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This latest release by Skylark represents Part 3 and the end of the
trilogy started with Divine Gates Part 1 (Gate Of Hell), continued with
Divine Gates Part 2 (Gate Of Heaven) and now completed with The Princess'
Day. I have to say that this is one of the best CD covers I have ever seen!!!!(nudge,
nudge, wink, wink.....say no more!!!). The artwork on their last 3 releases
has been stunning but this one's the best!!. Skylark is an Italian symphonic
power metal band lead by keyboardist Eddy Antonini and not surprisingly, keyboards
play a dominant role in this band. Another striking feature is the speed of
their music. They play some of the fastest symphonic power metal there is. They
sound a lot like Rhapsody but it must be made clear that these guys were
really the first truly symphonic power metal band and were releasing material
years before Rhapsody. The music is more epic and more symphonic than
Rhapsody and also a lot faster!!. It is mostly keyboard driven but with
great guitar hooks and awesome double-bass drumming. The use of female vocals
and the heavy usage of synthesizer and even harpsichord on some tracks adds
to the overall epic sound to this album. The sound really reminds me of a Sonata
Arctica type of sound with very similar vocal styles. The title track The
Princess' Day is a decent song with great lyrics and a solid chorus. I can
hear the potential for a great song there but somehow the vocals just aren't
strong enough. The vocal delivery needs a little more power and range and could
really benefit from some backing vocals. I Will Cry Tonight is another
good track with a solid catchy chorus, very speedy double-bass drumming and
great lead guitar shredding. A few tracks are more guitar driven than others
such as Symbol Of Freedom, but mostly they are pretty much part of the
overall rhythm with the drums.White Warrior is a great extremely fast
track and features some of the fastest drumming that I've ever heard. It also
features a cool piano interlude in the middle of the track (many tracks have
these type of keyboard passages mid-song)
This is a decent album and I think is better than Divine Gates Part 2 -
Gate Of Heaven but not as good as Part 1 - Gate Of Hell, which seems
to be a fan favourite as well. I like the sound of this band but it seems they
still need a little more work in the vocals and songwriting aspects of their
music. I love the killer speed to some of their music and they are a very technically
talented and very tight band. I hope that one day it will all come together
for them as I think they have the potential to be one of the best symphonic/speed/power
metal bands there is.
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