Kaledon - Antillius: The King Of Light
Scarlet Records
Symphonic Power Metal
12 songs (65:00)
Release year: 2014
Kaledon, Scarlet Records
Reviewed by Joel
Kaledon, is an Italian metal band, who has put out their brand of Power Metal since 2001. Each disc is a chapter in a story, that takes place within the same universe. Antillius is the as the title says, The King Of The Light. Do you need to know the backstory to fully understand this tale? No, and speaking from personal experience, the last disc, the story of Altor the Blacksmith was the first disc I had heard from the band. So what can Kaledon offer in the form of epic power metal that tells a story? Is this disc another Rhapsody of Fire-lite? No, actually it is not quite as bombastic or over the top(which can be a good thing). What it is, is a solid power metal album that won't rewrite the genre, but will please those who enjoy this kind of metal.

The expected symphonic opening, like credits to a movie, it starts with In Aeternum, before it segues into the The Calm Before The Storm. A solid mid-paced song with a stop and go riff during the verses, and a double-time feeling through the chorus. A combination of synth and strings can be heard to accent the music above the guitars, and are well placed. After the dramatic intro, Friends Will Be Enemies speeds up into a faster power metal, with chugging power chords and layers of strings(chords) accented here and there. This would be a good time to talk about vocalist, Marco Palazzi, who definitely has an expected power metal voice. His range is pretty good, though his voice sits somewhere between the more rougher and more melodic. Elisabeth is a power metal ballad, that has a female singer(I apologize I don't know her name) during the chorus, and her voice is very good. The song is what you'd expect as a power ballad from a band like this. Does that make it boring? No, just a little predictable but well played by all musicians involved. I like the long legato runs during the guitar solo that leads into an equally cool keyboard/synth solo as well. More drama for the first few seconds of New Glory For The Kingdom, which has some creative stop and go riffing, which switches between being guitar riffs played in triplets(notes in a series of three) and open chords, before the song gets much faster. Some intricate guitar playing here and there, saves the riffing from being a monotonous or repetitive one. The keyboard intro for The Party, definitely has that kind of feel. A very steady mid-paced riff is heard through the song, and while the song is not necessarily dynamic, it is definitely a fun song which features my favorite solo(guitar/keys) on the entire disc.

The second half of the disc starts with The Evil Conquest, with some nice keyboard/string arpeggios to start it off, before the song becomes much heavier and faster. Light After Darkness and The Angry Vengeance are both faster songs, with chugging riffs and soaring melodic vocals. I personally like the latter, and it is one of my favorite songs on the disc. The chorus is also sung in Italian, which took me a few seconds to realize, I had no idea what he was saying! A slower to mid-paced song breaks up the previous mentioned faster songs with, My Will. While not a ballad, for the most part the songs has a slower galloping march that speeds up in some of the instrumental only sections. The Glorious Blessing starts off slow for the first minute, and shows Palazzi's range. The song quickly belongs another faster paced march. Some solid drumming(which is the norm throughout the whole disc) and a more majestic chorus can be heard during this song. At just under nine minutes is the final track, The Fallen King does what every good last song should do on a concept album. It takes everything that you heard before it, and puts it into one grandiose song.

So will this be everyone's first choice when it comes to Power Metal? Probably not! Though I do think Kaledon writes the music that make them happy first. A respectable thing, since everyone one of their discs have told a story for nearly the last fourteen years. There is an epic-ness to the music, without overdoing it. I am not saying some may find this cheesy, but if it is that, then this a damn good kind of cheesy. For me personally, this was a nice surprise to review. Check this out at your nearest online/store retailer that carries power metal.
Kaledon is:
Alex Mele - Guitars
Marco Palazzi - Vocals
Tommy Nemesio - Guitars
Paolo Campitelli - Keyboards
Paolo Lezziroli - Bass
Massimiliano Santori - Drums
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Killing Songs :
Friends Will Be Enemies, Elisabeth, New Glory For The Kingdom, The Evil Conquest, The Angry Vengeance, The Fallen King
Joel quoted 82 / 100
Other albums by Kaledon that we have reviewed:
Kaledon - Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 5 - A New Era Begins reviewed by Marty and quoted 78 / 100
Kaledon - Legend Of The Forgotten Reign - Chapter 4 - Twilight Of The Gods reviewed by Marty and quoted 84 / 100
Kaledon - Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 3 - The Way Of The Light reviewed by Marty and quoted 80 / 100
Kaledon - Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 2 - The King's Rescue reviewed by Marty and quoted 70 / 100
Kaledon - Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 1 - The Destruction reviewed by Marty and quoted 60 / 100
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