Twilight Force's 'At the Heart of Wintervale' - Album Review

Whilst I never went off power and symphonic metal, it certainly has taken something of a back seat in recent years when it comes to my listening habits. The more bombastic and melodic side of metal was extremely important during my teenage years, but as my tastes expanded I have often gone long periods of time without getting my old power and symphonic metal CDs down from the shelves. This has not been the case of late, though, as over the last few months I have been listening to a lot more of that kind of music again. This has largely been driven by concerts, as I have seen Freedom Call, Nightwish, Epica, and Tarja all in the space of a few months, and going to the shows has certainly put me in the mood to listen to a lot more power and symphonic metal again. It seems, too, that I picked a good time to start revisiting the genres in a big way - as the early months of 2023 are packed with new melodic metal releases. Already released this year are new albums by Xandria and Delain, who will be covered here in due course, and it is not too long before Kamelot and Ad Infinitum also release their latest efforts. There is a lot on the horizon for fans of power and symphonic metal, then, and the first of my no doubt many reviews of melodic metal releases this year looks at the fourth release from the Swedish symphonic metal act Twilight Force. The band were formed back in 2011 and last released an album in 2019 - when they released the strong Dawn of the Dragonstar (which I reviewed here). Dawn of Dragonstar followed the rather naïve Tales of Ancient Prophecies from 2014 and the everything-including-the-kitchen-sink madness of Heroes of Mighty Magic (which I reviewed here) from 2016 - with the band's third album feeling like the culmination of what came before. Tales of Ancient Prophecies sounded like a symphonic metal band starting out, with a sound akin to a glorified demo and some awful spoken word sections, whilst Heroes of Mighty Magic saw the band somewhat realising their potential with a major label behind them - but perhaps without also knowing when less is more. Dawn of the Dragonstar was another step up from Heroes of Mighty Magic, with some of the eccentricities of the band's want, Rhapsody-esque, to tell a convoluted fantasy story through their music toned down a little. It was less weighed down by good intentions than Heroes of Mighty Magic, and the songs shone brighter as a result. Four years later, then, and Twilight Force are back with their fourth album At the Heart of Wintervale and also with a new drummer in Isak Olsson (who, like previous drummer Daniel Sjögren, is know as De'Azsh for story reasons). In many ways, At the Heart of Wintervale continues on the band's current run of somewhat toning things down. The album is still fast, bombastic, and packed with the band's trademark high-octane symphonic metal - but at a svelte 45 minutes it really flies by. There is no time for the band to over-indulge in such a time limit, so At the Heart of Wintervale is probably Twilight Force at their most concise - which is certainly no bad thing.

All of the songwriting and production improvements that were present on Dawn of the Dragonstar return here. It is as if the the band have really cemented their core sound now, and they kick the album off with a self-titled song as if to acknowledge this. Twilight Force, then, is typical of what is present throughout the rest of the album. It does not stand on ceremony, and the band's high-octane, neo-classical power metal is established from the off with De'Azsh introducing himself via some fast-paced double bass drumming and the shredded, yet musical, guitar leads of Lynd. Based on how the song opens, this speed sets the tone for the rest of the song. The pace never really lets up, with even the more spacious verses moving along at a fair lick, whilst the chorus returns to the Rhapsody-meets-Yngwie Malmsteen of the song's opening - building on it with the soaring vocals of Allyon and the busy strings of keyboardist Blackwald. Despite the pace, the vocal hooks really sink in. There are lots of strong vocal hooks throughout the album, but Twilight Force has one of the most immediate choruses here. Allyon dominates, but the choral approach adds depth - as the multiple voices perfectly weave with the strings and layers of synths to create a sound befitting of the band's epic tales. An impressive, neo-classical guitar solo allows Lynd a chance to shine - and anyone who was under the wrong impression of the band's technical prowess would be put right by his flashy leads. This vibe continues on throughout the album's title track, another explosive slab of over the top power metal which takes more of a symphonic approach. Blackwald's keyboards are more prominent here, leading the charge from the off with a souped-up folky melody, whilst the guitars are generally a bit crunchier - with Lynd teaming up with fellow guitarist Aerendir to lay down some tougher rhythms. The folky synth hooks clash nicely with the guitar riffing to create a surprisingly heavy sound, which Allyon uses to take a somewhat grittier direction vocally - although he soon returns to his smoother, soaring approach for another hook-laden chorus. This song is perhaps not quite as fast as the album's opening cut, but there is still plenty of speed throughout - with Lynd delivering more fretboard pyrotechnics. Dragonborn, slows the pace down a little again - and goes for a more upbeat, jaunty approach overall. The guitars feel somewhat less crunchy this time, with Blackwald's keyboards instead truly dominating. The opening keyboard melodies are extremely hooky, though, and they build on the folky feel of the previous song to create something that is both whimsical and melodically technical. There is certainly a big Rhapsody feel here, particularly along the lines of songs like The Village of Dwarves, but perhaps somewhat less heavy overall. The rhythm guitars and Born's bass add depth, but this is not a song that goes all out for heaviness. De'Azsh's drumming is much more restrained, too, and the song instead feels more like a simpler sing-a-long piece instead of something more bombastic - with another big chorus and a more melodic, restrained guitar solo.

