Rexoria
Imperial Dawn

Time flies, it is already more than three years since Rexoria released their latest album Ice Breaker, it feels like it was more recently. Perhaps that speaks to its quality. The new effort Imperial Dawn is marketed by new promotor Sound Pollution as more diverse and powerful than the previous efforts, more diversity is rarely a bad thing, more power can be hit or miss, but it sounds exciting. But then we have a cover that I wouldn’t describe as exciting or even as anything I really would like to have in my record shelf – but then again, I don’t need to like the visuals to like the album. And as I liked the previous one I had some hopes for this one as well, so what about it?

I immediately note that they have more power and energy in the opening track, and later in the album as a whole. There are some issues with that, they go in a slightly more mainstream direction, and they weren’t exactly standing way out before – so they run a risk of drowning. But the songs have energy and catchiness, and the challenge singer Frida a lot more than the previous album. That is something I like because female vocalists aren’t challenged enough in the metal genre, so it is brave and great that Rexoria dares to do that. And Frida is probably the highlight of the album, along with some really sweet keyboards that adds a bit more personality to the songs. It is a strong and powerful production that showcases a more mature and confident band than the previous two, a bit less personal perhaps but with a sensible playing time there is little risk anyone will dislike.

Once again we have a very appealing album from Rexoria, with good and catchy songs they make you want to sing along, and perhaps even dance along with it. Imperial Dawn contains ten very strong tracks where the greatest might be the opener Paradigm and Light Up the Sky, but they are well challenged on this album. They could have tried to distance themselves somewhat from the mainstream power metal, but if you make songs this good it matters a whole lot less, and this album is really enjoyable. I think this one was worth waiting for, the band showcases a strong progression from the earlier albums, but I hope they don’t move more towards the mainstream for the next album as that would be a bit dull, but whatever the future holds for Rexoria they have given us an excellent third album to enjoy for years to come.

If you like power metal, or heavy music in general this is an album you shouldn’t miss as it presses all the right buttons, and it does it in a greater way than most. It is more than worth checking out with its ten enjoyable songs that you can listen to many times over. So, what are you waiting for? The album was released yesterday so there is no excuse for not listening to it now.ß

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