Two months before the official release of Achelous’ new album, “Tower of High Sorcery”, we had the pleasure of going to the rock bar En Vivo in order to attend the official listening session and get the first taste listen of the new songs. Achelous have managed to create a large and strong fan base due to the serious and systematic work they do in difficult times and most importantly under adverse conditions. For this alone they deserve a lot of congratulations. Although we will make a detailed presentation closer to the official release of the album, we would like to give you an idea of what you should expect from “Tower of High Sorcery”…
First of all, the album consists of 9 compositions, of which “Whispering Forest” is an opening introductory track. From the very first listen one understands that the guys have done an excellent job in preparing the album and I’m referring to the pre-recording time before entering the studio since every sonic detail is worked to the fullest. The main characteristic of “Tower of High Sorcery” is of course the epic element which this time blends perfectly with eastern melodies and elements of the Greek music tradition creating a fantastic sonic amalgam. I dare to say, in fact, that this is exactly where Achelous’ heart “beats”, this is where their musical identity lies: in the epic sound dominated by the Greek folk tradition and eastern melodies. For the sake of truth, keep the titles of the tracks “Istar”, “Tower of High Sorcery” and “When The Angels Bleed” which are for me personally the top compositions of the album.
Other highlights must include the presence of Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin in “Into The Shadows”, a fantastic up-tempo composition reminiscent of Jag Panzer (and US Metal in general) which will be released as a second single and the ballad “Pagan Fire” which brings in mind Blackmore’s Night and something of the atmosphere of Dokken’s Unplugged in the mid-90s. Finally, it would be an omission if we didn’t mention the excellent vocals by Anastasia Megaloikonomou and the immaculate sound that was captured by Stathis Pavlantis.
“Tower of High Sorcery” is easily Achelous’ best work and is really worth checking out next March. Many congratulations and good luck to the guys from all of us at Rockpages.