Despite the album's shorter runtime, there are still a couple of longer-form pieces here. Highlands of the Elder Dragon is the first of the longer tracks - but the overall formula that has been heard up to this point on the album is largely intact. The song does open slowly, though, with some gentle piano - which builds up, and it soon joined by the first bit of narration on the album. The quality of the narration has certainly improved significantly since the band's debut album, and is not used as egregiously as it was on Heroes of Mighty Magic, so it's inclusion actually feels fitting on this song. It is fairly brief, and it opens things nicely - with the rest of the band then crashing in with another fast-paced riff. The song generally moves along pretty quickly, at least early on. The verses are quite speedy, with flashy guitar rhythms and dancing synths, whilst the chorus slows things down somewhat to allow for a more epic approach to take hold. Twilight Force have developed both their fast and more epic sides nicely over the years, and Highlands of the Elder Dragon showcases both. The chorus here is one of the album's biggest moments, with Allyon delivering a strong vocal performance against a backdrop of slower guitar chords, voluminous strings, and plenty more action from the choir. It is filled with a lot of hooks, too, and it is another memorable moment - utilising both melody and grandeur to make its mark. The song sticks to this verse-chorus formula early on, but it does start to take some twists and turns later. A brief, piano-led instrumental section allows the pace to be slowed somewhat, before a different vocal passage introduces something new. Dramatic instrumental breaks often allow for the keyboards to really swell, but they all build towards another explosive Lynd solo - which is one of the album's most impressive. It is pretty lengthy, and it allows him to really get his teeth into some meaty melodies - before the song returns to more familiar ground, reprising the verse-chorus structure from earlier to bring things full circle, with a little more narration included, too. The final rendition of the chorus is the biggest of the lot - and it feels like something of a victory lap after the more dynamic mid-section. Skyknights of Aldaria then returns to the more concise arrangements of the album's opening cuts, and opts for a more guitar-heavy sound throughout. The guitars are always present during Twilight Force's songs, of course, but, like with many power and symphonic metal acts, sometimes they take more of a backseat to allow the keyboards, strings, etc., to really shine. Skyknights of Aldaria is heavier, then, and the riffing throughout is tougher - with some extreme metal influences on display despite all the bombast. The strings keep things feeling epic, but there are quite a few moments where De'Azsh indulges in laying down some blast beats - coaxing the guitarists to keep up, and upping the overall heaviness as a result. There are still plenty of hooks, although the chorus is perhaps not as hooky as those which have come before. This is a song which revels more in its riffing and bombast than in ensuring that every hook is 100% infectious - and I think that the approach adds to the album overall, and allows for some variety.

Following the brief, acoustic interlude A Familiar Memory, which mixes acoustic guitars with wind instruments and some simple percussion to create a pleasing folky distraction, the album then crashes into Sunlight Knight - which returns to hooky territory in a big way. The soaring approach of the album's opening handful of songs, particularly the title track and Dragonborn, is returned to here - and the piece very much feels like a showcase for the talents of Allyon. He established himself nicely on Dawn of the Dragonstar, his first album with the band, but here he seems to have truly cemented himself. Sunlight Knight is all about his talents - and the song is based around another huge chorus, with some of the verses allowing him to unleash some impressive, high-pitched screams. There are musical hooks, too, such as some great intertwining guitar/keyboard leads that provide counters to the vocals, but generally this is very much a song for a the singers. Lynd does lay down couple of screaming guitar solos, with a strange Caribbean-influenced reggae section between them, which impress as always - but on the whole this is a song that is built to showcase its chorus, and it is unsurprising the vocal hooks here are some of the most infectious on the album. The album then comes to a close with The Last Crystal Bearer, the second of the two longer pieces here. In some ways, the song is very impressive, but it is also my least favourite of the 'proper' songs here. Lots of the band's trademark sounds are present, and when they play to their strengths the song shines, but it does also get bogged down by the band's storytelling. The narration does get a little on the full on-side here, although in fairness it is still not as egregious as it was in the past. Blackwald does much of it, and also does some of the vocals, too, alongside Kristin Starkey - who is actually a strong addition to the track with her dramatic, pseudo-operatic delivery a great contrast to Allyon's usual approach (when he can get a word in) and Blackwald's strange, semi-spoken delivery. There is certainly a lot of drama throughout, as well as some great heavier sections which generally feature Starkey, but it does heavily rely on some of the narrative tropes that I am generally not a huge fan of. It certainly does not ruin the album, and there is enough actual 'song' woven around the spoken sections to still make it feel like I am actually listening to an album as opposed to an audiobook. I would have preferred the album's closing track to have included more of a focus on soaring musicianship though - and it is missing a defining Lynd solo. There are a few moments of explosive guitar, but the lack of a centrepiece guitar moment in the song is a shame and I would have loved some real high-octane power metal shredding to close things out - as well as to balance out the narration somewhat. Despite this, though, the album for me is still a winner. The band's indulgences will always be there, but musically Twilight Force have matured significantly over the years - and some of the heavier moments are probably the toughest they have sounded. There is a lot to love here for fans of power and symphonic metal - and the short runtime allows it to be a very digestible release, something which the genre is not generally known for.

The album was released on 20th January 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for At the Heart of Wintervale.