Order of Nine United States

"I know, I often gripe about the power metal genre and its tendency to be cheesy and kitschy. This does not mean that I dislike power metal as such, and whenever a really cool and interesting power metal band comes along (and, there ARE many of those), my day is pretty much saved.

So, thanks to Order of Nine for saving my day with their latest release "Seventh Year of the Broken Mirror".

Drawing on the more hard-edged aesthetics of US power metal, the tunes on this album are dark and heavy, often entering into power-thrash territory with its aggressive riffage and chucking guitars. There are both epic and melodic elements pulling the music in the other direction (and some of the tracks feature keyboards and other melodic element). The result is a stylistically broad type of power metal that captures the best of both power-thrash and epic power metal. On top of this, Order of Nine have sprinkled a couple of progressive elements. The brilliant "Changing of the Guard" pretty much captures everything that makes this album as interesting as it is.

In a power metal context, perhaps the most unique feature of "Seventh Year of the Broken Mirror" is Michael Degrena's baritone vocals which may take some time getting used to simply because this type of singing is unusual in power metal. But, once his voice clicks with you, hopefully, you should be able to appreciate the important contribution Degrena makes to the unique sound on this album. The musicianship is top notch across the board, and fans of blazing guitar solos especially have something to look forward to.

If you like dark power metal with and unusual vocals, then "Seventh Year of the Broken Mirror" is an album that you simply must not miss out on. (review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"