Tracklist:
01. Battle Stations
02. Rising Anew
03. Glorious
04. Sacrifice
05. Survive
06. Better Days
07. Crunching The Numbers
08. Only In My Dreams
09. Blood Alliance
10. City Of Lies
11. Time To Burn (Japanese bonus track)
Country: Great Britain
Genre: Power metal
Label: Napalm Records
Released: March 25:th 2011
Website: http://www.power-quest.co.uk
Line-up:
Chitral "Chity" Somapala - vocals
Andy Midgley - guitars
Gav Owen - guitars
Paul Finnie - bass
Steve Williams - keyboards
Rich Smith - drums
Life is a quest. Along the way you will face adversities; that is a universal guarantee. People deal differently with the hardships coming their way, but for many, a solace can be found in music. To me, that has rung all too true all my life, and especially when it comes to the sub-genre known as power metal. One of the bands I have been an admirer of for quite a while now is the British troupe Power Quest. The band used to be pretty multi-cultural at one point, featuring more Italians than, well, Italy (almost), but as fate would have it, most of the members left the band in 2009. One who remained steadfast, however, was band founder and principal songwriter Steve Williams, who decided that the Quest indeed had to go on. He recruited new members, penned some of the catchiest songs this side of Helloween‘s Keeper Of The Seven Keys, part II or the band’s own magnum opus (as far as I’m concerned), 2005′s Magic Never Dies.
To say that I was eager to get my scrubby little mittens on this jewel would be the understatement of the year. I have no problem admitting that I’m a fanboy, but there is also the fact that I believe that people who put out quality music deserve honesty. Would I be able to review an album from one of my favorite bands if I felt the material to be sub-par? While I don’t believe Power Quest have ever released anything bad, I was left a little underwhelmed by 2008′s Master Of Illusion. Sure, there were gems here and there, but as a whole, it didn’t click for me in the way the aforementioned Magic Never Dies had, or the first two albums for that matter.
I need not have worried, however. It can be said upfront: Blood Alliance ranks right up there alongside Magic Never Dies, and it represents a rejuvenation of a band some may have counted out at this point (the gloriously catchy opener ”Rising Anew” lyrically alludes to this). First of all, this record has the best production, bar none, of any Power Quest album, ever. The overall sound picture is rich and full, the guitars sound chunky in that meaty way that is an absolute must in order to bring some balls to the walls, and the bass emits thumping pulses of epic win and the drums envelop it all in rolling blasts of rhythm ownage that completes the package. Ok, one must not forget the keyboards. Even though it is pretty obvious the creator of these songs is a keyboarder, he is a wise enough songwriter never to let any instrument get in the way of the tune. Every solo here has its place, whether it be of guitar origin or synth.
Oh, and the songs themselves. Forgive me for being longwinded, but each and everyone deserves a mention. ”Battle Stations”, the instrumental opening track is a decidedly more guitar oriented affair than the previously more orchestral intros we’re used to. It kicks ass and takes no prisoners. The new guitarists duel as if their axes were on fire and raise the bar pretty high for what’s to come. But have no fear, we’re in for a smorgasbord of melodic metal treats. The aforementioned ”Rising Anew” and first song proper is a galloping power metal treat that could only have been penned my Mr. Williams. The verses, bridge and chorus are so ridiculously catchy in their up-tempo pomp you cannot help but grin. New vocalist Chitral ”Chity” Somapala (Firewind, Avalon) feels so natural in his delivery one can only marvel at the fact that this is his first outing with the band. He has a warm voice with a wonderful vibrato and lends believability to the line ”For you my friends we carry on …” (a nice nod towards the fans and goosebump inducing moment for sure). ”Glorious” is just that. Starting off relatively fast, it slows down for the chorus, which comes as a surprise, but works very well. Lyrically, this is a tune that seeks to comfort (”Over rainbows and stars/you can be sure I’ll be there/When you’re feeling alone/These are the words that will lift up your heart…”). ”Sacrifice” offers the first of many homages to the 80′s. Power Quest have always offered a healthy mix of up-tempo power metal songs and more 1980′s like mid-tempo stadium anthems. This one features a chorus that comes straight out of the ”HOW-TO-PEN-A-SONG-THAT-WILL-HAVE-FANS-SINGING-ALONG-IN-NO-TIME-BOOK”.) You will eat this right up if you’ve ever heard one Van Halen song and liked it. ”Survive” comes next, and blazes along the same trails as ”Sacred Land” (off Neverworld) or ”Strike Force” (Magic Never Dies). The pre-chorus is liquid pride injected into veins long ago dulled by time and circumstance. This is also a prime example of when a keyboard is an absolute must.
”Better Days” is another anthemic mid-tempo affair in the vein of ”Sacrifice”. While that song is great, this is even better. The verses, well I don’t know how to describe it, but they slay. ”Crunching The Numbers” is new Quest territory. This song comes off as quite progressive and features some of the hardest riffs in the band history. Being my least favorite song, it has nonetheless grown on me immensely, and I commend the band for daring to branch out in different directions. Lyrically, this tune deals with the recent economic crisis and its effect on the small man. ”Only In My Dreams” is a ballad without being a ballad. The verses have a distinct 80′s feel to them, at times reminding me of Europe. I get the feeling this song is a love letter (”Hold me now/And stay forever/Till the sky comes crashing down”). Around 04:25 Chity croons in such a way that even the most hardened cynics (myself included) cannot help but get goosebumps … again. The title track and ”mini epic” is a mid-tempo song of many faces. Originally disappointed by the lack of speed in this tune, it has since come to dawn on me exactly why the opposite serves the song better. Again, believability in the way Chity sings (”We are so innocent/We call for mercy/We are the ones who will remain/Unheard of”), is the key. The song also features a distinctly Van Halen-esque keyboard riff that lightens things up a bit. Finally we have ”City Of Lies”, a song that thematically seems to link to ”Neverworld (Power Quest part II)” off Neverworld. Toward the end of the former song, the piano outro of the latter makes an appearance, coated in a distinct vinyl crackle that fills me with connotations I have yet to explore fully. (”Nowhere to hide/In the city of lies/No one to turn to/Life’s on the line.”) Thus a connection has been established between this album and the band’s prior work, a red thread that ties together, but also points out what’s different this time around.
I realize I’ve been going on here, which is ironic, as the songs on Blood Alliance never overstay their welcome, despite being rather lengthy. This just goes to show that when you have a captain who’s earned his stripes on board, you can rest assured the trip’s going to be smooth. That’s not saying there is not food for thought here – on the contrary – just that it’s all coated in a ‘pride-in-the-profession’ thing that’ll leave you thankful there still are bands like these around. Okay, so maybe I would have liked some more speed toward the end of the album, but even that is a minor complaint and not really an issue anymore. Other than that, I would just like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the band for enriching my life in so many ways, and for bringing the words and tunes that lift up my heart and put a smile on my face when I’m down.
Power Quest – I salute you. Forever may the Quest go on!
(originally published on cronopio.se February 17:th, 2011)
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