adg211288 A New World (2013) is the sixth full-length album by Swedish symphonic power metal act ReinXeed. The band, led by Tommy Johansson (vocals, guitars, keyboards), are quite the productive outfit having not to date failed to deliver a new album every single year since 2008's debut The Light (a point which Tommy Johansson was the sole member). A New World sees the introduction of a couple of new musicians to the group, Christopher Davidsson (bass) and Alfred Fridhagen (drums). The latter also performs with Tommy in Golden Resurrection since 2012.

The music is melodic and symphonic driven power metal. There isn't much more that can be elaborated on than that, since A New World is one of those albums that sticks to its main genre without any stepping outside of the comfort zone. Fortunately for ReinXeed they clearly have a knack for this sort of power metal and have put out a solid bunch of tracks for the album. It simply isn't going to break the mould. I've heard the progressive term used in conjunction with ReinXeed before but on A New World I'm not hearing it. The closest the album comes to stepping away from the power metal conventions is the closing title track, but even then, the end result is really just a symphonic power metal track with an extra layer of epic quality on top. It's easily the album's best song because of that, but I think the real highlight of the release is not any one song but rather Tommy Johansson's vocals, which are excellent throughout.

The point where my regard for the album takes a hit though is the production. Never mind that a song like Guitar Hero appears to be written as a dig against anyone who plays and enjoys the video game it is named after, or that Northern Allstars is ridiculous on so many levels, this is the real killer. And besides, I really couldn't care less what bands want to sing about and the music of Guitar Hero at least is on the higher end of things, although Northern Allstars is easily the weakest track. Tommy's vocals come out well in the sound and the symphonic elements not too bad but the guitars are the problem. The leads aren't so bad, but the riffs sound really awful right from the get go. It's a really muddy sound and it's like the guitars are playing a supporting role through the bulk of the album. This is not something I really expect from any kind of metal genre, even in symphonic power metal. I think the riffs should have more of a presence in the music than they've been allowed here. Power metal is, let's face it, an increasingly crowded genre so unless a release has abundant other qualities to make up for the weak production, this isn't really something I expect listeners are going to want to put up with.

So in that respect ReinXeed's A New World ends up a bit of a disappointing release. I'm going to play fair and rate it with a 'above average' album tier rating all the same, because aside from the poor sound production and general safe feel of the album there's an undeniable energy to the music which is one of the first things I look for in a power metal release. But at the same time, there's simply not enough been done here to really warrant not skipping over it in favour of other, similar but superior releases.

63/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/reinxeed-a-new-world-t3180.html)

Kev Rowland If there was ever a covers album that everyone should have in their collection, then surely it must be ‘Swedish Hitz Goes Metal’ where Reinxeed took songs by Abba, Roxette and Ace of Base and turned them into something quite different. Singer and guitarist Tommy Reinxeed states that he gets his inspiration from Gary Moore, Angra, Stratovarius, Robby Valentine, Symphony X and Helloween, which is interesting as I certainly don’t get all of that from listening to this his sixth album. Before this I had only heard the covers album, so I have come to the music quite fresh, and the thing that one notices before anything else is that Tommy has got one hell of a voice. In many ways this is power metal with hints of symphonic, but there is a far more commercial element, almost as if Roxette have gone out and played with Europe to get something that isn’t really power pop, isn’t really metal, isn’t really hard rock, but is rather a weird very commercial mix of all of them.

It is an album that can’t really be taken too seriously, and the result is that as there is no hidden agenda it is music to make the listener smile. Although the music may not always be as metallic and in your face as Tommy seems to think it is, and although he is actually a really good guitarist with some great riffs and solos, it is the vocals that really make this stand out as he seriously has a great set of pipes. Too lightweight for the serious metalhead, this is still definitely worthy of investigation, although it has to be said that “Northern Allstars” is cheesy beyond belief…

Time Signature Save us...

Genre: Euro power metal

Well aware that Reinxeed's music belongs to that branch of über cheesy Euro power metal that just does not sit well with me, I decided to give the latest album a change. After all, I was kind of positively surprised by "1912". However, this one is so cheesy that it definitely cannot be good for my cholesterol count. Still, there is something about it that I kind of like.

The main theme of the album is the cinema, and thus the songs are inspired by Hollywood box office breakers and blockbusters. For instance, 'Life Will Find a Way' seems to be about the dinosaurs of the Jurassic Park series, while follow me is full of references to The Force and other things Star Wars. 'Save Us' is about the X-Men, and - not surprisingly - 'Stranger Tides' is inspired by 'Pirates of the Caribbean', and 'Somewhere in Time' is not an Iron Maiden cover song, but a song about Marty McFly and Doc Brown's adventures in their time-traveling DeLorean. 'Freedom', I presume, is inspired by the Braveheart movie, and 'No Fate' deals with the age-old theme of man versus machine (I am not sure exactly which movies it refers to, but references to Judgment Day would seem to indicate that it might be the Terminator series). 'Temple of the Crystal Skulls'... well, Indiana Jones fans will figure this one out. 'Welcome to the Theare' offers a potpourri of references to various Hollywood classics.

