Orion's Reign
Scores of War

Orion’s Reign has been around for a while now, but they haven’t released very many albums in their years. This one is their second and I am reviewing its rerelease, the original was released in 2018 and is now sold oud. As it is one of the most successful of label Pride & Joy they give it new life with bonus tracks that has a different singer in Wind Rose’s Franseco Cavalieri and he sings Slayer and Skyrim in Orion’s Reign’s Version. We are looking at an album that has earned the band some exposure in different channels, and could well be a catapult for success, although they probably need a new album soon if they want to achieve that. So, what can we say about this one?

It is a symphonic power metal album; it actually includes a complete symphony orchestra. The soundscapes are grand and epic, inspired by movie scores. I would say that the album is a bit theatrical with choirs, and a very bombastic sound. The production is pretty excellent, the vocalists are pretty average, and the variation is much less than you would want from such a long album – it is a bit of chore to get from beginning to end. It is good that the bonus tracks kind of break a bit from the rest of the album, and in general I am not so sure that they beat the more pioneering Italians who once introduced us to this epic fantasy metal.

In a way it is an adventure, but only in terms of moods and atmospheres as I soon discover that it is mostly surface and very little of substance. It is like those superhero movies that plagues the world these days, pointless content very elegantly packed. It is excellent as background music but not really something you listen to more carefully as the inoffensive character makes it work well in a general capacity but when you look closer it kind of falls apart. It is like those movies you watch when you feel like killing some time on something visually decent that doesn’t require too much thought. They have expended a lot of effort into making something that is pretty striking, I just wish that they had spent some of that time actually writing some exciting songs and not just dressing average songs in an epic shroud.

Fans of the symphonic power metal style will most likely enjoy this album; it should cater to what they like – if you are one of those fans you should have a look at this one. I have enjoyed this album for a while but grew tired with it pretty quickly and don’t really think that it will be one of those albums that really make a mark. Still, I can understand the appeal, the epic style is always tempting, and they do that part really well.

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