This is Veonity’s fifth album (their debut emerging back in 2015 – and impressively in the Metal world with the same line-up!) and their second in their new home of Scarlet Records, enabling the band and their polished, expertly executed Melodic Power Metal to reach even further afield. Veonity have been honing and refining their slick, classy style throughout these albums and “Elements Of Power” shows them striding ever-forward with a fantasy concept about good and evil to suit the up-tempo, optimistic tone of the songs perfectly.
Undeniably, the band’s sound has its origins in the classic Power Metal of Stratovarius, Freedom Call, Sonata Arctica and the like, concentrating very much on in that tradition with dazzling guitar-work, symphonic arrangements and vocally layered melodic choruses. This timeless and uplifting side of Power Metal has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years with Veonity, Twilight Force, Bloodbound, Majestica etc. really flying the fantasy flag high. It’s happy, upbeat qualities make it an ideal escape from the day to day stress and darkness that the real world can throw at us on a regular basis, all performed by top quality musicians and songwriters.
The soaring vocals are probably the focal point along with the dynamic lead guitar-work. The riffs are there on the whole to showcase the mid-to-high vocals (although there are some hooky riffs here and there which drive the songs nicely between vocal passages, alongside sparkling keys), which guide each song admirably to a memorable, harmonised chorus. Half of the verses could be choruses, such is the quality of the vocals and the effort that has gone into the melodies. It’s a testament to the bands maturity that tracks from this album could have been written and released by any of the top bands in the genre anytime in the last 25 years, but it’s Veonity who have created them, gathered them all together and delivered them with such vehemence here, in 2022.
Most of the songs gallop along at a sprightly, double-kick fuelled pace, yet even tracks like ‘Blood Of The Beast’, where the frantic tempo pauses for breath a little, still have an urgency and energy that keeps the album buoyant and consistent. And not a ballad in sight! It’s pretty safe to say that you don’t like any of the past and present bands I’ve listed above, then Veonity probably aren’t going to be your thing, but on the other hand, if you DO like any of them, then sit back and enjoy a great slab of Melodic Power Metal from one of the new guard carrying the torch ever onward.
(8.5/10 Andy Barker)
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