VICTORIUS - Heart of the Phoenix
Euro power metal is definitely an invention of Germany and of course the fathers of this sound are HELLOWEEN. Since the first albums of HELLOWEEN this genre has expanded all around the world and has been enriched with a variety of influences. I am saying this because VICTORIUS are from Germany and they of course continue the HELLOWEEN legacy with their music, but they are also influenced by the power metal sound as it was crafted in other countries.
“Heart of the Phoenix” is the fourth studio album of the band and it finds them in a new label. The band as I mentioned above belongs to the euro power metal genre which means that it emphasizes on melodies which are those that characterize every song that is included here. The thing that makes them stand out from many other bands of this style is their dynamic and fast rhythm section that in a way carries on the legacy of bands like BLIND GUARDIAN and DRAGONFORCE (without the insane solos though). In their epic moments they also reminded me of HAMMERFALL. Finally there are even some moments that VICTORIUS are flirting with melodic and speed metal elements like in the song “Virus”. In a few words I can say that the power metal sound of the band balances between the German and the Swedish scene.
In this album VICTORIUS don’t intend to bring something new to the table of the European power metal sound. They actually want to play with passion the music they love and because of that they give us an album with good performances that sounds fresh and has variety. I am sure that the friends of this genre will love it and will find here another promising band for the melodic power metal sound.
Nick “Verkaim” Parastatidis