Magic Kingdom ‘MetAlmighty’
Album Review By Adam McCann
AFM Records/Power Metal
Magic Kingdom have never been a band to run so relentlessly on the hamster wheel of releases. In their 21-year career, the band have only mustered up five albums, but with this band, it is about quality over quantity. But still, who would have thought it was 2015 when Magic Kingdom released ‘Savage Requiem’? Thankfully, the back end of 2019 has the Belgian band release their latest and fifth album ‘MetAlmighty’.
Granted, ‘Savage Requiem’ was a little lacklustre, but during their absence, Magic Kingdom have changed vocalists from Christian Palin to the former Yngwie Malmsteen and Loudness man Michael Vescera and this has given the band a huge boost of form. Although the band are still rooted in the power metal that made them famous, Magic Kingdom have upped the Neo-Classical edge and it works exceptionally well; tracks such as ‘Wizards and Witches’, ‘King Without A Crown’ and ‘Fear My Fury’ drive forward with all the gusto of Malmsteen in his prime, whilst the band nod to their past with tracks like ‘In the Den of the Mountain Trolls’ with its dancing power metal rhythms that wouldn’t be out of place on any folk/metal album as guitarist Dushan Petrossi shows just how good he is as a musician; not only penning face-melting guitar parts, but also orchestrating and scoring some memorable backing sections.
However, ‘MetAlmighty’ is just that tad bit too long, there is some of this album that could quite happily be shaved off and not missed. Yet, what gets this album over the line with a rather colossal jump is its sheer amount of cheese as ‘MetAlmighty’ is almost impossible to not enjoy without a smile. The addition of Vescera has opened up a new chapter in the story of this band and long may it reign.
Rating : 77/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
