Album Review: New Horizon - Gate Of The Gods

There are certain albums in every genre that stand out to you, even if you can't put your finger on exactly why. Sure, you think they're better written, but it's hard to put into words what details of the compositions elevate that one over all the others that fill the same spaces. That is true of the band H.E.A.T., who put out an album called "Tearin' Down The Walls", which for whatever reason stands out as one of the best melodic/pop rock albums during my tenure as a critic. There are others, of course, but that one is on the short list of records I would point to as an illustration of what the genre can and should be.

I say that as preface for this review, because singer Erik Gronwall and guitarist Jona Tee were members of that band, and here they are with a new project that takes them in a new direction. Is it possible for two people to make one of those standout records in more than one style? There's an interesting question; has anyone managed to do that? Perhaps I will muse on that subject sometime.

The thing about power metal that stands out more with each passing year is how staid the compositional formula is. By that, I mean that so many songs charge out of the gates, with the chugging riffs and steady bass drumming keeping a monotonous tempo that never varies. There's no swing, no swagger, to the music. It moves along predictably, and doesn't have anything you can nod your head to nearly often enough. It does put the focus on the vocals, but that only means the bands have to nail the hooks even harder.

Erik is a more than capable singer to make the transition from rock to power metal. His voice is still remarkable, with the exact right amount of grit to balance melody and power. That's the key to New Horizon, because it's his voice that can elevate some of the tropes of power metal into something that sounds a bit more special than the ordinary. He manages that feat on "We Unite", which opens the record as predictably as possible, but still works because of how good Erik is at selling the rote chorus.

"Stronger Than Steel" is much better, because it turns on a riff with some groove to the chug, which in turn gives contour for the vocal. Everything has more hook to it just by virtue of pulling back ever so slightly from the rapid-fire approach. That song sounds more like a H.E.A.T. track with everything turned up to eleven, which is what this record needs to be.

The balance between the two is where the record rests. The songs like "Call Of The Underground" which have a little bit more rock attitude to them are great, while the songs like "Stardust" that are more traditional power metal don't have the same appeal. They get rescued from sinking into tedium the way a lot of power metal does by Erik's performance, but they are clearly the lesser chunk of the album.

Which way does the scale tip? Clearly, things are pointed in the right direction. The majority of this record is far beyond the rote and average power metal I usually hear, and it would be so even without Erik's vocals. With them, this is the sort of record that can remind me why I used to be quite into this style. I can't really ask for very much more.