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Immortal Guardian - Age of Revolution

Label: M-Theory Audio
Format: Download
Released: 2018
Reviewed By: Jack Mangan
Rating: 9.5/10


“Age of Revolution,” the new release from Immortal Guardian, is destined for many Best of the Year lists - - including yours. This is Power Metal that hasn’t forgotten the Power, streaking intricate patterns across a sky bristling with heavy thunderclouds. This is what Power Metal needs to sound like in 2018: smart, ferocious, melodic, inventive, lively, and all-encompassing, performed with an abundance of hypertalent. Hell, the album is so good, we need more adjectives: daring, deep, adventurous, poignant, relevant, international, musically diverse.

 

I’ve been a fan of Carlos Zema since his turn as lead vocalist for Outworld, and if anything, he’s upped his game for Immortal Guardian. He brings a multitude of incredible voices to the mic; most prominently focusing on his standard Power Metal Tenor-Baritone, but also sometimes raising the stakes to Halford-esque screeches, while at other time, dive-bombing into a resonant growl. His talent shines with 100,000 watt candlepower, but is still second to that of Gabriel Guardian, the band’s lone guitarist *and* keyboardist (He solos on both instruments at the same time. Look him up on Youtube). Gabriel is a Virtuoso - - with a capital Flying V, blending Electrical Classical styles with Power Metal and occasional Latin elements. It’s an explosive mix, that in Guardian’s hands, blazes with megaton force. The “Age of Revolution” album is consistently good, from note 1 of the instrumental intro, straight through to the end, getting better and better as it progresses. Great, sure, but this makes the track ordering on the album less than ideal. . . The first two songs, “Zephon” and “Aeolian” are solid, but also the most straightforward Prog pieces on the record. As a first impression, listeners could hear these two and believe this band s one-trick Power Prog pony. It’s not until the harmonized solo begins midway through the stellar fourth track, “Trail of Tears,” that the subtle shift occurs, and something truly great starts to happen. It’s all greatness from then on out, peaking with the compound tunes “Never to Return” and “Stardust,” and continuing in the brilliant “Fall” and the final track, “Awake.” Immortal Guardian have leapt onto the Power Metal stage with “Age of Revolution.” They should lead the next generation into the future and beyond.

 
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