Review Summary: Power metal digestible without lactaid
Power metal is a subgenre so entrenched in cheese that writing seriously about it can feel like a (king of) fool’s errand. I mean, that is what makes the genre so appealing to some people, right? It is catchy, epic, sometimes self-aware, and platforms magical knights fighting fire-breathing dragons. While tried and true, the formula has been rehashed so many times that many power metal bands lack any semblance of diversity—each song they write is a variation of another. How many times has Dragonforce rewritten Through the Fire and the Flames? Or how about Hammerfall writing the same songs about hammers? The riffs are similar every time. The screeching high-pitched vocals the same. Where is the deviation? Yea, yea, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But what if it was?
On
Bliss, Tungsten immediately throw all expectations out of the window. The listener is greeted with heavy guitar riffs and death growls that might have you double-checking what is queued up. Before you can even finish head banging, folk melodies and clean singing have you humming along. And no, these styles aren’t just shoehorned together. The juxtaposition of extremes feels very natural—they ebb and flow like waves on the ocean. Ocean, you say? There’s even a sea shanty thrown in the mix for all you landlubbers dreaming of plunder! Tungsten continues to pleasantly surprise with this variety in style throughout
Bliss’ 45-minute runtime, making it an eclectic yet cohesive grab-bag of styles that do not overstay their welcome.
The waters Tungsten traverse on
Bliss do get a bit calm at times, but nothing that will bore your weathered heavy metal sailor—the album is littered with stand-out songs that overshadow whatever dull bits you might find. Tungsten give power metal fans a lot to be excited about while providing those new to the genre an approachable entry point devoid of too much lactose, making
Bliss an excellent ripening of that aforementioned cheese.
