Underworld

2005 was probably the worst year that the Power Metal genre had since the revival of the late 90s, including some rather mediocre releases out of well established bands such as Gamma Ray, Freedom Call, Falconer and a few others. Even the band this one is most compared to Hammerfall released something that wasn’t of the same quality as past efforts. However, while some of the older guard failed to maintain their hold on the top, there was an unlikely 2nd tier act that would buck the trend.

Although the previous influences are still present, the changes made on this particular Storyteller release are so massive that they compare to the reinvention that Nocturnal Rites went through in the well known 2000 release Afterlife. The concept album approach previously taken by this band has been abandoned in favor of a shorter and more aggressive approach. We also see a greatly stepped up bass presence, probably the best production this band has ever had, and the most varied and intricate vocal performance by Persson yet. It’s rawer, it’s simpler, it’s more memorable, and it’s definitely more metal.

One thing that has remained the same is the pacing of one fast song and one slower song alternating from track to track. However, where on previous albums the faster songs would tend to run together, here they are quite distinct. “Eyes of the Dead” cooks something superb with a rapid fire triplet grouped double bass drum line and riffs flying like no tomorrow. The bass is loud and raunchy, the vocal tracks are varied and dense, and the chorus is catchy as hell. “Watcher in the Deep” gallops along like a vintage thrash song, but with atmosphere and a crisp production. The chorus and the principle melody that comes and goes are both more focused and memorable versions of the quasi-folk influences found on earlier releases. “Beauty is the Beast” is a bit more similar to past cookers like “Guardians of Kail”, but with a much more passion driven vocal delivery. “Magic Elements” is a happier and more triumphant power metal fast song that reeks of early Helloween influence during the chorus, although the verses and the tempo changes also hint at early Nocturnal Rites influences.

The slower tracks on here are mostly where the new sound shows itself. “Changeling” is a heavy down tempo song that sounds like Afterlife era Nocturnal Rites with a small bit of “Lock up the Wolves” era Dio. “The Fiddler” is also quite heavy, although the violin lines give it an almost Gothic edge, somewhat similar to the melancholy stuff found on Galloglass’ debut. “Your time has come” is the token ballad, pretty solid acoustic guitar line and very short, which will please metal fans who don’t like ballads. The title track has plenty of lead guitar gymnastics, though the general feel is more mid tempo. “Shine On” is another slower melodic one with a great backing chorus during the refrain, definitely cut from the heavier end of Hammerfall emulators.

The Motorhead cover was yet another surprise out of an album that has completely blown me away by track 4. I don’t know how people get off saying Persson has a mediocre voice when he can pull off the best Lemmy Kilmister impersonation I’ve ever heard. So what if the guy can’t sing as high Dan Heiman can? If everyone sounded like him, things in the Power Metal field would get old pretty damn quick.

The Storyteller really kicked some major league ass on this album and in the process softened the blow that other bands that I love visited on me with lackluster studio releases. If you like current Nocturnal Rites, Hammerfall, Judas Priest, Firewind and Falconer, this may be the release needed to cure your depression over what they released not too long ago. The band has currently gone on hold for a while to get things back in order; hopefully they didn’t blow their entire creative load on this masterpiece and will be back with another release soon.