Icewind - Again Came the Storm (2010)

All the way from our neighbors up north (Canada), this weekend we got a very good promo pack containing Icewind’s latest release “Again Came the Storm”. Playing an excellent Power Metal with Symphonic elements, the band’s second full-length release will surely blow everybody away.

After reviewing all the great Power Metal albums of 2010, we are still very impressed by the quality of “Again Came the Storm” and it’s over 50 minutes of brilliantly crafted songs that will please even the most demanding fans of the genre. As we all know, this genre is very crowded with bands, but it’s quality bands like Icewind that make it prosper and continue to be one of the most impressive genres of metal.

Opening with “Signs of Temptation” the band instantly showcases their musical abilities with brilliant guitar work and majestic keyboards. Only a minute or so later, we get to hear Gab Langelier’s vocal assault creating very nice melodies to overlay on the already well elaborated music. Much like most traditional Power Metal songs, this song follows the same structure in having a ‘show-off’ section around the end of it, making this passage very lush and impressive with great guitar solos.

The band’s two guitarists are very good at crafting simple and catchy riffs, but the solo’s are what makes them stand out from your average run of the mill band.  In songs like “My Glorious Burden”, the opening section and build-up with the keyboard is very nicely elaborated and creates a very epic feeling, only to leave the floor open to Gab’s powerful vocals. Most of the songs take full advantage of the two guitars and keyboard approach to craft very catchy sections that will stick on your head for days.

While most songs are between 4 and 5 minutes long, the 7 minute epic “The Last March”, is probably our favorite song of the album. Opening like a power ballad, the song quickly explodes into a very well crafted emotional ride featuring a wide variety of tempos and sections that show the band’s musicianship to the max. A very similar approach was taken by the band for the closing song “Again Came the Storm”, making it our second favorite of this great album.

Overall, Icewind shows that they have what it takes to compete with the ‘big boys’ of the genre. The band’s music is very well crafted and their sound is very rich and diverse, we can only see good things for this band in the future. If you are a fan of Power Metal (and/or Symphonic Power Metal), you will definitely want to check out “Again Came the Storm”, you won’t regret it.

Release: November 15th, 2010

Country: Canada