Artist: Saidian
Label: Metal Heaven
Released: 2006
Rating: 2.5/5
Saidian, a German “power metal” band that debuted last year with “For Those Who Walk The Path Forlorn”, charges eagerly through their metal horizons and convictions, and here already comes the new record, “Phoenix”. The music? Easy peasy, come along with me (says Melkijad). It opens like a classic melodic hard rock riff just slammed into your ear, magnificently stretched out by a curtain of synthesizers in the background, and soon we’re face to face with a typical Edguy chorus on Ride On A Pheonix (The lyrics? Tra-la-la and hop-sa-sa:… ashes to ashes, from dust will reborn,… oh my head…how many more times? How childish!). Praise The Lord is a salute to Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius, with a typically “Scandinavian” keyboard solo that, at that kind of speed demonstration, can land you with a case of “Parkinson’s tremors”.
The production? German. Sharp, crunchy guitars carry most of the melody and cover the soundscape. In contrast, the keyboards are woven into the background, successfully providing atmospheric support and adding symphonic “pomp” to the band’s sound. The fact that keyboardists are becoming a more important part of modern metal bands year after year is confirmed by the varied use of a colorful palette of all sorts of sounds as background filler, or by the solo duels in the instrumental middle sections. The vocals carry a tone that, in the highest registers, is really a halfway point between Tobias Sammet (Edguy) and Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween), but Markus Engelfried will have to eat plenty more plates of žganci before he bridges the quality gap separating him from those two power metal vocal champions. What stands out in the band’s sound is the drums. Behind them sits Klaus Sperling, who has a drumming approach distinctive enough that you can recognize it with ease, provided you know Primal Fear, where the guy once pounded the skins. And that’s not all. On top of everything, the drums even carry the recognizable Primal Fear “Klaus Sperling era” sound. Honestly, I still miss him in Primal Fear to this day. In short, the drumming is rattled off flawlessly. It especially shines in the fastest songs on the album (e.g. Never Surrender). The guitar solos are a real speed treat straight out of the Paganini school, and fans of speed races will be thrilled by the solo duels between keyboards and guitar on offer. The instruments and vocals are arranged in the production in proper balance and clearly highlighted in contrast, with the sound itself kept lively (especially the drums and guitars).
Crown Of Creation is a mid-tempo atmospheric song, with a guest vocal from “Mountain King” Jon Oliva (Jon Oliva’s Pain, Savatage). Saidian promoted their debut last year on tour as the support act for Jon Oliva’s Pain and obviously got very close with the legendary Oliva, which resulted in that guest spot. Nothing special.
Saidian are undoubtedly a technically very capable band. The guys know how to put a riff together, craft an expressive chorus and deliver a remarkable amount of tight “interplay”. But… It all sounds too cliché. Saidian are missing the train by a decade. They remind you of Edguy not just in the first track, but almost every time multi-part vocal choirs join the chorus (the song See The Light, for example). Never Surrender sounds like a cross between Primal Fear (the pre-chorus riff) and Stratovarius (the keyboard lines in the chorus). The band tries to distract the listener from wondering about the cliché-sounding main motifs by adding bravura solos, but that only partly works. The Jester, with its mid-tempo main riff underlined by a massive wall of synthesizers, is another stroll over to Primal Fear, which the vocal approach then softens, meaning that in the chorus you quickly find yourself back at “happy hour with Edguy” (multi-part vocal choirs – chorus). The guys are clearly bursting with the urge to prove themselves, which the decidedly overlong album shows too! In the future the band could also think about bringing in a stronger vocalist.
The band is young and full of work ethic. On the instrumental side, the guys offer enviable technical quality, no arguing with that. Everything works there. It’s just awkward, because while listening you quickly realize it’s far too obvious a retreat into the ideas of bands that appeared 10 years before Saidian, and Saidian simply don’t manage to surpass them in any department yet. We’ll see what the future brings. The band has talent, has potential, but is still searching for itself. So let’s be patient. “Phoenix ” is a record made for the most diehard “power metallers”.
Lineup
Markus Engelfried – vocals
Markus Bohr – keyboards
Rodrigo Blattert – guitar
Manuel Glassmann – bass guitar
Klaus Sperling – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Jon Oliva – vocals on Crown Of Creation
Production
Vagelis Maranis
Track list
1. Resurrection (Intro)
2. Ride On a Phoenix
3. Praise the Lord
4. State of Euphoria
5. Fallen Hero
6. Crown Of Creation
7. See The Light
8. Never Surrender
9. The Jester
10. Ride Like the Wind
11. Nine Lives
12. Power And Glory
13. Reign Of Agony
Album running time: 64.08
