Into the Enchanted Chamber

I think it's a bit poetic that the singular album from a band called Timeless Miracle would turn out to be both dated and nothing short of expected.

Power metal in the 2000's was already hoisted as cheesy and very poppy, with very strong fluctuations of quality. On the negative side of that end we have an album like this. Into the Enchanted Chamber is the epitome of banality. To it's contrived, bouncy riffs to the simple songwriting, this album exudes everything wrong with the decade's power metal.

Also, keyboards. I for one am a fan of keyboards used in music, especially rock and metal. Keyboards, here played by a one Fredrik Nilsson, are done in an almost robotic way, and only exist to sort of keep a fake-sounding elated atmosphere of the album going. These combined with the violins, makes for nothing short of an album fit for a soundtrack, and I mean that in a certainly negative way. Minus the already over-exuberant vocals of Mikael Holst, Into the Enchanted Chamber is an album whose over-the-top songs would fit perfectly into the background of a movie or video game action scene of a B-rated production. And as I said before, I don't mean that in a good way. That aspect further brings away from the awe-inspiring sound that I've come to expect from the power-metal scene, especially Dragonforce when it comes to that decade. Unnecessary and grandiose symphonics don't equate to epic material, and the Achilles' heel of this album is the failure to recognize that.

The hackneyed, family-friendly atmosphere of this album unfortunately made for a listening experience that really turned this one into a disappointment for me. There actually is skill with the band, and I think with the right attitude and sound Timeless Miracle would've been able to get the epic, adventurous sound that they easily could have. Perhaps with less keyboards.

Timeless Miracle; who seem to have reformed; are a band which I consider one of the gems of the melodic power metal genre. Owing parts of their sound to a vast array of influences, this album remains a "timeless" melting pot of ideas. In broad terms it can be summarized as Sonata Arctica meets Running Wild. But as much as the band takes many influences, their songwriting prowess and attention to detail is almost unmatched by their idols.

Their singer's voice is a similarly-accented nasally "emo" type Euro vocal-type reminiscent of Toni from Sonata Arctica. There are no balls in his voice yet he is emotional, melodic, and musically correct. He works here though; a great vocal effort despite the uniqueness of the voice. The guitars show fine skill by keeping key and producing some great melodies. The drums are correct for the style, maintaining pace and being as heavy as the melodic and cheesy music will allow; though they could be a touch more robust. The keyboardist is no shredder (or whatever they call it for keyboardists); but also leans on some not-as-explored keyboard sounds though his primary style fits the prog/folk/symphonic mode.
The production is great, Massacre is a great label and clearly put effort in putting these guys into a decent studio situation. Lots of layering, good atmosphere, and it's crustal clear.

The comparison to Running Wild and Sonata Arctica is abundantly clear throughout the album. The vibe is undoubtedly nordic/scandinavian/finnish taking influence from such bands as Sonata Arctica or Children of Bodom. The riffing in many areas, however, is similar to Running Wild. At certain times it even sounds like Running Wild riffs were note-for-note borrowed during some fast passages (especially in the first song). The mid-paced riffing is reminiscent of Edguy, as are the multi-layers of vocals found in the ends of certain tracks. And there is an overall folkish/pagan vibe of Elvenking or bands of that ilk as well. Also, last but not least, listen to Witches of Black magic which sounds like an over-glossy Rage song that only falters in it's generic chorus. Speaking of melodies and choruses, just about every chorus here is a memorable catchy one. They have some great melodies elsewhere as well, but the choruses are where you hear the band at their best.

There is an "epic" on the album. It is basically a few songs pieced together with a few choruses and it is a great song. There are a few ballads (or half ballads) as well; pretty much in the vein of typical Edguy ballads. They are good ballads.

All in all, it is a fun feel-good album. I think the best song here is the title track with its bombastic earworm folk chorus. But choruses like the one in Return of the Werewolf give it a stiff competition.

Recommended tracks: Curse of the Werewolf, Into the Enchanted Chamber, The Devil, Red Rose, Return of the Werewolf, Memories, Gates of Hell, The Voyage.

