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Legends

    
       
       
       
     
             
Novareign are a progressive power metal band from the USA formed in 2012, releasing the four song demo 'Reign Of The Infinite Sun' in 2014. The bands debut album 'Legends', was released in 2018.    
             
An incredible sixty three minutes in length, 'Legends' contains nine songs, and four of those, are the four songs that appeared on the bands 2014 demo. Novareign are influenced by the "masterful shred work and powerful melodic vocals by bands such as DragonForce, Angra and Iron Maiden, and the complex compositions of Dream Theater, Adagio, Symphony X and Between The Buried And Me". So, with such a legendary status influence - what of 'Legends'... Well, opening song 'Call On The Storm' is a slow burner, for all of fifty seven seconds - and then boom, bang, whoosh! All fucking hell breaks loose as 'Call On The Storm' hurtles off at high velocity, streaking by at an alarming pace. Novareign have announced their arrival in blistering style. A style that continues apace with the ten minute monster 'Mace Of A Fist'. Thundering hard with plenty of guitar shredding, 'Mace Of A Fist' is high tempo, high paced and bubbling with energy. What a breathless opening...    
             
...and no a chance for a breather either, as 'Beyond The Cold' picks up the baton and races off at high speed. Novareign are mounting a challenge to the likes of DragonForce, Cellador and Victorius for the title of "kings of speed metal" - and I for one want a ringside seat... And the challenge just gets mightier with the blistering 'Heavy Heart'. The combination of speed and heaviness is just phenomenal, not letting up for a even a second. Breath is something you'll be short of listening to this album, so I hope you took a big fucking breath before you pressed play! 'Skyline' drops like a nuclear bomb - and with just as much devastation. The heaviness of the album is at its heaviest right now as 'Skyline' lacerates the sky with merciless savagery. At just two and a half minutes in length, 'To Wander The Skies' is the shortest song on offer - well, when I say song, I actually mean an effects laden and chilling instrumental...    
             
...that gives way to the thumping 'The Builder'. Much heavier than 'Skyline' (the previous heaviest song on offer) 'The Builder' slams the brakes on the extreme speed of the album so far, and canters along the border of the power metal genre, more accurately the melodic power metal genre. Dare I say that 'The Builder' is the breather most listeners will have been praying for since the album began... And take as many breaths as you can, for the extreme speed returns at neck breaking velocity in the mighty shape of 'Black As The Dead Of Night'. An absolute cacophony of heaviness and guitar shredding, 'Black As The Dead Of Night' is eight minutes forty four seconds of urgency, purpose and intent. And what's this? The final song? Really? Fucking hell it is as well... I have always said that if you lose track of time while listening to an album and get a shock when the final song arrives, that it is a sign of an incredibly superb album. Which this is, and one I would wholly recommend. The final song, is the title song, 'Legends'. And what a final hurrah - nine plus minutes of thundering power/speed metal to round off what has been an exhilarating listen. Novareign have impressed with their debut full length, and fans of (the aforementioned) DragonForce, Cellador and Victorius are gonna wet themselves with excitement when they hear this album...    
             
Overall, a phenomenally fast paced and breathless one hour of speed metal that's gonna thrill and excite listeners all around the world.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
             
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