Signum Regis
The Seal of a New World

Slovakian Signum Regis is a solid band, at least based on the albums by them that I have reviewed. Their Chapter IV was given a rating of five which is really good, so what about this new one? It is an album that introduces us to the new singer Jota Fortinho and it is called The Seal of a New World. The artwork is probably not the most impressive that I have ever seen, but it is really well made and if you like it is probably just a matter of taste – I don’t think it really reflects the title.

This new album is similar to the ones I have heard by the band earlier, nothing that breaks from the path they are currently standing on. I say standing before they feel a tad stagnant in their very melodic power metal that shows distinct choruses and some elements borrowed from the progressive genre. The new vocalist is excellent, fits perfectly into the soundscape of the band and this album. The production is equally excellent and on the surface this album certainly shows some greatness. But the album is long and doesn’t offer much variation which is something quite detrimental to the overall impression. That it is craftsmanship rather than artistry is another slightly negative side of The Seal of a New World.

It is an album that lacks the novelty all great albums demonstrate when they are released.  It is a well-crafted album of background noise and not nearly as good as when I last reviewed this band despite the singer being excellent. The album lacks a distinctive standout track, something to grab my attention and keep me listening. I find that I am zoning out this album fairly quickly and before I know it I am not really listening to the album anymore, it just happens in the background. It takes a fair bit of effort to really focus on this album and in the end I cannot really say that I am impressed by anything other than the craftsmanship but there are too many musicians that are good craftsmen and too few that are good artists.

Fans of Signum Regis will probably find this album a lot more interesting than I did, they will most likely enjoy the album thoroughly and there is a chance that fans of the melodic power metal will do the same. But I doubt that it will be an album that makes much of an impact in the grander scheme of things, it will probably be forgotten long before 2019 turns into 2020. It is another solid effort but not good enough to make a lasting impression.

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