Okay, I can say I've heard my share of Symphonic/Melodic Power Metal bands. There were some that sounded excellent, and some that just didn't have the sound I'm looking for. Timeless Miracle however, has a sound nearing perfection.

Let's go over some notable tracks in Timeless Miracle's debut album, "Into The Enchanted Chamber".

'Curse Of The Werewolf' is indeed an incredible start. There's not a single point where I didn't like what was played. I mean, the chorus is already SPM enough, the 3/4 part after the 2nd chorus just adds more to the symphony factor. Even the part where he goes "The gypsy girl is laughing!", which is in fact a small part, really makes you imagine the scene itself in you head. Perfect melody everywhere. And if they couldn't make it more epic...here comes the last part, where in the end they shout, "WOLF! MAN! METAMORPHISM!" Yes, they say that, and once you realize it your jaw would've probably reached the floor.

'Into The Enchanted Chamber' already gets you at the start with their trumpets. It's a great song all throughout, thanks to most every part (the way the verse is sung, the pre-chorus, chorus...everything). Parts that stand out, I can say, are the second voices and especially the excellent percussion during the chorus. In fact, the chorus sounds so happy and awesome at the same time.

'The Devil', IMO, is an example of a slow yet powerful SPM song. All the parts pack their own melody, and especially the chorus which really makes you see the story of the song. Besides the awesome...everything, I can say that one of the driving forces of this song is the lyrics. Compared to the other songs, the lyrics can, and will tell you the story they want to give.

'Return Of The Werewolf' follow the expressive lyrics of The Devil and the addictive melodies of Curse Of The Werewolf. The music goes extremely well with the lyrics of each part. And then we have the chorus, which is probably the best this song has to offer. "Look at me, you will see, what the moon, has done to me!" as the start of the happy-sounding chorus, which sounds ironic as the following lyrics talk about coming to the werewolf to die, and to be dragged into darkness. And how they made that sound awesome? I'm not quite sure, but it sure damn hell is.

'The Gates Of Hell' is my most favorite song of this album. Why? Because besides the fact that everything is fit together perfectly, as I probably mentioned in the other songs, it has THE MOST ADDICTIVE CHORUS EVER. "Far beyond the gates of hell, tricked the devil, broke the spell!" starts the chorus off, and now imagine that in and incredibly addictive, epic, awesome chorus with melody and 2nd voices. That's the chorus you get with this song. Added to the already (as expected) error-less verses and such, it makes this, in my opinion, the greatest song of the album.

Okay, that's enough for specific song reviews. Besides, if I went on, I would've kept saying the same things. Because they're as true as can be. Notable songs that I didn't mention are, 'The Red Rose' and 'The Voyage'. All the instrumentals sound pretty good, too.

Why didn't I mention 'Witches Of Black Magic', 'Memories', 'Down To The Gallows' and maybe 'Church Of The Damned'? I didn't think they were 5-star. Actually, they were around 4.5-4.9. They were almost there.

If you're looking for something new in the SPM genre, then here you have it. What I'm saying is, "Into The Enchanted Chamber" is still truly worth your money, time, appreciation and attention. From what I've heard now, if Timeless Miracle keeps this up, then they will seriously have huge success in their years to come.

Whenever the leader of any army begins to falter on the battlefield, it is usually the task of a hero or two to step up and keep the cause from being lost. When bands such as Freedom Call, Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, and Metalium put out some extremely uninspired music in 2005-2006, it fell to lesser known acts to temporarily fill the void. One of those bands was a long ago formed but only recently signed act out of Sweden called “Timeless Miracle”. Along with slightly more seasoned but still relatively young bands such as Heavenly, The Storyteller, and Highland Glory, they kept the spirit of the power metal faithful high in what seemed quite a dark hour.

Part of what gives this album its charm is that it is in the older style that was prominent circa 2001-2002, which fits since that is when many of these songs were actually written and recorded independently. It combines all of the elements that made Freedom Call’s “Eternity” and Iron Fire’s “Thunderstorm” such amazing fits of melody and speed with the lyrical subject matter of earlier traditional outfits such as Judas Priest and Stormwitch, including a good dose of werewolf worship that King Diamond himself would be proud to endorse. Perhaps the only thing that comes off a bit odd about it is that this music is so melodic and happy, that the lyrics have an element of dark comedy to them.

