ELETTRA STORM – Powerlords
Release Date: 16th February 2024
Label: Scarlet Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Power Metal
FFO: Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Rhapsody of Fire, Unleash the Archers, Frozen Crown.
Review By: Mark Waight
Attention to all you Metal Heads out there! There are some new kids on the block in terms of Power Metal, and they are called ELETTRA STORM, who are indeed set to take the Power Metal world by storm with their debut release, Powerlords. Be prepared to be wowed by mighty tales of Archangels, Moon Goddesses’, and underground civilizations as you are taken on an epic adventure to escape the daily grind of life. This is the stuff of legends that Power Metal was designed for and Powerlords delivers giant tasty size portions for your ears to feast on.
ELETTRA STORM is Crystal Emiliani (vocals), Francis D Mary (guitar, vocals), Matteo Antoni (guitars), David Sportiello (bass, keyboards) and Matteo Norbedo (drums).
So, without further ado, fill up your biggest and best drinking horn with your nectar of choice and let’s begin. Higher than the Stars kicks us off with a flat-out ear blaster that gets you right in the mood with some heroic guitar work. You can almost imagine the sparks flying from the fingertips of Francis D Mary and Matteo Antoni’s fingertips.
Next up, Redemption combines male and female vocals to great effect as you are treated to a good old fist pumping sing-along tune that lifts the spirits and warms your heart.
Origin of Dreams delivers an extra bit of bass in Crystal Emiliani’s voice, allowing you to focus on what an amazing rock voice she possesses. A deft guitar solo adds a cherry to the top of our cake!
Title track Powerlords gives you exactly what you would expect with a full-on Power Metal anthem complete with bells and whistles (or in this case guitars and percussion). A sweet, slower section leads us through a master class of how to perfectly deliver a classic before a gentle fade to finish!
Alone is a dreamy and beautifully composed song with a ballad-like edge to it that demonstrates that ELETTRA STORM are more than capable of taking it down a notch as well, to great results. I love this song!
Heirs of Descent is a slightly slower track with a much heavier bass and a bit more of a traditional metal feel to it. The Keyboards are almost Gothic-like, and the accompanying vocals work well in conjunction as the riffs heat up to top drawer finish.
Back on the Power Metal trail again, Sacrifice of Angels races away at a blistering pace from start to finish. This one is bound to get you dusting off the old air guitar and joining in.
Penultimate track Spirit of the Moon gives us another chance to appreciate a higher tone in Crystal Emiliani’s vocal repertoire, as well as enjoy the very tight band performance and a skilfully placed pause that totally caught me off guard.
Curtain closer Voices in the Wind brings our incredible and enjoyable journey to a dramatic close. It’s a stunning finish to time well spent that should leave you satisfied and smiling.
If there is a handbook on how to write the perfect Power Metal album, then ELETTRA STORM must have read it from cover to cover because Powerlords really does hit the nail on the head. If there isn’t a book, then ELETTRA STORM should consider writing it. Great album, great journey and great fun, so check it out. Highly recommended.
(4.5 / 5)
