CELESTY – Vendetta

Since European Power Metal spread its wings in the beginning of the early 1990s, you started hearing stories about ancient tales and lore of lost battles swarmed by magic and fire armed with bombastic productions, speed, keyboards, and orchestra supported melodies and a much heavier music. Heavy Metal was into it, not too obsessively, during the 80s, but the European Power Metal scene took it high up the ladder. Well not all the European Power scene is like that, like Primal Fear for example, yet many of these bands swarmed like flies over Europe. Celesty were a part of the second wave of bands that came over near the mid to late 1990s, showing off Symphonic, Epic Power / Speed Metal influences by Manowar and Rhapsody Of Fire and similar to their fellow countrymen, Sonata Arctica.

Vendetta, the band’s new offering, is yet another Power Metal offering of tales and epos. What is different here from albums like Reign Of The Elements and Legacy Of Hate is that behind all the operatic and orchestral keyboards, Celesty unleashed a much angrier version of themselves.

Many of the recent Power Metal acts, and even some of the older bands of these sub-genre, discovered that showing a bit of anger in their songs, not an extreme level of course, may spice up their musical approach a bit and turn them into a different creature than the Traditional European Power Metal.

You can see that Celesty’s music has toughened a bit with riffs from songs like “Dark Emotions”, “New Sin”, “Greed And Vanity” and parts of the long epos, “Legacy Of Hate Part 3”, which is the best of all three parts – the first ones were in the Legacy Of Hate album from 2004. In addition, the rough approach is also due to the band’s hardships and toils along their journey to make a meaningful mark in the Metal world. Therefore, you can say they are letting off some steam just as Nostradamus did in their last two albums. Alongside these darkened anthems, the same Power Metal with keys keeps on rolling with the finesse artistic effort that Celesty has been showing since their formation.

Like previous ones, the albums offer melodies, solos and amazing writing abilities with top-notch quality from the band members. The bottom line is that Celesty is still a Metal pumping machine that will satisfy you with their musicianship and their artistic view of the imagination. Don’t think about the banal motifs taken from other bands, these guys were influences, that is true, but the use of the music and its writing are the most important factors here. Vendetta like its name, judging by the music, is where Celesty saw their chance to unleash the beast within them.

Highlights from this chapter of crossed emotions: “Euphoric Dream”, really sounds like its name, starts all cheery and happy with speed and melodic assault of both guitars and keys until it becomes more serious with speed and an awesome vocal line – a true classic, check out the chorus filled with opera and Celesty’s amazing front man.

“Like Warriors” is a good Power Metal song filled with glorious stories regarding a band of warriors – tonight they will unleash on you hell with speedy anthems backed by operatic and orchestral effects by the keys.

“Feared By Dawn” a more Neo-Classical tune á la Rhapsody Of Fire, but not too bombastic, yet sounds a lot heavier than the Italian folks. Here you can feel the band’s singer and how elegant his style is, a true talent.

“Lord Of This Kingdom” is true Heavy Metal á la Manowar or Hammerfall followed by a slow galloping riff of a marching cavalry battalion.

“New Sin” is when the melodic European Power Metal joins hands with Modern Heavy Metal riffs. There you have it, Speed vs. Heavy and a low tuned attack.
“Fading Away” is an awesome track covered by the enchanting keyboard melodies. Moreover, just take a good listen to a well-done chorus.

“Legacy Of Hate Part 3” is a great epos, which is divided into four parts – one of them is an instrumental, starts and ends with a beautiful duet of male / female collaboration. Within it you will find everything – check that out. Finally, If you have the bonus extra, you will enjoy the final track, “Gates Of Tomorrow” which is a typical Power Metal anthem, yet performed with greatness.

Celesty, with all their present and past troubles, continue fulfilling their solemn vision and burning ambitions to become a marker to others. Vendetta is their answer to their troubles and it is the right answer indeed.