Tales of the Old - The Passageway from Hell to Earth (2012)

Presenting three very bombastic Symphonic Metal tracks, today we have Tales of the Old and their EP “The Passageway from Hell to Earth”. With a style combining elements of bands like Therion and older Nightwish, this band excels in creating very dark atmospheres around lush vocals and powerful guitars. For around 12 minutes this band gives you the perfect introduction to their dark and somber world.

Opening with a very somber piano intro, “Dark Witch” immediately explodes into a full-fledged Symphonic Metal anthem with excellent keyboards and punishing guitars. The clean-male vocals reminded us a bit of Snowy Shawn from Therion, but what pushes this song over the edge for us is the super creepy children’s choir arrangements. The female vocals of Androniki Skoula are very powerful and nicely complement the atmosphere of this track.

“Vlad’s Return” keeps things rolling with very dramatic orchestrations and more eerie children’s singing. The medieval vibe in this track is quite excellent as well. Androniki’s vocals again shine in this song, beating considerably the so-so male sections. There are also some very cool guitar wizardry elements in this track that add an extra layer of versatility to this lush atmospheric track.

Ending this EP with style, the Therion-esque “Call of Eternity” delivers four minutes of killer vocal arrangements and excellent atmospheric elements. This track as a very haunting passage near the 2-minute mark that made us replay it over and over since we couldn’t get enough of it. The song also features a lot less vocals than the previous two, allowing it to show a different side to the band’s music. The instrumental sections reminded us a bit of Angizia but with a Power Metal edge.

Overall, for a 12 minute EP, “The Passageway from Hell to Earth” is one hell of a release. There are some minor details with the male vocals that we didn’t quite like since they sound just tossed in and somebody else could have done a considerably better job. In terms of the band’s sound, they do a great job in creating excellent arrangements, and have their own unique (and very dark) identity when compared to other similar artists. We are looking forward to a full-length release from this band in the near future, so get this album and keep Tales of the Old under your radar.

Release: March 29th, 2012

Genre: Symphonic Metal

Country: Greece