Sons of Seasons - Gods of Vermin

May 12, 2009

Reviewer: Peter

The name Oliver Palotai may be unfamiliar with most people, so here are a few things to know.  First, he has played in a few bands such as Doro, Kamelot, and Blaze.  After the lineup of Blaze separated from vocalist Blaze Bayley, the trio, consisting of Palotai, Daniel Schild, and Luca Princiotta, formed a band called Sons of Seasons in 2007.  Now, with a new album in Gods of Vermin, Palotai and company (Schild, Jürgen Steinmetz, and Henning Basse) get to realize their own vision of how they would want their music to sound.

Sons of Seasons are a dark symphonic metal band that takes its cues from the likes of Blind Guardian and Fairyland.  While they don’t overindulge in the theatrics like Fairyland, they also aren’t quite as polished as Blind Guardian.  However, as Gods of Vermin shows, they have more than enough to establish themselves into the minds of listeners.  The opening track, in earnest, is the title track, which isn’t particularly memorable from a music standpoint, but the vocals, courtesy of Henning Basse, shows that he does fit with what the band is trying to do.  The first memorable track on the album is “Fallen Family,” which is one of the first tracks to feature Simone Simons of Epica as the guest female vocals.  Her appearance provides a fair contrast to Basse’s dark, yet gripping vocals.  “Wintersmith” is a ballad actually features both Simons and Basse in a duet.  While this duet comes off as passable, it isn’t going to be remembered as one of the top five duets in the past ten years.  Speaking of ballads, there is also “The Piper” and “Wheel of Guilt,” which follow one another.  This track configuration does slow down the proceedings a little, but also adds a darker element to the Sons of Seasons sound.  Despite having keyboards as one of the main elements, there isn’t overkill, meaning that it doesn’t inundate the listener with synthetic sounds.  Production values are good to where no one element is dominant over the other.  Atmosphere building is a clear strength of Sons of Seasons, as they know what to do and how to do it without reaching too far.  That same strength is also its weakness, as the band sometimes plays it too safe.  Obviously, that will change once the band gets to know itself better and make the necessary adjustments.

Overall, Sons of Seasons have come out with a steady, if unspectacular effort in Gods of Vermin.  It isn’t going to blow away the listener in the same manner that Blind Guardian does, but it offers enough to provide a taste of what they can do.  The band has only scratched the surface of their potential; now, if they can take more chances, there’s no telling how well the band can do.  The talent is certainly there and so are the building blocks for what could be one dark adventure.

Release Date: April 29th, 2009
Label: Napalm Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  The Place Where I Hide
2.  Gods of Vermin
3.  A Blind Man’s Resolution
4.  Fallen Family
5.  The Piper
6.  Wheel of Guilt
7.  Belial’s Tower
8.  Fall of Byzanz
9.  Wintersmith
10.  Dead Man’s Shadows
11.  Sanatorium Song
12.  Third Moon Rising
13.  Melanchorium

Total playing time: 71:59

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