With such a main theme, the music can only be epic and cinematic. Rather than using a real orchestra, this effect is achieved through midi- and synth effects. Unfortunately, this ends up sounding artificial and, along with Tommy Reinxeed's voice and vocal melodies, a major generator of cheese. Musically, we are dealing with almost stereotypical Euro power metal with pounding bass drums, big epic choruses, and an overall larger-than-life air. Overall, this is kind of a turn-off for me.

Or it should be, because there are a couple of songs that really blew me away on this release. I really like the over-the-top epic swashbuckler 'Stranger Tides', which, in my book, counts as a proper pirate metal song. 'Somewhere in Time' - mega epic as it is - also features a lot of good stuff and manages to actually evoke the atmosphere of the movies. I also like the heavier 'No Fate' which is based on a chucking and galloping riff, and, despite a level of cheesiness that rivals the infamous Five Cheese Pizza, I actually like 'Temple of the Crystal Skulls'. Also, there are plenty of good things in most of the songs on the album, such as the uplifting Euro power metal energy - which really works, when it works, and here it works - and Tommy Reinxeed's sublime guitar solos.

So, even for me who does not normally like cheesy power metal, this album has something to offer. It's too much cheese and too little pepperoni for me in one go, but I can definitely enjoy this album a slice at the time.

In all "Welcome to the Theatre" is an extremely cheesy power metal release (and deliberately so, I think), whose epic air almost matches that of the movies which it is inspired by. If you do not like Euro power power metal, you will absolutely hate this release, but fans of Euro power metal and symphonic metal should absolutely adore this release.

Time Signature Swedish hitz goes cheese...

Genre: pop-cheese-power metal

I have always liked the idea of doing metal cover versions of pop songs, so projects like this always pique my interest, but I must say that I was a bit disappointed with this release, and I think that part of my problem is that I am not the biggest fan of cheesy Euro power metal, which is of course the base sound of the ReinXeed guys behind "Swedish Hitz Goes Metal".

I mean, to me, it is more like Swedish Hitz Goes Cheese, and this release has made many of the pop tracks sound even more cheesy than in the original version. I do like the versions of "Mama Mia" and "Money Money Money" because they already have a big and cheesy sound that lends itself well to Euro power metal - the cover versions of "Super Trouper" and "The Winner Takes it All" more than what my cheese tolerance can take though. And the uptempo version of Roxette's "The Look" also works fairly well, while the cover of "Joyride" somehow ended up being more poppy than the original, which is already a rock song. I should mention that i actually quite like the original versions of these songs. Similarly, I quite like the original reggae-tinged version of the melancholic dance hit by Ace of Base "All that She Wants", and I have always found the idea of doing a metal version of this song interesting because it has potential for some massive heaviness (I seem to remember actually having heard a heavy version before which kicked ass), but the power metal cheese prevents the Swedish Hitz goes Metal version from ever reaching a satisfactory level of heaviness.

The album is overall - despite the cheese overload - an enjoyable listen, and I can imagine that it is the perfect soundtrack for a late summer party, but that owes just as much to the inherent hit nature and mass appeal of the original songs (I mean, it is not a coincidence that they became massive Swedish "hitz") as to the power metal reworking.

Should you be a fan of cheesy Euro power metal and of legendary Swedish pop music, your life will definitely be enriched if you buy this album.

Time Signature The cheese has begun...

Genre: Euro power metal

While I was terribly disappointed with Golden Resurrection's shameless slob of über-cheesy Christian propagandist power metal in the form of "Man with a Mission", fellow countrymen and partners in cheese ReinXeed's "1912" proved to be a positive surprise to me.

Sure, we are dealing with archetypical Euro power metal with all the cliches in place and not a lot of innovation, but the musicianship is impeccable, and there is a lot of energy and uplifting spirit to the album.

It has all the things I like about Euro power metal, like the double bass drums, the epic and catchy choruses and the impressive guitar solos. But it also contains all the things I dislike about the genre, such as loads of sticky cheese and dominant keyboards - still, "1912" is less cheesy and more appealing to me than a lot of other Euro power metal I have heard.

The lyrical subject matter deals with the Titanic disaster, which is not really something that a lot of metal bands have touched before, so, in that sense, there there are actually aspects of innovation on the album after all. The vocals fall right into the "fairy"-singer stereotype, but Tommy Johansson really has some impressive pipes and, boy, can he hit some high notes!

A sort of moderate cheese-bomb, ReinXeed's "1912" is recommended to any fan of Euro power metal as it has all the attributes that define the genre.