Final Chapter
Legions of the Sun
Underground Symphony Records
2016
Final Chapter have been going on for a long time now, as they were founded in 1998 by Andreas M. Wimmer (guitars, keys etc.) and Achim Sinzinger (ex-Edge Of Thorns) with a purpose to play some symphonic power metal. They took on Michael Brettner, who like Achim was a former member of the band Monastery, on lead guitars and set off their journey after securing the services of Michael Stein then drummer for Finest Notion.
They demo’ed “The Wizard Queen” with a female singer Ulrike Esch, who was recommended by Michael Brettner to perform the Queen and had their vocalist Oliver Strasser joining them after auditioning at the studio. They did manage to get people like Tobias Sammet (Edguy), Chitral Somapala (Red Circuit), Kathrin Hoffmann (Un-Even), Claudia Obser, Meike Anlauff and Anke Wagner involved as well.
On their newest release “Legions of the Sun” things continue in similar ways. In addition to Oliver and Ulrike, Stefan Ferrara (Mind Guard) performs some lead vocals. Additional choir vocalists are Anne Gehlen (Nanny Goat), Barbara Barth, Kathrin Hoffmann and Chitral Somapala. I must say that compared to most of Underground Symphony’s releases that tend to be second or third rate, this is a beautifully constructed work with the only thing annoying me being the sounds of the drums. Oliver Strasser is a quite strong vocalist, who could pretty soon be in demand and the album thankfully offers quite a lot of variety, besides great performances and a production that’s quite good (bar the drum sound) with a clear mix that could still be a little punchier however.
“Trace of Fate”, the furious opener is quite awesome and good tracks follow it all the way down to the soft and melodic, but impressive “The Journey”…
If you like power metal that’s European and not cheesy, a bit like Edguy before they took out the cheese grater, Final Chapter are not a bad choice by any means.
They demo’ed “The Wizard Queen” with a female singer Ulrike Esch, who was recommended by Michael Brettner to perform the Queen and had their vocalist Oliver Strasser joining them after auditioning at the studio. They did manage to get people like Tobias Sammet (Edguy), Chitral Somapala (Red Circuit), Kathrin Hoffmann (Un-Even), Claudia Obser, Meike Anlauff and Anke Wagner involved as well.
On their newest release “Legions of the Sun” things continue in similar ways. In addition to Oliver and Ulrike, Stefan Ferrara (Mind Guard) performs some lead vocals. Additional choir vocalists are Anne Gehlen (Nanny Goat), Barbara Barth, Kathrin Hoffmann and Chitral Somapala. I must say that compared to most of Underground Symphony’s releases that tend to be second or third rate, this is a beautifully constructed work with the only thing annoying me being the sounds of the drums. Oliver Strasser is a quite strong vocalist, who could pretty soon be in demand and the album thankfully offers quite a lot of variety, besides great performances and a production that’s quite good (bar the drum sound) with a clear mix that could still be a little punchier however.
“Trace of Fate”, the furious opener is quite awesome and good tracks follow it all the way down to the soft and melodic, but impressive “The Journey”…
If you like power metal that’s European and not cheesy, a bit like Edguy before they took out the cheese grater, Final Chapter are not a bad choice by any means.