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September 2023

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ReinXeed: Welcome to the Theater

Melodic/Symphonic Power Metal

3.0/5.0

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Liljegren Records/Doolittle Group
by Craig Hartranft,  05.21.2012

For pure Scandi melodic and symphonic power metal, Tommy 'ReinXeed' Johansson has more than little cottage industry going. If he isn't cranking out 20 ReinXeed albums in the last five years, just kidding as it's only six, he's putting his stamp on other like-minded bands. This includes the latest from ReinXeed comrades of Charlie Shred and metal vocalist Pellek. And this doesn't include his many collaborations to Swedish Hitz Goes Metal, turning ABBA and Roxette songs into metal. Call Johansson prolific, ubiquitous, but also predictable and repetitive. Everything that he's involved in sounds, well, like him.

ReinXeed: Record. Release. Repeat.

Welcome to the Theater is more of the same Tommy 'ReinXeed' Johansson: symphonic and melodic, guitar-driven, power metal as bombastic and extravagant as possible. Enough said? Perhaps.

Dare I say, this disc might be better than his most recent fare. Possibly. Yet, ReinXeed still sounds like they want to wrestle the power metal crown from the likes of Stratovarius. Considering their output has been hardly as prolific as ReinXeed, it's not a contest. Hail the new king. But I digress.

While hardly different than it's predecessors, Welcome to the Theater has several ambitious moments, not the least of which are Somewhere In Time and No Fate, the two best epic power metal songs here. But for something different Save Us offers the touch of duet with a (unnamed) female vocalists. (Perhaps they did this before, but I never noticed.) It's a fine song.

Welcome to the Theater is what is: ReinXeed's doing what they do best, specifically symphonic power metal. Expect nothing less, and you will not be disappointed.

Welcome to the Theater is what is: ReinXeed's doing what they do best, specifically symphonic power metal. Expect nothing less, and you will not be disappointed.

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Formed in 1999 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erik Martensson, Sweden's Eclipse is well into their third decade of making music. In the recent past, their recordings and reputation have ... [ Read More ]