Lately the folk metal genre has become a little stale.
Ensiferum and Eluveite seem to have come to a standstill and aren’t really
doing anything new. But alas, one band emerges with a sophomore album that is
mind-blowing. This band is Tierramystica. Their first album, “A New Horizon,”
delivered a new flavor of folk metal by utilizing traditional instruments such
as an ocarina, charango and a quena. With these instruments, the band created
lush, dream-inducing soundscapes that no other band has. “A New Horizon” is
definitely a must listen. Now three years later they released “Heirs of the
Sun.” With the new album they hit the nail on the head again. It’s just as
solid as the first album and the Andean musical elements are more fleshed out
to give it a sound like no other. The layers and the progressive/power metal
elements make “Heirs of the Sun” stand out miles above the rest.
“When the New Dawn Arrives” opens the album on a strong note
and perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the journey. It leads right into
“Vision of the Condor” which shows that Tierramystica have grown a little more
musically over the past three years. The mixture of power metal and layers of
traditional sounding music is stellar. One of the highlights on the album.
“Essence of Pride” picks up the pace a little bit and the chorus is absolutely
incredible. Again, the layers of instruments create a sound unlike any other.
This is probably the strongest track on the album. Everything from the vocals
right down to the drums is incredible. “Myths of Creation” continues the flow
of the album perfectly and it’s another great track to show off their
out-of-this-world songwriting skills.
“Men of Earth” slows things down a bit. While it keeps the flow and it’s not a
bad track, it just misses the mark a little. The chorus seems a little
uninspired. However, the album wouldn’t be complete without it.
“Shine, Once
Again” is another slow track, but it lifts the album to incredible heights. The
atmosphere and chorus are beautiful. “Gate of Gods” picks the speed back up and
is another stellar track. The chorus is catchy and the guitar solo is spot on.
“The Rise of the Feathered Serpent” is another good track that is in perfect
place on the album, but loses some luster by not doing anything new on the album.
It’s not a skippable track; it’s just not as good as the other songs. The
Portuguese fueled “Llanto de Mi Tierra” is a great track that has a different
sound from the rest of the album that sets up the mood for the last song
perfectly. The closing track “Inti Sunset” is a perfect conclusion to “Heirs of
the Sun.” It’s instrumental like the first track and it feels like it brings
the album full circle. It’s another beautiful track that has some serious
songwriting talent behind it. The album couldn’t have ended any better.
“Heirs of the Sun” improves over the first album in almost
every way. The melodies are more focused and the music is much more grand and
inviting. The sounds on this album cannot be matched by any power metal band
out right now. This band is so original that there aren't any bands to compare
them to. No metal band can rock an ocarina this much and make it sound awesome.
Most of the album is pure genius. Even the tracks that weren’t as good as the
rest are still good and they fit perfectly into the album. If anyone is looking
for beautiful soundscapes to get lost in, “Heirs of the Sun” is your album.
Tierramystica has created an album unlike any other this year. Listen to it
now.
9.5/10
- Brian DuBois
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tierramystica
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