Neonfly are a promising band who just seem to keep growing from strength to strength. Having shared the stage with the likes of Alice Cooper, Sonata Arctica, Magnum and more recently, Dragonforce, the power metal five piece from London are set to release their anticipated second album “Strangers in Paradise” at the start of December. Let’s take a listen and see what paradise sounds like then.
Opening up with “Whispered Dreams”, you can tell right away what the band are all about – big sounding songs which seem full of energy and atmosphere. With vocals which are very melodic power metal styled (think Sonata Arctica) and lyrics which spin a story with such relative ease in their delivery, coupled with some impressive rhythm work and dynamic sound, it’s a great start to the album. The lead work is melodic and hard hitting and the backing synths help boost that dramatic feel the song has. “Highways to Nowhere” opens with a more moody sound. A dark sounding acoustic guitar gives way to a heavy sounding series of riffs and synths before the trademark power metal chug comes in for the verse. Keeping with the flair filled vocal style, the lyrics are delivered with plenty of emphasis where needed. Heavier in its approach than the first track, it has a driving feel to it, and near the middle of the song, there is an interesting middle-eastern flavoured passage which adds a nice touch to the song.
“Better Angels” is the first single off the album. It starts off guitar heavy with some big riffs and harmonics before shifting completely in the verse to clean singing and acoustic guitars with some cleverly placed distorted parts to help emphasise the song where needed. Getting heavier for the chorus and brightening up for the verses, it clearly defines what is going on in the song and the chorus is where it all comes together. It has the melody from the verse, but the heaviness of the distortion, giving it that ‘big moment feel’, and the solo round the 2:30 mark hits the spot perfectly. “Rose in Bloom” brings back the clean/acoustic sound. First impressions scream out ‘Ballad!’ and you wouldn’t be wrong for thinking the same thing as me. It’s a slower number than the previous tracks and it’s delivered with plenty of feeling. This is one of those lighters up in the air tracks (or head to the bar depending on your view of ballads). There isn’t much else to say about this one really, If you’ve heard one melodic power metal ballad, you pretty much know the formula here.
“Heart of the Sun” gets things interesting once again. It opens up with a very fantasy/medieval styled synth riff which is almost like a fanfare. Its bouncy feeling added to the rest of the band creates a sense of adventure, and the lyrics help spell that out. With a constantly changing dynamic, calmer in the verses, more fast paced in the pre-chorus and choruses, it keeps you gripped as you listen. “Aztec Gold” keeps up the dramatic feel. With pounding drums and tension building synths, it creates a sense of something big coming. When the bass joins in, its slightly bouncy feel takes the focus as the song keeps building which is then build upon further by a lead section and some clean guitars before it kicks in with the distortion. It’s a great little instrumental number which wouldn’t sound out of place in an Indiana Jones film, littered with frantic leads and shifts in mood just to keep the suspense up. “Fierce Battalions” follows up from this with more melodic power metal feel. The lively sounding intro gives way to a menacing chugging riff which is accompanied by venomously delivered vocals. The track comes across as similar to the album’s opening number, but heavier and in my mind, better sounding. This would have made a fantastic start to the album! The relentless chugging and pounding drums give way to a breakdown with some medieval battle samples -battle cries and swords clashing, before it goes into the lead section which then turns back into the frantic paced riffing which creates a great ending to the song.
“Sons of Liberty” keeps up the heavier approach. Heavy on the groove and with more of the atmosphere building synths, this one is more upbeat than the previous track but it still retains the attitude. It’s got the big chorus feel to it which would go down great in a big sing along in the live setting and the way the song shifts from subtle to fast seamlessly in sections is pulled off perfectly. It has a good feel to it and much like with the previous track, I do feel its place in the album is wrong, it should have come earlier to help get you drawn in quicker. “Chasing the Night” starts off with an acoustic guitar and some coast-sounding samples, helping add some drama to it. The distortion and powerful rhythm with synths soon takes over the clean guitars and considerably ramps the speed and feel of the song up. Sacrificing speed for melody in the breaks between the verses and in the chorus, works well and the two lead sections and the clean section all come off good too.
Closing the album is “Falling Star”, which is another ballad. The opening of gentle acoustic guitars and soft, yet well delivered singing is accompanied by the rest of the band, keeping the slow pace. The predominantly synth heavy chorus works well, but could it be carried off in the live setting with the same effect/impact? Halfway through, the distortion beefs the song up a little, but it still stays pleasant sounding right up to the end.
“Strangers in Paradise” is a good album, but unfortunately for Neonfly, it sounds just too much like Sonata Arctica. If you’re playing melodic power metal, that is a good style to aim for and a good comparison, but if the band could have put their own stamp on it a bit more, it might have been more enjoyable. Still, it is a solid offering.
(6/10 Fraggle)
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