AXENSTAR — Where Dreams Are Forgotten (review)

AXENSTAR — Where Dreams Are Forgotten album cover Album · 2014 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
adg211288
Where Dreams Are Forgotten (2014) is the sixth full-length album by Swedish power metal act Axenstar. The band has moved to Inner Wound Recordings for this release and it's the second album to feature the line-up that debuted on their last album Aftermath (2011); Magnus Winterwild on vocals, bass and keyboards, Joakim Jonsson and Jens Klovegård on guitars and Adam Lindberg on drums.

On Where Dreams Are Forgotten Axenstar play a brand of power metal where I can't shake the impression that I've heard it all before. Lots of speed and melody and some semi-symphonic keyboard use. I guess that's what happens when you listen to a lot of albums from a particular genre. You start to get selective. I can't say that Axenstar do anything wrong here as far as a power metal album goes but eleven tracks and approx fifty minutes later I simply haven't heard anything that manages to make the album stand out. The songs themselves are decent enough I guess but the album as a whole doesn't really offer up any surprises and I don't find that the album has as much energy to it as it possible could do, which is often the determining factor for me with a power metal album. The first couple of songs Fear and Inside the Maze are really quite good however, as is Greed later in the album, so it's not as if Where Dreams Are Forgotten is totally without highlights.

I haven't heard any of the previous Axenstar work to say how Where Dreams Are Forgotten compares to them, but as a first impression for the group it definitely comes up short, making the band seem very B grade to me. It is good album, but only one that will have appeal to power metal diehards. I count myself as such a person, but I do have to be objective here. The lasting impressions of the album are not great and don't encourage repeat spins. But it is competent if unremarkable work with good vocals and musicianship. 3.5 stars seems fair in this case.

72/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/axenstar-where-dreams-are-forgotten-t3815.html)
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

A Sonication Technical Death Metal
OBSCURA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed