Fairyland - Score to a New Beginning

April 29, 2009

Reviewer: Peter

France’s Fairyland has been around for about a decade and in its time, it has drawn comparisons to Rhapsody (of Fire) for its style of symphonic metal.  While their 2006 album The Fall of an Empire wasn’t quite what I expected, it piqued my interest in the band.   Fast forward to now and one band lineup change later, Philippe Giordana returns as the sole member of the band that played on the previous album.  However, he is not without help, as he got together a few friends to put together perhaps the band’s most ambitious album yet in Score to a New Beginning.

For Score to a New Beginning, Fairyland enlisted the services of people from bands such as Heavenly, Benighted Soul, Kerion, and Pathosray, as well as Georg Neuhauser of Serenity.  Having guest musicians can be hit or miss, especially when it happens to be in the form of what amounts to an all-star jam, as the Fairyland Score to a New Beginning lineup would suggest.  However, Giordana pulls it off without too much trouble.   As the album title suggests, the album is a concept album complete with the tracks “Opening Credits” and “Closing Credits” as bookends.  Obviously, Giordana did his homework, as each track seems to capture the emotions very well and even has some of the bombastic elements that weren’t evident on The Fall of an Empire.  Neuhauser contributes on half of the album’s tracks as a vocalist and while his appearance isn’t outstanding, it does fit in with the overall picture and isn’t out of place.  Anthemic choruses such as those heard on Assault on the Shore and solos galore line the album to the point where you will be shaking your fist along with the music.  There are some over-the-top moments, as should be the case with symphonic power metal in general.  The obligatory ballad “A Soldier’s Letter” and the album ender “Closing Credits” are prime examples of the over-the-top nature of the album.  The lyrical content is pretty much status quo without going overboard on the imagery.  There isn’t a track that one can skip over, as each one seems to catch the listener’s attention immediately.  The cover art isn’t too much for deep thought, but with a name like Fairyland, subtlety goes out the window.

Overall, Score to a New Beginning is a definite must for fans of Blind Guardian and Rhapsody of Fire.   Seemingly, Giordana has found the right combination for Fairyland in terms of music compositions, but that could be even better once he decides to find a more permanent lineup.  Score to a New Beginning is a definite must for longtime fans of Fairyland and if you are just now finding about the band, there isn’t a better album to check out than Score to a New Beginning.  Catchy, yet sophisticated in its approach, Fairyland makes an album that is worthy of the comparisons that have been put upon them for years.  Symphonic metal as it should be: bombastic and memorable to the last note.

Release Date: May 4th, 2009
Label: Napalm Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Opening Credits
2.  Across the Endless Sea
     (Part II)
3.  Assault on the Shore
4.  Master of the Waves
5.  A Soldier’s Letter
6.  Godsent
7.  At the Gates of Morken
8.  Rise of the Giants
9.  Score to a New Beginning
10.  Closing Credits

Total playing time: 49:49

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