Reviewed - 10/14/04
Tales
From Midgard
[Scarlet Records]
Ah, Swedish power metal... Sonata Arctica? Not this time. The Ring are a three-piece hailing from the land of ice and snow, but are a far cry from the romantic neoclassical power metal of their brethren. Score another point for the Scandinavians; despite the almost unimaginative band name and album title, the Ring's debut album "Tales from Midgard" is thoroughly enjoyable, and a breath of fresh air amid the average-or-worse 'pure' (not progressive) power metal I've been hearing lately.
The Ring are power metal of the darker variety, though not really comparable to the high-speed aggression of contemporary American power metal (Iced Earth, Nevermore, Cage, et cetera). Vocally, the Ring's Jakob (also the band's drummer, believe it or not) has a slight edge to his voice, and even a bit of theatrical flair, yet is capable of hitting those obligatory power metal high notes with general ease. Think one part Jonny Lindqvist, one part Sean Peck, and one part Jimmy Page. It's similar enough to most other power metal vocal styles to be comfortable and occasionally cliché, but just as often original and memorable. I can imagine Jakob growing into a formidable power metal vocalist over subsequent albums, with a bit of evolution in the right direction. Maybe if he devoted himself solely to singing, and the Ring got a new drummer (Jakob is good, but nothing special), this band could end up near the forefront of the power metal community. As it is, the singing on "Tales from Midgard" is adequate at its worst, pretty damn good at its best, and more often than not somewhere around the middle. Of vocal note are the choral passages in "Gathering Darkness" and "Voices of the Fallen Kings."
Most of the guitars on this album are around the lower end of the scale – crunchy power metal riffs a la Falconer or Nocturnal Rites. Those guitars relegated to higher notes are more riffs than solos, which works well in the context of "Tales from Midgard." There is a decidedly epic feel to this music, with some neoclassical elements. But interestingly, there are no keyboards. Or rather, there are no audible keyboards (the band's website credits all three members with keys, but I'll be darned if I can hear any of them, save a piano interlude on "Unite or Fall").
Negative aspects of this album: another Tolkien-inspired power metal band? Aren't there enough epic Middle Earth metal bands out there? Of course, despite the band's name and artistic theme, I didn't realize that this was an album based on The Lord of the Rings until I went to the band's website and read the lyrics (In fact, I had an entire paragraph written about how disappointed I felt that "Tales from Midgard" had nothing to do with Hobbits or the Eldar... now I'm complaining that it has everything to do with Tolkien. Guess you can't win, eh?). But once you've heard Blind Guardian do Tolkien in the power metal setting, it's hard to compare. And is every album the Ring record from here on out going to be set in Middle Earth? That's a tall order to fill. "Tales from Midgard?" Midgard is very much a trapping of Nordic mythology. I'm unsure of the significance of the album's title as compared to its subject.
Additionally, the general tempo of this album is also a bit same-sounding. Virtually every track on "Tales from Midgard" is mid-tempo. I would love to hear the Ring slam out a faster speed metal song, or slow things down even more and double the crunch. There is plenty of dynamic via arranged vocals and guitar variety (the aforementioned "Unite or Fall" is a good example of compositional creativity). But a little more attention to tempo and this would be a much stronger album. Or at least, a bit more engaging. (To be fair, "Signs by a Silver Stream" is slow to the point of being almost ponderous at times. But I can't help but crave even more...)
Nonetheless, the more I listen to this album, the more I like it (in fact, the grade given to this album increased a full point as I listened to it, while writing this review). With a few more listens, "Tales from Midgard" might even snag a position near the top of my list of favorite power metal bands. Not that such a list exists in any sort of concrete form. And a lot of power metal I've been discovering lately has been far from impressive. So in this regard, the Ring are quite refreshing.
The Ring's own Pontus said it best on the band's website: "A lot of power metal has become all about formula. The feel they have to have certain ingredients, like double bass drums and shredding solos. But predictable scales with brilliant technique mean nothing if the musicality, the sense of melody, is lacking. We wanted to get back to the original passion that made us want to become musicians and songwriters in the first place." More than too many other bands in this genre, the Ring at least try to sound different from the masses of Stratovarius clones and Helloween wannabes throughout Europe's metal scene. And while I can't say they are completely successful, they do a pretty damn good job for a debut album. This is one band I'll certainly be looking forward to subsequent releases from.
