ReinXeed Sweden

"Well aware that Reinxeed's music belongs to that branch of über cheesy Euro power metal that just does not sit well with me, I decided to give the latest album a change. After all, I was kind of positively surprised by "1912". However, this one is so cheesy that it definitely cannot be good for my cholesterol count. Still, there is something about it that I kind of like.

The main theme of the album is the cinema, and thus the songs are inspired by Hollywood box office breakers and blockbusters. For instance, 'Life Will Find a Way' seems to be about the dinosaurs of the Jurassic Park series, while 'Follow Me' is full of references to The Force and other things Star Wars. 'Save Us' is about the X-Men, and - not surprisingly - 'Stranger Tides' is inspired by 'Pirates of the Caribbean', and 'Somewhere in Time' is not an Iron Maiden cover song, but a song about Marty McFly and Doc Brown's adventures in their time-traveling DeLorean. 'Freedom', I presume, is inspired by the Braveheart movie, and 'No Fate' deals with the age-old theme of man versus machine (I am not sure exactly which movies it refers to, but references to Judgment Day would seem to indicate that it might be the Terminator series). 'Temple of the Crystal Skulls'... well, Indiana Jones fans will figure this one out. 'Welcome to the Theare' offers a potpourri of references to various Hollywood classics.

With such a main theme, the music can only be epic and cinematic. Rather than using a real orchestra, this effect is achieved through midi- and synth effects. Unfortunately, this ends up sounding artificial and, along with Tommy Reinxeed's voice and vocal melodies, a major generator of cheese. Musically, we are dealing with almost stereotypical Euro power metal with pounding bass drums, big epic choruses, and an overall larger-than-life air. Overall, this is kind of a turn-off for me.

Or it should be, because there are a couple of songs that really blew me away on this release. I really like the over-the-top epic swashbuckler 'Stranger Tides', which, in my book, counts as a proper pirate metal song. 'Somewhere in Time' - mega epic as it is - also features a lot of good stuff and manages to actually evoke the atmosphere of the movies. I also like the heavier 'No Fate' which is based on a chucking and galloping riff, and, despite a level of cheesiness that rivals the infamous Five Cheese Pizza, I actually like 'Temple of the Crystal Skulls'. Also, there are plenty of good things in most of the songs on the album, such as the uplifting Euro power metal energy - which really works, when it works, and here it works - and Tommy Reinxeed's sublime guitar solos.

So, even for me who does not normally like cheesy power metal, this album has something to offer. It's too much cheese and too little pepperoni for me in one go, but I can definitely enjoy this album a slice at the time.

In all "Welcome to the Theatre" is an extremely cheesy power metal release (and deliberately so, I think), whose epic air almost matches that of the movies which it is inspired by. If you do not like Euro power power metal, you will absolutely hate this release, but fans of Euro power metal and symphonic metal should absolutely adore this release.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"

"I have always liked the idea of doing metal cover versions of pop songs, so projects like this always pique my interest, but I must say that I was a bit disappointed with this release, and I think that part of my problem is that I am not the biggest fan of cheesy Euro power metal, which is of course the base sound of the ReinXeed guys behind "Swedish Hitz Goes Metal". I mean, to me, it is more like Swedish Hitz Goes Cheese, and this release has made many of the pop tracks sound even more cheesy than in the original version. I do like the versions of "Mama Mia" and "Money Money Money" because they already have a big and cheesy sound that lends itself well to Euro power metal - the cover versions of "Super Trouper" and "The Winner Takes it All" more than what my cheese tolerance can take though. And the uptempo version of Roxette's "The Look" also works fairly well, while the cover of "Joyride" somehow ended up being more poppy than the original, which is already a rock song. I should mention that i actually quite like the original versions of these songs. Similarly, I quite like the original reggae-tinged version of the melancholic dance hit by Ace of Base "All that She Wants", and I have always found the idea of doing a metal version of this song interesting because it has potential for some massive heaviness (I seem to remember actually having heard a heavy version before which kicked ass), but the power metal cheese prevents the Swedish Hitz goes Metal version from ever reaching a satisfactory level of heaviness. The album is overall - despite the cheese overload - an enjoyable listen, and I can imagine that it is the perfect soundtrack for a late summer party, but that owes just as much to the inherent hit nature and mass appeal of the original songs (I mean, it is not a coincidence that they became massive Swedish "hitz") as to the power metal reworking. Should you be a fan of cheesy Euro power metal and of legendary Swedish pop music, your life will definitely be enriched if you buy this album. (review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"

"While I was terribly disappointed with Golden Resurrection's shameless slob of über-cheesy Christian propagandist power metal in the form of "Man with a Mission", fellow countrymen and partners in cheese ReinXeed's "1912" proved to be a positive surprise to me. Sure, we are dealing with archetypical Euro power metal with all the cliches in place and not a lot of innovation, but the musicianship is impeccable, and there is a lot of energy and uplifting spirit to the album. It has all the things I like about Euro power metal, like the double bass drums, the epic and catchy choruses and the impressive guitar solos. But it also contains all the things I dislike about the genre, such as loads of sticky cheese and dominant keyboards - still, "1912" is less cheesy and more appealing to me than a lot of other Euro power metal I have heard. The lyrical subject matter deals with the Titanic disaster, which is not really something that a lot of metal bands have touched before, so, in that sense, there there are actually aspects of innovation on the album after all. The vocals fall right into the "fairy"-singer stereotype, but Tommy Johansson really has some impressive pipes and, boy, can he hit some high notes! A sort of moderate cheese-bomb, ReinXeed's "1912" is recommended to any fan of Euro power metal as it has all the attributes that define the genre. (review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"