Fellowship – The Skies Above Eternity Review

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Label: Scarlet RecordsEU  
Genre:  Power Metal
Release Date:  22-11-2024

Power metal, like other offshoots of the metal world, exists within a realm of specific exaggerations from the already emboldened rock sound. In this chosen lane Fellowship fulfill the urge to let weightless riffs fly at hyper-speed, morph classical passages into galvanized escapades — with a quirky love for “Canon in D” (opener “Hold Up Your Hearts (Again)” here — and lift soaring choruses to heights of mountaintops. Capitalizing on this European popularized form, The Saberlight Chronicles carried the flag high for those hoping to sing and gallop not with challenge but with a smile. And though I’m not typically one to fall for such gallivanting, Fellowship‘s underlying talents give me hope in a way that their music does not. But with The Skies Above Eternity boasting both a trimmed runtime and darker narrative promise, can it turn my worm to weenie in its glory?

With a production focus that emphasizes a touch more low-end in guitar tone and a lot less twinkle in sonic palette, The Skies Above Eternity realizes with less theater the Fellowship sound. Certain elements, namely Matthew Corry‘s vocals, will likely never change, as they are staples of the sound. His penchant to let a fondue-dunked vibrato color his already saccharine lines turn powerful drives into fluffy stage productions at the drop of a dime (“Hold Up…” chorus, “Dawnbreaker” chorus… probably all the choruses…). But Corry does possess a stronger, less fluttering voice which adorns highlight verses from “Victim,” “Eternity,” and “King of Nothing” with a histrionic charm, similar to the dramatic Italian bravado of early Rhapsody. And the increased tonal crunch that The Skies boasts in its riffs helps offset the clean, pentatonic cut-ins that adorn near every song, each also finding a stronger tie to memory as a result. When less elements feel sanded of their amplified edge, Fellowship rope me along despite my unwillingness to smile.

None of that, though, changes the inherent desire for Fellowship to play to their chosen style of life-affirming power metal. Christmas bells and an outro fit for a winter-themed, slice-of-life anime OVA credits roll find their way to the close of the adventure. Each modulation boasts similar bounce and chord choices to that of a 00s pop punk cut. But Fellowship‘s choice to keep these moments as accents to a greater base of flamboyant riff, pop-length numbers helps its sugar rush be less over-powering. And like a holiday sweet, The Skies Above Eternity is a treat reserved for certain occasions, never fully convincing me that its mood must overtake my own — neither must I grin and bear it. And, dare I say, I might even want to hear what comes next.

Rating: 6/10

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