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The Lord’s Wisdom (2014) is the second full-length album by Indonesian power metal act Lord Symphony. It’s been quite a few years since the release of Bharatayudha Part 1 (2010), and in that time the band changed vocalist. Given the title of the debut perhaps a Bharatayudha Part 2 is still somewhere down the line for Lord Symphony, however this second full-length is a reworking of an earlier demo of the same name. As a bonus track the band have recorded a cover of Helloween's Kings Will Be Kings, taken from the album The Time of the Oath (1996).
The music on The Lord’s Wisdom is a heavily symphonic take on melodic power metal that in some respects sounds exactly as you’d expect an album from this genre to sound. But Lord Symphony are something more than that. I mentioned that the band are Indonesian. Well according to them power metal isn’t exactly a well represented style within the country’s metal scene, so while this does make their origin a little unusual it’s actually their incorporation of the native Javanese gamelan music into their own that really does it. It’s not only this that sets them apart though. The band has an unusual focus on instrumental sections for a power metal act, which lends them a progressive flair. This is quite evident during the early stages of the album in that it's not until three tracks in that Lord Symphony introduce vocals to their music; while Prelude: Enter the... is a fairly typical brief opener the following Gate of Lord, instead of being the hook-laden symphonic power metal belter you'd usually find is actually a progressive influenced instrumental.
Where they’re let down though is their vocalist Arif "Monk Bodhi" Hartoyo. I'd be willing to put his vocals down to being an acquired taste rather than outright bad since I have seen other reviewers praising his performance on The Lord’s Wisdom but that doesn't change the fact that I find him to be rather sub-par here, with a style that is a far cry from the pure and melodic tones that singers of other symphonic power metal acts (or simply power metal acts) employ. During my earliest experience with the album my issues with the vocals weren't so noticeable as the music itself really is that impressive but as I got more and more familiar with what Lord Symphony are all about the singer started to bother me some. I've heard much weaker vocals than this of course, but I can't help but take note of them here more because with a more impressive voice to carry the songs we may have been discussing a top tier record in The Lord’s Wisdom.
But even with this issue, The Lord’s Wisdom is still an easy four star range rating for me. The band show that they have plenty to offer the symphonic power metal genre, particularly their embracing of gamelan within the sound provides a few unusual touches, although they ultimately serve to add to the symphonic flavour of the release and may easily be missed if only heard with a casual ear. It'd be an interesting thing to hear Lord Symphony explore further. I love power metal, especially symphonic and progressive power metal, but this is a genre that could use a few upcoming acts that bring that something new and different to the table. The Lord’s Wisdom suggests to me that Lord Symphony are an act to make that happen and a more powerful presence behind the mic would be a massive first step.
76/100
(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/lord-symphony-the-lord-s-wisdom-t3433.html)