To be honest, if it wasn’t for this site and the fact that I’m getting promos, I would never have given a band like Secret Sphere the time of day. Why? Well, I’m not that big on Power Metal per se and if not a very good reason why is coming, there are so much other music out there to digest. That changed in 2016 when a promo of their live album One Night In Tokyo landed in my mailbox and a year later a studio album, The Nature Of Time, did the same. The album was ok, not my bag of crisps, but ok. That said, I still haven’t heard a single note of their other seven albums – eight if you count the re-recording of A Time Never Come. Now it’s time for yet another album and as always, I will do my best to dig into the album with an open mind.
The album starts out with “Shaping Reality”, a two minute instrumental intro that takes the shape of a classical piece, orchestrated and pompous with a bit of a rhythm to carry it. It comes across as a movie-score of sorts, atmospheric and grandiose and it brings us right into the leading single and title track of the album, a fast, heavy and intense metal-piece that blasts away with smattering drums and edgy guitars. A slightly held-back verse makes for a bit of a breather but the roaring Power Metal comes crashing in pretty much right away when the happy-go-lucky and sing-along-ish chorus steps in. It’s a melodic number and the label European Power Metal pretty much sums this song up. It’s ok but it’s really not my bag.
Second single “The End Of An Ego” keeps the uptempo Power Metal pace intact. It’s straight-forward, kicking and gives its best shot to keep the listener focused. A galloping rhythm, chugging guitars but big on melodic elements and memorable melodies all over with quite an infectious refrain makes it a bit more nuanced than the opener and also a better song even though it doesn’t go all the way for me. “Life Survivors” is a bit more held-back and not as invasive but a Metal track all the way through. Still heavy and punchy, the verses are a bit calmer and smoother – which is totally ok by me. The chorus speeds things up and even brings on a bit of symphonic and progressive vibe with a striking hook that makes it stick. A pretty good song and the best one so far.
Fast and heavy with some razor-sharp riffing, “Alive” comes along kicking and biting at full speed with a hard-edged and stone-hard rhythm section, furious and breathtakingly fast, leaving us no time to catch our breaths. Sure, it’s melodic enough but no matter how much I dig a scorching Metal belter, this isn’t varied or structured enough for me and it disappears fast from my mind. A plus, though, for the keyboard solo. The latest single is called “Against All The Odds” and it comes across as more Melodic Rock laden with a verse that holds some very poppy moments and leans towards AOR whereas the big chorus takes us down the 1988-1991 lane where bands like the Sammy Hagar fronted Van Halen meets up with Journey and Trixter for a couple of cold ones in the sun. With a slice of Pomp inserted and a plethora of catchy hooks, the song initially feels like a hit and to my ears, it’s easily the best song so far. Very good.
Going for a more Hard Rock laden vibe, “Thank You” also takes on a bombastic outlook with a pompous arrangement while it’s rhythmically kicking in an uptempo pace on a heavy note. Slightly prog-laden too – much because of the Dream Theater flavoured keyboards, the song takes on a nuanced structure as it’s not as speed-driven as many of the tunes. The hooky and direct chorus brings the song up yet another level – good one. “The Violent Ones” blends Metal, Prog, Pomp Rock and Melodic Rock – and it really works. It’s punchy, upbeat, hard and edgy and it’s a straight ahead and bouncy rocker. It’s energetic with lots of intensity and prominent melodies with a strong and effective chorus on top. I like this.
“Solitary Fight” is almost neo-classical and the wink towards Rising Force isn’t all that far away. It’s fast, heavy and Power Metal ridden where drummer Marco Lazzarini is on fire with double kick-drums going bananas. However, the tune – except for some of the chorus melodies – doesn’t stick at all. It’s a decent tune that fades fast. “Skywards” is a dramatic ballad with a musical-theatre touch, a slow-burner with a calming atmosphere and a gorgeous melody arrangement. Driven by acoustic and clean guitars and a dreamy ambience, the song comes close to power balladry with infectious melodies all over and some fine-tuned and dynamic female backing vocals for good measure. Very good indeed.
Secret Sphere closes the album with an epic, 8-minute monster-track called “The Lie We Love”. Here the band moves between laid-back moments, punchy and symphonic undertones and edgy Heavy Metal with some rowdy staccato guitar-riffage. The song goes into progressive territories where acoustic guitar parts brings on the dynamics. Big keyboards and rhythmic beats takes turns to shake us up and it also throws in both calmer passages and big melodies with catchy hooks and memorable melodies and the songs chorus is one of those that builds up slowly to finally etch itself hard to the brain. A damn good Progressive Metal number.
This album marks the return of singer Roberto Messina who was in the band from the start in 1997 but left in 2012 when Michele Luppi – who also plays keyboards in Whitesnake – took over. Style-wise, it’s close to its predecessor and it I really can’t say which album is the better one. Personally, I’m not too big on the Power Metal that Secret Sphere brings out and therefore most songs leaves me cold even though I don’t think this is bad per se. The album is saved by the progressive and Hard Rock/Melodic Rock songs because, well they’re more to my taste. These guys are obviously very good at what they do and for fans of Power Metal, this album might be an hour of sheer love. To me, it’s a decent record that I probably won’t wear out in the nearest future.
5/10
More Secret Sphere reviews:
Tracklist:
1. Shaping Reality
2. Lifeblood
3. The End Of An Ego
4. Life Survivors
5. Alive
6. Against All The Odds
7. Thank You
8. The Violent Ones
9. Solitary Fight
10. Skywards
11. The Lie We Love
CD & Festival reviews 