Innerwish find a great formula for symphonic power metal on their sixth release, Ash of Eternal Flame.
Who knew the Athens, Greece band Innerwish began almost 30 years ago? Certainly not me as for some reason they never were on my radar. The band’s debut album Waiting for Dawn came out in 1998 with their second and third full lengths on a different label and coming out in 2004 (Silent Faces) and 2006 (Inner Strength). Following great reception in Europe and Japan, the band shared stages with the likes of Judas Priest, Within Temptation, Manowar, Opeth, and Orphaned Land among others, adding to their reputation and popularity. The addition of George Eikosipentakis on vocals and Fragiskos Samoilis on drums happened for the band’s previous album Innerwish and have remained the same for the current album. Ash of Eternal Flame was mixed and mastered by Henrik Udd (Powerwolf) who has worked with the band on past recordings.
The beginning of “Fovermore” had me wondering if this was going to be some symphonic black metal as I’ve heard a lot of that lately, but then the symphonic elements faded into a fast power metal riff and I knew immediately where the music was headed and looking forward to it. The keyboard and choral elements dominate the overall soundscape early but fade to a supporting role once the vocals start. George Eikosipentakis has great tone and range as one needs in power metal and comparisons can be made to all the standard vocalists out there, but he does bring his own touch which is great. Pacing of the song is relatively quick and the rhythm section of Fragiskos Samoilis on drums and Antonis Mazarakis on bass provide a solid foundation. Fragiskos machine gun fire drums in one part of the song are powerful and fast and the guitar work both solo and harmony by Manolis Tsigos and Thimios Krikos is great. In essence, everything you would look for and expect in power metal is here.
“Sea of Lies” starts fast with guitars and features guest vocals by Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) working seamlessly with the vocals from George Eikosipentakis. The song itself deals with the plight of immigrants told from the perspective of a child and is accompanied by a powerful video featuring the band and Hansi intercut with news footage. Again here the choral elements add a lot of power to the song and the guitar harmony and solo are excellent and work well within the song. At this point, it’s hard not to mention the mixing and mastering by Henrik Udd as everything is in perfect considering the choral elements, keyboards, guitars, drums and vocals. Many power metal albums don’t have things as well integrated as on this album and it adds significantly to the listening experience.
The band slows things down a bit for a melodic hard rock track in “Higher” which works well and provides a nice change from the faster power metal and just to prove this wasn’t a fluke, the band repeats this shift later in the album with “Once Again”. Personally, I prefer “Once Again” with the emphasis on the bass guitar of Antonis Mazarakis driving much of the song and the guitars sounding a lot like they came from Queensryche Mindcrime when they join. The more I listen, the more I get a Geoff Tate vibe from the vocals here as well, which seems fitting. Same can be said for the album closer “Breathe”, another great track with a similar feel.
Taking a higher view of the songs, there does seem to be a couple different approaches. Songs like “Soul Assunder” and “Cretan Warriors” both start out heavy with guitars driving the song and “Soul Assunder” sounding very much at times influenced by the NWOBHM. “Cretan Warriors” is interesting in arrangement as it starts out with a heavy riff and then shifts to the point it reminds me of something out of Dio-era Rainbow with some soaring vocals and the keyboard and choir elements coming in, although remaining darker in overall tone. In contrast, songs like “Primal Scream” and the “The Hands of Doom” incorporate more of the symphonic keyboard and choir elements early in the tracks, while “I Walk Alone” has an electronic keyboard intro that the guitars pick up and run with as the song turns anthemic.
Ash of Eternal Flame is a definite masterpiece and if I had gotten to it before the Best of 2024 lists came out, I would have added it to my Top 10 albums. From the great production, powerful vocals, great guitar work, solid rhythm section, symphonic and choir elements and variety of songs on the album, InnerWish have released a great power metal album.
Rating: 9/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- Forevermore
- Sea of Lies (feat. Hansi Kürsch)
- Higher
- Soul Assunder
- Primal Scream
- Ash of Eternal Flame
- Cretan Warriors8 november 2024
- The Hands of Doom
- Once Again
- I Walk Alone
- Breathe
Band Members
George Eikosipentakis – Vocals
Manolis Tsigos – Guitars
Thimios Krikos – Guitars
Antonis Mazarakis – Bass
Fragiskos Samoilis – Drums
Georgios Georgiou – Keyboards
Release Date: 8th. November 2024
Record Label: Raging Phoenix Music
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Video for “Sea of Lies”
Video for “Soul Assunder”