Power metal stands synonymous with fast guitar riffs, cinematic soundscapes, married with upbeat and anthem like singing style. The Italian band Kalidia, formed in 2010, stands true to this definition, released their first demo-EP in 2012 and their debut album “Lies’ Device” in 2014, and are out with their latest album ‘The Frozen Throne’, released on Nov 23rd 2018 under the record label of Inner Wound Recordings. The album was recorded and mixed by Lars Rettkowitz [Freedom Call], mastered by Achim Köhler [Primal Fear, Amon Amarth, Brainstorm] and the artwork was created by Stan W Decker [Vanden Plas, Primal Fear]. Kalidia toured around the major centres of Europe namely Italy, Germany and the UK and list Rhapsody of Fire, Hammerfall and Stratovarius and Beast In Black as some of their influences.
The album opens up with “Frozen Throne”, the name reminds of the Warcraft’s game of the same name, and as it builds up and gathers momentum it outleashes fast paced guitar riffs meddling well with keys. Nicoletta Rosellini’s impressive voice keeps the song upbeat and full of energy. “Circle’s Spell” opens up with middle-eastern styled riff and brings forth a catchy and uplifting rhythm. Nicolletta showcases her tremendous vocal range and Federico churns out an impressive palm muted riff right after the chorus and doesn’t shy away in making the guitar bleed with a melodic solo.
“Black Sails” brings out cinematic soundscapes with marching drums and a catchy riff giving this song a great introduction. The song maintains great energy throughout and swiftly moves to give out two flaring solos each on the guitar and the keys. “Orpheus” sets out a melancholic stage but quickly changes direction and brings out immense power making this songs sound quite unique. “To the darkness I belong” has a catchy guitar riff to its credit that gets used throughout the song and as we progress Nicolletta sets the tempo for the song, varying in intensity and speed, along with the rollicking guitar shreds gives the song its texture.
“Myth of Masada” has one of the heaviest intros and a true symphonic element throughout. Nicolletta brings out raw power in her voice, and what follows is high speed rhythm and a crunchy guitar solo that brings this song to new highs. “Midnight’s Chant” takes a different style from its predecessors starting out with a beautiful intro on the keys, the song sounds like a ballad, taking us through a rollercoaster of musical emotions. “Go Beyond” has a hypnotic tune to its credit which is played out well and as the song takes on speed, experimentation is carried out working well in the favour of the song.
“Amethyst” is a mad ride of the fastest and the most unstoppable song on the album, speed is all that matters on this song and stands out as a great power metal track, where blitzing guitar riffs meet equally faster guitar chugs. Acoustic guitars are heard on “Lotus” which has equal proportion heavy and melody. The band tries to break the formulaic every now and then whenever its about to set giving the listener a fair amount of surprize. “Queen of the Forsaken” rumbles its way with a -punchy bassline and a rugged guitar chugs concluding this well-crafted album.
Production – The production on this album is good, the tones are well balanced and every instrument gets its fair share of limelight.
Conclusion – The song writing is mature, its very hard making a power metal album and giving each song its unique identity which I feel Kalidia was able to do flawlessly. There were plenty of elements that kept the sound fresh and remarkable. If you haven’t already, go buy!
Rating: 8.5/10
Written by: Ankit Sood
Track listing
01. Frozen Throne
02. Circe’s Spell
03. Black Sails
04. Orpheus
05. To The Darkness I Belong
06. Myth Of Masada
07. Midnight’s Chant
08. Go Beyond
09. Amethyst
10. Lotus
11. Queen Of The Forsaken
Release Date: November 23rd
Record Label: Inner Wound Recordings
Discography:
“Dance of the Four Winds” EP (2012)
“Lies’ Device” (2014) [review]
“Ed il buio se ne andrà” Single (2015)
“Kingdom of Thyne Illusions / Lies’ Device” Split 7″ vinyl (2015)
‘Frozen Throne’ Single (2018)
‘Black Sails’ Single’ (2018)
‘Circe’s Spell’ Single’ (2018)
“The Frozen Throne” Full-length (2018)
Line-up:
Nicoletta Rosellini – vocals
Federico Paolini – guitars
Roberto Donati – bass
Dario Gozzi – drums
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video for ‘Circe’s Spell’
Lyric video for ‘Black Sails’
Music video for ‘Frozen Throne’
