Narnia is one of the best metal bands and they have always delivered albums of great quality. On this megacool double cd they have compiled their best tracks.
Besides album tracks it also contains rare tracks from their Japanese releases as well as the covers In His Majesty's Service (Jerusalem) and Sunrise (Uriah Heep).
A really cool thing that makes this album to a must to any Narnia fan is also the booklet that contains plenty of interesting facts about the band's history as well as
lots of pictures. An outstanding album that also works fine as introduction to this talented and professional band.
Fans of melodic guitarshredding metal like Yngwie Malmsteen and Rainbow are gonna love this release.
Narnia is back doing what they do best - melodic metal that is! I was somewhat dissapointed with the musical direction of
The Great Fall and Desert Land but now they have changed style back to Long Live The King, but with more heaviness in the sound.
Christian also sings better than ever. Lyrically the band has also found their way home and now they write bold Christcentered lyrics again.
People of the Bloodred Cross and Show All The World are two excellent melodic "hit" tunes while tunes like Enter The Gate, Into This Game
Take Me Home show the more heavy side of Narnia. Overall this is a great album, but unfortunately there are some tracks that are way too slow to keep my interest.
Narnia is best when they play fast and melodic metal and I really hope they focus on this on coming releases.
Overall Enter The Gate is an excellent release with
topnotch production. If they had just kept the speed all through the album this could have been a masterpiece but now it only gets a 4.
References: Fans of melodic guitarshredding metal like Yngwie Malmsteen and Rainbow are gonna love this release.
Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: www.narniaworld.com
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NARNIA - Awakening
Nuclear Blast
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Here we have it! Narnias debut - album Awakening, the release I have been longing for for over a year. The founding members in
Narnia are Christian Liljegren from Modest Attraction on vocals and Carl - Johan Grimmark from Sentinel on guitars. These two have
made all the tunes on the album. Carl - Johan plays all the instruments and Christian sings.
Something that really stands out on this album is Carl - Johans guitarplaying that are brilliant! He is very technical and just in league
with another swedish guitarplayer - Yngwie Malmsteen. In fact the big Japanese guitarmagazine "Young Guitar Magazine" sent a
dude to Sweden to interview two guitarists, one was Yngwie and the other Carl - Johan! They wrote six pages about Carl - Johan.
On with the tunes: First tune "Break The Chains"starts off with a nice classic intro (that are often heard at the World Cup Ski - events)
that breaks into a real heavy rocker with lots of fast guitarriffing. An awesome tune! Another of my fave's is the beautiful ballad
Heavenly Love. There are to say it short many good tunes on this album and lots of fast shredding. Nice to hear real Metal again!
The lyrics are both intelligent and straight to the point. They are in no way ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.
I really like the album but my expectations on it were very high, so I thought that it should be even better than it was. But anyway
it's a good debut that are well worth to have. Trust my word, these dudes will go far.
The letdowns of this album is that it's a bit short and some of the tunes could have better ends. (I don't like when a tune just dissapears like a diminuendo
and don't have a real end.) The drummachine destroys a bit too. But anyway it's a good album that shouldn't be missed if you love guitarshredding Metal.
References: As I said earlier the music is heavy inspired by Yngwie Malmsteen but it also has influences from Rainbow, Europe and Impellitteri.
Orderinfo: Available from the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: www.narniaworld.com
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NARNIA - Long Live The King
Nuclear Blast
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This is the 2nd album from this talented swedish band. One important difference from their first is that they now are a full band, not just two members. The best thing with this is that they now have replaced the drummachine with a real drummer! As a result the drumsound is now thicker and heavier. They have also develeoped into a sound of their own and doesn't sound as Yngwie-inspired as their first one did. The lyrics are also much bolder and they make no bones in that they stand for Jesus.
There are many good tunes on this disc but some that stands out is Dangerous Game and the title tune Long Live The King. As usual the guitarist Carl-Johan shreds and shows why many compares him with Yngwie Malmsteen. Great guitarplaying all the way ( even though I liked the solos better on their first.) There are lots of hooks to enjoy and the album is easier to get into than their first one was. Fans of melodic metal should definately check this out.
