Battle Symphony are releasing their debut album, “War on Earth”, on May 15th 2022 through the Soman Records. The concept of the record is a creation of the Greek journalist, keyboardist and author Nikos Tzouannis, telling the story of a rebellious human army raging war against the alien conquerors of the Earth.
Reading the summary of the story I thought that it would be the classic tale of good versus evil with the good and righteous soldiers prevailing in the end. I thought that I already knew the end of the record, so I decided to listen it only for the music. But I did not take into consideration one thing. The concept was created to be paired with music. I do not know if alone could work, but the pairing with thundering power metal ended up in a great and memorable listening experience.
Music and story seem intertwined. The music fills the voids that the lyrics cannot describe while the lyrics explain the things that cannot full be interpreted by the notes.
The “War on Earth” is described as a Metal Opera and while, usually, I do not understand or support the term, in this particular case is the best choice of words. There is theatricality in the lyrical and musical story telling that cannot be ignored.
The Battle Symphony’s debut is a very well-constructed album from every aspect. It feels solid and coherent, with a fresh yet traditional sound that feels both familiar and exciting.
Musically, the “War on Earth” is influenced by the less gritty European scene, recognized by shredding solos, melodic leads and more elegant riffs with less distortion and the use of keys to color the melodic lines. However, there are signs of inspiration from the other side of the Atlantic, with chunkier and beefier riffs, like in the song “Hail Mankind, Hail”.
I believe that by now you have gotten a fairly good idea of how the album will be sounding like. But if you want something more substantial than words you can check out the single that has been released, “Fire on Earth”, which is not only the opening track of the album but also one of the best. I highly recommend to check out the “War on Earth” on May 15th and I am confident that you will absolutely enjoy it.
