Wellon

Wellon was the single that preceded Dreamtale's 2005 release "Difference" and right away we observe a drastic change in the line-up. Vocalist Tomi Viitola, who provided the amazing vocals to the previous album, left the band due to conflicting projects and travel issues. His replacement Jarkko Ahola seems well up to the task of taking over the vocals, but his voice is a bit throaty and reminds me alot of Marco Hietala actually.

The obvious point of interest on this single is the opening track "Powerplay", which lyrically is a very angst driven song that functions as a criticism of the behavior of most bands in the mainstream these days. The producion has a fairly modern feel to it, and would pass for a HIM track actually if the vocals were lower and the music a bit simpler.

The other two album tracks are among the more radio friendly in the mix. "New Life" sounds quite a bit like a Nightwish track, particularly in the middle section of the song where we get a highland sounding theme that reminds of "The Wayfarer" off of Century Child. Jarkko gives us some impressive vocal gymnastics, but the background vocals during the chorus are what make this track stand out. "The Mirror" is an acoustic ballad that reminds me a bit of "If You Will Go" off the Ocean's Heart album, although Jarkko's vocal performance is a bit more nuerotic sounding.

If there is any flaw in the songs on this release, it is that the guitars and the other instruments do not see nearly as much action and attention as they did on previous releases. Rami Keränen probably was aiming for a different sound on this album, and consequently wrote easier-to-follow guitar and keyboard lines.

In conclusion, this is geared primarily towards the power metal audience, as many of the symphonic attributes of "Ocean's Heart" have been dropped. The studio album that followed this has more musical intrigue in it, and fans of symphonic metal should probably skip this single and go straight for the album.