ASCENSION (SCT) — Far Beyond the Stars (review)

ASCENSION (SCT) — Far Beyond the Stars album cover Album · 2012 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Far Beyond the Stars" is the debut full-length studio album by UK power metal act Ascension. The album was released through Spiritual Beast in March 2012. Ascension were formed in 2004 and have a couple of EPs under their belt, but this is their first full-length release.

The music on the album is "classic" Euro power metal albeit mostly without keyboards. Fast-paced and energetic riffing, double pedal drumming and a lead vocalist who sounds like he has just swallowed a ballon filled with hellium. Alright...I´m exaggerating a bit, but the vocals are at times very high pitched. They are also extremely well sung and with both harmony vocals and anthemic choirs as part of the repetoire too. Lead vocalist Richard Carnie is a very skilled singer and that can´t be said enough times. Another great feaure in the music are the shredding and melodic harmony lead guitar work courtesy of guitarists Fraser Edwards and Stuart Docherty and when you also have a well playing rhythm section who understand how to vary pace and style to keep the music interesting, "Far Beyond the Stars" more or less end up as "Euro power metal delight".

...sure Ascension don´t invent the wheel here and artists like Helloween, Sonata Arctica and DragonForce certainly haven´t lived in vain, but the songwriting on the album is top notch, the musicianship outstanding and the sound production professional and powerful, so all in all we´re dealing with a very high quality power metal album. The positive energy flowing from this album is enough to keep me happy for days after each listen.

At 61:18 minutes the album is a bit long, but the band generally write pretty long tracks and I can´t say I would have liked for one of them to have been left out. Fans of guitar/vocal dominated Euro power metal featuring great energy and lots of speed are recommended to check this one out. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.
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