Magic Kingdom – Blaze of Rage
Release Date: 13th December 2024
Label: Massacre
Order/Stream
Genre: Power Metal, Symphonic Power Metal, Neoclassical Power Metal.
FFO: Iron Mask, Evergrey, Kamelot, Symphony X, Yngwie Malmsteen.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Virtuoso neoclassical guitarist Dushan Petrossi is back with a new Magic Kingdom album. Along with vocalists Michael Vescera (clean vocals) and Roma Siadletsky (death/black vocals), bassist Vassili Moltchanov, and drummer Gabriel Deschamps, Petrossi (who handles keyboard duties as well), is set to release Blaze of Rage, the first full concept album the band has ever produced. Consisting of twelve tracks that tell the story in chapter form, Blaze of Rage is a trip back to the Magic Kingdom, where the Damned Souls led by the Doomed King invade the magical land.
Musically, Petrossi and company are still flinging symphonic neoclassical licks like the sheer number of notes will ward off the Doomed King and his minions all by themselves. But Blaze of Rage is not just another neoclassical wank-fest. These songs convey the story and emotion through both the lyrics and the varied styles that the band incorporates into their musical blueprint. For instance, track two, the nearly nine-minute The Great Rebellion sees the band begin in typical neoclassical style with a keyboard and guitar duel. The verses of the song are more of a heavy, dark-melodic metal style, over which Vescera’s baritone sounds right at home. During the chorus, Petrossi blends blazing keyboard notes with heavy guitars, which leads to a solo that is as tasteful as it is pyrotechnic. The next section is a brooding symphonic section that lends a folk metal feel to the song. The emotion builds through the middle of the song, which leads to a black metal section complete with blast-beats and shrieking vocals. And while it feels like this one song includes an album’s worth of music and styles, there are ten more tracks to go.
The rest of the album is more of what you would expect from a Magic Kingdom album, as the songs are well-written and flawlessly performed. Though they will never stray too far from their neoclassical/symphonic power metal roots, there is enough variation in each song to keep the album interesting, and the various characters having distinct voices is also a nice touch.
I’ve been following Petrossi and both of his bands for the last twenty years, and I feel Blaze of Rage is one of the strongest entries in his impressive oeuvre, which is not to take anything away from the rest of the band, because Blaze of Rage really does feel like a group effort, and fans of power metal in general, and specifically symphonic and neoclassical power metal will find a lot to love on it.
(4 / 5)
