Destination's Calling - End of time 4/5
Reviewed: 8-1-12
Tracklist:
1. Feel the rain
2. Soulbound
3. Revolution in mind
4. The broken hourglass
5. Dreams died on the road
6. Another day
7. End of time
8. Burning paradise
9. Dark poem
10. Walking on thin ice
11. The way back home
|
Back in 2007 Destination's Calling came out of nowhere with their fantastic debut 'Invisible walls', which really surprised me with its high quality and many memorable songs. 5 years later, I'm still spinning that CD regularly and have been greatly anticipating this 2nd CD 'End of time'. Now that it's here, I'm pleased to say that the band is instantly recognizable; Christian Grater is back with his clear voice (supported by backing vocals), the lead guitar work and many guitar solos are once again spectacular, their keyless approach is still present, and the melodies remain well written too.
There are some minor changes however. For starters, while their base style is still melodic power metal comparable to Excalion, Burning Point, Black Majesty, Inner Wish, Ghost Machinery, Crimsonfire, Headstone Epitaph, Dawn of Silence and Destynation, there's less speed on this CD and the comparisons to early Sonata Arctica and early Twilightning are pretty much gone. Instead, the CD leans towards mid-paced progressive power metal, a lot like Vanishing Point, and other comparisons would be Red Circuit, Winterborn, Platitude, Cloudscape, Everfest, Veloce Hystoria and maybe even Eyefear. There's still some speed though, most notably with track 2 "Soulbound", which has an awesome upbeat tempo.
One of the things I like the most about the debut is the choruses, and they're just as great on this CD as well. The band simply knows how to create memorable songs, both with the vocals/choruses and the crafty guitar work. Songwriting is crucial these days, and this band is up there with the best bands. The CD is consistently at a high level too, with not even one song being below what I'd expect from this band. My favorite songs are the previously mentioned track 2 "Soulbound" and the bouncy track 7 "End of time", though the CD is excellent from start to finish.
For me personally, I like this CD a lot and it has lived up to my expectations, but I don't like it quite as much the debut. Firstly, I wish there was a bit more speed, simply put. Also, there are 3 ballads on this CD (track 4 "The broken hourglass", track 6 "Another day" and track 9 "Dark poem"), and while they're all well done, they're not quite as special as the one ballad ("Disconnected") from the debut, and 3 ballads is a lot on just one CD. Finally, my favorite song from the band thus far probably remains "Invisible walls" from the debut, though there are some songs on this CD that come close to matching its quality. In the end, this is a 2nd CD that's easily recommended to fans of the debut, and actually, those who felt there was a little too much speed on the debut might like this CD more. So if you have the debut, pick this up right away, and if you hadn't heard of this band, surely check out both of their CDs as soon as possible.
CLINT
MORE REVIEWS... FULL REVIEWS
MORE REVIEWS BY CLINT... CLINT
MAIN -
A -
B -
C -
D -
E -
F -
G -
H -
I -
J -
K -
L -
M -
N -
O -
P -
Q -
R -
S -
T -
U -
V -
W -
X -
Y -
Z -
MISC
Email: metalcdratings@yahoo.com
