Arctic Void / Endless / Eternity’s End

We have received three releases from Power Prog, and they all fall into the same category so many, many releases we are offered these days: talented and skilful musicians delivering solid albums that sadly do not stand out in any way; positive or negative, nor do they bring anything new or fresh to the scene. It’s not that the albums are bad or awful, no they all end up somewhere between mediocre and solid.

I do not know whose to blame, if anyone. All I know is that most of these releases are bound to gain little to no attention from the normal metal fans simply because of the massive flow of releases these days. So I will do the lot in one…

Arctic Void – Entangled

A fragile female vocalist and a rougher sounding male vocalist fronting a modern metal band. Sounds like a formula used before…? Done many time before and with both better and worse result. Arctic Void hails from Sweden, Gothenburg to be exact, better known for it’s melodic death metal bands.

The combination of the beauty and the beast on top of heavy metal with loads of harmonies and twin guitar attacks works fine here, but really brings nothing new to an already overcrowded scene.

The songs are fine, the deliverance is fine and the production is fine. But… I think you get the picture… so many bands and so little time. Some are bound to go unrecognized, and Arctic Void really doesn’t offer enough to stand out.

Not a bad album per se, just not one you will go back to over and over…

For fans of bands like Amaranthe and Serenity.

Best moments: “Who I Am“, “The Rising” and “Sacrilege”.

Tracklist:

On the Padded Wall
State of War
Sleeping under Water
Who I Am
The Rising
Labyrinth
Obsession
A Blink of an Eye
Sacrilege
Ghosts are Calling
Blackwood

Playing Time: 39:36

Release date: March 25, 2016

Label: Power Prog

Website: Arctic Void @ Facebook

Rating: 65/100

Endless – The Truth, the Chaos, the Insanity

Endless plays power metal the Brazilian way; think early Angra, Shaman and Viper. The sound is quite unique for all of these bands, and Endless fits right in, even down to the high pitched vocalist, who isn’t always the easiest to understand.

“The Truth, the Chaos, the Insanity” is a powerful album where most of the time you get fast, screaming guitars, pounding drums and fast and furious vocal lines. The result is an average power metal album… with a few bright spots; cool harmonies and great leads.

The basics are fine, and some parts work very well, others are just easily forgettable. The sound is also very Brazilian – not sure why they all end up sounding very similar, but they do – so if you are into the above mentioned bands then I am sure you will find this interesting also.

I for one need to be a bit more challenged and this sounds fine for most parts, but it doesn’t leave me in awe. Solid as a rock and not the worst power metal album you’ll come across this year nor is it the best – somewhere in the middle. Great cover artwork btw.

Best moments: “Will of Destiny”, “The Truth, the Chaos, the Insanity”, “A World without Fantasy” and “Celestial Dreams”.

Tracklist:

A New Sunrise
The Code of Light
Will Of Destiny
The Truth, the Chaos, the Insanity
Black Veil of Madness
Veins of Blood
Save Me from Myself
Lady of the Lake
Under the Sun
Puppets on a Stage
A World without Fantasy
Celestial Dreams

Playing Time: 53:55

Release date: March 25, 2016

Label: Power Prog

Website: Endless @ Facebook

Rating: 74/100

Eternity’s End – The Fire Within

Based on potential alone this should be the best of the lot. Eternity’s End has some really talented musicians in their ranks: Ian Parry (vocals, Elegy, Consortium Project), Christian Muenzner (guitars, Alkaloid ex-Obscura, ex-Necrophagist), Jimmy Pitts (keyboards), Linus Klausenitzer (bass, Obscura, Alkaloid) and Hannes Grossmann (drums, Alkaloid, Blotted Science, ex-Obscura).

And the aim was to create a sound that combines power metal with a progressive twist, which they achieved well. If you add a solid portion of neo-classic metal to the pot then you should have an idea of what to expect.

The songs are all well written and played with ease, but Ian doesn’t have the pipes he used to and it holds the songs a bit back. The album has a good production and should be of interest to fans of bands like Symphony X, Adagio and Pagan’s Mind.

“The Fall of the House of Usher” stands out, the rest is solid and fine. I had higher expectations for a strong line-up like this, they have sadly enough not quite been met. But it’s still an above average album that should get some attention along the way…

Best moments: “The Fire Within”, “Eagle Divine” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”.