Avalon - Eurasia

Year of Release: 2000
Label: Omega Records
Catalog Number: OM 000901
Format: CD
Total Time: 51:43:00

Avalon has always been a band on the verge of writing that one disc that would put them in the spotlight, and make people stand up and take notice of what they were all about. Until now, Avalon was a German melodic metal band that didn?t separate themselves from the rest of the pack - until they added singer Chity Somapala to the lineup for their previous disc Vision Eden, and Avalon started to gain momentum soon after. With the release of Eurasia, it?s apparent that Avalon has found that certain ingredient that they needed to release that great disc that will keep the fuel alive and burn up some ears.

While previous versions of Avalon have consisted mainly of well written melodic metal music that stood beside other bands of the same style like Ivory Tower, GB Arts, Voice, and other known German metal bands, Eurasia has taken a serious turn for the better and the music has found itself in the midst of Asian influenced progressive / melodic metal ala Angra meets Elegy. The subject matter and some of the music pays much homage to Angra?s Holy Land, but the disc is much more than a copy cat version of that disc. Avalon has taken that Asian influence that made Holy Land shine, injected it with the guitar crunch of Elegy, and coated it with the melodic metal base that signified the style of Avalon.

It helps that Chity Somapala sounds eerily close to Scorpions singer Klaus Meine, which is actually a compliment and a great way to lead this music into success. Chity also had a hand in creating the vocal melodies this time out, helping to round out the songwriting process. The disc has a brilliant and crisp sound, thanks to the ever present skills of Sascha Paeth, who has given Avalon new life in their sound. With 12 songs that are varied in every way possible, a cover of "Kyrie" [(Mr. Mister)] as a bonus track, and tons of progressive maneuvers at every turn, Avalon have finally paved their way to making a statement in the metal world. It?s great to see bands keeping at it until they finally write that one disc that makes it all worth while for them, and for Avalon, Eurasia is that disc. For melodic prog metal fans, Eurasia is the ticket to quality music that will satisfy most palettes for quite some time to come.

Tracklisting:
Aurora (2:11) / Burning Souls (4:31) / Temujin 'The Precious Warrior' (4:52) / Black Hole Wisdom (4:27) / Eternal Flame 'The Enlightened One' (7:23) / Save The Holy Land (4:29) / The Last Call (5:19) / Eurasia (3:07) / The Stranger (4:59) / The Painting (4:09) / Kyrie (bonus track) (3:29) / Semaruma... (inst) (2:47)

Musicians:
Chitral Somapala - vocals
Sebastian Eder - guitars
Petra Delorian - bass
Jens Kuckelkorn - keyboards
Jacques Voutay - drums

Discography:
Why Now (1995)
Mystic Places (1998)
Vision Eden (1998)
Eurasia (2000)

Genre: Progressive/Power Metal

Origin DE

Added: October 31st 2000
Reviewer: Larry "LarryD" Daglieri

Artist website: www.omegarecords.de/avalon
Hits: 3286
Language: english