“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.”
― Albert Einstein
“Music that’s sets a landscape for adventure that can draw one deep within its heart and the passion of the musicians playing it, becomes the journey worth the exploration” – Donovan de Necker.
The Swedish show us again why they yield some of the best musical acts the world has seen with Morning Dwell. Undoubtfully a power metal machine that blasts with classic power metal drive, Morning Dwell bring you a sound that brings to mind classic metal acts like Halloween, Blind Gaurdian, ReinXeed early Iron Maiden and Judus Priest, delivering songs that drive with energy and momentum.
Like a good chocolate that melts with delicious taste and authentic texture in your mouth that leaves a delightful after experience, so is it with the debut of Morning Dwell. It’s enticing, epic and gloriously unforgettable and sensationally irresistible.
The album is packed full of all the ingredients needed for a perfect power metal album. This is no mediocre attempt, and neither an over-produced carnage, which can happen at this level. The songs are imaginative, complex and yet have a certain rawness and simplicity to them, which makes it wholly enjoyable to the person who desires a more technical approach and to the guy who just wants to listen to a good power metal band. That said the music is only one side of an album, and in part the cover needs to be just as good, if it is to attract the attention of the mere passerby. The true success of an album is when both elements are able to marry, both in concept and delivery.
Morning Dwell in attempting to bring to the fans an album of perfection brought in the talents of Andreas Marshall to do the cover. He has done famous artworks for bands like Hammerfall, Kreator, Stratovatious, Blind Guardian.
Before we go into the tracks and really explore the album, let us first go on a brief history of the band in order to get a bigger picture of the project. It also helps to make I more rounded view concerning the album and all its elements. The story behind the band is the foundation and bridgework of the album. This is no small sized review, so I ask you bare with me, as this incorporates just as much an article as it is a review.
“Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends.”
― Alphonse de Lamartine
Morning Dwell was at first a one man band project by Petter Hjerpe. It all started in a small town deep in the woods of Sweden. Petter Hjerpe was born in 1985 and when he was about 14 years old he heard another Swedish metal-band: HammerFall and the album Legacy of kings(1998). He had never heard this kind of metal before and became curious and brought home the Legacy of kings-album and showed his father, who also have played in many bands in his early years, and he told his son that this sounded a little bit like a band he used listen a lot to for many years ago. Then Hans (Petter’s father) showed Petter a vinyl record with a band called Helloween….and the album was Keeper of the seven keys part 2. He went down to his fathers “music-room” were he kept his vinyl player along with his guitars. Petter turned on the vinyl album and heard the two first songs on the album: Invitation and Eagle fly free. While holding the album cover in his hands and listened to this two songs Petter felt as a new world opened before him. A new experience of music that he never felt before. From that day he started to search for that kind of music and asked friends if they knew more music that sounded like Helloween.
Petter started to write music before he could play any instrument at all He had a friend named Ramiar Raissi who was a great keyboard player and a classmate. The first demo Petter recorded was called Tumania and was an instrumental album recorded on Ramiars well sounded KORG keyboard. Ramiar played every instrument on keyboard and Petter told him how it should sound. Now the year is 2000 and that year Petter started playing drums, keyboards and guitars. His father had an computer with a recording program which Petter started to learn how to use.
He wrote music and became better and better while years passed by.
The cover art of a power metal-album is very important! In part it tells some of the story, and especially for Petter and his band mates this was a critical part of the release. Why this is so important is that you relate the music with what you see and feel. If you look at something attractive while listening to the music the whole experience of the album increases. At first Morning Dwell looked at an artist who works with digital cover art but none of the guys in the band like digital artwork so it was not worth it. Then Petter came up with the idea of asking one of his favorite cover art-painter: Andreas Marshall! He has painted covers for many famous metal bands like Blind Guardian, Kreator, Stratovarius and HammerFall. Two month later Marshall painted the cover art for Morning Dwell with directives from Petter!
The album starts with an introduction that leads into the battle ready sounds of “Unlock All The Doors” an excellent song to fire away with. It races off from the start, the galloping double bass keeping the momentum running like a maniac centurion out to ram down the enemy in front of him. The song though undoubtfully power metal has some cool thrash elements to it. The guitars are momentous whilst vocally the track is outstanding, a mark that highlights throughout the release. Lol love the title of the next song, “Orange Moped”, again the drums are manic and keep the songs rushing forward unashamedly and with relentless energy. Some neat lead guitar work highlights some of the high points of the song. “Strongest of Them All” and “Forever and Ever”, feels like they came out the game play book of bands like Halloween. They have a solid, catchy and classic feel to them, with melodic driven guitars, some great solo guitar work that actually fits with the song and well balanced and executed vocals. They have that big arena feel to them on these two. The album pours forth with relentless pace and energy throughout and nothing reveals or showcases that driving energy like, “Predator” reminding me of the early years when Iron Maiden for me were on top of their game creating epic compositions that stood yards out front from the pack. My favorite track for sure. “Spread Your Wings does a similar thing of hitting hard with punchy and melodic guitar driven power metal. “The Pirate song” is a fun swashbuckling jaunt of classic power metal adventure that makes you want to sing along in chorus with thousands of others. “The Gatekeeper” is a classic power metal opus of sorts, with some fantastic lead work, enchanting the senses with beautiful metal sounds, and sing-along bits. World Inside follows suit delivering high octane driven riffs with riotous drums and invigorating and fresh musical infectious and melodic charge of power metal glory. The album ends with “The Story Never Ends”, recalling the epic notions of classic metal from the 80’s, utilizing a big atmosphere of musical enchantment to deliver a powerful and earth shattering drive of solid and larger than life musical experience that feasts with purpose and energy, as it drives through the different movements as it draws you along its journey.
In conclusion you are met with a riot of exquisite power metal surges that almost on every song engage and pulverize the senses with the high quality musical coherence of the musicians on this debut release. Its full of melodic riffs driven by powerful and jaw dropping drum beats. Though there are strong references to Halloween they have manage to create a sound of their own that holds all the elements of those classic 80’s metal bands with a touch of modernization. What you get is a powerful theatrical release that puts on an Opus rather than just a bunch of songs clumped together. All the songs are very well written. One of the best power metal albums I have had the privilege of hearing in years and sets an almost impossible bench mark of the genre. It’s a fun album, played fast with melodic drive filled with dramatic flair that is both beautiful and uplifting. If you are a fan of metal acts like, Halloween, Blind Gaurdian, ReinXeed, Iron Maiden, and Hammerfall then you are sure to be swept up by the metal symphony of this release.
Rating: 9.5/10
Written by Donovan de Necker
Tracklist:
1. Introduction
2. Unlock All The Doors
3. Orange Moped
4. Strongest Of Them All
5. Forever And Ever
6. Predator
7. Spread Your Wings
8. The Pirate Song
9. The Gatekeeper
10. World Inside
11. The Story Never Ends
Band Members:
Petter Hjerpe-Vocals
Michel Barréra-Guitars
Ulf Zetterman-Guitars
Martin Erneström-Bass
Samuel Olsson-Keyboards
Alfred Fridhagen-Drums
Record Label: Liljegren Records/Doolittle Group, April 2014
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
USA: Metal Helm
Video below “Morning Dwell” album teaser