ELIXIR — Unleash the Magic (review)

ELIXIR — Unleash the Magic album cover Album · 2012 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
adg211288
Unleash the Magic is the debut album from Uruguayan power metal act Elixir. The band is a symphonic styled power metal act and the album was released in early 2012 originally as a digital release but within a few months the album got a CD release through Heart of Steel Records.

Stylistically Elixir produces what I’d consider a fairly typical modern power metal sound. To cut the long story short we’re talking the sort of power metal which doesn’t bring anything new to the table and will get the most appreciation out of the genre’s fanatics while having little appeal to the wider metal world. Fortunately for Elixir they do a pretty convincing job on this debut release, showcasing that they know their craft well and can write solid and catchy power metal tracks filled with speedy riffs, symphonic keyboards, and a strong sense of melody. It’s nothing that will catapult them right into the midst of power metal’s risings stars, but it is easily a cut above many other acts in the same position as Elixir when considering their instrumental prowess.

The weak link however is the group’s vocalist, Brunno Navarro. While not a terrible singer, I’ve certainly encountered worse within the genre, who in all fairness does carry the album to the best of his apparent ability, there are definite moments within Unleash the Magic that could have easily been elevated to the next level of greatness with a stronger vocalist, because despite not breaking any moulds Unleash the Magic contains consistently strong power metal tracks. The music is energetic and the melodies are more often than not pretty exceptional. The transition from the intro track Excelsior into Weapons of Heart is especially well done. Even with the vocals as they are Unleash the Magic is a good release, but the potentially is there for it have been a great or even an exceptional one.

In summary this is a very solid debut release from Elixir. The vocals do drag it down somewhat, at times making the album a more difficult listen than it really should be, especially once we’re talking repeated spins as the vocals take away from the lasting appeal of the release. All the same a high end good album rating is deserved. So long as they can work on the vocal department then I expect some great albums from the band in the future.

7.4/10

(Originally reviewed for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

It Gets Worse Sludge Metal
KULK
Buy this album from MMA partners
Černé Srdce Atmospheric Sludge Metal
ARCHETYP
Buy this album from MMA partners
Anomalia Metalcore
AGREMORTA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ingräte Metalcore
INGRÄTE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Fossil Gardens Black Metal
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 14 hours ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 1 day ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed