Winterlong return with their second album 'The
Second Coming'. Now to start with I got the bands debut when
it came out - Valley Of The Lost and I found it to be a very
average stock power metal release. So I came to The Second
Coming with some trepidation, first of all I was pretty delighted
to see the band had moved into a more classic metal meets
neo-classical framework. Second the band have a new singer
in Mikael Holm whose voice is just fantastic with a very clear
projection and that killer Scandinavian vibe to it. Guitarist
Thorbjorn Englund also seems to have picked up his game with
some killer riffs and great lead work that goes from melodic
to a barrage of pyrotechnics. Classy keyboards come courtesy
of the rather spookily named character Mistheria. Drums are
handled by Anders Johansson (Yngwie, Hammerfall) and Andreas
Lill (Vanden Plas). The Second Coming's production is stronger
and the overall quality of songwriting is much much better
here than that on Valley Of The Lost.
Opener Locking Up The Gates
is a brief synth intro getting you into the mood for the nordic
tale that is to come. Twisting My Tail
then comes flying in thanks to a killer drum frill from Anders
Johansson before a harmonic minor tinged riff from Englund.
Mikael Holm soars in with impressive aplomb before settling
into a gallop rhythm for the verse. The track is full of nordic
charm, great melodies and a energy level that doesn't let
up throughout. Englund throws in some very extended soloing,
all in the neo-classical vein and its rather killer to say
the least.
Northman starts off
with Mistheria giving it some major chops on his keyboard
before calming down for good melodic verse before kicking
into straight power metal for the verse. Holm's vocals again
sound killer throughout this track - full of that clean crisp
Scandinavian edge that is so appealing and compliments this
kind of music especially well - the chorus is very catchy
but its the power shown on the verses that really make him
shine. The guitar solo is more melodic here with a nice delay
to thicken the sound for the slower lines before the tempo
picks up and Englund showcases his excellent picking chops.
Mistheria throws in another cool solo before a Maiden esque
harmony motif leads us to another round of solo trade offs.
This chorus leads us home to wrap up this fine track.
Retallion starts
in the same sort of vein as Yngwie's material on recent albums
such as Alchemy or War To End All Wars. A punishing fast riff
starts if the track before going into a great verse that has
a superb quirky melody line, think of it as a cross between
Queen and Yngwie (in regards to the vocal delivery and lyrics)!
The chorus sees the vocals soar over a half time feel before
a guitar motif that sounds a little like Randy Rhoad's classic
outro solo on Mr Crowley (probably down to the cycle of fourths
backing underneath) before heading into a neo classical arpeggio
section, this then changes again for the prog tinged middle
section with some even more quirky vocal lines! A track that
jumps all over the place, very original in this respect and
it works yet again.
Anders Johansson goes nuts on the drums before
this We Will Be Immortals gets
into its groove. There are quite a few tempo changes throughout
and some very good solos and riffs. The chorus is pretty majestic
with a strong melody. The track slows right down for the bridge
before another killer riff kicks in. Englund throws in another
strong solo this time complemented with some nice harmonies
on the slower passages before the chorus kicks back in.
Call Of The Wild
sees the tempo drop significantly for its delicate short medieval
esque opening gambit, a short rest bite before Wild
Winter Nights kicks in with another superb verse -
Holm's melodies manage to combine memorable patterns yet making
sure it never delves to tacky pop proportions. The chorus
is just killer with the emotion in Holm's vocal being truly
captivating - if you dig Johansson's 'The Last Viking' you
will love this. The solo section sees quite a few rhythmic
changes over which Englund gives us some frenzied whammy bar
phrases before MIstheria gives his fingers a major work out.
Englund then comes back in with a very YJM arpeggio section,
this is then topped by the glorious chorus taking you on a
ride into some dark Scandinavian forest.
In The World Of Illusions
has very straight metal riffing which is not so far away from
System X era Impelliterri. The strong vocal melodies are again
here in force making nice use of split harmonisation. The
chorus is pretty ordinary here compared to other material
on offer, but the verse has a strong musical hook. There is
a very strong breakdown just before the solo which shows Englund
offering some serious speed. This then becomes more melodic
with some great work before Mistheria begins another set of
killer trade offs.
The fast riffing continues on Ride
Into The Skies which sees a dirty opening riff before
heading into a very traditional metal verse. I must be honest
and say this track does not really do a lot for me, as it
all seems a little too cliched.
To close the album we get a double track in the
form of Messiah The War Machine
/ Evolution. The first half is
in the same vein as what it done very well throughout the
album, its a fast tempo piece with Mistheria trading some
great solos with classy playing from Englund. Evolution sees
a great merging of guitar and keyboards with Mistheria providing
a jumpy melody. The tension in the track just builds throughout
making for some create tension. Vocally it takes a lot of
twists all of which is handled ably by Holm.
The album is seen out by a "concerto"
piece from Englund entitled Aurora Borealis:
A New Beginning, home to some strong melodies and restraint
play. The only damper is that his tone sounds very pushed
to the back here, I would have liked to have heard it more
up front. This does not detract from the musical beauty within
though.
Well to sum this album up the first thing that
hit me is how much the band have come on since their debut.
Vocalist Mikael Holm is a real find, but Englund must receive
heady praise for writing this album. Its crisp Nordic charm
is something that is probably an acquired taste, but the majority
of readers here would benefit from giving this album a chance.
The performances are superb throughout, the songs take centre
stage here with the musicians being there to make the package
stronger. All in all 'The Second Coming' totally took me by
suprise and recommend it wholeheartedly.
