Eagleheart | Dreamtherapy
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer —
If its pure power metal you want, look no further than the upcoming release from the Czech band Eagleheart entitled Dreamtherapy. This hard rocking quintet has been around since 2003 and their veteran status clearly shows on this tight and powerful album.
Founded b guitarist Michal Kůs, the core of the band (Kůs, bassist Jiří Fiala, drummer Zdeněk Vémola, and singer Vojta Šimoník) was solidified by the time they recorded their first EP, Black Sun, in 2005. Their Helloween and Stratovarius influenced sound helped the band build a loyal following and led to the release of their first full length album, Moment Of Life, in early 2008. Eagleheart toured in support of a number of well-known acts, and in 2009 began work on Dreamtherapy, enlisting the help of producer-guitarist-singer Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween). The band also enlisted second guitarist Michal Jankuliak and in 2010 they hit the studio.
Dreamtherapy is a fine power metal release and a great example of the genre – nicely proving that Eagleheart truly deserve the praise they have received. The music is intense and energetic, fronted by the raspy voice of Vojta Šimoník who at times sounds like Blaze Bayley or Pretty Maids’ Ronnie Atkins. His voice is crisp and clear, very well suited to the power metal style. The twin guitars of the Michals (Kůs and Jankuliak) are excellent whether laying down big hooky rhythms or subtle and soaring leads. The rhythms of drummer Zdeněk Vémola and bassist Jiří Fiala are equally solid and their contributions are not small. Eagleheart’s true strength is the teamwork and unity displayed in their tight and veteran sounding performances. The band hits all of the power metal targets – everything from somewhat dark and martial lyrics to massive tempo shifts. The fine contributions (both production and performance) of Roland Grapnow only serve to make a solid effort even stronger.
The quick and almost orchestral keyboard opener “Insomnia” flows right into the first real track, “Shades Of Nothing.” Great raspy vocals, intense guitars and manic drumming set the bar very high for the balance of the album, and Eagleheart delivers. “Taste My Pain” is an aggressive and well-structured song with some interesting musical layering and some pushed-to-the-edge vocals and a great lead break. “Lost In The Dead End” has a brighter epic tone and features some great melodic hooks, a slick bass / drum line and an almost sing-along chorus. Neat harmony vocals open “Creator Of Time” and the band brings in a hint of prog-metal lightness while maintaining a brutal pounding rhythm line.
“Nothing Remains” is a slower cut, almost Amorphis-like at the opening and sort of Metallica-ish as the song progresses. It seems to pull the band a bit out its vocal comfort zone, but the acoustic guitar work and excellent bass line make up for it. “Dreamtherapy” brings the power back up and is quite rightly the title track. The band pulls out all the stops here and everything about this track is spot on. “Burned By The Sun” is another great power track built on an aggressive drum and bass line and it features some beautifully executed technical guitar teamwork. The nuclear apocalyptic “Glass Mountain” seems a little forced at the start, but gets rolling nicely by the chorus. “Wheel Of Sorrow” wraps the album with a different sound – more progressive and bass oriented at the start – but becoming a drum and rhythm guitar showpiece. Unfortunately instead of being a truly epic track, this 12 minute piece is just too drawn out and seems endless. While technically excellent, the band could have trimmed this one by a third without losing anything.
If you are into power metal, Eagleheart’s Dreamtherapy is a must – simply no other way to put it. There is nothing ground-breaking style-wise here, but this album is a distillation of modern power metal to its purest form and it could be held up to the rest of the world as the archetype despite a few easily overlooked flaws.
Dreamtherapy will be out on 24-November-2011 in Europe and 17-January-2012 in the USA on Scarlet Records
Genre: Power Metal
Band:
Vojta Šimoník (vocals)
Michal Kůs (guitars, vocals)
Michal Jankuliak (guitars)
Jiří Fiala (bass)
Zdeněk Vémola (drums)
Guest musician: Roland Grapow (vocals, guitar)
Track Listing:
1. Insomnia
2. Shades Of Nothing
3. Taste My Pain
4. Lost In The Dead End
5. Creator Of Time
6. Nothing Remains
7. Dreamtherapy
8. Burned By The Sun
9. Glass Mountain
10. Wheel Of Sorrow
Label: Scarlet Records
Website: http://www.myspace.com/eagleheartband, http://www.eagleheart.eu/
Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10