[Scarlet Records]
Ah, Swedish power metal... Sonata Arctica? Not this time. The Ring are a three-piece hailing from the land of ice and snow, but are a far cry from the romantic neoclassical power metal of their brethren. Score another point for the Scandinavians; despite the almost unimaginative band name and album title, the Ring's debut album "Tales from Midgard" is thoroughly enjoyable, and a breath of fresh air amid the average-or-worse 'pure' (not progressive) power metal I've been hearing lately.
The Ring are power metal of the darker variety, though not really comparable to the high-speed aggression of contemporary American power metal (Iced Earth, Nevermore, Cage, et cetera). Vocally, the Ring's Jakob (also the band's drummer, believe it or not) has a slight edge to his voice, and even a bit of theatrical flair, yet is capable of hitting those obligatory power metal high notes with general ease. Think one part Jonny Lindqvist, one part Sean Peck, and one part Jimmy Page. It's similar enough to most other power metal vocal styles to be comfortable and occasionally cliché, but just as often original and memorable. I can imagine Jakob growing into a formidable power metal vocalist over subsequent albums, with a bit of evolution in the right direction. Maybe if he devoted himself solely to singing, and the Ring got a new drummer (Jakob is good, but nothing special), this band could end up near the forefront of the power metal community. As it is, the singing on "Tales from Midgard" is adequate at its worst, pretty damn good at its best, and more often than not somewhere around the middle. Of vocal note are the choral passages in "Gathering Darkness" and "Voices of the Fallen Kings."
Most of the guitars on this album are around the lower end of the scale – crunchy power metal riffs a la Falconer or Nocturnal Rites. Those guitars relegated to higher notes are more riffs than solos, which works well in the context of "Tales from Midgard." There is a decidedly epic feel to this music, with some neoclassical elements. But interestingly, there are no keyboards. Or rather, there are no audible keyboards (the band's website credits all three members with keys, but I'll be darned if I can hear any of them, save a piano interlude on "Unite or Fall").
Negative aspects of this album: another Tolkien-inspired power metal band? Aren't there enough epic Middle Earth metal bands out there? Of course, despite the band's name and artistic theme, I didn't realize that this was an album based on The Lord of the Rings until I went to the band's website and read the lyrics (In fact, I had an entire paragraph written about how disappointed I felt that "Tales from Midgard" had nothing to do with Hobbits or the Eldar... now I'm complaining that it has everything to do with Tolkien. Guess you can't win, eh?). But once you've heard Blind Guardian do Tolkien in the power metal setting, it's hard to compare. And is every album the Ring record from here on out going to be set in Middle Earth? That's a tall order to fill. "Tales from Midgard?" Midgard is very much a trapping of Nordic mythology. I'm unsure of the significance of the album's title as compared to its subject.
Additionally, the general tempo of this album is also a bit same-sounding. Virtually every track on "Tales from Midgard" is mid-tempo. I would love to hear the Ring slam out a faster speed metal song, or slow things down even more and double the crunch. There is plenty of dynamic via arranged vocals and guitar variety (the aforementioned "Unite or Fall" is a good example of compositional creativity). But a little more attention to tempo and this would be a much stronger album. Or at least, a bit more engaging. (To be fair, "Signs by a Silver Stream" is slow to the point of being almost ponderous at times. But I can't help but crave even more...)
Nonetheless, the more I listen to this album, the more I like it (in fact, the grade given to this album increased a full point as I listened to it, while writing this review). With a few more listens, "Tales from Midgard" might even snag a position near the top of my list of favorite power metal bands. Not that such a list exists in any sort of concrete form. And a lot of power metal I've been discovering lately has been far from impressive. So in this regard, the Ring are quite refreshing.
The Ring's own Pontus said it best on the band's website: "A lot of power metal has become all about formula. The feel they have to have certain ingredients, like double bass drums and shredding solos. But predictable scales with brilliant technique mean nothing if the musicality, the sense of melody, is lacking. We wanted to get back to the original passion that made us want to become musicians and songwriters in the first place." More than too many other bands in this genre, the Ring at least try to sound different from the masses of Stratovarius clones and Helloween wannabes throughout Europe's metal scene. And while I can't say they are completely successful, they do a pretty damn good job for a debut album. This is one band I'll certainly be looking forward to subsequent releases from.
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Tracklist:
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| Rating: 9/10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Release Date: 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: 62:16 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Review By: J. Ossmann | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Reviews: (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bands Website: Go Here | ||||||||||||||||||||
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