Kilmara – Journey to the Sun Review

Spanish Metallers Make an Impressive Leap into Power Metal Territory...

Released By: RPM-ROAR

Release Date: January 31st, 2025

Genre: Power Metal

Links: https://www.facebook.com/kilmaraofficial/

 

Line Up:

Daniel Ponce – Vocals
John Portillo – Guitars
Carles Salse – Guitars, Keyboards
Dídac Plà – Bass
Eric Killer – Drums

 

Tracklist:

1. Point of No Return

2. Journey to the Sun

3. Alliance of the Free

4. Chances

5. Liberticide

6. Wildfire

7. An Even Whole

8. Power of the Mind

9. Take Me Back

10. Journey to the Sun (8 Bit Version)

11. Journey to the Rising Sun (Japan Bonus track)

 

A new year always brings new opportunities to discover more exciting metal bands I’ve never heard before. My latest discovery is Spanish band **Kilmara**, who are set to release their fifth full length album, *Journey to the Sun* at the end of this month. The band started out as a melodic heavy metal band, and I recently checked out their previous album, *Across the Realm of Time*, which was very much in line with what I was expecting, though there were a couple tracks that hinted at more of a power metal sound. Now, with a largely new lineup, the band is ready to fully explore their power metal side, with *Journey to the Sun*, and while I found the previous album to be solid, if a bit forgettable, this is an album that will be sticking with me for a very long time!

**Kilmara** have gone through a lot of lineup changes over the years, with guitarist John Portillo being the lone remaining original member, while vocalist Daniel Ponce made his debut on *Across the Realm of Time*. The rest of the lineup is new for *Journey to the Sun*, including second guitarist/keyboardist Carles Salse (who also produced the album, with help from Miguel Ángel Marchal and Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann), bassist Dídac Plà and drummer Eric Killer. Unsurprisingly, these changes have also led to a much different sound, and it feels like the potential start of a new era for the band. Power metal fans have a lot to look forward to with this album, as the band has gone for a classic power metal sound, with bits of modernization here and there, especially with some of the keyboard sounds. On the whole, though, it’s a fairly traditional sounding power metal album, with a pretty nice balance between guitars and keyboards, with some tracks going fast and heavy, while others are a bit more melodic, and there’s also some more progressive leaning tracks, with more complicated rhythms and some nice twists and turns. As a whole, it’s a very melodic album, with some very nice melodic guitar work and energetic, upbeat keys, though it can get rather chunky and heavy at times.

Performances are strong across the board, with both guitarists doing a great job and both have a good amount of room to work with. Some tracks have them going for a classic power metal sound, while others add in a slight hard rock edge, as well as some melodic prog, and they pull everything off wonderfully. Keys are very upbeat and have a slight trance feel at times, though they mostly have a fairly typical power metal sound. Some tracks have keys leading the way, while others are more guitar driven, and the album strikes a nice balance between the two. New drummer Eric Killer does a great job and especially excels on speedier tracks, though he also provides some nice, complicated rhythms on the more progressive sections. Production is excellent, striking a nice balance between being polished but still having a nice edge to it, to let the heavier sections come through nicely. Vocalist Daniel Ponce really excels on this album, and he’s definitely one of the standout features of the band. He has a deep, gritty voice which works perfectly for a metal band, but he can also sound really smooth and he excels on choruses, while being equally good at heavier and softer sections, varying his intensity levels perfectly. Lyrically, the album deals with themes of unity and freedom, and while it’s based around the 80’s, a lot of the lyrics are definitely very appropriate for modern times as well.

Songwriting is another area where the album fully delivers. Most tracks are fast-paced and energetic, though there are a couple lighter tracks, including one which is a bit slower than the rest, and even among the speedier tracks, there’s a good amount of variety to them, with each standing out in their own way. The album opens up with a brief keyboard driven intro, which leads into the title track, one of the standout tracks of the album. It opens up with some light keys and heavy guitars, moving at a fairly moderate tempo, before eventually slowing down for a bit, leading into more of a slow, calm opening verse, with a nice mix of heavy guitars and atmospheric keys. The tempo picks up nicely heading into the chorus, which has a nice balance between keys and some very nice melodic guitar leads, along with some excellent vocal melodies. The second verse is heavier and speedier, with more of a guitar driven focus. On the whole, the track isn’t overly speedy, but it is quite upbeat and energetic, with the chorus in particular being a big highlight, along with a really nice and lengthy melodic guitar solo towards the end.

