Album Review: Fellowship - The Skies Above Eternity
Reviewed by Sam Jones
I legitimately reckon this is the only the work of power metal I will have review all year round. Of all the numerous power metal acts that are around right now, Fellowship struck out to me because they’re one of the very few bands of their style that I have been continually hearing of, so when I heard they had a new record on the horizon I thought I’d forgo my usual obliteration in favour of something much more fantastical and bonkers. Formed in 2019 out of Essex, United Kingdom, Fellowship are a power metal act who truly embrace all the cheese and galore by fusing their sound with symphonic elements also. Though their first self-titled EP released just a year later, with resulting Singles soon following suit, the band’s first album, The Saberlight Chronicles, released in 2022. Since then the band have released another EP, The Winterlight Chronicles, just a year later, and now for late 2024 they return with another full length album: The Skies Above Eternity. As their 2023 EP was signed on to Scarlet Records so too do the band continue that Partnership with this new record, primed for a November 22nd release date. As potentially the only Power Metal album I’ll look into all year Fellowship have certainly piqued my curiosity and, at last, I’ll finally sate myself in that respect and see what this band are made of.
It doesn’t take long for Fellowship to submerge within their glorious, arising soundscape where all things are possible. The guitar work utilised here manages to hit and envelop us, but opposed to more cavernous forms of metal, the riffs are endured with a joviality and lustre that is frankly infectious. Listening to the band play you’re filled with a buoyancy and life wherein it’s akin to floating g amongst clouds, yet your feet remain rooted upon the ground. This is beneficial to the band since power metal, I’ve found, can sometimes become so fantastical that its songwriting and vibes leave the audience behind and thus we can’t follow the songwriting’s journey. Fellowship however keep their songwriting constantly alongside us so although we may be assailed by solos, this bouncing optimism and serene vocals, we can easily follow along and therefore it becomes easily digestible. You go into a record like this expecting the cheese and the fun, but Fellowship do not go overboard which I respect. They understand where the line is.
It’s refreshing to encounter power metal that doesn’t try and smash its instrumentation so cleanly in your face that it dispels the impact provided by the rest of the band. The riffs and solos are in abundance but they haven’t been placed upon so high a pedestal that the vocals, especially, can’t infer their strength. Looking upon the lyrics, and how long they run for, showcases a vocal presence that can’t be denied. What did surprise me was how regular the vocal performance was; there aren’t any instances of crying, high-pitched vocals, they don’t try and push themselves right into your personal space. As far as power metal goes, this is an extremely “normal” delivery and, honestly, I appreciated Fellowship all the more for it as the relaxed delivery lets your attention wander across the breadth the full band some more, which thus gives the band freedom to breathe and thrust out their songwriting knowing the vocals aren’t about to smother them. There’s also very little tampering with the vocals in the mix too; what you hear on record is likely the exact timbre, strength etc that was performed in the recording studio. The vocals are an eminent part of the band, but the performance is much more raw than your typical power metal act.
But I like how Fellowship understand the necessity of relaxing their attack now and again; these moments aren’t many since it wouldn’t be a power metal record otherwise, but their songwriting possesses one or two instances where their riffs drop away completely for a time, leaving just the vocals leading the charge. But when these instances occur we realise that walls of the record aren’t blandly stark, for the keyboards populate the album at every second; they’re always playing, though their presence may take a few tracks for us to realise. In accordance with the rest of the band, I appreciate that their keyboards aren’t shoved into our faces from the opening second. Like the rest of the songwriting, Fellowship clearly understands not to thrust everything at us at once and I enjoyed how the keyboards could be enjoyed from a distance. Instead of being placed alongside the riffs within the mix, the band placed them further towards the back and rendered their record with a warm, fireside aesthetic that’s nicely appealing.
Throughout the record, the band don’t really deviate too greatly from the tempo as established in their first track; the pacing you receive early on is the same you’ll hear towards the end. However, owing to the aesthetics and vibe that Fellowship bring, this never becomes a problem since they aren’t vying for more crushing or berating soundscapes their more extreme contemporaries would aspire for. It therefore gives Fellowship freedom to do more with less variety in tempo since their audience knows what’s coming, and people who listen to Fellowship recognise this is precisely what they’ve come for. Throw in the fact that Fellowship don’t overdo the jovial and fun style their sound is infused with and it’s a record that can be equally enjoyed by diehards and those less inclined towards power metal like myself. Running just over forty minutes long, I think The Skies Above Eternity is just long enough without overstaying its welcome and, again, its ability to reserve itself from going overboard ensures audiences aren’t getting overwhelmed with every passing minute. By spreading out the galore and lustre across the full record, it makes it more approachable even for death metal fanatics like myself.
In conclusion, The Skies Above Eternity is quite the departure from my usual heavy metal tastes but, after heard much regarding the band, and taking a chance on Fellowship, I came away thoroughly entertained and knowing that I had a had a great time. I will admit that as the record ended I knew that I had received enough, but understanding that this is not my usual calibre of metal special credit must be given to the band for producing a record like this that could interest me in the first place. It manages to be equally powerful yet mindful of its own projections, as it never once blasts us so completely in the face that we feel we can’t follow the songwriting. I’d be curious to see what Fellowship could do of all such limiters were unshackled and they just went for it. This is a lovingly warm, cosy album that will certainly pick up your day from when you first approached it. A solid and infectiously optimistic experience.
Be the first to comment