Sound Storm
“Immortalia”
2012
I must admit, I have a weakness for Celtic power metal. I have been a longtime member of the Blind Guardian army, but I have great affection toward other bands of that genre, although I always felt none could match Guardian. Enter the band Sound Storm. Yet another band showing everyone that Italy is taking over the world of metal, one incredible band at a time. 2012’s Immortalia is this Italian bands second full-length album and thanks to some brilliant song writing and high quality production values, this is one terrific power metal album. I enjoyed in a lot more than the latest Blind Guardian offering, and I enjoyed that record. But this one is a whole different animal. The Celtic elements are downplayed a bit in favor of epic, sweeping guitar melodies accompanied by dynamic keyboard work that has more of a straight classical symphonic sound. The Celtic parts show themselves in subtle ways and are there throughout, but they are never overbearing. Singer Philippe D’Orange has a classic power metal voice. He is not completely clean when he sings, which works in his favor. He has incredible range and feeling in his singing and never sounds like he is struggling or grinding. He belongs next to Andre Matos, Jorn Lande, and Hansi Kursch as one of the greats. He is perfectly complemented by Valerio Sbriglione on guitar and Alessandro Muscio on keyboards. They way the two of them intertwine together and trade leads is marvelous. This album will play you. The sensations you will get while experiencing this record are all part of the way it toys with your feelings. It will also rip your emotions out and beat you to death with them. There is never a moment that this album is not amazing. Just when I thought it had reached it’s pinnacle, it constantly out did itself by going beyond what I thought even this caliber of musicianship could pull off. It weaves a perfect tapestry of epic power metal that must be heard by all that love this genre. It starts out strong and only gets better as it plays on. At nearly an hour long, this is an unbelievable journey that will leave you stunned and breathless by the end. Power metal does not get much better than this. Sound Storm can stand tall among their peers. Immortalia is set to take the metal world by storm.
Tracklist:
1. Immortalia
2. Back to Life
3. The Curse of the Moon
4. Blood of Maiden
5. Faraway
6. Promises
7. Call Me Devil
8. Seven Veils
9. Watching You Fading
10. Wrath of the Storm
11. The Portrait
http://www.powerofsoundstorm.com
https://www.facebook.com/powerofsoundstorm
Members:
Philippe D’ Orange – Vocals
Valerio Sbriglione – Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Elena Crolle – Piano and Keyboards
Massimiliano Flak – Bass
Sascha Blackice – Rhythm Guitar
Alessandro Bissa – Drums
Rating: 10 out of 10
~Kris