Wow! Finally a Power Metal band that made me re-evaluate my beliefs about the predicability of Power Metal bands. On one hand, Celestial Wizard “Regenesis” maintains the backbone or the core of Power Metal, the main line of the band is pure Power Metal; on the other hand, it has many features that are, let’s say, new or uncommon to Power Metal bands. First of them all is the iconography, that, from where I am standing, is not common to Metal music art all as the band explores Old West elements as the cover art showcases. There is even a taste of the acoustic 1970s band America in it – “Horse with No Name,” do you know it, my dear child of the night? Regarding to the music, “Regenesis” adds many elements from other Metal subgenres that, in general, Power Metal bands ignore as vocal duets with a clean voice and a gutural one. I may be wrong, but no Power Metal band I know do this. But, between you and me, what really surprises is that some tracks have a great taste of Ozzy Osbourne on vocals and guitars – Zakk Wylde’s, if you ask me.
Musicwise, it is fair to say “Regenesis” has one foot on Melodic Death Metal and the other on Modern Metal as “She Is the Blade” shows the fan. As the fan goes discovering the album track by track, the impression it gets is that the album definitely takes a detour to Melodic Death Metalville somewhere on the third or fourth track taking away that first impression of building a Power Metal album. Little by little, gutural vocals take over and the vocal duels of the initial tracks are left behind. Such a pity, because I thought the formula was a killer. On the other hand, Celestial Wizard built up some beautiful intros in tracks as “Emerald Eyes” where clean vocals return. The bands also reinforces Old School Heavy Metal musical structures. “Emerald Eyes” is a living proof of it. Tittle track “Regenesis” just proves my point even though its drumming is fantastic. Pure Melodic Death Metal without the mixes the band proposed in the beginning of the album.
“Regenesis” is an album that promises to be great with the fresh air of the acoustic and surprising intro “Muerte” and its following track “Pale Horse.” Both tracks deliver a caustic hot musical mix that corrodes the fan’s bad blood against standard Power Metal adding some ingredients of Extreme Metal in a very tasteful dough. However, surprisingly, the band goes little by little shifting their sound to to the known common ground of Melodic Death Metal. Well, at least, the intent was great.
Celestial Wizard “Regenesis” will be released on July 11th via Scarlet Records.
Track Listing:
01. Muerte
02. Pale Horse
03. Fangbearer
04. She Is the Blade
05. Shores of Eternity
06. Into the Abyss
07. Ride with Fire
08. Wicked
09. Emerald Eyes
10. Regenesis
Watch “Pale Horse” official music video here:
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!