• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

October 2024

• Frost*: Life In The Wires
• Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
• Fans Of The Dark: Video
• Radioactive (Tommy Denander): Reset
• House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
• Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

September 2024

• Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
• Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
• Eclipse: Megalomanium II
• SteelCity: Reverence
• Hydra: ReHydrated
• Heartwind: III
• Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
• Find Me: Nightbound
• The Nail: The Nail
• Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
• Stryper: When We Were Kings
• Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
• Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
• Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly

August 2024

• Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
• Paralydium: Universe Calls
• Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
• Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
• All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
• Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2

July 2024

• Ironflame: Kingdom Torn Asunder
• Spektra: Hypnotized
• (Michael) Palace: Reckless Heart
• Mr. Big: Ten
• Dark Mile: Dark Mile

June 2024

• Kaipa: Sommargryningsljus
• Sunbomb: Light Up The Sky
• Seven Spires: A Fortress Called Home
• Atlantic: Another World
• Xeneris: Eternal Rising
• New Horizon: Conquerors
• Issa: Another World

May 2024

• Rhapsody Of Fire: Challenge The Wind
• Cloven Hoof: Heathen Cross
• Perseus: Into The Silence
• Yes: Talk (1994/2024) Reissue
• Marty Friedman: Drama
• Demon: Invincible
• The Treatment: Wake Up The Neighbourhood
• The Tangent: To Follow Polaris
• Riot V: Mean Streets
• Anette Olzon: Rapture
• FM: Old Habits Die Hard

[ More Music Reviews ]

Trick Or Treat: The Legend Of The XII Saints

Melodic/Heavy/Power Metal

4.5/5.0

Internet Facebook Instagram
Scarlet Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 24.04.2020 | Released: 24.04.2020

Since dropping their Helloween tribute gig in 2006, Italy's Trick Or Treat have gone their own way to create original music. While they've dropped several albums over the last 14 years or so, their larger success came with their concept albums, Rabbit's Hill, Parts 1 & 2, based upon Richard Adams' classic Leporidae fantasy, Watership Down. Now, Trick Or Treat arrives with their sixth studio and new concept album, The Legend Of The XII Saints. The album is based upon the 1985 Masami Kurumada manga and anime story Saint Seya aka The Legend of the 12 Gold Saints of the Zodiac saga. The 12 knights serve at the behest and protection of the Greek goddess Athena.

Trick Or Treat

As you perhaps already know, Trick Or Treat plays genuine European power metal. Nothing within Legend of the 12 swerves away from this. You can expect the tunes to be fast and heavy with large amounts of power metal gallop and rock groove, yet with plenty of song melody and guitar and vocal harmony. As you would also expect, every selection abounds with blistering guitar solos. What would power metal be without them? (The answer is crap, but let's not go there.) Additionally, at times, the songs are made more lush and bombastic by some incidental synths.

As for the songs, each one is based upon a Zodiac named Athenian knight, reflecting their character and contribution to the story. I'll not burden you with a synopsis of all twelve. Rather, just for fun, I'll mention the ones based on the Zodiac symbols of the birthdays of my immediate family.

So let's start with my mom. She's 87 years old and a Scorpio. The Scorpio song is Scarlet Needle, a song that begins heavy and fast with tough riffs and rumbling drums and, essentially, doesn't quit until the end (and a furious guitar solo). Kind of like my mom, even at 87 she's still all go and no stop. You tell her not to go out during the COVID-19, what does she do? Yup. You guessed it.

Next, both my wife Debi (5/21) and my son Ethan (6/7) were born under the sign of Gemini (The Twins), separated by only by 35 years. Another Dimension offers another rush of riffage and pounding drums, and then the gallop begins. After the midpoint you get several waves of twin guitar solos. My son's wife, Deb (yep, you read that right; he married a Deb) was born in chilly February, under the sign of Aquarius. Diamond Dust, the Aquarian tune, dials back on both heaviness and speed, though not by much. Mostly, song melody and guitar and vocal harmony get the push. The hustle of speed develops later around the guitar solo.

Lastly, yours truly was born on August 16, the day Elvis died and the day Madonna was born (both can ruin a birthday), under the sign of Leo the Lion. Leo's song is Lightning Plasma, the character's main form of attack. The song roars as power metal with a lightning sharp guitar attack in the start and brisk solo in the second half.

If you recognized a theme with these songs, then you're correct and I repeat myself: Trick Or Treat once more delivers fast and heavy, guitar-roaring, quintessential European power metal. Except no substitutes. Recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

With their concept album based upon the manga/anime feature, The Legend of the 12 Gold Saints of the Zodiac, Trick Or Treat once more delivers fast and heavy, guitar-roaring, quintessential European power metal. Except no substitutes. Recommended.

Alphabetical Index

By far, Sweden's Eclipse is one of my favorite bands. Always consistent and always entertaining, Eclipse has been delivering their 21st century version of melodic metal rock since songwriter, producer ... [ Read More ]