Golden Resurrection - One Voice For the Kingdom (2013)

I can admit when I'm wrong.  I'm a big enough man to recognize when I've made a mistake and need to take responsibility for it.  The consequences are sometimes unpleasant, but I've found it's better to take your lumps and move forward than to try and string things along until they end up worse.  Sometimes one has to take a bruise to one's pride as well, which isn't fun, but builds character.  Thankfully, what I'm admitting to being wrong about is the direction of Golden Resurrection's last album.  In my review for it, I said I felt like the mid-paced approach suited them and was a good direction for them to go in as opposed to the speedier, more neo-classical approach of the debut.  Well, I was wrong.

While I stand by my review otherwise, and think that "Man With a Mission" is a solid album, I'm glad that Golden Resurrection has elected to go back to a speedier approach with "One Voice For the Kingdom".  This latest release has what I feel is potentially the strongest set of songs the band has released thus far, and has begun to solidify what could be the Golden Resurrection sound - a mix of neo-classical metal, European power metal, and traditional metal with a knack for melody, keyboards to spare, and catchy hooks.  I also like that the focus, vocally, has shifted more toward Christian Liljegren's direction.  Don't get me wrong, I like Tommy ReinXeed's vocals, and I think he uses them perfectly in his main band, ReinXeed.  But this project "feels" like a Christen Liljegren band, so his vocals as the focus are part of the attraction.

If you've heard the band's debut, or even "Man With a Mission", you know what you're getting here in terms of instrumentation.  Guitar work by Tommy is as strong as ever, with more of the faster-paced playing and speedy riffs he has become known for with ReinXeed.  His penchant for neo-classical playing comes through in several spots, from the intro to "The Temple Will Remain" & the bit in "Spirit War" where he echoes a classical piece, to the instrumental "Heavenly Melodies".  The guitar sound is just about perfect for the music as well, with a very "clean" distorted sound, if that makes sense.  There's not so much distortion in the guitar tone that it feels too heavy, but this is obviously metal music through and through.  And as always, Tommy's guitar solos are excellent, balancing fret board pyrotechnics with melody and some degree of soul, especially on the album's closing instrumental, "Moore Lord" (another reference to the late Gary Moore, perhaps?).  Bass work by Stefan is solid, and is nicely placed in the mix.  Bass is present and audible, you can hear what it's doing and where it's going, and it adds weight without dominating the proceedings.  Drum work by Alfred Fridhagen is excellent, and the drum production is pretty good.  A punchy snare drum sound accompanies thick and full bass drums & toms, and cymbals ring out when necessary, though they do lack a bit of emphasis during moments when a bit more cymbal would make sense.  Keyboard & Hammond organ work by Svenne Jansson is solid, adding that touch of faux-symphonic sound when fitting, and providing an extra melodic layer in the background much of the time.  The eponymous track even has some nice interplay between keyboard and guitar, trading licks/solos and propelling the song forward.

Vocally, Christian Liljegren is in fine form.  I still believe his most impassioned and strongest performances have been with Divinefire, but honestly, what he's doing here is a close second.  He brings some of the grit he employs with Divinefire while maintaining a clean, melodic sound through much of the record.  I also believe that Christian gets better with age.  Some of his earliest neo-classical and power metal material suffered from  vocal control problems, but over time Christian has really come into his own, having developed the ability to control his instrument much more effectively.  He has also increased his range, or at least flexed his vocal chords enough to utilize the upper range and give us those high-pitched wails.  Christian's voice is much of the draw of Golden Resurrection because it's fairly unique and distinctive, so if you like it, you'll appreciate what he's doing here.  Lyrically, this record is no different than what the band has already done, though a couple of the songs might be slightly less overt than what came on the previous record.  If lyrics based upon Christianity turn you off, these won't win you over.  If you enjoy such things, you'll be edified despite Christian's somewhat limited abilities as a lyricist.  This isn't poetry, but it's not Reader's Digest, either.  The lyrics are appropriate for what the band is trying to communicate.

With everything coming together so nicely on the album, there are a couple minor complaints.  I enjoy "Heavenly Melodies" and "Moore Lord" quite a bit, but honestly, 2 instrumental tracks is a bit much for an album with only 8 vocal tracks.  Perhaps the band is trying not to overstay their welcome in your CD or MP3 player, which is good, but I would maybe have included either 1 less instrumental, or perhaps added an additional vocal track in between them so it didn't seem like instrumental work was dominating the second half of the album.  Be that as it may, I would hope the band would play "Heavenly Melodies" during concerts to give Christian a breath-break and showcase Tommy's skills.  Also, I agree with a couple of the other reviews I've read that the title track is a bit weak and disappointing.  It's not bad, per se, it's just not title track material in the same way that the title tracks for the 1st 2 albums were.  It's just a bit nondescript and less memorable than much of the rest of the material.  Overall, however, this is a contender for the band's strongest release, and certainly worthy of the name they've made for themselves.  Recommended.

