All right you Power Metal fans, here's another one for you. Complete with pulsating drums, neo-classical riffs, and keyboard strings, Black
Heart should please the average Power Metal fan.
But all kidding aside, there really isn't anything new here, but don't let that fool you or prevent respect for the album,
Invictus plays out well. While showcasing a more grittier sound than most Power Metal bands, Black
Heart has a more aggression driven sound to it, sounding less redundant with lack of excessive and spontaneous pulsating perplexity.
While capturing the whole European Power Metal sound derived from Malmsteen, Stratovarius, Rhapsody, and not to mention a trace of the American sound with Savatage;
Invictus comes complete with the whole neo-classical and symphonic shebang. The credit for making the record stand out must go to the songwriting, the production, and of course, the chops. When you look at the songwriting aspect, you have catchy songs, filled with memorable riffs and hooks. The production compliments the changes that occur in the songs leaving choruses to counteract with the verses, cutting out instrumentation when needed; which in this, you can see that much work was done mixing the record to prevent the overall sound from disappearing into an oblivion of insignificance. Female backup vocals are used giving Black
Heart a
Nightwish feel to it, creating harmonies that luckily tend to stay away from the whole cheese factor, being more emotional and less benign. One key point on the production side when it comes to the harmonies is the accapella at the end of
"Miracle," which is done discretely to compliment the cut's moody and emotional sound, being more of a Rhapsody reminiscent cut with the orchestration carrying the main melody behind the wall of guitars.
Other standout cuts on this record include
"The Strongest," which could easily have been a song written for Stratovarius, but you can tell it was made for
Invictus (hell, they wrote it), while
"Whispers" is in more relation to one of Savatage's more conceptual efforts. The darkest cut on the record is
"Since the Day," which starts off with its dark guitar solo, leading into a piano ballad. When I look at the rest of the songs on the record, they all follow the same suit of "aggression meets virtuosity," but each song defiantly has it's own stamp, I really can't say that every song the record sounds the same, but the similarities are there.
The leads and solos are the main focus on when it comes to the axework, due to the fact the rhythmic punch of the guitars seems to buried behind all the keyboards and orchestration. Mikael Fitzrik's fret work is strongest when it comes to his soloing, which like many Power Metal guitarists, comes from the whole Malmsteen/Uli Jon Roth School of thought, but he tends to put his own stamp on the arpeggios by keeping them from becoming too flashy and masturbatory. Frederic Glo's Vocals don't really fit the whole Power Metal stereotyped operatic alto; his vocals are raspier with the highs complimented by the background harmonies.
For the most part as I know with most Metalheads and Power Metal fans alike, it all comes down to personal taste. Again I would recommend that you might maybe download an MP3 from the band's website, or
Limb Music's as well to check the record out. I will admit that it did grow on me, and I will be enjoying it for many more listens.
Written by
Hashman Thursday, July 10, 2003
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