Rising Faith -
Imagination

December 2000
Released: 2000, Independent
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: EvilG

Awwww yes....another traditional sounding METAL band, this time from Sweden. It's great to hear all these new bands that are staying true to what heavy metal is all about. This band is somewhat power metal-ish, but their influences are Accept, Dio, Sabbath and of course Iron Maiden. From this you can glean that this band is NOT trying to be another Helloween wanna be. No, there's nothing wrong with Helloween so don't start ragging on me.



For a band that was formed in 1999 and who's line-up was not finalized until April of this year this 5-song demo is pretty damn good. This CD was recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden at Los Angered studios where Andy La Roque (Kind Diamond, Death) did the mixing and mastering. The overall sound is not too bad but the double kicks sound a bit pitter patter like...c'mon Andy, you could of made them sound better then that dude!! The vocals are high-pitched and they unfortunately don't vary a lot as they are sung in the higher register almost all the time. Personally, I like it when it's a bit more varied. That's one thing that can hold back a certain song like the very cool opening track "Marching On" which could of been a lot better if the vocals were more wide-ranging. The title track (which is my favorite on here), "Imagination", kicks off with a very cool HammerFall-like riff...a melodic lead pattern over a fast riff and double kicks...you know the sound (or should). When the singing comes in it slows down slightly but is still cool. The vocals on this one are more interesting because it's not all "look at me singing all high and shit like Geoff Tate" haha. The other stand out track on this CD is "Where Sanity Grows." The opening riff is reminiscent of Maiden crossed with Accept. The drums in this one is a strong point for me as well. I'm not a drummer, so I won't go into details but the patterns sound well thought out and structured.



So there you have it, another traditional / melodic power metal band has cropped up. They must have some sort of farm over there in Sweden and Germany where these guys are grown and hatched once matured to unleash their musical talents upon the world. If you'd like to learn more about the band and sample some of their music drop by http://www.risingfaith.com and order their CD.