You could say that this band has some derivative elements, but it would be a mistake to call them generic because their sound has this distinctiveness to it that just punches you right in the face. The biggest factor in this is Mikael Holst’s vocals, which have a sort of dual attack approach of a nasally tenor uncommon to most Scandinavian acts coupled with a pretty well realized 80s thrash growl. His accent is pretty damn heavy, but given all of the werewolf references, it fits the design pretty well. The vocal and chorus approach of most of these songs is actually very similar to pre-Hellfire Club Edguy and Zachary Stevens era Savatage, loaded with pomp and harmony.

Unlike most of the current power metal establishment, this band tends more towards the older metal approach of low ended riff variation, rather than the Helloween/Freedom Call approach of loading the arrangement with lead harmonies which co-exist with keyboards and vocals. Many riffs resemble older speed metal formats typical to US power metal, although the choruses will often revert back to the power chord clichés of the European model. Solos are used sparingly, allowing time for rhythm section development, and go back and forth between guitar and keyboard showmanship.

Along with Emerald Sun, this band is likely to become a force to be reckoned with in the near future, reminding the older guard of where it is they come from. The epic speed ride “Curse of the Werewolf”, the joyous speed hymn of pagan triumph that is the title track, and the thudding and riff happy “The Rose” are just a few of the reasons why this is a must have for fans of fast melodic metal. With luck, the next album will be even better and aid the forces of metal in preventing another 1992 from coming around and trying to destroy what has been accomplished.

Oh wow, and we all thought Freedom Call was pushing it. Timeless Miracle is a Swedish Power Metal band, and for those who thought Rhapsody and Freedom Call were too happy and cheesy, well...they are going to HATE this album. However, with uninspired crap like Land of the Free II, The 8th Sin and Carved in Stone leading the Power Metal front these days, an album like this is a breath of fresh air.

Timeless Miracle play a style of metal somewhere in between Freedom Call, Gamma Ray and Iron Fire, while not sounding like an outright ripoff of any of them. The riffs are plentiful, and while they're not always great, they are present, and the music is not drowned underneath mindless synthesizers or orchestrations. I actually hear a bit of a Traditional Metal influence in here at times, on the galloping main riff of "Curse of the Werewolf" and especially the last minute or two of "The Red Rose." The vocals are nasal and reminiscent of the Italian school of Power Metal, and although the vocal melodies are also not always great, they at least work most of the time. The double bass drum goes full-speed ahead for the entire hour-long duration. The melodies are infectious, with the choruses being especially hard to shake off - all very happy, harmonized choruses in the style that Freedom Call had mastered so well in their early days. Say what you will about Timeless Miracle; that they're too lame, too boring, too excessive and unoriginal, but this is highly enjoyable music, and the melodies are the key point here, for Timeless Miracle knows how to write an ear-friendly and catchy melody, and then weave it seamlessly into a good song.

There are a couple weak tracks here, especially towards the end of the album, and the songwriting is a bit uneven, but how many Power Metal fans can seriously argue with stunning, show-stopping grandeur in the form of songs like stomping opener "Curse of the Werewolf," the majestic title track, the kinetic "The Red Rose" or especially the galloping "Down to the Gallows"? Into the Enchanted Chamber is a very promising debut of high-octane Power Metal, and I'd love to see Timeless Miracle tighten up the loose ends in their sound, because this band could very well produce a real Power Metal classic. I hear they have a new one coming out later this year, so that's all the more reason to acquaint yourself with this album in preparation for that. Highly recommended.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

