Free Spirit Pale Sister of Light

Tweet

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Pale Sister of Light is the debut album from Finnish melodic hard rockers Free Spirit, and is already one of the strongest melodic rock offerings of 2009. The band has a unique sound that combines traditional melodic rock with harder, more metallic elements and a lyrical approach that focuses on nature and the spirit rather than the typical AOR love song standards. That’s all in addition to some completely mesmerizing melodies. If you can imagine a happy medium between Fair Warning and Paradise Lost (or Brother Firetribe and mid-period Amorphis, to use a Finnish comparison), that’s probably as close a point of comparison as you’re likely to get to Free Spirit’s sound. There are also similarities to Australia’s Voyager (who, like Free Spirit, deserve a much larger audience).

Everyone has experienced an album that, as soon as you hear it, lodges in your head and your heart. You’re singing along with each song almost immediately, and after each song you think “Oh my God, what’s coming next?” It doesn’t happen very often, but Pale Sister of Light is one of those albums. It has the kind of lightning guitar hooks that anyone who has ever heard a Dokken album is going to salivate over, melodies to die for, powerful (but never over the top) vocals, and compelling lyrical content. It’s also a completely filler-free album. Every song on Pale Sister of Light is first rate, but listening to the title track, “Heroes Don’t Cry” and “Radiant Light” back to back gives you the best example of the band and album’s abundant strengths.

Pale Sister of Light is one of those albums that, were it released by a larger label like Frontiers or Nuclear Blast, would likely be appearing on a lot of year-end top 10 lists. It’s an album that should appeal to virtually everyone who loves melodic rock and metal. Hopefully it will bring Free Spirit the attention they deserve, because if their debut is this impressive, there’s no telling what future releases will bring.

Label: Carpel Music

Lineup:
Sami Alho: Vocals
Vesa Yli-Maenpaa: Guitar
Pasi Koivumaki: Drums
Marko Haapamaki: Guitar
Sami Hamalainen: Bass
Timo Alho: Keyboards

Track Listing:
1. Shadows of a Man
2. Moonlight Ride
3. Pale Sister of Light
4. Heroes Don’t Cry
5. Radiant Light
6. Cry of an Eagle
7. Easy Days
8. Strangers
9. Until the Night
10. Far Away from Heaven
11. Preacher Man

Online: Official Site

Hardrock Haven Rating: 9/10