Unchosen Ones – Sorrow Turns to Dust
Self-Released
Release Date: 21/04/23
Running Time: 43:39
Review by Simon Black
8/10
Lockdown was a strange time for many bands, especially ones that actually formed in that fateful year of our Dark Lord, 2020. This Spanish five piece are an unusual meld of Synthwave-infused Melodic Power Metal, and like many acts forged or writing in this period have taken the influences immediately to hand. Now, surprisingly there’s very little about the history unfolding around them in these lyrics, and a lot more about the kind of things they would have been using to stave off the frustration and boredom… video games! Not being a gamer, I wouldn’t know if this works but it sure as hell makes a pleasant change from all the endless Power Metal disks we get sent with strained and overworked impenetrable concepts as the backbone.
I rather like the emotive timbre of vocalist Javier Calderón’s voice – it’s clear, powerful and warm, but could do with a little more variety in the way he uses it in the arrangements across the ten songs in this debut. That said, I suspect that this is likely to do with the fact that as the last person to join the line-up and with some of the material dating back to unused material from previous projects, that he may not have been there to fully influence the writing process for some of the songs. Either way, I can see huge potential here, and he’s one to watch.
Musically this is driven by founders Jose Fernandez (drums) and Christian Marco (keyboards), with the interplay between them driving the arrangements in quite a novel way. Again with guitarist Francisco Romero coming late to the party, his not inconsiderable playing ability is mainly confined to the rhythm parts in the melodies, with keys taking the lion’s share of these. But he’s got a fantastic turn on those six strings, as is blatantly obvious when he and Marco harmonise, and more importantly when he lets rips on the solos. It’s important to note that although he can shred with the best of them, it’s when he’s focusing on more even-paced instrumental breaks that emphasise the melody and move the heart at the same time that he really stands out. Yes, exactly like Ritchie Blackmore used to…
Now to be honest Melodic and Power Metal when done well does rather rock my boat, and the added layer of that traditional 80’s structure to the arrangements and writing is just icing on the cake on an album with an incredibly polished and high calibre production delivery. Clearly with a long gestation period and not a lot of opportunity to road test the material this does feel like a very studio project, but the strong focus on good, catchy and heart-warming arrangements means that next time round that live experience is only going to make things better for these guys.
‘Far Beyond The Thunderdome’ Official Lyric Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Far Beyond the Thunderdome
02. The World is Ours to Take
03. Infinite Gear
04. Sorrow Turns to Dust
05. The Accursed Moon & Kill the Night
06. Too Late
07. Shadow Dancer
08. Ashen Wasteland
09. The Call of the Rain
10. True Warrior
LINE-UP:
Christian Marco – Keyboards
Francisco Romero – Guitars
Jose Fernandez – Drums
Javier Calderón – Vocals
Pablo Alvarez – Bass
LINKS:
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