a heavy album. The drums come in with a major Power Metal pace and the vocals are a force of nature, combining lower register phrases with belting and head voice. The keyboards act like a second guitar, playing fills and leads to help beef up the guitar work. The bass hangs in the mix, powering the song along, keeping the whole thing beautifully in time.

The keyboards in "Eternal" have a more 80s Hard Rock feel at the beginning of the song, but the rest of the instruments stick to the Power/Speed Metal theory. There is a creative blend of styles in all the songs on this record. The difference between the keys and the rest of the instruments here is a great example of how to do that right. Crossing genres is one of the best things about having multiple influences in any band. It allows for greater diversity and creativity. "The Chance" has a Pop/Rock feel during the intro. That then works its' way over to some electronic tones that shift again into a Hard Rock section. I really notice the drum work on this one. The variable patterns, the twists have me trying to keep up with all the different patterns and phrases. As a pretty decent air drummer, this is a challenge due to the complicated composition. This is going to be fun to try to nail down.

For an interesting change of pace, "Exodo" is in another language. I tried to find the lyrics so I could get them translated. I find it interesting to see the English words while listening to the native language the song was written in, but alas, I did not find them. It's still a killer track with a lot of energy and a great melody. The album concludes with the Power Ballad, "Obscured Dreams." The acoustic sound of the guitar over the powerful vocals gives the song a lot of emotion. The drumming is understated but still active and the keys are an ethereal sound the add melancholy to the overall tone of the song. Again, the bass is the hidden star of the show, driving the song while almost not being heard. It blends into the mix perfectly.

TRAGEDIAN has two decades of experience and it shows. They craft songs that draw the listener in, making them take multiple passes through the album to make sure they catch all the subtle work that goes on throughout each song. There is a lot of detail in each song rather than just a series of notes placed in sequence. The way the instruments interact with each other is really pretty cool. Five albums into their discography, it sounds like they still have more to offer, which is always a good thing for a band!