DippoMagoo For the last 20+ years, Belgium guitarist Dushan Petrossi has been a very productive, very reliable musician/songwriter, releasing several excellent, somewhat under the radar, power metal albums between his two main projects, Iron Mask and Magic Kingdom. While the second Iron Mask release, Hordes of the Brave, remains his most highly regarded work to date, nothing he’s released (aside from perhaps the ill-fated Magic Kingdom debut, The Arrival) has been anything less than solid, while most of it has been excellent, and so I always look forward to hearing new music from him. In recent years, he’s been alternating between his two main bands, with the excellent Magic Kingdom album Savage Requiem in 2015, and then the very strong Iron Mask release Diabolica in 2016, and so it’s no surprise to see him back three years later with the fifth full-length Magic Kingdom release, MetAlmighty. While I’ve enjoyed all albums I’ve heard from both bands, MetAlmighty is easily my favorite in recent years, and may have even surpassed Hordes of the Brave to become my all-time favorite!

For fans of either band, this album won’t be much of a surprise, as while Petrossi’s style has evolved a lot over the years, he’s settled down quite a bit on his most recent releases, with each of them striking a nice balance between the many different aspects of his music, and MetAlmighty is no exception. In fact, it may just be his most varied, dynamic release to date, with everything from classic, in your face power metal, to some of his heaviest material to date, to some fun, folk-infused heavy metal, to some epic symphonic power metal, traces of his classic neo-classical power metal sound, some nice melodic metal, and even a very nice ballad. There’s a little something for everyone on this album, and while there’s nothing overly new or original, everything is executed wonderfully, with no less than an excellent song on the entire album. The only criticism I could make against the album is that the production is weaker than I’ve come to expect, with the overall mix feeling a bit muddy. The guitars and vocals still sound excellent, but drums lack a bit of impact, and the overall sound isn’t quite as powerful as I’d like, though it’s still decent. While all musicians do a great job, Petrossi is the star of the show, as always, and his guitar work is as outstanding as ever. He does a bit of everything, from some of his hardest sounding riffs to date, to some classic neo-classical shredding (though it’s limited to quick bursts, for the most part), to some classic heavy metal style galloping riffs, to some excellent solos, as well as some of his softest, most melodic guitar work ever. There’s a lot of variety to the album, and he does a fantastic job with everything he attempts. While the album is very guitar-driven, there are some keyboards here and there, and they’re used nicely as well, and some tracks have some epic symphonic arrangements, as usual.

One thing which has always been true of either Magic Kingdom or Iron Mask is the constant change in vocalists, and so it’s no surprise that MetAlmighty once again has a different voice behind the mic. This time around, Obsession/ex-Loudness vocalist Michael Vescera has lent his voice to the album, and he does an excellent job, as usual. He’s been around for close to four decades, now, singing in many different bands, and so it’s no surprise he sounds comfortable on this album and has given easily my favorite vocal performance on any Dushan Petrossi release to date. He has a deep, powerful voice, and while he has been known to get a bit animated and over the top at times, he’s fairly restrained here, mostly singing very smoothly, and carrying the many epic choruses flawlessly. His voice is naturally very powerful, and so even without going over the top, he’s capable of delivering an intense, fiery performance, and for someone who’s been around as long as he has, he still sounds very energetic, and his voice is still holding up as well as ever.

As amazing an album as MetAlmighty is, it’s somewhat surprising that Petrossi decided to put the absolute best track, right at the beginning. Indeed, opener “Unleash the Dragon” is stunning, from its epic opening orchestral section to its extended instrumental intro that lasts just over three minutes, and then hitting a peak with its glorious chorus and awesome solo section in the second half. This track is perfect from start to finish, with some epic symphonic arrangements, energetic verses with some pummeling rhythm guitars and great vocals, and of course Vescera excels with some epic, soaring vocals during the chorus, and then Petrossi slays during the late instrumental sequence. Everything about the song is just incredible.