One thing that holds this album back a bit though is that some tunes are way too slow! If it wasn't for this I would have given this album a 5 but now it "only" gets a 4. This cd will for sure be one of my fave's this year. The cover is also very cool, picturing a roaring lion in a cathedral, showing that Jesus is not a wimp but a roaring lion! Rev 5:5
References: Higly recommended to fans of melodic guitarshredding metal aka Impellitteri, Stryper, Yngwie Malmsteen and Europe.
Orderinfo: Available from the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: www.narniaworld.com
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NARNIA - Desert Land
Nuclear Blast
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Narnia is back again with more melodic metal to enjoy! This time they show a heavier side rooted in the 70s Metal. But don't let that scare you, Narnia's characteristical sound is still there. With this release they seem to have found a style of their own. Their awesome guitarist Carl-Johan Grimmark shreds on and on. There are also two instrumentals where he really shows what he can do with his guitar. Christian Liljegren has also improved his singing since last album. On the negative side the lyrics aren't as bold and clear as they were on Long Live The King. The message is still there but not as evident. A few tunes are also too slow and take too much time before they take off.
But all in all it's definately an album melodic metalheads shouldn't miss. The guitarplay is truly brilliant and way too good to be missed.
References: Higly recommended to fans of melodic guitarshredding metal aka Impellitteri, Stryper, Yngwie Malmsteen and Europe as well as 70s bands like Rainbow.
Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: www.narniaworld.com
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NARNIA - The Great Fall
Nuclear Blast
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This is Narnia's fourth release and with this release they have developed a sound of their own. The Yngwie-influence is still there but it's not that dominating anymore. What strikes me with this release is that it's heavier than previous albums. Usually that's a good thing but when melody is sacrificed for heaviness as in the chorus of the track Back From Hell it's not a good thing. On the positive side there are some really fast tunes reminding of Dangerous Game. Carl-Johan's guitarplay also sounds better than ever, especially on Judgement Day. Wow, what a guitar solo that tune contains! My favourite tracks are The Countdown Has Begun, No Time To Lose and Judgement Day. Last tracks features Mr Clayton from Saviour Machine as guest singer. A rather cool tune but it becomes too long and slightly too slow. A few tunes are overall too slow and take too much time before they take off. I hope they will speed up their sound overall and make it more melodic and direct to coming releases.
The lyrics aren't as bold about Christ as previous releases, in fact I find some of them way too deep to my taste. The lyrics is like a story about a soldier that comes home after a war and tries to deal with all his feelings and experiences from the war. My favourite track lyrically is No Time To Lose that has a great message about Salvation. The tune Innocent Blood has interesting thoughtprovoking lyrics about the situation in Israel.
To sum it up this album is really good musically but I just wish the lyrics were more bold and upfront.
References: Fans of melodic guitarshredding metal aka Impellitteri, Yngwie Malmsteen and Rainbow are gonna love this release.
Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: www.narniaworld.com
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NEON CROSS - Selftitled
Magdalene Records
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Neon Cross is a rather familiar name for many that are into 80s Metal. I remember when this album first was released. I liked it then and I still do. This year they finally re-released their first album on CD! Typical for Neon Cross is their heavy sound and the high octave voice that was so typical in the 80s. Sometimes the singer screams too high for his own good but mostly it works well. Favourite cuts are We Are The Children Of Our Lord and Far Cry From Eden. As bonus they have also added I Need Your Love and Son of God (from the California Metal album) as well as their demo Frontline Life. I like this album as I said but I don't consider it a must-have or a classic. It's good 80s hookladen Metal but still nothing that blows me away. If you are short of money this album shouldn't be your first priority but if you are an old fan and wanna have this album on cd or just like anything 80s I suggest that you check it out.
References: Check it out if you are into melodic 80s Metal.
