Eternity's End - Embers of War (2021)Release ID: 32838
Shredding Through Space & Time
The more I try to keep up with modern Power Metal, the more it feels like a strange, singular conglomerate of artists jumping from band to band and releasing moderately decent albums that fail to make any sort of massive impact on me past a few listens. Trying to trace a Power Metal guitarist through their past gigs is like looking up any semi-popular voice actor; you’re never really sure what you’re going to find and it normally goes much, much deeper than you ever expected. Underneath the surface of most bands are threads that I say, jokingly, always lead to either Avantasia or Rhapsody, which holds truer than I’d like to think. Eternity’s End’s glowing red thread is much more interesting though, as it follows guitarist Christian Muenzner on a journey from the depths of Death Metal to spatial orbit of relentlessly over the top Power Metal. When I checked out Path of the Hero, one of Muenzner’s solo albums from 2020, I had no idea Eternity’s End even existed. I also checked out Necrophagist’s Epitaph from a recommendation with zero clue that Muenzner was the lead guitarist and one of the main songwriters, which honestly makes a lot of sense now given how complex and lengthy the solos in that album were. Now that I’ve caught up to Eternity’s End, Muenzner’s wild career hasn’t slowed down all that much as he and the talented musicians from the likes of Necrophagist and Obscura deliver a ferociously exciting and standout Power Metal album.
The musicianship within Embers of War is impressive to say the least, with each song being a high-octane joyride consisting of fast riffing, ripping solo sections, and tons of embellishments from Muenzner that play around the overall simple riff structure on many of the tracks. That riff structure consists of multiple influences from classic German Power Metal bands ranging from Iron Savior, Helloween, and especially Running Wild with tracks like “Hounds of Tindalos” having a replica of a standard 16th note riff from the original Power Metal pirates. Thanks to all of the extra guitar licks between the main riff and rhythms that push the complexity of the Power Metal formula just a bit, Embers of War shows that a bit of virtuosity can go a long way if it’s utilized in a way that strengthens the overall songwriting. Muenzner, second guitarist Justin Hombach, and bassist Linus Klausenitzer don’t shy away from flexing though, since the Neoclassical Metal tinged “Call of the Valkyries” and the more standard “Arcturus Prime” have extended solo sections that let each of these members go absolutely wild. Klausenitzer lays down some especially fast bass solos, the likes I haven’t heard since “The Dance Of Eternity” from Metropolis Pt. 2, which is a treat considering how focused Eternity's End are on their lead guitars.
For as energetic as Embers of War is, the guitar work absolutely carries the more awkward and dull sections in deeper cuts like “Bane of the Black Sword” and “Shaded Heart”, both of which are pretty forgettable compared to the rest of the album. The synth melodies in “Shaded Heart” and the virtuosic solo guitarist sweep picking in “Bane of the Black Sword” try and somewhat fail to add some spice to these weaker tracks, but they still fit into the album’s progression rather nicely. The drumming is mechanically impressive and extremely tight, but the fills constant blast of the double bass pedal feels a bit safe considering how hard the guitar and bass are working. It doesn’t help that the bass pedal overpowers the bass guitar a bit in the mix outside of the times when it pops to the front during a solo or a transition, making certain parts feel muddled overall. The vocals fit well with the theme of the album though, being reminiscent of the highly pitched strains of early Power Metal bands like Helloween, but they definitely lose their punch the higher they go in tracks like “Call of the Valkyries”. The vocal passages, lyrics, and choruses are still distinctly catchy and well written, though.
Despite the nitpicky shortcomings, Embers of War was an incredible surprise this year with it being the first Power Metal album to legitimately wow me in a very long time. The riffs, solos, and overall energy throughout all the tracks is absolutely killer and it’s extremely consistent, even with its 9-minute closer. Muenzner and his all-star gang shows that there’s still a place for neoclassical shredding outside of solo albums and makes it palatable through combining well chosen Power Metal influences with straight up skill. It’s great to hear groups still pushing mechanical skill boundaries while still writing fantastic songs, since I feel like I’ve grown numb to what’s actually impressive after years of listening to these sorts of albums.
