MARIUS DANIELSEN: Legend Of Valley Doom Part 3 (MELODIC METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

It is in 2015 that the epic of "Legend Of Valley Doom" began. Project of the Norwegian Marius Danielsen (Darkest Sins), supported by his brother Peter in charge of keyboards and production, this metal opera gathered a great quantity of guests, especially on vocals and guitars. The story told the confrontation of King Thorgan, ruler of The Valley Doom, and the dreaded Dark Lord, in a heroïc fantasy environment populated with proud and courageous warriors, dragons and all the typical characters of this kind of work. Impossible in these conditions not to think of the masters of the genre that can be the Italians of Rhapsody or the Germans of Blind Guardian, without forgetting the inevitable Avantasia of Tobias Sammet and Ayreon of Arjen Lucassen.

The challenge was therefore great for the Scandinavian not to go unnoticed in the shadow of these giants. After a first volume on which the foot remained pressed on the double pedal, the continuation was more nuanced, at the point of sinking a little too much in the melancholic or romantic titles in spite of an always present interest. Here is the last volume of this trilogy on which the guest waltz continues with the participation, among others, of Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Jennifer Batten, Ronni Le Tekro (T.N.T.), Derek Sherinian (Sons Of Apollo, Whitesnake, etc...) and... Arjen Lucassen. This looks like an endorsement from one of the masters of the genre. And we have to admit that, without showing a huge originality, this last episode is a perfect condensation of the greatest qualities of its predecessors. Enriched by the narration of John Rhys-Davies (the dwarf Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), the twelve tracks offered content us with the quest for the Seven Ancient Artifacts that will allow the Dark Lord to fall.

The voices of the multiple singers follow one another and blend into epic, symphonic and varied pieces with unifying refrains that make you want to grab your sword or axe to fight against the forces of evil alongside these legendary heroes. It's hard to escape the chorus of 'The Ballad Of Arnoth The Wild', 'March Into The Storm', 'Deep In The Mountain' or 'For Our King And For Our Land' that quickly get stuck in your neurons. And if the shadow of Stratovarius hovers over the fastest pieces ('Mines Of Eloroth', 'Stars Will Light The Way'), or that of Manowar over the most warlike ('Battle Of Eloroth'), the strength of this opus is to have known how to marry the influences and vary the intensities. With a luminous instrumental interpretation in which the multiple guitarists follow one another with gleaming solos, the work shows an undeniable richness and efficiency.

The bet won for Marius Danielsen and his numerous companions who succeed in finding a perfect balance between the qualities of the two previous volumes and in imposing "Legend Of The Valley Doom" among the must-have metal opera. If a little more originality would have allowed him to settle on the highest summits of the genre, he manages however to federate the metal lovers thanks to an infectious enthusiasm and a devastating energy. - Official website

MARIUS DANIELSEN

LEGEND OF VALLEY DOOM PART 3

AUTRE LABEL

MELODIC METAL