When I was a young lad, growing up in the backwoods of the suburbs of Chicago, I had a friend named Gary. Gary was a spunky young boy, energetic and vibrant, yet still extremely smart. Gary had a future ahead of him, a future much brighter than the gelatinous entity that my soul resides inside of that spends all of its free time critiquing metal albums on the internet. One day, not long after puberty, Gary's birthday rolled around. I figured that I owed my best friend a birthday present, and I remembered that he had a somewhat bizarre taste for the dark, macabre, and mystical. Perusing through the local record store, I came across a dark album cover in the metal section. It featured a decaying forest, the stone bust of a snarling werewolf, a shining entrance to a forbidden tomb, and a large clock that was apparently crafted by a dyslexic triple amputee. I said to myself "Gee golly jeepers! This is just the kind of mysticism that Gary is into! How picture perfect for me to conveniently stumble across an obscure metal release in a record store in Aurora! Wayne's World lied, Aurora is actually a fucking scumhole, but hey, they apparently sell Scandinavian metal here!". I wrapped the CD in tin foil (just to show how metal I was), and handed it to him at his birthday party. He opened the package and lit up with glee. He ran to the stereo to listen to his new, dark, mysterious album. Fifteen seconds into the first song, he began foaming at the mouth, convulsing, and bleeding from the eyes. I dashed forward and caught his nearly lifeless body before it came crashing down. As my best friend died in my arms in a puddle of piss and drool, I raised my fist and futilely shouted to God "Why hath thou brought this upon this young angel?!".

I later learned that Gary was lactose intolerant, and the sheer cheese that saturated this album was enough to deliver a lethal, seizure inducing dose to a young boy with such a condition.

Now, despite the fact that this story is obviously false and chronologically makes as much sense as an inflatable dartboard, the moral stands; this is the hands down cheesiest album I've ever heard. Cheese is a hard thing to define in a musical context, but one can find almost no other description of this music. Seriously, listen to this fluffy, flowery album and think of a term to sum it all up. Chances are you thought of a term for molded old milk. And the strange thing is that Into the Enchanted Chamber is, on the whole, an enjoyable album. Sure, it's not the most original thing I've heard, nor is it the highest quality of flower metal I've heard, but there is just something about the unabashed, pop-influenced, and inoffensive music on this record that I cannot help but enjoy. Be it the bouncy keyboard parts, the happy-go-lucky vocals, catchy choruses, or the occasional excellent riff, very little can be described as shitty. The production is tighter than a four year old and the songwriting is solid.

The vocalist was the main component in my reasoning for my somewhat negative first draft submitted nearly a year ago, but I've come to somewhat adore the fact that he sounds like he's singing with a clothespin over his nostrils. It makes Timeless Miracle stand out among the sea of wailing falsettos that are nigh indiscernible from each other. I hear super flowery power metal and I couldn't tell you who it was if I was looking at the goddamn album cover, but as soon as I hear the allergy afflicted sounds of our bald headed castrato crooner, I jump with glee. His voice never fails to garner a grin from me, be it for the unintentional hilarity or the fact that he just sounds so happy and innocent, despite the fact that he's singing about dismembering children. Which brings me to the next facet that makes them unique, the lyrics. While a lot of flower metal bands are stuck in the fantasy rut involving fairies and goblins and elves and unicorns and reach arounds and all that jazz, Timeless Miracle sing graphic tales of werewolves disemboweling little girls and a man's last minutes before being strung up in the gallows. Pagan rituals, malicious spirits, conniving witches, escaping Hell, Into the Enchanted Chamber really breaks the stereotype when it comes to what poofy keyboard driven metal usually sing about.

Instrumentally, I don't really see anything worthy of knob slobbing, but I will say that the highlights of the album are easily the galloping riff patterns (Curse of the Werewolf, Down to the Gallows, Return of the Werewolf) and the bouncy and/or upbeat keyboard melodies (The Gates of Hell, Into the Enchanted Chamber). It seems like the band is always at their strongest when they quit pussyfooting with overlong epic bollocks and emotional ballads and just brazenly stampede into a riff monster or unabashedly glossy and poppish section. This means that I find The Voyage and Memories to be the weakest tracks here, but they don't detract too much from the overall experience. While the music itself is usually bordering between mediocre and decent, it is played competently enough and ends up somewhat arbitrary anyways because whenever the music gets boring, you find yourself focusing on the vocals, which make the music that much more fun.

