J-Man
Immortals Never Die!
Symphonic power metal of this brand is typically a hit-and-miss concept for me. Sometimes the music blows me away, and other times my ears are graced with a never-ending cheesefest. Once in a blue moon, however, these two worlds can unite into a killer power metal album - such is the case with the latest effort from Magic Kingdom. Yes, this band has the same name as a Disney Theme Park and their lyrics are about warlords, dragons, and demons, but if you dig deeper, you just may find some excellent symphonic power metal. Though I have a few gripes related to the lyrics, running time, and overall bombast, Symphony of War is a generally impressive release from Magic Kingdom. People who've enjoyed their previous outings and like bands like Rhapsody of Fire, Blind Guardian, or Yngwie J. Malmsteen should be right at home with Magic Kingdom's latest opus.
The music here is symphonic power metal - the type that you either love or hate. Symphony of War is an extremely bombastic album with layers upon layers of keyboards, multiple vocal tracks, and fast double bass pedal rhythms. I wish Magic Kingdom would take a more stripped-down approach every now and again, despite the fact that it works tremendously on a few tracks like "We Rise" and "In the Name of Heathen Gods". If you get the 2CD edition (which I would highly recommend) you get 2 bonus tracks, both of which are pretty great. There's a surprising amount of harsh vocals in the 30-minute epic "Metallic Tragedy - Chapter 2: The Holy Pentalogy", and it actually diminishes my experience a bit. The song itself is weak in comparison to the other tracks, but there are many moments where growled vocals just don't fit Magic Kingdom's style. And this is coming from someone who's a die-hard death metal addict. The album does lose some steam after the first half, but my biggest issue here is with the lyrics. I'm fine with fantasy lyrics on principle, but quite a few lines here are almost embarrassing. Just listen to some of the lyrics on "Evil Magician" and you'll get what I mean. Fortunately, "Evil Magician" is a great song from a musical perspective, but the lyrics add an unnecessary layer of cheese.
The production is great-sounding to these ears, and a major asset to Symphony of War.
Conclusion:
Symphony of War is a great album by Magic Kingdom that fans of symphonic power metal should definitely take a look into. Although it seems like I have many complaints about this release, I genuinely enjoy hearing it from time to time. I have a tough time looking past some of the lyrics and the playing time can be challenging at times, but, in the end, this has more than enough killer material to grab my attention. I'll give Symphony of War a recommendable 3-3.5 star rating in this case. Unsheathe your sword and prepare for battle!