Released By: Scarlet Records
Release Date: November 22nd, 2024
Genre: Power Metal
Links: https://fellowshipmetal.com/
Line Up:
Matthew Corry – Vocals
Brad Wosko – Guitars
Sam Browne – Guitars
Ed Munson – Bass
Callum Tuffen – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Hold Up Your Hearts (Again)
2. Victim
3. The Bitter Winds
4. Dawnbreaker
5. Eternity
6. King of Nothing
7. World End Slowly
8. A New Hope
9. Memories on the Wind
Power metal is generally known to be a rather happy and upbeat genre, and while there are certainly some exceptions, and dark, sad power metal does exist, a lot of my favorite bands within the genre are indeed more on the happier side of things. In 2022, I heard an album that embodied everything I love about the genre, with some of the cheeriest lyrics I’ve ever heard, as well as some incredibly upbeat, melodic guitar work and epic soaring vocals. That album was, of course, The Saberlight Chronicles, the full length debut of British power metal band Fellowship, who instantly left their mark on the world, with easily the best power metal debut I’ve heard in a very long time. As exciting as that album was, it was always going to be a tough act to follow, so I was excited, if a bit nervous, to see what the band would do next. Two years later, they’re now set to release their sophomore record, The Skies Above Eternity, and I’m very pleased to say it does not disappoint in the least!
What made The Saberlight Chronicles so special wasn’t that it did anything particularly new or innovative within the power metal scene, but how it took so many familiar sounds and ideas and made them sound fresh, as well as the fact it was one of the most energetic and most upbeat albums I’ve heard in a very long time, even compared against other power metal bands. The Skies Above Eternity continues along the same lines, in that many tracks certainly remind me of other bands, and nothing here sounds overly surprising, but it’s all done so well and sounds so beautiful, I can’t help but love every single note of it. As with the debut, this is a very melodic album, even by power metal standards, with some of the lightest and most melodic guitar work in the genre, along with some light, often playful keyboards and some cinematic symphonic elements. Guitars are often the main focus, along with blistering fast drums, but the keys and symphonic elements do feel a bit more prominent than on the debut, and while the overall sound is still upbeat and optimistic, there is more conflict, and even traces of darkness to be found at times within the music. Instrumental work is absolutely fantastic, with some neoclassical shredding at points, as well as an excellent mix of keys and guitars, and some of the instrumental portions strike a perfect balance between being highly technical and complex, while sounding absolutely gorgeous, with some of the best melodies I’ve heard on a metal album in quite some time. At the same time, it’s also very much a vocal driven album, just like the debut, and there are some absolutely fantastic choruses.
All musicians do an excellent job, with dual guitarists Brad Wosko and Sam Brownse often stealing the show, while drummer Callum Tuffen is asked to do a lot, frequently changing tempos and alternating between playing intensely and more laidback, which he does perfectly. The overall production is a tad raw, but very well done, and all instruments are fairly well balanced, with guitars, keys, drums, symphonic elements and vocals all coming through clearly at all times. Compared to the previous album, which was very positive the whole way through, led off by perhaps the happiest metal song I’ve ever heard, “Until the Fires Die”, this album is at times a bit darker, with moments of self doubt, as well as talk of a dying world, and of loneliness. However, there’s still plenty of more upbeat moments to be found, and I find most tracks start off a bit dark and foreboding, before hope and optimism take over towards the end.“Victim” in particular is a perfect example of this, as early on the chorus says “Will I Always feel like a victim? Will I always fight on my own”, and then later on it changes to “I swear I won’t always feel like a victim, I won’t always fight on my own”, which is a pretty neat evolution of the chorus. Many songs go through a similar process, and the album seems to be about finding hope in a dark world, and how even in the worst of times, we must find the light within us to keep on going.
