Twilightning
Delirium Veil
8.7
Don’t worry if your mind simply cannot fathom an unholy mixture of Stratovarius, Guns N’ Roses, Van Halen, and Children of Bodom. Twilightning does all of the blasphemous alchemy for you with their latest album, Delirium Veil! My first impression of this album was one of complete shock at the original-yet-old-skool sound. Amazingly enough, I have yet to get tired of it. It’s hard to point out any one standout on this album… EVERYTHING is a standout! The vocals are unique and supremely clean, without sounding weak and uninspired. Anyone who questions where the “power” in “power metal” comes from can harken unto the Heikki Pôyhiâ of Twilightning. But they’re not necessarily power metal per se. There’s a ton of progressive influence, along with 80s rock (done in a tasteful, not tired way), and even some Finnish powerthrash. All in all, we have on our hands one hell of a speedmetal album. The opening track, “Gone to the Wall”, is incredible. The riff is super catchy, in true Finnish style. Contrary to the Finnish trend of killer openers and “the forgettable rest”, Delirium Veil continues to deliver. “At the Forge”, “The Jester Realm”, and “Seventh Dawn” are all great songs as well. Naturally the album isn’t perfect, and there are some less-than-incredible tracks such as “Under Somber Skies” and the title track. These are far from unlistenable, and they hardly detract from the top-notch songwriting of the rest. This album was a more-than-welcome surprise. Twilightning’s debut album is one for the ages, they blend a great mixture of styles and have that “fresh” feeling that is so important. If anyone has been feeling disappointed with the power/speed/prog metal sector of our beloved genre, this album remedies all three of those categories. You won’t regret buying this one. Anything recorded at Finnvox studios and mixed by Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius deserves at least a listen!
Gone to the Wall - KILLER opener At the Forge - proved that the album wasn’t dependent on the opener Seventh Dawn - great hook and chorus
