Fairyland – Osyrhianta

FAIRYLAND
Osyrhianta
Massacre Records
May 22, 2020
57:08

In the first decade of the third millennium, Fairyland released three concept albums. A different singer could be heard on each of the three albums. Before that, they had been traveling under different names such as “Fantasy” or “Fantasia” since 1997. The only signs of life from this period are two demo CDs (1999, 2000). (Source: Encyclopaedia Metallum). And again with other singers. The only constant was probably the inconsistency of the lineup. Although the band had apparently never broken up, there was no further album release in the following years. On Wikipedia you can only find one band member for this period 2009-2015, the keyboardist Philippe Giordana. Until now. New label. And hardly surprising, even with a new singer. In addition, the former guitarist Willdric Lievin has returned, on bass. As with many films, “Osyrhianta” is a prequel to the previous trilogy. The story is about the creation of Osyrhia, the lands and the inhabitants. In the film, prequels are often not as good as the earlier films. Let’s see what it looks like with a musical prequel.

Spoken Words in the intro “The Age Of Birth”. Are nothing new. But I have rarely heard such accented and heroic sounds. There are also orchestras and epic choruses. Somehow a balance between intro and regular (narrative) song. It continues epically. A lot of orchestras and choirs can also be heard on “Across The Snow”. Sounds more like action-packed film music. Fits well, is also phantasy, but not a film, but an album. New singer Francesco Cavalieri puts his stamp on the sound. Clear baritone, occasionally with a slight grating voice. Even double bass attacks on “The Hidden Kingdom Of Eloran” do not change the clear soundtrack orientation. Fairyland did not want to do without female vocals. In “Eleandra”, founding member Elisa C Martin (Hamka, ex-Dark Moor) can be heard in a duet with Francesco Cavalieri. The folkloric sounding final song “The Age Of Light” has two, Flora Spinelli (Kerion) and Victoria Cohen. In addition to the many high-speed songs, there are also one or the other resting point. In the epic power ballad “Alone We Stand”, speed is clearly reduced. The optical implementation was also considered. At “Heralds Of The Green Lands” you can see the guest appearance of Camille “Cydorrh” Dominique (Adaryn) on the violin. And with “Hubris Et Orbis” fans have the chance to learn the text for future live presentations. “Mount Mirenor” is another ballad on the album. Here, the aforementioned Camille Dominique alternately plays the flute and violin. Shortly before the end of the album, the French packed the monumental epic “Of Hope And Despair in Osyrhia”. With a playing time of more than twelve minutes. an extremely multifaceted and varied work – Progressive Cinematic Metal.

I listened briefly to the band’s early works. “Osyrhianta” is the logical continuation of their work at the time. Even through the long break, the musicians have lost nothing in creativity and joy. There are many symphonic metal bands that regularly publish albums. For me, Fairyland is definitely one of the better representatives of this genre. Hopefully, the staff carousel will not turn again. Then you can certainly expect the fifth album in the foreseeable future. And without having to lean far out of the window, I say this will again be a concept album.

Tracklist

1. The Age Of Birth
2. Across The Snow
3. The Hidden Kingdom Of Eloran
4. Eleandra
5. Heralds Of The Green Lands
6. Alone We Stand
7. Hubris Et Orbis
8. Mount Mirenor
9. Of Hope And Despair in Osyrhia
10. The Age Of Light

Lineup

Francesco Cavalieri – Vocals
Willdric Lievin – Bass
Sylvain Cohen – Gitarren
Philippe Giordana – Keyboard
JB Pol – Drums