Style: Progressive Metal, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dragonforce, Rhapsody, Galneryus, Angra, Theocracy
Review by: Christopher
Country: US-NY
Release date: 15 September, 2023
I’m not The Subway’s power metal guy, or even the third or fourth most versed in the genre here, but you’ve got me, the power metal agnostic, for a power metal review today. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the genre, and I like a handful of bands within it, but it can be a bit formulaic with its big choruses, galloping riffs, and surfeit of soloing. Oh, and it’s cheesy, and while I can do cheesy—I am a Devin Townsend fan, after all—power metal cheese is often a smellier, acquired taste, the limburger of metal. So, er, good luck to today’s reviewees, New York quintet, ShadowStrike and their third album Traveler’s Tales, I guess?
Right from the rapturous brass on “The Path Untraveled” leading into a bright, major key synth solo you know you’re in for some super-cheesy, noodly power metal. The symphonic stylings and grandiosity recall the superlative compositions of Tanagra and those more serious sections are the cream to the Dragonforce style speed metal cheese. Vocalist Matt Krais belts with rhapsodic sincerity like a waiter getting his big Broadway break, and the huge choral accompaniments feel like they’re being delivered by a chorus line emerging from stage left for the big finish—you can practically touch the wobbly stage set.
Dragonforce are a clear influence here, the same pummelling speed metal drumwork and breathless guitar and synth soloing all of which is handled with aplomb and genuinely jaw-dropping skill, but with a greater emphasis on the symphonic side. Synthetic strings and brass elevate the band, and they’re very synthetic, sometimes to a degree that makes me feel like I’m looking at the back of a packet of fluorescent sweets agog at the e-numbers and artificial chemicals within, but most of the time they’re an enjoyable accompaniment.
Duet “Premonitions”—which sees Krais and guest vocalist Katie Peslis balladeer accompanied by just the symphonics—really would sit comfortably in any stage show you can name, the vocal melody then being repurposed for a huge guitar intro on “The Oracle” where Peslis continues her duetting contribution. I defy you to not sing along to the theatrical chorus on “Don’t Turn Back”, possibly the album’s best track, an unendingly ostentatious banger with frenetic playing from every performer. “Miracle” starts out just like Dragonforce with its speed metal stylings while harp and strings driven lament “The Sonneteer” provides a much-needed breather, building to a crescendo of operatic scale. Closing epic “Woodland Nights” plays with the motif from classic Irish folk song “Lord of the Dance”, a fittingly cheesy ending, and yet the long instrumental break with its journeying solos and huge symphonic backing really did begin to feel epic, in the awe-inspiring sense of the term.
My predecessor Dylan reviewed ShadowStrike’s previous effort, 2021’s Fables & Folklore, wherein his main problem was the production, which proved rather rough on that release. That’s not the case here: Traveler’s Tales bears the lush overproduction that this stripe of madcap power metal should have—when the glistening synth jumps into the fray you’re transported to the high contrast, saccharine Studio Ghibli type world depicted on the album cover. While the aforementioned synthetic orchestra is a bit too synthetic for my tastes at times, for the most part the production gives exactly the right gloss to the compositions.
At a solid hour in runtime, Traveler’s Tales is a bit like a three course cheeseboard and, somewhat fittingly, I’m mildly lactose intolerant so I get to really belabour this allergenic analogy. While I can handle some cheese and very much like it, a whole hour consuming all the cheddar, feta, brie and wensleydale I want simply isn’t going to end well for either the gastric system or the local plumbing networks. By the record’s latter reaches, stiltons like “Miracle” and “Midsummer’s End” begin to feel like the fromagerie has snuck in some repeats, and jettisoning them would ease the bloating that would begin to cause my intestines to spasm in order to eject the veritable banquet of fromage.
And yet, you can consider the heathen more or less converted. Yes, it’s cheesy, over the top, obsessed with fantasy, beholden to the cliches of the genre… and that’s why it’s fun! I know I’m starting to turn into the It’s Always Sunny meme of Danny Devito saying “I get it now”, but I do. ShadowStrike’s sincerity, lush production, undeniably immense talent, and deft ear for composition make Traveler’s Tales a joy to listen to for the most part. If you love cheesy power metal you’ll love this, and if you don’t, give it a try anyway, they might just win you over.
Recommended tracks: Don’t Turn Back, Decisive Battle, Woodland Nights
You may also like: Tanagra, Maestrick, Wuthering Heights, Alhambra (first two), Dimhav
Final verdict: 7.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Avalon – Official Website
ShadowStrike is:
– Sean Walls (guitars, backing vocals)
– Ryan Patane (keyboards, backing vocals)
– Matt Krais (lead vocals, guitars)
– Jon Krais (bass, backing vocals)
– Zak King (drums)
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