What’s the nerdiest influence on a metal band you’ve ever heard of? I always thought that Slough Feg had got the winner there, what with their album based on the classic pen and paper RPG, “Traveller”. Achelous have ripped the throne from their trad-metal hands with this album, based on the Icewind Dale trilogy by R.A.Salvatore, a (fantastic) set of fantasy novels based on the pen and paper RPG Dungeons and Dragons.
Achelous are a Greek band, having released one previous album and a couple of Eps before. I have to say, upon listening to record opener “Northern Winds” (which is not actually a song about waking up the morning after a curry in Bradford), I was really pleased and surprised with what I had heard. I was expecting some more like the power metal that tends to be en vogue when fantasy metal is produced, but actually what I heard was much more like the slightly doomy traditional metal like that heard from classic act Doomsword.
Chris Kappas (vocals) has a fine clean singing voice, which has plenty of power and clean diction. While he may sound a little more Blaze Bailey than Bruce Dickinson, there’s a fair amount of range in his voice. Second song on the album, “Flames of War” has an infectious gallop to it, with some nifty axe duelling, while the powerful production and aggressive approach of the band perhaps make this a little closer to the more muscular moments of Iced Earth than to many power metal bands. “Savage King” is a jaunty stomper, with some effective chugging moments.
For me though, highlight of the album is the almost absurdly enjoyable sonic adventure that is “Halfling’s Gem”. Is it cheesy? Yeah, it is. Is it great? Yeah, it is. You must make a saving throw against Axe, Bass and Drum on D20 or else this track is going to bury itself deep into your skull. I can imagine this being played with lots of dry ice and one-foot-on-the-monitor gurning bass work.
In terms of criticisms, I don’t have that many. I’d like the synth to be a little lower in the mix from time to time but overall the production is mostly spot on. At just eight tracks long, it doesn’t outweigh its welcome either. The final track “Outcast” is the longest, weighing over 7 minutes in length, but even then it feels epic rather than merely long. If you fancy a tasty melding of orcs, elves, halflings and pure nerd metal, then this is one for your collection.
(8.5/10 Chris Davison)
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