Artist: Destination's Calling
Label: Silverwolf Productions
Release: 2008
Rating: 2.5/5
Destination’s Calling, formed in 1999, are a quartet cultivating a modern, concept-minded style, one mostly driven by the up-and-coming young bands coming out of Scandinavia these days. So the wave rolling in from the north has reached Germany too, and with it Destination’s Calling. It’s not power metal, not symphonic, not gothic, not epic Hollywood bombast or anything like that. It’s a style you could call melodic metal, one that somehow works mild doses of hard rock heritage on one side and progressive metal on the other into its sound.
The opener, Fallen From Grace, already reminds you strongly in the riff department of the opening of the British hard rockers Ten and their record “The Twilight Chronicles” (2006). Mid-tempo groove, a well-crafted riff and an anthemic chorus, layered with multi-part vocal harmonies and draped in melancholic melody. Know the Swedish melodic metal youngsters Incrave? Very close. It should also go down well with anyone looking for the pomp of the likes of Firewind or Vanishing Point. The next four minutes of the album take a generic leap into power metal waters, and in Sinthetic, especially thanks to the galloping double bass drum pedals, it could even win over fans of long-gone Stratovarius, though of course with a different (read: German) production. From there on, the album doesn’t have any more such bursts of speed.
“Invisible Walls” caught a great production moment. It’s dark and alive, with that metallic liveliness built mostly on huge, voluminous drums that often retreat into stomping double bass pedal work. The band produced the album themselves. Considering Destination’s Calling have been around for almost a decade, and the experience the members have picked up in that time, this well-judged production isn’t all that surprising. The drum rhythms sound fairly synthetic at first listen, but they get stirred up by the melodic three-part guitar harmonies the band lays over them. The bulk of the record is the title track, which together with the intro part (Prolog) runs just under 10 minutes. That’s where the band really stretches its legs.
Destination’s Calling keep the melodic level high throughout and the songs tightly crafted, easy for any ear to take in, as long as your ears aren’t hostile to the noise distortion makes. The singer’s German accent when he “takes on” the English lyrics is a bit distracting. The songs are all on the same level, and “Invisible Walls” is cut at much the same frequency from start to finish. Destination’s Calling with “Invisible Walls” certainly haven’t discovered a new solar system, and they bring absolutely nothing new to the musical map. They’ll be interesting to fans of big melodies and sad but anthemic hooks, with a vocalist who has polish and authority and doesn’t do any “pussy” whining.
The band wisely draws on the legacy that comes with quality when it comes to German heavy metal tradition, and they clearly show the potential to build on their own sound in the future. There’s no doubt about that. Worth a try for fans of European power metal, as well as modern prog metal bands that put melody above showing off technical chops. If you’re after originality and authenticity, though, know that “Invisible Walls” won’t satisfy you. Destination’s Calling have talent, they’re a byword for quality, and they’re worth keeping an eye on in the future to watch how the band develops.
Lineup
Christian Gräter – vocals, guitar
Markus Göller – guitar, backing vocals
Steffen Singler – bass
Christian Frank – drums
Production
Destination`s Calling & Jan Vacik
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Fallen from Grace
3. Sinthetic
4. Trapped in Silence
5. Bleeding Again
6. Prolog
7. Invisible Walls
8. Disconnected
9. Sentenced
10. Turning Away
11. Destination´s Calling
Running time: 45.47