The next track is “Alliance of the Free”, one of the speediest tracks on the album. It starts off with some really nice melodic guitar work, which certainly has a classic power metal feel to it, but once it gets going it’s actually fairly keyboard driven, especially in the verses, which are a bit lighter and slower paced. The chorus is speedy and very powerful, with awesome vocals, driven by some nice electronic keys. There’s a very nice, sped up guitar solo towards the end, followed up by a final run through the chorus and then some really cool, intense additional vocals from Ponce to close out the track. Perhaps the best fusion between the band’s different sounds is “Chances”, which features a nice mix of power metal, melodic metal and AOR. It starts off with a brief tease at the main riff, before slowing down for a calm, acoustic guitar led opening verse which feels like a ballad. The tempo picks up for the chorus, which is fast-paced and energetic, with a nice mix of electronic keys and heavy guitars. The guitars really kick in going into the second verse, which is heavy and fast-paced, and it’s full of energy throughout, making it one of the highlights of the track, along with the chorus. There’s also a really nice bridge with intense vocals and keyboards, leading into another excellent guitar solo. Overall, it’s an excellent track, and a perfect example of what the band sounds like with their current lineup.

One of the heaviest tracks on the album is “Liberticide”, which has more of a progressive power metal feel to it, with a stop/start rhythm to the guitars and drums at points. It’s also very heavy and seems more technically impressive and complex than other tracks on the album, with both the guitars and keyboards reminding me of **Symphony X** during some of the heavier riffs and especially the solo section, which is certainly more complicated than on any other track. At the same time, it’s still a very fun and catchy track, with the verses being more complicated, while the chorus is speedy, melodic and very catchy, with some excellent vocals. The speediest track on the album is “Wildfire”, which alternates nicely between sections with melodic guitar work and electronic keys, dialed up to the absolute max, going full speed ahead, as well as more moderately paced, guitar driven verses, which have more of a hard rock edge to them. The mix between the two styles works out nicely, with the hard rock styled verses paving the way for a super speedy, full on power metal assault during the chorus, along with an excellent bridge section, which leads into the final run through the chorus. It’s another personal favorite, and one power metal fans are sure to love.

Things calm down a little bit towards the end, with “An Even Whole” having more of a melodic prog feel. It’s still fairly up tempo, but it also includes some fairly slow, lighter passages, with a big focus on the keys. In fact, this is a very keyboard driven track, with the main melody being driven by keys, and the mix between lighter prog and speedy power metal reminds of **DGM**, especially during the verses and solo section. The chorus starts off fast-paced and guitar driven, but there’s also some slower, atmospheric sections where the keys take over, and it’s certainly one of the more moody choruses on the album, while still being fairly catchy and melodic. The slowest main track on the album is “Power of the Mind”, which is led by some very nice melodic guitar work. It moves at more of a moderate pace throughout, never really speeding up. It has some nice, subtly heavy guitar work and electronic keys during the verses, while the chorus is very melodic and epic, heavily driven by the keys and vocals. The second verse is heavier than the first, but still moves at a fairly subdued pace, while the solo section is very laid back and melodic. It’s the lightest track on the album, by far, but it’s still an excellent track in its own way.

The last metal track on the album is “Take Me Back”, another track which maintains a nice balance between speedier sections and more moderately paced sections, as well as between heavy guitar work and light keys. The verses are fairly upbeat, and largely keyboard driven, while the chorus speeds things up slightly and is a bit heavier. The solo section is perhaps the most explosive moment of the track, especially towards the end, where it gets quite intense. The highlight of the track, though, is a guest appearance from **Lost Horizon** vocalist Daniel Heiman, who duets with Ponce throughout the verses and chorus, and the two work together very well. Most versions of the album end with an 8-bit version of the title track, which is surprisingly fantastic. It maintains the upbeat feel of the track, but instead of any guitars, it’s entirely electronic, with a classic NES style, and it’s quite fun and catchy. The way they use different electronic sounds to imitate the guitars at certain points is quite neat, and overall, it’s a really fun remix. The Japanese version of the album has “Journey to the Rising Sun”, which essentially takes the title track and turns it into a ballad, led by acoustic guitars and vocals, with Ponce singing much more softly than normal, and he shines throughout the track. Both alternate versions of the title track are excellent, and it’s quite obvious the band has fallen in love with the track already, which makes sense, because it’s definitely one of the stronger tracks here.

It’s always fun seeing bands that start off in other genres and decide to switch gears and make a power metal album, and **Kilmara** have done so impressively with *Journey to the Sun*, which is an excellent album from start to finish. Traces of their melodic metal roots can be found at points, as well as some progressive metal, but on the whole, it’s an excellent power metal album, with a nice mix of heavy and melodic guitars, as well as some nice electronic sounding keys. Vocalist Daniel Ponce delivers a standout performance, but the rest of the band also does an excellent job, and the songwriting is excellent all around. Power metal fans looking for an album with fun and varied songwriting, should definitely give this album a listen, and I certainly hope the band continues with this sound for at least another album or two, as it’s a fantastic album overall.

 

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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