Orderinfo: Check with the mailordercompanys listed
here
Homepage: http://members.home.net/dpodue/NC/NeonCross.html
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NORTHERN FLAME - Glimpse of Hope
Nocternal Hemizphere
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Melodic Metal fans looks here! Northern Flame is here with their first fullength giving you a feast of excellent Melodic Metal filled with catchy hooks and
guitar solos! Guitar play is amazing and Niclas Buss is one of the best guitar shredders out there. The tunes also contains plenty of time changes and variation
to make them interesting all the way through. I also very much enjoy the Biblical lyrics that are filled with hope. Musically they play neo classical metal
but heavier than most of their peers.
A great album! I give it 4 shredding guitars. If they continue to improve next album will be a classic.
References: A must have if you are into guitar shredding bands like Whitecross, Narnia, Harmony and Yngwie Malmsteen and wants to check out
something new!
Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: www.northernflame.tk
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NORTHERN FLAME - White Winternight
Independent Release
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Northern Flame is back again with a new demo cd. This time the vocals sound a lot better. Best track is without a doubt the instrumental Winter's Fury with the guitar player Niclas Buss. Fantastic track with furious guitarsolos! Niclas guitarplay is definately the highlight of Northern Flame's sound. Another track I love is the sweet metal ballad Rest In My Arms. Yet another fave is White Winternight. This is a really good album although the programmed drums disturbs somewhat. I really hope the band has a real drummer on next release. The tracks Bloodstained and Maiorem dei Gloriam could also have more hooks. Except this there is nothing to complain about since both the music and lyrics are in top class. With their great feeling for guitar solos and enjoyable hooks Northern Flame is most definately a band to count on. White Winternight is a solid buy for anyone that loves guitar solos and want to check out something new.
References: Whitecross, Narnia, Harmony and other guitar metal bands.
Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: www.northernflame.tk
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NORTHERN FLAME - Northern Flame
Independent Release
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Northern Flame is a new talented band from Finland. Their debut demo consists of five tracks filled with pure classic metal. Niklas Buss' guitarplay is really brilliant and the cd is filled with enjoyable guitar solos. Everyone into hooks and guitar solos gonna love this! But the band really needs to improve the vocals a lot for coming releases. Besides this the cd is very very promising. With a guitarplayer of this caliber and the band's strong focus on Christ they will definately be a band to count on for the future. The cd leaves me hungry for more! Strongly recommended to anyone into guitar metal that wants to check out something new. I give it a 3+ rating.
References: Whitecross, Narnia, Harmony and other guitar metal bands.
Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: www.northernflame.tk
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NOIZ - Seeds of the Living
Independent Release
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Noiz are hailing from Germany and play traditional death metal. Stylewise they remind of old Mortification. The cd kicks off with a majestic organ intro before the blast begins with fast grinding riffs and a brutal growling voice. My favourite tunes are Save and Final Day, more tunes in this vein would be nice. Noiz is a tight 3-piece unit and they have made some really cool arrangements. Something they could improve though is to incorporate more melodic harmonies in their music.
The cool thing with this band is their lyrics, haven't seen this good lyrics in a while! Just check out the lyrics of the tune Pathway
"Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he is the only way to the Father. He died for us at golgatha and he wants us to follow him. If you don't follow him you'll be lost so take up your cross daily and follow him. He will give you his Holy Spirit and peace of mind forevermore. He wants to forgive your sin but you have to come. It's your choice. Lay your sin down by the cross. He'll throw them into the sea. Say: Lord, I've sinned. Oh, please forgive me. I repent of the things I've done. Here I am, take my life. Make me become your child. Amen." The lyrics in the tune Charity goes like this:
"You can have Christian T-shirts. Christian sayings everywhere. But if no one can see Jesus Christ in your life, it's worthless..."
A good debut. With some more practise and more melodic harmonies incorporated in their tunes future releases will be very interesting.
References: Early Mortification.
Orderinfo: Check with the mailorder companys listed
here
Homepage: http://www.noiz.de
