It took 7 years for the Finns of ‘Excalion' to release their new album 'Dream Alive'. Changing singer and guitarist, they come back with the recipe that made them known in the past : melodic metal with an important use of keyboards that are put on the same level as guitars and choruses in refrains. 'Divergent Falling' which starts the album is the perfect example, with a melody that quickly enters your head. The 5 following compositions alternate quick titles and others slower that we could qualify as AOR like 'Marching Masquerade' or 'Release The Time'. The second part of the album is more varied with first, two beautiful ballads that follow each other with 'Deadwater Bay' and 'The Firmament', then 'Man Alive' which is an energetic and classic but also very effective title and finally 'Living Daylights' where we flirt with the AOR again. Finally, 'Portrait on the Wall' of more than 11 minutes closes the album very beautifully with an incursion into the progressive and its main theme that never leaves you. In summary, 'Excalion' is releasing a new varied opus which should please a public open to a wide range of titles ranging from AOR to power metal... | |
