AMBERIAN DAWN - Innuendo

Amberian Dawn - Innuendo

10 songs
43:51 minutes
***** ****
Napalm

Bandpage

Amberian Dawn are doubtlessly one of Finland’s most industrious bands. Although the neoclassical power metal band has only been founded in 2006, they have released with Innuendo their already seventh studio album. Maybe the album title isn’t the most original one, considering that Queen had a same titled album in 1991, but maybe the Finns were just thinking of the word’s meaning: insinuation, suggestion.

Let’s not lose any more words on the title, but move on to the essentials: the music. And that’s where Amberian Dawn are truly prevailing. The five men and their female vocalist Capri offer the most incredible which I have heard in symphonic metal in a very long time. I don’t often encounter bands with such a sense for harmonies and melodies. The band may be acting somewhat commercially, with song lengths between 3:30 and 4:30 showing that they always keep it concise. Focal point of the band is the emphatic voice which made the other half of DisAgreement dismiss the band as Helene Fischer metal, even though I don’t see it that way.

Fame & Gloria is a fast and powerful track which mesmerised me with its playfulness. Ladyhawk is even catchier and comes with a beginning that reminds me of the soundtrack of the Out Run videogame. The rest of the song turns into a fantastic hymn that you won’t forget so easily. It’s not a surprise that the band chose this track for a video clip. The Court Of Mirror Hall is a similarly commercial track that has a lot of hit potential. After four upbeat tracks, it’s time for the piano ballad Angelique which isn’t really my thing. Vocalist Capri manages to hit even the highest notes, but the song eventually would have been better on a film soundtrack than on a metal album. The next five tracks are livelier once again, and I want to especially point out the fun Knock Who’s There. The monumental Your Time – My Time is another highlight and a worthy conclusion to one of the best album of the year.

So maybe this is some kind of Disney metal, and even if this may sound a little mocking, I have to admit that I really like staying in Disneyland. I can imagine Amberian Dawn participating at the daily Disney parade that concludes the day, and I bet neither children not parents would be upset. I’d really like to see this band play live, to check if they are as good on stage as they are on record.

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