Minuetum Haunted Spirit
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
When one thinks of the homes of various metal bands, one never seems to think of Greece. Minuetum is out to change that fact and put Athens firmly on the power metal map. While Minuetum makes a solid attempt, their debut album Haunted Spirit may not be up to the task.
Founded in Athens, Greece in 2007 by keyboard player Dimitris Melidis and vocalist Dimitris Zacharopoulos, Minuetum finally settled its lineup after recording two demos and has become the standard power metal quintet. Joining the two Dimitris are Argentinean bassist Ignacio “Nacho” Lopez (Lord Kraven), guitarist Jason Mercury (Outloud) and drummer Nick Parotidis. Bob Katsionis (Outloud , Firewind) joins as a guest guitarist and co-producer. Haunted Spirit was mixed by Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius, Avantasia).
Vocalist Dimitris Zacharopoulos has a limited range and a rather dry voice overall, somewhat reminiscent of Blaze Bayley. He does use it well, although all too often his vocals are buried under a wall of drums or keyboards making him hard to understand. He does have a bit of an accent, so the sub-par mix does not help him out. Dimitris Melidis is a fine keyboard man and lays down some excellent riffs and fills, but many power metal fans will find him to be too dominant – and his keys are sometimes mixed high enough that they occasionally drown out the rest of the band. The listener can’t miss drummer Nick Parotidis – his energy level is relentless and his double bass is beyond compare, but in many instances his drums were mixed too high and wash away the other performers with a massive wave of noise.
Ignacio Lopez (bass) and Jason Mercury (guitars) seem to both be solid musicians, but one has to struggle to pick out their contributions. Considering the pedigree of the production team, one would have expected a more balanced mix of sound. One of the true bright spots however was the fine use of female backup vocalist Iro Kalligeri, and the good use of backing vocals overall.
Musical highlights include: Nick Parotidis’s manic drum line and overall “Malmsteeninsh” feel to “The Dark Half”; the intricate guitar solos on “The Tribe Is Calling”; the solid rolling rhythm line of “Key to Glory”; the slick keyboards and gang vocals on “Time To Fly”; the great guitar work and the little bit of “Greensleeves” in “Ghost King”.
Minuetum’s music is definitely melodic power metal. It is dominated by keyboards rather than guitars so in that sense it is a fresh look at the genre. However many traditionalists will find the amount of synthesizers to be overkill. Lyrically they are pretty much power metal standard, and the song structures are also fairly run of the mill. Once the listener can overcome the relatively weak mix, they will realize that Minuteum has a great deal of talent and lots of potential – they just haven’t put all the pieces together yet. There is much room for growth, and their next album will undoubtedly be stronger.
Genre: Power Metal
Band:
Dimitris Zacharopoulos (vocals)
Nick Parotidis (drums)
Ignacio Lopez (bass)
Jason Mercury (guitars)
Dimitris Melidis (keyboards)
Guest musicians – Bob Katsionis (guitars), Iro Kalligeri (backing vocals)
Track Listing:
1. Sky Minuet (Instrumental)
2. The Dark Half
3. The Tribe Is Calling
4. Follow Us
5. Key to Glory
6. Hero Divine
7. Time To Fly
8. Ghost King
9. Into The Night
10. Eternal Twilight
Label: 7Hard Records
Website: http://www.myspace.com/minuetum
Hardrock Haven rating: 6.5/10