Label: Frontiers Music Srl.
Release date: March 12, 2021
Production: Aldo Lonobile
Album length: 51.48 min
Genre: Power Metal
Rating: 9.0/10
Secret Sphere are an Italian power metal band celebrating 25 years of nonstop activity this year. The memory is still vivid of February 24, 2010, when they opened the night for Freedom Call and the headliners, Hamburg power metal legends Gamma Ray, at Boogaloo in Zagreb. Even though they already had six studio albums under their belt back then, they were a pretty big unknown to the crowd. Since “Archetype”, the album Secret Sphere were promoting on that tour, they’ve put out just two more over the past decade, “Portrait Of A Dying Heart” (2012) and “The Nature Of Time” (2017). After a four-year break, they’re now back with their ninth, “Lifeblood”.
Secret Sphere have been led from the very start by the superb guitar virtuoso and producer Aldo Lonobile. He’s also an incredibly well-honed, accomplished musician when it comes to songwriting. On top of writing really good music for the main band, Aldo has always been in high demand with the people at Frontiers Music Srl, having penned plenty of great music for quite a few of the label’s projects, among them Archon Angel (with Zak Stevens of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Circle II Circrle and Savatage on vocals), Sweet Oblivion (with Geoff Tate of Queensryche on vocals), and Timo Tolkki’s (ex-Stratovarius) project Avalon. In short, the label puts his talents to very skillful use. Anyway, four years flew by in the blink of an eye, and “Lifeblood” is yet another very well-written, sonically polished power metal release that, true to the Italian approach to the genre, leans heavily on neo-classical and symphonic elements. You know, the same country gave us all the Vivaldis, Puccinis, Verdis… On the other hand, you can also catch some flirting with progressive metal, hinted at by a few shifts in time signatures, as well as the wit of the mid-eight passage arrangements. Secret Sphere are the kind of story that will go down very well with fans of Labyrinth and Rhapsody (in all their possible variations), and bands like Firewind or Stratovarius definitely come to mind (especially thanks to the crossfire between the guitar and keyboard solos), as do the American prog metallers Symphony X – especially in the arrangement-wise wildly dynamic Solitary Fight, or the closer The Lie We Love. But like I said, this album is soaked in ultra-melodic symphonic color at every turn, following the tried-and-tested Italian recipe. It’ll appeal to everyone who follows the projects Magnus Karlsson is behind.
The central piece around which Secret Sphere build most of their drama theater, or bombastic atmosphere if you prefer, is definitely the extremely singable chorus, and “Lifeblood” is teeming with them again. The opening title track already makes the point, The End Of An Ego confirms it, and Aganist All The Odds follows suit. They’d never be so on point without the excellent singer Roberto Messina. The tracks are mostly fast, even crushingly fast, powered by relentless pedaling on the double bass drum pedals, which keeps the songs in an exceptional, high-speed, high-energy swing. No filler here. The songs are cunningly polished and the quality doesn’t waver from one to the next. It’s a pleasure to listen to the guitar solos and all the incredible licks that Aldo Lonobile’s technical sharpness brings to the show. Just as much of a balm for the ears is Messina’s commanding, clean, musical, piercing, distinctive and explosive singing, which handles the demanding vocal range between registers with ease. Finally, a singer again who completely avoids “closing up” his vocal cords.
“Lifeblood” is an exceptionally mature, polished release that shows off the wealth of experience and serious mileage the band has racked up. Secret Sphere stick to their proven, winning musical recipe. They don’t surprise with it anymore. But that’s something you can neither expect nor demand at this point anyway. Fans of epic maneuvers, ultra-musical catchiness and outstanding technical sharpness when it comes to “click-perfect” execution will be more than satisfied once they get in touch with the musical substance of this record. The album’s dynamic development is also top-notch throughout. A pile of atmospheric upheavals, jumps between calm passages and crushing parts. In short, an album that doesn’t disappoint for a second. The most ambitious track on the album sits right at its tail end. It’s called The Lie We Love, and it’s the culmination of this highly polished songwriting. Power metal fans, even the most “spoiled” ones, will most certainly get their fill. An album that, thanks to its incredible musicality, gets under your skin right away.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Shaping Reality
2. Lifeblood
3. The End Of An Ego
4. Life Survivors
5. Alive
6. Against All The Odds
7. Thank You
8. The Violent Ones
9. Solitary Fight
10. Skywards
11. The Lie We Love
Lineup:
Roberto Messina – vocals
Aldo Lonobile – guitar
Gabriele Ciaccia – keyboards
Andrea Buratto – bass guitar
Marco Lazzarini – drums
