Imperia
Flames of Eternity

Imperia is getting ever older and has amassed a fair bit of experience now, this is their fifth album. We first reviewed their third album in 2011 and were fairly impressed, less so with the one following and though this is a step up compared with last time around, it is not as good as first time I heard them. And the artwork isn’t brilliant despite having the great artist Yrlund in the band, a band that is a multinational one with the members coming from a country each showing the greatness of globalisation. Norwegian singer Helena sings well and the band makes solid music but there is more impressive music to be found in the genre pioneered by the likes of Nightwish and Within Temptation.

Female fronted, gothic or symphonic power metal is how it can be described. Strong production and vocals, decent variation but still an album that feels too long with a playing time nearing one hour. They don’t offer anything that we haven’t heard before and despite fresher and better production than their earlier efforts it still feels less interesting. Perhaps some more novelty would have been needed to makes something that stands out a little bit more, but they will most certainly be recognised and liked by the ones enjoying this kind of music as it presses all the right buttons and most people don’t seem to care if something has been done a million times before already.

I like this album, it is well made and has a strong sound and vocals with good songs and all of that. I especially like the track called Fear is an Illusion, a track that I think is really strong and memorable. Besides that the tracks are also good but none of them really stand out and as a critic it is hard to be very enthusiastic about another album of a calibre and style we have heard many times before already. Both Imperia and other similar bands has done albums that are far more interesting than this one. It is one of those good albums that I probably never will return to after writing this review, I still keep their 2011 effort in the music program on the computer but the other one I have tossed and the same will happen with this one when I am finished.

If you are one of those who like the similar bands, Nighwish or the many other bands that shares the same musical paths it is probably an album that you should have a closer look at. I don’t think that you will be disappointed if you do. But I still think that it is an album that should have been better than it is, like there is a lot more potential to find here but as I don’t seem to find that potential I enjoy Fear is an Illusion again and then I finish this review by claiming that Imperia has put together a solid fifth album that is well worth checking out if you like what they have done before.

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