┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Grimgotts - Lions Of The Sea + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Rls Date..2020-04-02 Encoder......LAME 3.100 ║ │ │║ Genre.....Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year......2017 Khz/Bitrate..44.1 / VBR kbps ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper....Anthem Songs........10 ║ │ │║ Source....CD Covers.......Yes ║ │ │║ Url.. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Grimgotts ║ │ │║ Album : Lions Of The Sea ║ │ │║ Label : Stormspell ║ │ │║ Cat.No : SSR-DL-225 ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Rhapsody (of Fire) and Pagan Altar have both been called ║ │ │║ ôwizard metalö by some because of the lyrical themes and ║ │ │║ vocalists. Grimgotts actually IS wizard metal though since ║ │ │║ their brand of metal is at least partly based on Harry ║ │ │║ Potter. Musically, Grimgotts are a symphonic power metal ║ │ │║ band and appropriately, they are based out of London. Wrock ║ │ │║ or Wizard Rock has been around for a long time but this ║ │ │║ marks the first attempt at bringing the tales to life in ║ │ │║ metal form. Earlier this year, Grimgotts released a great ║ │ │║ EP called Part Man, Part Beast, Part Dragon, their third EP ║ │ │║ overall. Now they have come roaring back with their first ║ │ │║ full-length album, Lions of the Sea, released both ║ │ │║ independently and through Stormspell Records. So what do ║ │ │║ Grimgotts have to offer this time around? ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ This album seems to mark a change in GrimgottsÆ approach to ║ │ │║ symphonic power metal. The previous EPs were based very ║ │ │║ much in fantasy with Harry Potter references slipped in for ║ │ │║ good measure. As the album title suggests though, Lions of ║ │ │║ the Sea takes the fantasy from the realm of magic to an ║ │ │║ adventure on the high seas. This album is named for a ║ │ │║ Running Wild song so it seems natural that the music would ║ │ │║ take plenty of cues from that sound. It is an odd change to ║ │ │║ make on a debut album but Grimgotts do their best to make ║ │ │║ it work for them. Their music has always felt like it is ║ │ │║ meant for a grand adventure and this is no different with ║ │ │║ keyboards that sound like they were composed by a band of ║ │ │║ misfit pirates. Much of the time, it actually sounds like a ║ │ │║ lonely pirate slowly playing his old-fashioned accordion, ║ │ │║ trying to get someoneÆs attention or because he has nothing ║ │ │║ better to do. Out of nowhere, the keyboards manage to sound ║ │ │║ rather like a pipe organ in some sections of ôJonah,ö ║ │ │║ adding some variety and making the song more interesting. ║ │ │║ ôCalm Before the Stormö features some classic cheesy ║ │ │║ keyboard lines that sound like someone broke out the keytar ║ │ │║ and went nuts on it. It is incredibly cheesy but oh so much ║ │ │║ fun. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ The riffs on this album are pretty solid and definitely the ║ │ │║ ╛ paced driving riffs you would expect to accompany a grand ║ │ │║ metal adventure on the high seas. They throw in a bunch of ║ │ │║ slightly slower, slightly heavier riffs for power and it ║ │ │║ usually works pretty well as on ôGolden Shores.ö However, ║ │ │║ as good as those songs are, the standout track on this ║ │ │║ album is clearly ôFind Your Way.ö The sheer catchiness and ║ │ │║ driving riffs of ôShanghaiö come close but ôFind Your Wayö ║ │ │║ turns the bombast up to 11 for a scorcher of a tune that ║ │ │║ rips from start to finish. This track strips away some of ║ │ │║ the ôyo ho hoö mentality and becomes an excellent Euro ║ │ │║ power track with great riffs, fun melodies a ton of awesome ║ │ │║ cheesy keys. You can tell it was written by Fabio because ║ │ │║ the keys are more prevalent but it is interesting that ║ │ │║ ôFind Your Wayö also contains some of DavidÆs best guitar ║ │ │║ work on the entire album. His riffs and melodies in the ║ │ │║ other tunes are really good too but they lack the ôin your ║ │ │║ faceö quotient that is a hallmark of many of the genreÆs ║ │ │║ best guitarists and bands. The various acoustic melodies he ║ │ │║ throws in are pretty neat, especially towards the end of ║ │ │║ ôThe Gallows.ö They are unique and add another element of ║ │ │║ intrigue. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Lord Fleshtomb Weeping WeasleyÆs drumming has some nice ║ │ │║ variety to it. His mid-paced beats often accent the ║ │ │║ seafaring adventure theme and they are often a lot of fun. ║ │ │║ He has a great feel for the march beat and he uses it quite ║ │ │║ often on this album and to great effect as it sounds like ║ │ │║ something is about to happen. The let-down comes when ║ │ │║ nothing significant happens though. He hardly uses any ║ │ │║ cymbals and that may detract from the overall sound but his ║ │ │║ fills are solid and he fits the bandÆs sound quite well. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Andy BartonÆs vocals are quite good as always. He seems to ║ │ │║ make greater use of the lower part of his register on this ║ │ │║ album compared to the first three EPs. Andy makes it work ║ │ │║ to his advantage though as the lower notes give his voice a ║ │ │║ bit more power. He still uses the higher part of his ║ │ │║ register on tracks like ôGolden Shoresö and he even throws ║ │ │║ in some harsh vocals for good measure. Given the grand ║ │ │║ scale of GrimgottsÆ music, Andy might have been better ║ │ │║ suited to stick with more of the mid-range and high, using ║ │ │║ the lows for variety. Like the last EP, Nick Thurtell lends ║ │ │║ his voice to a number of tracks on this album. Normally, ║ │ │║ someone providing additional lead vocals would not warrant ║ │ │║ special mention but Grimgotts is not a normal band. Nick ║ │ │║ has a fantastic voice that fits GrimgottsÆ sound really ║ │ │║ well and the high part of his voice is incredibly well ║ │ │║ suited to power metal, as displayed on the title track. ║ │ │║ Andy is great by himself but he and Nick harmonize well and ║ │ │║ it gives those songs a little extra boost. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ All in all, Lions of the Sea is a very enjoyable album with ║ │ │║ plenty of catchy melodies to be seared in your memory and ║ │ │║ catchy choruses for singing along. In some ways, it is ║ │ │║ better than the last EP and in other ways, it falls a bit ║ │ │║ short of that mark. So really, Lions of the Sea is on the ║ │ │║ same level as Part Man, Part Beast, Part Dragon and both ║ │ │║ are definitely worth a few good listens. Perhaps a bit more ║ │ │║ wizardry will help vault Grimgotts to the next level on ║ │ │║ their next offering. We can only hope this is the case ║ │ │║ since they clearly have the talent to make it happen. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ - originally written for The Metal Observer ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 1. Lions Of The Sea 5:08 │ │ 2. Golden Shores 5:11 │ │ 3. Shanghai 4:08 │ │ 4. Morning Blues 4:11 │ │ 5. Find Your Way 4:39 │ │ 6. The Gallows 2:48 │ │ 7. Jonah 2:54 │ │ 8. Calm Before The Storm 5:06 │ │ 9. The Sad King 3:13 │ │ 10. The Bright Lights 4:15 │ │ │ │ │ │ Total Length : 00:41:33 │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