I was starting to despair. Here we are in December and I don’t feel that I’ve been treated to a truly unashamed, unapologetic, bombastic Power Metal album all year…although, now I think about it, Fellowship came pretty damn close, but on the whole 2022 has been a little…safe on that front. So when I see the words ‘Swedish Power Metal band’s debut album’, I’m not hugely hopeful – it’ll probably sound like Hammerfall. No offence to them, but there have been enough bands that sound like Hammerfall over the past twenty years, so I’d much rather hear a Swedish Power Metal band who were nearer to Lost Horizon maybe, someone blending Nordic Power with Italian flamboyance perhaps, full of theatrical flair, fantasy lyrics, soaring vocals and double-kick drums galloping all over the place. But this is Krilloan, and it appears I’ve got my wish!
Riding along with the fine recent wave of Swedish Symphonic Power Metal bands, with Majestica, Bloodbound and Twilight Force at the helm, Krilloan join their fellow countrymen in bringing forth their own particular barrage of speedy, powerful, symphonic Metal gems, laden with dazzling guitar-work, thundering bass and those wonderfully unrelenting powerful drums. However it’s no surprise to me that this energetic five piece have found a home on Italian label Scarlet Records, because that time-honoured Italian Rhapsody Of Fire-esque flamboyance is also evident, but cleverly the band are able to reel it in by utilising twin guitars rather than having the usual dependency on symphonic keyboards. This gives Krilloan an honesty and maturity that no band on their debut can usually lay claim to. This twin guitar with no keyboards approach also contributes to giving the band an authentic European Power Metal quality that emerged back in the 80’s – this is further emphasised with Alex Van True’s vocals bouncing effortlessly from mid-range to nut-grippingly high, which makes me think of Scanner’s “Hyper Trace” album from time to time, something few bands since have managed.
I also quite like that Krilloan have kept the album to a vinyl length, sporting 9 tracks with no fillers and devoid of elaborate intros/outros. The only let up on the persistency and speed is on the title track – which still manages a healthy dose of power as it delivers its own epic, folk-tinged qualities. The constant energy throughout the album gives an even greater impression that it’s all over in a flash, but this also gives instant credence to playing the whole thing again and again to see what you’ve missed – because even after a few listens, there are still plenty of moments of melody and intricacy within both the guitar and vocals that were lost in a whirlwind of majestic Power Metal gusto the first few times around. This is Power Metal how I personally like it delivered and Krilloan are a band that appear to take their influence from a much wider field than many of their brethren, which will set them in very good stead for further releases, of which I am very much looking forward to.
(8.5/10 Andy Barker)
Leave a Reply