Wizard
Fallen Kings

Solid German power/heavy metallers Wizard return with their eleventh album in a career stretching over more than 25 years. Fallen Kings is what they call this new album that is themed similarly to their earlier works. And that is the thing “true heavy metal” as the label states usually means boring from a creative standpoint and it is hardly a band that opens up any new avenues in the power metal genre, have you heard them before you will know what to expect now.

Fallen Kings is powerful heavy/power metal with warrior/fantasy themes, strong and raw sound and a rough edged production – almost more akin towards the American power metal than the European. It is a long album with a playing time nearing the hour; the songs have the usual variation for both Wizard and the common power metal. It is safe to say that this is an album that isn’t about to surprise anyone; it delivers more or less exactly what was expected beforehand. It is a solid effort, plain and simple.

I would however state that this album could have been a little bit shorter, they could have skipped a few tracks to make the album feel a bit more dynamic and dramatic. It feels a bit on the long side to me. Fans of Wizard and fans of classic power metal should like this album, it has some strong songs to offer the listener and those into this kind of music will find it comforting and familiar. I think it is rather enjoyable, and good – but perhaps solid is a better word for it, solid and familiar.

So it may be creatively a bit tired, a bit devoid of imagination but it is good and Wizard proves that they are a solid and strong band. Their fans will like this, fans of power metal will like this – but I don’t think it is an album with that much lasting power and I fear it will be forgotten quite soon. Nevertheless, it is an album that you should have a closer look at if you like what Wizard have done before or if you like this kind of music.

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