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It seems that the ball is starting to roll faster for Swedish power metallers The Storyteller following the release of their 4th studio effort "Underworld". During November they supported Helloween on their Finnish trek and in January they will support the Swedish gigs on the upcoming Gamma Ray tour. When former leaders of the Swedish heavy / power metal scene such as Hammerfall and Falconer have failed to live up to the high expectations set by the standards of their early releases, rising stars Nocturnal Rites and The Storyteller step forward with highly interesting new material. Unlike the former two these bands have managed to move forward instead of recycling old riffs to become a less impressive copy of themselves. While Nocturnal Rites is more bombastic and dense, The Storyteller offers a folksy, epic touch that at times resemble Blind Guardian without their obsessive layering. Most of the material is mid-tempo power metal where the focus is usually on the mighty voice of frontman L-G Persson. There are also some decent guitar solos and even some violin here but the band's most important strenghts are without a doubt the choruses and the nice melodies such as the wonderful one of "Watcher In The Deep".
The Storyteller have been working hard and long in the shadows of more prominent genre colleagues but it's time that more metal fans recognize this band's potential. With "Underworld" they once again raise the flag high and show us that every power metal album does NOT have to sound the same. The Motörhead cover was definitely not what I expected from them but it is very well done and a song that it's almost impossible not to want to sing along to. One of the finer Swedish heavy / power metal releases anno 2005 and the Storyteller's peak thus far. They don't quite reach the highest division on the international scene yet but on native soil they stand on solid ground as the competition seems to be fading slowly. Rare but indeed well done!
| Tracklist |
| 1. Changeling |
| 2. Eyes Of The Dead |
| 3. The Fiddler |
| 4. Watcher In The Deep |
| 5. Your Time Has Come |
| 6. Beauty Is The Beast |
| 7. Underworld |
| 8. Magic Elements |
| 9. Shine On |
| 10. Ace Of Spades [Motörhead cover] |
: 43.03
| Buy other The Storyteller albums |
