Power metal can be a difficult genre to appreciate at times because there’s a lot of bands that all sound the same – with similar song constructions, melodies and vocal styles. Seasons Change, the debut album by Azoria, does fall victim to this a little, but it makes up for it by utilising a wide variety of guest vocalists for the songs which helps keep things a little fresher.
There are certainly no surprises within the album but there are some fantastic song inclusions, such as the gripping opener Just Like The Phoenix which is quick, punchy and to-the-point and features some powerful vocals from Tommy ReinXeed, and Azoria really mix things up by even having a female vocalist, Matilda Eriksson, on the song When You Sleep, which feels like a breath of fresh air amidst a sea of male vocalists. It’s an interesting number; perhaps the best of the album as a result, and it’s a song that will stay with you for a long while.
Unfortunately, there are a fair few songs that don’t quite go the distance and there are sections of the album that struggle to maintain your interest the whole way through and although it works quite well as background music, I’m not sure that was what the band were really aiming for!
The album is decent enough, but it could be so much more. It’s great for people who are humongous power metal fans because this does sound very similar to a lot of other releases out there, but it would be better if it just stood out from the crowd a little more – more original tracks like When You Sleep as opposed to the standard power metal sound they’ve plumped for with the rest of the album.
6/10
