Tracklist:
01. One Word
02. Frozen
03. The Emperor's Return
04. The Price
05. Wolves
06. A Race Between Two Hearts
07. Fire And Ice
08. Medievil
09. Kingdom Of Winter
10. Locked In Chains
Country: Finland
Genre: Power metal
Label: Scarlet Records
Release date: July 16:th, 2007
Line-up:
Ian E. Highhill - vocals
Jari Sundström - guitars
Krister Lundell - bass
Mikko Sepponen - drums
Vili Ollila - keyboards
Olympos Mons debuted in 2004 with Conquistador, an album I took an instant liking to. The combination of 'happy' melodies and a crunching, groovy guitar sound hit the right spot, and since then I've been anxiously awaiting their sophomore effort, which has been delayed due to label troubles. But fear not, for it has been worth the wait. The band, as on the debut, plays an infectious kind of European power metal that so many people have come to either love or hate. The difference this time around is maybe the fact that the group has had time to polish their sound even more, in the process rectifying what was not so good on the debut (mostly having to do with the sounds of the different instruments and mixing).
"One Word" is the perfect opener, for this album, and for every band playing this type of music. With a chorus so infectious it never gets out of your head, it sets the tone for what is to come. "Frozen" follows, and I'm kind of surprised by the fact that the "feelings" of the two opening songs on this album so closely resemble those of the debut album. Not that the songs sound like each other, but the fact that "One Word" has a kind of happy chorus, much like "Seven Seas" from Conquistador, and "Frozen" has an anthemic one, like "Stars." They're basically four very good songs, but where "One Word" and "Frozen" excel is in the arrangement and production section. It's just like the guys've become better at arranging and, for lack of a better word, "polishing" their songs. This feeling prevails throughout Medievil, and it is a highly positive one at that.
Basically every track on this album has something of value to offer the fan of melodic power metal, but I would like to give an extra mention to "A Race Between Two Hearts" and "Fire And Ice", the former being both happy and anthemic at the same time, and the latter being a weird type of ballad/mid-tempo tune with a very strong bridge and chorus. All in all: If you liked the debut album, you'll eat this one up too. The downside? Well, if I have to say something negative, it'd be that those of you who didn't like Ian Highhill's voice before won't like it now, either. I don't think he was bad on Conquistador, but he has improved vastly here. Secondly, the keyboard fanfares on "The Emperor's Return" are repeated a tad too many times, bordering on the annoying. But those are minor complaints and should not discourage you from giving these guys the attention they deserve!
(originally published on Mostly Metal Reviews July 19:th, 2007)
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