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Chained is the sixth release from the German metal band At Vance, a project centered around the talents of guitar virtuoso Olaf Lenk. The band plays a very melodic form of power metal that draws some inspiration from classical music. Those familiar with previous albums from the band may not recognize the current members, as the band has undergone a large number of lineup changes over its existence. In fact, the only constant since the band’s formation in 1998 is Lenk, who also writes most of the music. Singer Mats Leven, who joined before the release of 2003’s The Evil In You, stays on to sing for Chained but the second guitar player and bass player are both new.
Power Metal is an old and established genre, and Chained does not take any chances with the genre’s basic formula. Whether this is good or bad depends on your opinion on how important innovation is for artists. I would have liked to hear some ideas from the band and as a result I was largely unimpressed with Chained. Opener “The Rise From the Fall,” gets things going on the right foot and is the kind of song I wish could be heard on the rest of the album. The song includes a driving beat, rousing chorus and exciting solo section, three crucial components to a good power metal song. Unfortunately the rest of the album does not continue in the same manner. I absolutely detested the saccharine ballad, “Heaven,” which reminded me of bad 80s glam metal. The title track, which apparently is being released as a single, pretty much just repeats the same boring riff throughout the whole song. Because there is so much reliance on repeating sugary melodies, Chained is a CD that does not hold up well to repeated listens. I became sick of many of the songs after only a few listens.
In all, I found Chained to be a very mediocre album. The whole experience was kind of like eating a lot of candy. Some parts were quite satisfying, but the sugar buzz wore off fast. In fact, I don’t even think power metal is an altogether accurate description of At-Vance’s music since the power aspect is often missing from the band’s sound. In the end I found that it was the lack of variety in the song-writing and the lack of any new ideas that doomed Chained. The band clearly has some potential but the potential is never fully realized on this CD. I can’t help but think that there is much better power metal out there.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Rise From The Fall |
| 2. Heaven |
| 3. Tell Me |
| 4. Chained |
| 5. Who's Foolin' Who |
| 6. Now Or Never |
| 7. Two Hearts |
| 8. Invention No. Thirteen |
| 9. Run I Leave |
| 10. Live For The Sacred |
| 11. Vivaldi Winter |
| 12. Run For Your Life |
| 13. Flight Of The Bumblebee |
: 35.33
| Buy other At Vance albums |
