NORTHTALE: WELCOME TO PARADISE 

   Bursting forth through the mists of a saturated scene with their glistening debut album, Welcome To Paradise, international Power Metal supergroup Northtale have all the magic, talent and originality necessary to melt both faces with awesome Heavy Metal, and hearts with irresponsible raw melancholy.

   Northtale boasts a line up of veteran musicians who have earned their colours serving with some of the most notable bands and artists in the business and the pedigree is plain for all to hear. Welcome To Paradise is a polished epic, a genuine Power Metal tour de force, an album steeped in charm, emotion and metallic crunch. For a debut album it is an impressive and bold undertaking which has paid off beautifully, bringing a burst of refreshing originality to a genre and style of heavy music which has been replicated an infinite number of times before by innumerable bands.

   Released in 2019, Welcome To Paradise has since earned Northtale significant acclaim. The voice of Welcome To Paradise, Christian Eriksson, known by many as former vocalist of Twilight Force, has subsequently left the outfit since the albums release. Although an exceptional vocal talent who delivers a wonderful performance on the debut album, a vocal powerhouse worthy of taking up the mic moving forward has been found in Brazilian vocal force Guilherme Hirose, a perfect complement to Northtale's sound and style. Throughout Welcome To Paradise Christian showcases his captivating vocal capabilities spectacularly with a myriad of approaches ranging from eye-watering high notes, epic operatic wails, heartfelt soft singing and of course the gripping signature Power Metal sing-along harmonies and chants. 

   Mixing their own style with the well established Power Metal formular concocted by genre architects and originators such as; Helloween, Hammerfall and Savatage, Northtale have created something to rival the best of their peers. Bursting into life with the opening title track we are met with speed and power, huge vocals and galloping riffs, everything a listener could expect to encounter on a modern Power Metal album.

   Turning up the heaviness and technicality a little more, "Higher" mesmerises with incredible duelling guitar and keyboard solos, before "Follow Me" unloads huge crunchy riffs and inhuman drumming, soaring vocals, and an orchestra of key virtuosity and guitar leads accompanied by meandering bass guitars. 

   If anthemic Metal is what you want, then look no further than tracks such as the hard rocking "The Rhythm Of Life" with its massive chorus, or the Helloween's "I Want Out"-esque epic of perfect Power Metal, "Time To Rise" complete with twinkling soundscapes and blistering solos from incredibly talented guitarist Bill Hudson and keyboardist Jimmy Pitts.

   The tear inducing grand rock ballad "Way Of The Light" is a beautiful working of emotive pianos and powerful heartfelt singing, which leads into a swaggering synths-heavy industrial Power Metal anti pop-culture anthem, "Everyone's A Star", a very fun and surprisingly uplifting curveball track.

   Reversing course back to the safe shores of brilliant Power Metal, "Shape Your Reality" is a light-speed Power Metal assault, crammed with shredding riffs, brain destroying solos and a furious barrage from Patrick Johansson's relentlessly driving drumming. "Siren's Fall" is notably darker and more aggressive than previous tracks, standing out with it's gleaming metallic Heavy Metal riffs, insanely catchy chorus and hypersonic solos. "Bring Down The Mountain" is nothing short of punishing, the riffing is full throttle and furious and the introductory shrieks are ear splitting. In fact, the furious Power Metal pace continues through the vibrant yet furious "Playing With Fire" and "If Angels Are Real". "Even When", the grand finale, is a mournful and melancholic piece, beautiful acoustic melody accompanies sombre and clear singing, while the epic outro builds into a layered atmospheric farewell.

   From start to finish, Welcome To Paradise shows utterly masterful musicians on their top form and the resulting music is exceptional. It is with great excitement and high anticipation that we now look forward to the follow-up album that the band have recently completed, but one thing is certain, Welcome To Paradise sets the bar pretty high.

You can watch the video review here; 

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