83/100

Golden Resurrection - Man With a Mission (2011)

Christian Liljegren (aka Christian Rivel) is a busy man.  And not just busy like having plenty of stuff going on.  I mean busy as in, the guy apparently doesn't sit still.  If my count is right, Christian has either spearheaded or been involved in the recording of some 15 albums since Narnia released their debut in 1998.  So by my count, that is more than 1 album on average per year.  Sure, there have been years where he hasn't released any material, and heavier periods (like 2004-2006 where he was involved in at least 5 different albums, 3 just in 2005!), but suffice to say, the man has kept himself busy, professionally speaking.  Add to that the fact that he runs his own record label(s), and you have one busy guy.  He left Narnia, presumably so he could be less occupied, but aside from less constant touring, I think Christian is probably still busier than the average metal musician.

2010 was another busy year for Mr. Liljegren, as he released the 2nd Audiovision album, guested on the 2nd 7days release, AND put out the debut of his latest endeavor, Golden Resurrection.  The album hailed a return of the neoclassical metal he had become known for in Narnia, but bumped up the speed and intensity factor a bit, resulting in a strong showing and a fine debut album.  Just 11 months (to the day!) later, Christian and company are back with their sophomore outing, "Man With a Mission".  Still present are Tommy Johansson's sweeping neoclassical playing and Christian's strong vocals.  The big difference here, however, is that everything has been amped up save for the speed.  In fact, the album has considerably slowed down to where the number of "speedy" songs has dwindled to just a couple.  Most of the material is mid-tempo, or meets somewhere in the middle between the speed of power metal and neoclassical, and a more traditional metal stomp.  This isn't wholly unique, by any stretch, but does give Golden Resurrection slightly more identity than they had before.  In a way, it's like they've taken a Hammerfall approach that says, "Speed isn't always better, sometimes it's just more."

In terms of guitar work, Tommy is on-point as always, and brings some fairly strong riffs with a good melodic sense.  His lead playing is always skillful and technically adept, while also being melodic, and that shows here, perhaps a bit more strongly than on the debut.  He also adds some vocal work here and there, harmonizing with Christian in background and group vocals, as well as doing a few lead vocal trade-offs with Christian at times (including on the bonus tracks).  Christian is in fine form here as well; I firmly believe he has only improved with age, and his material with Divinefire was (I feel) his strongest work up to that band's original demise in 2008.  Golden Resurrection has continued this, with Christian nicely transitioning back and forth between his smooth-as-butter "golden" voice, and his more gritty, aggressive tone that he uses at times to accentuate the tempo, mood, or power in the songs.  Bass work by Stefan is solid, though it's often difficult to pull out of the mix.  In other words, his contribution is less overtly obvious than the rest of the band, but when you hear his rumbling underneath, it's easy to see he contributes.  Drum work by Rikard is also quite good, with a good use of varying tempos, not content to just double-bass drum his way through the album.  He is quite solid and provides competent rhythms behind all the music, and doesn't showboat or take over the music.  Special mention must be made of keyboardist Kenneth Lillqvist - the man certainly knows his way around his instrument, and he provides an excellent backdrop for Tommy's guitar, sometimes acting as a "second lead", other times merely providing a melodic framework for Tommy's guitar pyrotechnics so the song doesn't lose the melodic sense in the midst of all the fireworks.

Lyrically, the band trudges the usual territory of faith in Christ, power through faith in Christ, empowerment through Christ, etc.  There are a couple of exceptions, such as "Golden Times" which is more of a reminiscence than an overt statement of faith, and "Flaming Youth" which is directed a bit more specifically at, well, the youth and their direction.  But if you're no fan of "Christian metal" because of the lyrics, this won't win you over, and will probably be one more album on the pile of records that turn you off.  I would challenge those listeners to keep an open mind, however.  While Christian isn't the most adept lyricist out there, he tries, and he is earnest in what he is singing, even when his stuff tends to veer into "maximum cheese" territory.  So while the lyrical themse on the album tend to be a touch redundant at times, they're at least consistent.

The digital release of the album includes 2 bonus tracks not available on the physical CD: "Point Of Know Return" (a Kansas cover), and "The End Of the World", which is a fitting and timely tribute to the late Gary Moore.  Both songs are well done and show the band from a slightly different vantage point.  Actually, I quite like their take on "Point Of Know Return" after listening to it a few times, with Tommy providing the bulk of vocals and Kenneth's keyboard shining throughout.  If the band decides to change things up again after this release, a metalized Kansas-like progressive direction would be something I could see (and would welcome) from this group.  Likewise, "The End Of the World" is a strong closer, though perhaps just a touch overlong.  It starts with a lot of guitar wizardry by Tommy, obviously paying homage to Gary's underrated guitar playing skills, particularly in light of his time in Thin Lizzy, no doubt.  Once the song actually gets underway, after a 2 minute solo-fest, we are treated to a mid-tempo rocker with a strong, aggressive vocal by Christian and some guitar flourishes by Tommy.

Overall, this is a strong second album by the group.  After my initial disappointment that the speed and power of the debut isn't present here, I think that actually works in their favor in the long run, as the market is currently overloaded with a glut of also-ran power metal bands.  I'm betting Christian and Tommy know that, and this album seems like a conscious shift away from the speedy European power metal sound to a more hybridized sound that combines classic European power metal with traditional heavy metal and hard rock, which I think will give the band plenty of crossover appeal.  It also gives their songs a bit more collective identity this time around, so while the songs start to bleed together a bit mid-way through, this sees the band moving in the right direction.  Recommended for fans of melodic, power, or really any traditional European style of metal.

80/100