Fluffy monsters - A review of Фаэтон's Человеком остаться

Two years after its very good last full length effort, Russian heavy metal band Phaeton comes around with what might be its most mellow and melodic release yet in form of a short extended play. The creepy cover artwork is actually quite misleading in that regard.

The three new songs offer melodic heavy metal that flirts with power metal thanks to particularly smooth guitar sounds, inoffensive rhythm section, crystal clear vocals and the moderate use of calm keyboard parts. The fluffy production suits the release well and recalls groups such as Epiclore.

The songwriting could be better as the tracks are neither adventurous nor catchy enough to leave a mark. The opening tune is creative and versatile enough to justify its extensive length but the other two tracks are fairly average in that regard and fail to leave a lasting impression.

To keep it short, Phaeton's new release will please those who like smooth heavy and power metal but it's ultimately the band's least remarkable record to date. It's decent for what it is but not more. After two imaginative full length outputs, this is a step backwards. Let's hope the band's next full length release is a little more emotional, powerful and surprising.

Final rating: 63%