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Odyssea: Storm
Odyssea Storm CD Album Review

Odyssea: Storm

Melodic/Heavy/Power Metal
4.0/5.0

If you remember Italian metal band Odyssea, give yourself a pat on the back. If you remember their 2004 album, Tears In Floods, buy yourself a cold beer. If you actually owned or still own the album, get yourself a six pack of your favorite. I had the album and remember it as a solid platter of heavy/power metal driven by some powerful guitar work.

Pier Gonella Photo

Pier Gonella

Well, some ten years or more later, guitarist Pier Gonella (Necrodeath, Mastercastle, Vanexa, ex-Labyrinth) returns to deliver the long-awaited second album, Storm. Many of the songs were written with vocalist Roberto Tiranti(Wonderworld, ex-Labyrinth, ex-Vanexa) But the album goes far beyond the pair as they have enlisted a host, a huge host, of guest players including the likes of Alessandro Del Vecchio, Giorgia Gueglio, vocals (Mastercastle), and Mistheria, keyboards (Bruce Dickinson, RoyZ, Rob Rock, Artlantica, Vivaldi Metal Project) to name only three.

As for the content, the songs and music, Storm picks up where the first album left off, more guitar driven power metal. Gonella is an exceptional neo-classical guitarist, and doesn't fail to impress or disappoint across this album. He's also an exceptional songwriter, wrapping all his arrangements in harmony and melody, and applying deft hooks in both his guitar licks and lyrical twists. Of the songs themselves, the most are the galloping speed/power metal variety. The burst from the gates and basically fly furiously to the end. Ride, No Compromise, Freedom, and the largely instrumental Apocalypse Pt 2 are some of the best examples. Alternatively, Tears Of The Rain dials back the pace ever so slightly. Most of the song is driven by the combination of Gonella's heavy riffs and the bass line. But, wait, for the guitar solo in the latter third, things speed up. Additionally, Gonella is rather clever at giving his melodic metal a twist of hard rock groove, nearly pushing his sound to the something like AOR. Both Ice and Galaxy are darn catchy, even radio-friendly, tunes, moving by melody, groove, and fine vocal harmonies. Bottomline? Odyssea's Storm finds Pier Gonella and company in fine form with another album of guitar-driven melodic heavy/power metal. Recommended.

Odyssea - No Compromise


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In Short

Bottomline? Odyssea's Storm finds Pier Gonella and company in fine form with another album of guitar-driven melodic heavy/power metal. Recommended.

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