If you have friends like Gary, don't be fooled like I was, this isn't anywhere near as dark as it seems at face value. Shit, this is pretty much like staring at Sirius. But unlike Helloween's much lauded abomination, The Dark Ride, Into the Enchanted Chamber doesn't pull any punches or feebly try and force out a darker side. It doesn't try to be anything that it isn't, and the innocence and happy-go-luckiness of the whole deal just makes any day brighter than it previously was. So this isn't the kind of metal you put on when you want to pump yourself up before a streetfight or something. It's more something you put on in the car on the way to an amusement park. Overall, my only complaint is that the slower and more emotional moments take away from the fun that I was having before they came and tried raining on my parade, but if one can look past these small blemishes, there lies a bafflingly fun and enjoyable record. Listen only if you can appreciate molten mozzarella over your tulips.

[Completely rewritten on March 3rd 2008]

When we look back at the evolution of metal during the first decade of the 21st century, 2005 might have proven to be a very important year for the power metal genre. At the start of that year, power metal fans were eagerly looking forward to new releases by established bands such as Stratovarius, Gamma Ray, Hammerfall and Freedom Call. But in my opinion all of those albums were disappointments and these bands still haven’t shown that they still has it. But in 2005 we also saw a few spectacular debut releases that burned with a flame their influenced hadn’t shown for years. I’m talking about bands such as Sabaton, Hibria, and Sweden’s Timeless Miracle.

If Sabaton ran over Hammerfall like a panzer division and Hibria gave Iron Savior and Lost Horizon a good run for their money, then Timeless Miracle took Freedom Call’s cheerfull power metal, spiced it up with some Elvenking-styled folk melodies and shown both those bands the spirit and rampant energy necessary to make that kind of music powerful and inspiring instead of fluffy. “Into the Enchanted Chamber” really doesn’t offer anything new to the european power metal genre, but when it’s done as well as it is here it’s like an adrenaline shot to my overtly “flower” metal loving heart.

Timeless Miracle could be categorized as a folk/power metal band, but they don’t completely forget the guitars like bands of that genre tend to do from time to time. The keyboard work isn’t exactly subtle, and Mikael Holst’s vocals soar over everything else without problems, but Fredrik Nilsson never allows himself to be completely drowned out. The riffs really aren’t anything spectacular, but the leads and solos are very melodic and tasteful, and there are a lot of them, especially the former. Nilsson turns in a very inspired performance on this album, throwing in a small lick or guitar run every time he is given the chance, which adds a lot to the frantic energy level on here. Vocalist Mikael Holst has a quite rough middle range that he usually sticks to. His upper range is limited, but he seem to know that and he never tries to hit notes that is beyond his reach. His lower range is very rough and gritty, almost bordering on growly at times, with effects ranging from sinister to comical depending on the music.

Speaking of comedy, the lyrics on this album are, to be honest, absolutely retarded, with really weird twists on themes such as the devil, lycanthrophy and pagan mythology. Add to that the corny sound effects thrown in here and there (such as the “evil laugh” at the end of “Witches of Black Magic” or the hysterical group shouting of “WOLF!” at the end of “Curse of the Werewolf) and it becomes obvious that these guys doesn’t take their music completely seriously. This, however, leads to one of the very few negative points found on here. The cheese factor on this album will most likely be intolerable for everyone except huge fans of european power metal such as myself. The high-flying choruses, the overal cheerfullness (despite the dark album cover and song titles!) and the thick melodies would most definitely warrant an R for this album on the cheese-o-meter if such a thing existed.

The cheese factor is, however, pretty much the only negative point I could find on this album, except for few small details in some songs. Timeless Miracle possesses the inspiration, energy and sheer talent necessary to rise above the huge pack of clone bands and become a force to be reckoned with in the power metal genre. The most astonishing thing I have discovered after dozens of spins is that despite the catchiness (this is definitely one of the catchiest albums I have ever heard!) this album doesn’t grow weaker with time, a problem that many power metal albums is suffering from. On the contrary, repeated spins has fortified the opinion that popped up in my head after the first listen. “Into the Enchanted Chamber” was the best power metal album released in 2005, and definitely one of the best debuts I have ever heard. Timeless Miracle is currently working on their second album, due for release in 2008. Make sure you already own this album by then.