ECLIPTICA – Impetus

The album opens quietly with acoustic guitars and keyboards during the one and a half minute long intro. It builds up with electric guitars before it lets loose in “My Paradise” which starts out with twin guitar harmonies. Sounds very Power Metal inspired during the chorus. If they added some higher tempo and double bass drums it would be a very typical refrain for that genre. After the chorus they really surprise with a spontaneous Black Metal blast beat part which lasts for about three seconds. It leaves you with the question; “what just happened”? It’s extremely cool and classy. The entire album surprises this way with many great details that spices up the music for sure.

The production is great, thundering drums and both bass and guitars are fantastically mixed. It’s a very rough sound but also melodic. Sometimes the music can remind you a bit of Avenged Sevenfold and those kind of bands but they mix it all together with good old Classic Metal in the style of Iron Maiden and more Power Metal based bands such as Edguy and Helloween.

Every Melodic Metal album has a ballad. On this record we have track number six “Turn Away”. This song does actually sound like it could have come from Avantasia – The Metal Opera. We have a great vocal performance of the first vocalist before female singer Elisabeth Fangmeyer destroys the magic. She comes in during the chorus with some very out of tune vocal harmonies. It sounds just awful! Wonder why they left it like that when all that was needed was just another take or maybe some audio tuning.

However, Impetus is a great mix between Power Metal and Progressive Metal and features ten good songs. The production is fantastic, full of attitude and clearness, which makes this album absolutely worth the money. Check it out, it won’t disappoint.