In 2019 Northtale released their debut, and a very accomplished debut it was too. Perfectly combining the classic European Power Metal stylings of Helloween, Strotovarius and Hammerfall. The striking similarity that the band had to those three bands however was the ability of vocalist Christian Erikkson to turn his vocal style to whichever of the bands the song had its closest leanings to. With hindsight, impressive as this was, Northtale’s own identity had a tendency to be overshadowed, and great as Eriksson is as a vocalist, I struggled to hear what his actual personal singing voice sounded like.
But that was then, and now Northtale have a new vocalist in place, and with him comes a definite reset and relaunch of the band, losing some of the band’s European leanings in favour of a Brazilian/Angra type direction – and yet again, they do a damn fine job of it, whilst displaying a terrific ability to craft a classic Power Metal album. OK, new vocalist Guilherme Hirose is actually Brazilian, and band leader Bill Hudson is Brazilian-American, so the leap wasn’t as big as you might think, but the way the band have retained just enough early Helloween power alongside Stratovarius melody and blended it with their own updated Angra-ness, really is a master-stroke. Nobody else really sounded like Angra at the time…neither did Angra particularly once the fabulous (and much missed) Andre Matos departed the band, so it’s a much less ‘ploughed field’ musically.
Maybe occasionally, like on the debut, Northtale take a similarity a touch too far – ‘The Land Of Mystic Rites’ could be straight off “Holy Land” for example – but on the whole there is just a feel of Angra about some of the melody lines and rhythms, to just keep a familiarity whilst the band find their own truer identity than their debut exhibited. Free of the “Hey, We can sound like them as well” vibe, Northtale have pieced together a more personalised and varied second album that shows them in a much more preferable light. The songs are expertly crafted, the rhythms tight, the solos intricate and the arrangements striking and memorable. The vocals are excellent without trying to be anyone else, displaying power and diversity perfectly throughout the album. There’s more though – there’s a great guest vocal from Gamma Ray/Helloween vocalist Kai Hansen, as well as a resounding power metal edged cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘Judas Be My Guide’, all wrapped up in a fabulous Dennis Ward production. If their debut can be seen now as a Northtale showcase, then “Eternal Flame” is possibly their true debut. It sets the bar high once more, and sees the band settling very nicely into being their own musical force. I’m happy to state that this Northtale line-up are not the new incarnation of Helloween, Stratovarius OR Angra – they are simply the new incarnation of Northtale
(8.5/10 Andy Barker)
Leave a Reply