One of the most important aspects of the album is the vocals, and once again, Matthew Corry is absolutely fantastic, and proves to be the perfect fit for the band. He has a high-pitched, light voice which carries the melodies perfectly, and he especially shines during epic, soaring choruses, but he also sounds great when he sings more softly, and does an excellent job of slowly building up towards big moments, and then going all out. There’s also some great backing vocals and choral vocals at points, and while they aren’t as prominent as on the debut, when they do show up they’re fantastic. Another area where the debut excelled was the songwriting, and while this album is a bit less dynamic and diverse in that department, it’s still just as good. If anything, I’d say this album is more focused, and perhaps even a bit more confident, as the band clearly knows what they want to be, and they pull it off perfectly. All tracks have speedy portions, with most tracks being fairly uptempo most of the way through, though there are plenty of tempo changes throughout. There aren’t any softer tracks, or anything that feels unexpected or different from the rest, such as “Silhouette” or “The Saint Beyond the River” from their debut, but instead everything flows together perfectly, with each track being amazing on its own, while also fitting together seamlessly.
With how well their previous album started off, the band had a difficult task trying to match it, but they did a more than admirable job with “Hold Up Your Hearts (Again)” (a clear reference to the aforementioned “Until the Fires Day”), a fast-paced opener which kicks things off in style. It starts off with beautiful, upbeat and melodic guitar work, and is the first of many tracks which at times reminds me of Japanese band Galneryus, especially with the guitar tone and some of the melodies. It starts off fast, and then slows down a bit during the opening verse, with some light keys and moderately heavy guitar work, accompanied by soft vocals, but it picks up the pace and intensity as it moves along, going full throttle with the chorus, which is unsurprisingly speedy, upbeat and very optimistic, with some fantastic vocal melodies. The guitar solo in the second half starts off light and very melodic, though it does get more complex and technical towards the end and is fantastic, and then the track ends with a higher pitched, super epic run through the chorus, followed by some light cinematic keys to close out the track.
Next is Victim, a slightly more progressive track, with some excellent instrumental work. The guitar tone reminds me a bit of Dragonforce at times, especially the main melody, though the tempo never quite gets that intense. Following a brief speedy opening, the track slows down during the opening verse, first starting off with just bass, drums and vocals, but keys and guitars slowly start to enter in, and the tempo increases a bit as the track moves on, before the chorus arrives and speeds up quite a bit. It’s another very melodic and catchy chorus, with a strong sense of self doubt at first, though the final run through is much more upbeat and optimistic. The bridge section after the second run through the chorus is excellent, and there’s an absolutely beautiful guitar solo, which is incredibly melodic but also technically sound, again sounding like Dragonforce in spots, and then there’s that incredible final run through the chorus. Overall, it’s a fantastic track. There’s no sign of a letdown whatsoever with “The Bitter Winds”, a more upbeat and speedy track, with some neoclassical guitars and keyboards, which at times remind me of ReinXeed/Majestica. The track has a very cinematic feel to it, with a big emphasis placed on keys and symphonic elements, especially during the verses, which move at a rapid pace. The chorus keeps the tempo going, and mixes in more guitar work, along with some excellent vocal melodies, and it’s another instant highlight. The second verse starts off soft and slow, with light drums and guitars, before the tempo picks up again, and stays that way for most of its duration. There’s a really nice bridge after the second run through the chorus, including some excellent choral vocals, followed by another excellent guitar solo.
Lead single “Dawnbreaker” is the closest the album has to a change of pace, largely staying mid tempo, with the occasional speedy section. It’s a slightly lighter, more keyboard driven track, while still having some great melodic guitar work, especially the main melody, which opens up the track. Things quickly settle into a ncie groove, with moderately heavy guitar work and steady drums, briefly speeding up for a more intense sequence towards the end of the first verse, but then the chorus goes back to more mid paced territory, and is driven by light guitars and bouncy keys. It’s very catchy and vocal driven, with a slight pop feel to it, but it has some fantastic melodies, and is very much in line with the band’s debut. The second verse immediately starts off speedy and stays that way for its duration, and then things settle down again for a bit, with the second run of the chorus followed by a nice bridge and another very beautiful, slow paced and melodic guitar solo. The final run through the chorus again changes keys, and is easily the highlight of the track.
