TIMELESS MIRACLE — Into The Enchanted Chamber (review)

TIMELESS MIRACLE — Into The Enchanted Chamber album cover

Album · 2005 · Power Metal

3.5/5 · 2016-07-19
666sharon666

MMA Reviewer's Challenge: July 2016

Swedish power metal act Timeless Miracle are one of those bands who have seemingly been on my list of artists to check out for forever. Released in 2005, Into the Enchanted Chamber is the band's first and so far only full-length album. Perhaps if they had been more active so as to get mentioned in the metal circles I frequent more often I would have given these guys the time of day before now, but better late than never I suppose. Apparently after more than a decade there actually is a follow-up album in production, though I don't know when it's due to be released, but now does seem a pretty good time for those who, like me, haven't given Timeless Miracle a try yet to do something about it.

For my part though, I'm surprised to be left a little underwhelmed by what Timeless Miracle offers up on Into the Enchanted Chamber. I wouldn't call it a weak album by any means, in fact if I'm being completely fair its a very well done power metal with strong symphonic elements and a penchant for folk melodies. Being one of my favourite genres of metal, on paper I should be all over this album. After all it ticks all the boxes. The music is energetic. Their sound is reasonably varied. The songs are catchy to listen to. The singer has a clear voice to carry the music. The ballad isn't atrocious. So what exactly is the problem?

Well for me its that I don't find too much of the album to be all that memorable after I finish listening to it. Give it an hour or two and I look at most of the track names and even after at least half a dozen listens to Into the Enchanter Chamber I can't remember anything about some of the tracks. I enjoy it a lot while I'm listening to it and I've got good lasting impressions of the early songs which includes the opening Curse of the Werewolf, which neatly sets up what Timeless Miracle's music is all about, as well as Witches of Black Magic and the title track that immediately follow. But after that the album starts to suffer from a problem that I find a lot of power metal albums to have; it falls into monotony. Not in a way that the songs are no good, as that isn't the case, but every time I listen to it I do start to feel my interest waning after a time, and as such I don't remember much about the later songs after a point, nor does the album have me rushing to give it another spin. The album is quite long, which I normally don't have an issue with, but it doesn't help my experience here. I will mention Return of the Werewolf as a highlight though, as it feels a bit more aggressive than the album typical serves up, with some harsher, more edgy, vocals used as well (not growls), which make it stand out more. Into the Enchanted Chamber could do with a few more of moments like that, as by the time of the final song The Voyage I've just about had my fill of the album.

A difficult album for me to rate fairly, as there's technically nothing wrong with it, but as it didn't completely click with me, I'm going to go with 3.5 stars.