While nothing else can top that opening, the remaining tracks don’t leave much behind, either. Next is lead single “Wizards and Witches”, a fairly upbeat, mid-paced power metal track, which falls on the more melodic side of Petrossi’s music. It still has some nice riffs, and fun verses, but the chorus, in particular, is very melodic, very catchy, and the track is quite restrained compared to many of his other tracks, while still being tons of fun, especially the chorus. Slowing things down further is “In the Den of the Mountain Trolls”, an epic folk-infused heavy metal track, which has some very nice folk melodies throughout, and almost feels closer to tavern music than metal for most of its duration, though has a nice rhythm to it, as well as some fun verses, a very catchy chorus, and an excellent solo section, where the tempo briefly picks up, with epic results. I initially wasn’t too sure about the track, but it has grown on me a lot over several listens and is certainly one of the more unique tracks on the album.

Back to speedier power metal territory, second single “Fear My Fury” is a more classic feeling track, moving at a fast and furious pace throughout, with harder riffs than any of the previous tracks, as well as some very energetic verses, a very intense, epic chorus, and an awesome instrumental section with some nods to classical music, as longtime fans would expect. For the next while, the album alternates nicely between fast and slower tracks, with “Rise from the Ashes Demon” slowing things down again. The main melody has a nice Middle Eastern vibe to it, while the guitar work alternates between slow, heavy chugs during the verses and some nice melodic classic heavy metal style sections during the chorus. It’s a fairly laid backtrack, but again has a nice rhythm to it, and the chorus is very nice. Speeding things up again, the title track is one of the most straight-forward power metal tracks here, with some nice, melodic rhythm guitars, speedy tempos throughout, and a very fun, fast-paced chorus, as well as some excellent solo work in the second half. Unsurprisingly, the next track, “So Fragile”, is a return to softer, more subdued territory, and it’s one of the most laid back tracks here, falling closer to melodic metal than anything else. It has some nice symphonic arrangements, and some beautiful melodic lead guitar work, as well as an especially melodic, epic and very smoothly sung chorus, which stands as one of the best on the album. It’s a very nice track, overall.

While the second half isn’t quite as strong as the first half, overall, there are two big standouts to be found, the first of which is “Temple of No Gods”, another very classic sounding track, with a nice mix between slow-paced, intense verses with nice symphonic arrangements, a very fast, catchy and melodic chorus, and an excellent neo-classical influenced solo section. The lone ballad of the album is “Just a Good Man”, a very beautiful, heavily symphonic track, with epic arrangements, strong vocals, and some very beautiful guitar work throughout, especially in the second half, while Vescara gives a very smooth, emotional and powerful vocal performance.

The second big standout in the second half is “Dark Night, Dark Thoughts”, the most neo-classical influenced track on the album, where just the lead guitar work alone should bring back fond memories of some of Petrossi’s classic works, while the song overall has a frantic pace, with intense verses, a very catchy, melodic chorus, and some of his absolute best guitar work. It’s definitely an instant classic, and one I’m sure longtime fans of his are sure to love. Closing out the album is “King Without a Crown”, which alternates nicely between some slow, melodic verses and a speedy, epic chorus, with some excellent symphonic arrangements used throughout. While it’s not as intense as the previous track, it’s still very fun and enjoyable, overall, and it closes the album out nicely.

Dushan Petrossi never disappoints, and while Magic Kingdom seemed to have been pushed to the background for a while, that seems to have changed, with Savage Requiem being a nice comeback album, and now MetAlmighty is perhaps his absolute best album to date! It’s certainly one that should please his fans, as it has a bit of everything, with some excellent classic power metal, traces of his signature neo-classical guitar flourishes, some epic symphonic arrangements, some more melodic moments and bursts of heavy metal. It’s one of his most varied releases to date and has some of the best, most consistent songwriting to date. Any power metal fan is highly recommended to give this album a release, as enough is going on that anyone interested in the genre should at least find something to like, and everything is executed near perfectly. I always enjoy Petrossi’s music, and if anything, this may be my absolute favorite album he’s ever released, and so I hope he can keep the magic going for many more years to come!

originally written for myglobalmind.com: https://myglobalmind.com/2019/11/21/magic-kingdom-metalmighty-review/

DippoMagoo Over the past few years Belgian guitarist/songwriter Dushan Petrossi has had great success with his heavy/power metal band Iron Mask, and for a while it seemed he was focusing all his attention on that one group, much to the disappointment of fans of his other highly regarded project Magic Kingdom. After releasing the massively entertaining but also greatly flawed third album Symphony of War, an album somewhat plagued by over ambition, it seemed the project had been put on hold for a while, potentially forever, but recently Dushan decided to continue with it, and so fans can now finally look forward a fourth album, titled Savage Requiem. After several listens, I can say it’s certainly worth the wait.