Perhaps the most Japanese sounding track on the album is “Eternity”, which starts out with a bit of a folk infused intro, including a bit of percussion, but it quickly speeds up and goes all out, with energetic keys and melodic guitar work. The opening verse is soft and driven by keys and vocals, with guitars slowly kicking in as the track progresses, and the pace stays fairly laid back for a while, with a big focus on vocals and atmosphere. The chorus is more progressive, starting off mid paced, and then slowly, subtly picking up the pace and intensity as it goes on, with a nice mix of guitars and epic vocal melodies. The second verse speeds up immediately and is easily the highlight of the track, with excellent melodies and a ton of energy. The guitar solo in the second half is once again absolutely beautiful, starting off slow and then speeding up and becoming quite epic as it goes along, and it’s followed up by a nice bridge, leading into an epic, high key final run through the chorus. Next is “King of Nothing”, which starts off sounding a bit like Reinxeed, with some how the guitar sounds, but once the opening verse starts, it feels closer to Royal Hunt, moving at a galloping pace, with melodic guitar work accompanied by energetic, bouncy keys. The track is fairly light and is quite fun and energetic, with a very fun, catchy and melodic chorus and the drums have a slightly playful sound to them at points. The guitar solo is excellent and has some neoclassical shredding.
My favorite track on the entire album is “World End Slowly”, which might just be the happiest, most beautiful apocalyptic track I’ve ever heard. Right from the opening note, the guitars and keys have a light feel to them, with a mix of sorrow and joy which is tough to describe, but it just sounds so perfect. The verses move at a fairly quick pace, and have a nice mix of guitars, keys, drums and vocals, with a very light, but epic feel to everything. The chorus speeds things up further and has a cinematic feel to it, with some absolutely incredible vocals, lyrics and symphonic arrangements. The guitars stay very melodic and beautiful throughout, with the guitar solo in the middle in particular being indescribably beautiful and it’s just incredible how expressive the notes are, without even needing any lyrics. Of course, the lyrics are also excellent, talking about bracing for the end of the world, and wanting to soak everything in with no regrets, but instead being grateful for everything and enjoying the time you have left. The final metal track on the album,“A New Hope” is also very happy and upbeat, with some incredibly cheerful guitar work and energetic keys kicking things off, before things speed up for a fast paced and fun opening verse. The guitar work is again the highlight, with some absolutely beautiful melodies, and the chorus is also excellent. It’s very upbeat, fast and melodic, with some fantastic vocals and lyrics. The guitar solo is very technically impressive, and perhaps the most neoclassical sounding solo on the whole album. Overall, it’s another fantastic track, and it would be a perfect way to close out the album, but it is not the closing track. Instead, the album closes with “Memories on the Wind”, a light, cinematic outro track, which uses some nice keys and symphonic elements, recreating the melodies of the previous track, but in a very soft, beautiful way. I would have been perfectly happy if the album ended with the previous track, but this one is also excellent, and feels very reflective, coming off an album filled with plenty of big, emotional moments.
I had high expectations for Fellowship, coming off their fantastic debut, and thankfully they have managed to not only meet those expectations, but shatter them completely! It’s hard to say whether or not I prefer The Skies Above Eternity over The Saberlight Chronicles, as they’re both amazing in slightly different ways, but either way, the band has certainly delivered, and proven themselves to be far more than a one hit wonder. Fans of the debut are sure to love this, as while it is a bit darker and heavier at times, it’s still very upbeat and optimistic overall, with some absolutely fantastic melodic guitar work and vocals. Anyone looking for a new power metal band to check out, particularly on the more melodic side of things, would be highly recommended to give both this and the previous album a listen, as Fellowship are quickly proving themselves to be one of the best bands in the world at what they do.
Ratings: 9/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.
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