Swedish Melodic Heavy Metal band Rexoria are actually no strangers to the scene. With a consistent line-up since their inception back in 2016 “Imperial Dawn” is their third release on three different record labels. Each album has seen the band change their style slightly and evolve to now arrive at a confident, updated sound which, truth be told, suits them very well. Don’t get me wrong, the band hasn’t completely changed direction at all, just slightly reinvented themselves as their experience and musical journey continues.
Possibly the key to Rexoria in 2023 lies partially with the people on the periphery rather than at the bands core, which has thrived on its longevity with an excellent twin guitar assault, dynamic rhythms and the impressive vocals of Frida Ohlin delivering the goods whatever the song demands on all three albums. But this time around keyboard duties are handled by Metalite’s David Plemberg, which brings an echo of his band into Rexoria’s style, which it encompasses effortlessly as if this was the element the band have been toying with adding all along – which who knows, maybe they have? This also gives the band’s sound a more contemporary, modern twist, mixed with the Melodic Power Metal and Melodic Heavy Metal they bring forward from their previous releases.
Another possible influence may be that the album is mixed by Within Temptation guitarist Stefan Helleblad, who has been with that band for their previous two albums, so he knows exactly the sound a Symphonic Metal band with a new updated attitude should have, and he brings these qualities expertly to “Imperial Dawn”. Delving deeper into the songs, there’s plenty of resounding, catchy choruses on offer here as you would expect, so there’s always an instant impact with each track, as well as having plenty hidden within the music and vocals that are not immediately apparent, giving the album lots of potential longevity. With Ohlin’s multi-faceted vocals driving each song forward, her increase in confidence has clearly aided the band to take another big step forward in their upward evolution, and the consistently energetic “Imperial Dawn” sounds like a band that is definitely hitting its stride.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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