Epiclore - Labyrinth Alpha (2008) - Small path between White Metal and fantasy kitsch - 65% (01/11/10)

A friend of mine and I recently found this album and tried to give it a try as we both like European or more specifically Finnish power metal in the key of Stratovarius. I really have listened to many power metal band sin my life, but what Epiclore created here has even been a big surprise for me. They have a completely unique sound.

I don't even know if you can call this style metal music. It is very soft, floating and dreamy. Keyboard harmonies are dominating most of the songs, the guitar plays some decent and not very addicting solos while the drums and the bass guitar are mostly inaudible. In fact, the sound quality of this album is particularly awful and has a lack of dynamic. The most special thing about this band is the singer. When I first listened to him, I wasn't sure whether a man or a woman was singing. His voice is so calm, so soft and so peaceful that I finally thought that a hermaphrodite was singing on this record. Yes, he doesn't sound "gay" as many people say, it sounds very neutral and unisex. He sings in fact in a very particular style, neither in a low and dark style nor high-pitched manner. His voice sounds extremely neutral and has no edges at all but it perfectly fits to the happy and peaceful music on this album.

The album has movie score elements and the keyboards are dominating this record. Sometimes, the sound is quite majestic and epic like in the fantasy influenced title track "Labyrinth alpha" but sometimes, it sounds very kitsch and ridiculously exaggerated like on the White Metal song "The mirage".

This album is really smooth and happy. Some call it flower metal and that's a good expression. I would also call it Disney Metal or Happy Metal. This music could fit well with the next Eragon movie or the new Mario Bros. game series. I see rose rabbits running through green fields with shiny flowers when I listen to this music or funny dolphins swimming through clear water next to an exotic island. No, I'm not smoking, drinking or swallowing what you might think, my hallucinating drug is called "Epiclore". And even if I feel strange about those feelings and had to laugh hard about this happy kitsch, this band was able to create these images in my head. That means that they do have a very special and unique mood and are somehow very inspiring and talented. I wish I would be able to hate this music and maybe I do, but I can't give this a very low rating because those guys are seriously talented. Even if almost every song, a part of the interesting album closer "Vox Dei" with its female vocals and the most "heavy" song on this album called "Riverball", sounds similar, the band creates a very special hypnotizing mood and atmosphere.

I keep on asking myself what makes those guys so happy. Maybe they just wanted to show that there are not only Dark Metal in the frosty Finland but also some very positive or happy bands and that the sun even shines in the big north. In times of gore and core music, this is a welcome change of style indeed. If that was the main idea, I just can admit that the band absolutely succeeded. This music is not metal, it is very kitsch, too happy, too unreal, but it is very unique. I really like power metal a lot but this stuff is even too hard... no, well, too "soft" for me but it was worth trying this album out and I lived a very special experience indeed.

You think that Edguy, Stryper or Sonata Arctica are soft? You're completely wrong, just try out Epiclore! Somewhere between White Metal and fantasy kitsch lies the brightest kingdom where rose rabbits and laughing dolphins live together in peace, love and harmony and Epiclore are the state orchestra of a snow-white and graceful princess and "Kingdom of Ends" is the official national anthem... oh no, I'm still into it, damn it!

Objective note: 80%
Personal appreciation: 50%
Final rating: 65%