REVIEW: ACHELOUS – TOWER OF HIGH SORCERY

This able assemblage of Athenians bring dragon fire to cook up the tunes on their third LP.

Achelous was a one-man project started by the aptly named Chris Achelous until vocalist Chris Kappas hopped aboard in 2013 (why isn’t the band called Chris?) Anyway, I was unfamiliar with their work until kind and gentle THENWOTHM Editor Rob found me passed out in a drainage ditch and woke me up by tossing this album my way. Like a washed-up celebrity circling the drain of irrelevance, I am always willing to try something new! Let’s give it a listen and break it down… track by track!

1. Whispering Forest (Introduction) is just what the title says it is. It’s a slow, intro track that builds the mood while letting us know that this album is heavily influenced by the Dragonlance universe before sending us to the next track…

2. Dragon Wings is a total blow away triumph of a track. This is epic metal with genuine power firing on all cylinders. The melody and chorus will stick in your brain long after you are done listening. The guitars and keyboards work well to build the atmosphere and drama. When a song is this good, I don’t mind a bit of power metal bombast, and the strength of this track absolutely calls for it.

3. Istar (Blood Red Sea) begins with some ultra heavy riffage before a very Mediterranean melody comes in to set the stage for the rest of the track. You’ve probably heard this kind of track before, but it works well here. Using the template that songs like Stargazer and Gates of Babylon have set before it, this track will have you sailing across a desert sea in the sonic landscape the band is creating. Just like the tracks that inspired it, the interplay between the guitars and keyboard is icing on the cake.

4. The Oath goes back to a more straightforward power metal sound like what we previously heard on the opening track. Strong vocal melodies carry this one. The drums shine a little more here and help drive home the heaviness of this track.

5. Tower of High Sorcery opens up with some steel-stringed acoustic guitar before giving way to some mid-tempo stomping backed by tasty leads and punchy keyboard wizardry. The band is delving into more epic territory here, which would be expected given the title of this title track! There are even some harsh growling vocals used to add a sinister vibe to the proceedings.

6. Fortress of Sorrow is a more melancholic track than what’s come before and it’s a nice change of pace. The forlorn, wistful chorus is simple but very effective. The instrumentation keeps up the vibe, taking us further into more contemplative territory.

7. Into The Shadows is just what I was hoping to hear at the right time. This song picks up the pace a bit and pulls us back onto the proverbial horse and towards charging power metal goodness. A guest vocal performance by Jag Panzer‘s Harry Conklin is a pleasant surprise. The guitars go into a miniature shredfest here and it’s a great way to add some spice to the proceedings.

8. Pagan Fire is an interesting interlude. This is a serene acoustic track with Anastasia Megalokonomou handling all vocal duties. It’s a great track and makes quite the lead-in for what’s to come.

9. When the Angels Bleed is the monolithic epic closer you would hope for when a band has brought you this much melodrama and power in the preceding tracks. Like every great closer, it brings together all the elements presented previously and builds them into something bigger. It’s all here: the wailing vocals, the searing guitars, the ethereal keyboards, the tight rhythm section, and that ear for melancholic yet soaring melodies. This is how you end a power-tinged epic metal album.

Wrapping Up:

I had never heard of Achelous until listening to this album and I can say that I am now a fan. This is a great record packed with infectious songwriting that I haven’t heard out of the actual power metal scene in over a decade. I read the original DragonLance trilogy as a teen so hearing an album based on them was a nice, nostalgic treat that took me back to simpler times. Tower of High Sorcery is a triumph and continues the hot streak of molten Mediterranean metal coming out of Greece. I look forward to more of what these ardent Athenians have to offer. I highly recommend this record to anyone who doesn’t mind a bit of high fantasy bombast with their epic metal.