If musically you were brought up in the 90s and you hear the term “power metal” then clearly your mind will think except for Germany. And it is impressive that even in times, when traditional European power metal is not up, Germany continues to produce bands that have things to say, building on the legacy of Helloween, Gamma Ray, Iron Savior, Scanner etc…
One such band is Starchild, the brainchild of Sandro Giampietro (vocals/guitars – really, does anyone remember him from the distant 2004 and his album with Zillion?). “Magic Well” is hopefully their fourth complete work and the result is worthy of attention. First of all, Sandro’s voice is so good that it will remind you of Dickinson. And of course you will rightly say “what to do with the voice if you don’t have good songs…”. But come on, the album is full of very good songs and with a variety of rhythms and sounds! From the aggressive “War Isn’t Over Yet”, to the keyboard show “Castles In The Sky” and from there to the single from the album “Westernworld” or the melodic (and personal favorite) “Violent Violin”. And the sequel will come with the europower “At The End Of The Rainbow” and “The Dragon Rises Up Again”, the ballad “I’ve Lost A Friend”, the more experimental “The Golden Train” and “Cyber Punk” and the orthodox melodic power closing of “Later You’ll Know”.
Because talk is cheap , power metal is a genre that has suffered the last (several) years, but the older of us, have learned to love a lot. Records like Magic Well are rare nowadays. It is a well-hidden gem waiting to be discovered! Invest without fear!
Kυκλοφορία: 8 Δεκεμμβρίου 2023 – Metalopolis Records
Theodoros Christodoulopoulos
8/10