While both bands initially had a similar sound, recent years have seen Dushan branch out into more of a hard rock/traditional heavy metal infused sound with his Iron Mask albums, leaving much of the neoclassical elements behind, and even cutting somewhat on the epic power metal. Seeing as these two elements were always the main focus of Magic Kingdom, to continue in such a direction with this band would have likely been considered a big disappointment. Thankfully, that is not the case, as Savage Requiem feels like a nice mix between the the epic neoclassical power metal sound of Dushan’s earlier albums and the darker, heavier sound he brought on his fourth Iron Mask album Black as Death.

Indeed, there is something for everyone on this album. Fans of earlier Magic Kingdom albums have plenty of fun and upbeat tracks to look forward to, with tons of epic neoclassical flourishes and long instrumental passages where Dushan goes all out. The increased symphonic elements from Symphony of War are also very much present throughout. My personal favorite track here is “Ship of Ghosts”, an extremely fun and up tempo track where partway through he breaks out into Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, which is pretty epic. Other tracks such as “Full Moon Sacrifice” and the title track showcase a much darker and heavier sound, very similar to Black as Death, though the melodies dominate throughout, and even the heavier tracks have epic choruses and symphonic arrangements.

One thing I was concerned about coming in was new vocalist Christian Palin. I had heard him before on Epicrenel’s 2013 debut The Crystal Throne, and to me he sounded very awkward on that album, struggling to hit the right notes and just generally seeming at odds with the grand and epic sound that band was going for. Well, on Savage Requiem I am much more impressed with Christian as he has a very strong and powerful voice that fits the heavier passages perfectly, complete with some occasional growls, such as at the end of “Full Moon Sacrifice”. He sings in a lower register most of the time, and even when he sings more cleanly, his voice sounds much smoother and more natural than it did on the Epicrenel album, allowing the as always outstanding vocal melodies to fully shine through.

After the mandatory (but fairly solid) intro track, album opener “Guardian Angels” slowly builds up momentum with a long but effective extended instrumental intro, before fully speeding up and turning into one of the better tracks on the album. This track basically shows off the full array of sounds you can expect throughout, as it’s a mostly a fast paced power metal track with a huge chorus, but it also has strong symphonic arrangements, heavy riffs and a nice neoclassical instrumental section in the middle. Other speedier tracks include “Rivals Forever”, which starts out with a very harsh and sinister sounding guitar tone before dialling it back and turning into a typically super melodic track, “Four Demon Kings of Shadowlands”, an extremely addictive track with a great buildup at the start as well as an amazing chorus,“With Fire and Sword”, which is probably the most neoclassical flavoured track on the album, and the super catchy closing track “Battlefield Magic”.

I tend to prefer the above mentioned tracks, as they’re much closer to what I expect from Magic Kingdom, though the slower songs are well put together as well. The best of these is the title track, which starts out slow and brooding, with dark and heavy verses that plod along, but then the chorus comes along and really kicks things into high gear, with Christian giving easily his best performance on the album. Actually, if not for that brief instrumental brilliance on “Ship of Ghosts”, the title track would likely be my favorite on the album. My least favorite track is probably “Dragon Princess”. It’s a nice enough song, but I find it just doesn’t do anything that the other two slower tracks don’t do better, and it drags on a bit.

After five years of waiting, Magic Kingdom fans finally have a new album to be excited about, and Savage Requiem definitely delivers, combining the epic neoclassical power metal and symphonic power metal sound of past works, with an occasionally darker and more aggressive sound, resulting in what is by far my favorite album Dushan Petrossi has released since his second Iron Mask album.

(originally written for myglobalmind: http://myglobalmind.com/2015/04/09/magic-kingdom-savage-requiem-review/)

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!