Sons of Seasons – Magnisphyricon (2011)

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After their impressive debut album “Gods of Vermin” back in 2009, today we have Sons of Seasons returning with an equally impressive sophomore album titled “Magnisphyricon”. The creativity of Oliver Palotai knows no limits and with this release he is set on establishing Sons of Seasons as one of the premier Progressive Symphonic Metal bands in the scene.

With almost the same members from the first album, Sons of Seasons treat us to 14 tracks of brilliant compositions that dabble between the Symphonic Metal and the Progressive Metal realms seamlessly in perfect harmony. In this album you will get lush keyboard arrangements, solid guitar riffing and solos, and powerful vocal melodies.

After building up the momentum with “Magnisphyricon: Temperanc”, the band quickly explodes into the epic “Bubonic Waltz”. The buildup in this song features brilliant keyboard sections (and solos) paired with melodic guitar sections. Once the vocals of Henning Basse make their appearance the listener is immediately hooked and reminded of why the first album was plain brilliance. The tempo changes in “Soul Symmetry” make it another instant classic from the band and showcase the band’s Progressive abilities to the maximum.

Simone Simmons vocals in “Sanctuary” will make this song an instant hit with fans of her enchanting voice and Gothic Metal alike. This son features some electronic beats that make it a bit weird from the previous tracks, but they seem to work quite well. After an ethereal interlude with “Magnisphyricon: Adjustment”, the band returns with the melodramatic “Into the Void”.

For the rest of the album the band continues delivering quality songs and before you know it, you will be hitting the play button to listen to this masterpiece all over again. The band’s musical quality is top notch and with such an ensemble of musicians this is more than expected. Every instrument shines at some point and as a whole they create very intricate compositions that touch on several genres of Metal while retaining their own characteristic sound.

As a whole, we have to say that “Magnisphyricon” is an overall improvement over “Gods of Vermin”. The songs in this release are more epic, they feature more vocal arrangements and lush keyboards. The guitar work is very solid and the drumming is excellent. There are no weak points to this band that we can think of and they sure demonstrate it with this release.

Band: Sons of Seasons Album: Magnisphyricon
Label: Napalm Records

Release: April 1st, 2011 (Europe) / April 5th, 2011 (USA)

Official Site myspace
Genre: Symphonic Progressive Metal

Country: Germany

Rating: 92/100
Year: 

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