A melodic power metal band from Russia, started in 1993 by Andrei "Archont" Fedorenko (vocals, keys, songs). After three years of playing clubs the band has released its full length debut album, "Saga Of Eternity" (1996), followed by "The World Where Shadows Come To Life" (1999). Their third work ""Book One: The Child Of Two Worlds" (2003) added to their popularity. At the present time, the line-up consists of: Archont, Leonid Fomin (guitar), Vyacheslav Molchanov (guitar, bass), Vasily Marchenko (bass), and Dmitri Krivenkov (drums).


THE WORLD WHERE SHADOWS COME TO LIFE (1999)

RATING: ***1/2

BEST SONGS: title track, "Fear Is The Conscience of Villains," "The Rules Of Real Life"


A solid Euro PM album that features speedy songs, dominant keyboards, thin production, high-pitched heavy-accented vocalist (who sounds like he is about to burst into tears any second), and piss-poor lyrics. If you want to have a good laugh, read the lyrics in conjunction with the singing: the accent and phonetic emphasis are otherworldly. Think weaker Sonata Arctica with a bit of Gamma Ray thrown in. Opening "Incantations" leads straight into the title track with its fast-yet-atmospheric verses full of funny wording. Equally funny are the speedy “Fear Is The Conscience Of Villains," "The Rules Of Real Life" (which displays some occasional Queen influences) and "Victory Or Death" (pronounced "wicktory"), as well as the slow and "emotional" "Mother Russia." The album would greatly benefit from a heavier guitar sound, beefier production, and a native English-speaking lyricist (some lines would even embarrass Rhapsody). By the way, the explosions in "Victory Or Death" are really weak. But all of these problems don't prevent the album from having some very tasty and catchy melodies, especially in the tracks named above (check out the mid-section of "The Rules..." mmmm!). Actually, the greatest thing about the album is the booklet: its blue-colored medieval theme pictures are really stylish. In one word -- decent, but not particularly original or inspiring.


CHILD OF TWO WORLDS (2004)

RATING: ***1/2

BEST SONGS: "Walk On The Edge," "My Noteless Blues," "The Escapist Hymn"


Basically, more of the same, but with sleeker production and even less guts. The music is best described as "wussed-out Royal Hunt," which is an achievement in itself. Andrey "Archont" Fedorenko is truly a dreadful singer, especially in the higher register. If you ignore his whines and don't read the lyrics, some songs can actually be enjoyable. Mid-tempo "Walk On The Edge" has a slight Led Zeppelin feel to it, and the lead break section is excellent. Btw, the solos are mostly spectacular: the album's strongest moments all come in Slava Molchanov's lead breaks. Bombastic "All This Time (The Balancer's Song)" features some cool harpsichord sounds. "My Noteless Blues" is incredibly ridiculous, but it grows to be a nice rocker, very much in vein of Royal Hunt of the Paradox / Fear era. In fact, its intro and outro clearly recall "Wicked Lounge." "Goodbye To My World" has some nice mid-tempo riffing and background choires. "Return To Inner Self" is a mandatory double-bass charger, very solid. 10-minute epic "The Escapist Hymn (author's notes)" in itself a good reflection of all band's weak and strong points. I especially enjoy the intermezzo starting at the 4.55 min. mark. Overall, this is not a rather good album, especially from the musical standpoint, but the vocals prevent it from frequently occupying my cd player.