Album Review: Chamber Mage - By Light Of Emerald Gods
Reviewed by Gareth Pugh
It probably won’t be too much of a surprise to find that Colorado based band Chamber Mage occupy the more niche Sword & Sorcery area of the Heavy Metal genre, and song titles from debut album 'By Light Of Emerald Gods' like ‘Blades on the Rampart’, ‘The Emerald Tower Revealed’ and ‘To Spires Deep and Caverns High (Riders of the Iron River)’ confirm this is one for all the metal warriors and wizards out there.
Starting with the suitably chest-beating anthem that is ‘In Battle’, the band nail their colours to the mast right from the start, with sounds of war rattling in the background, guitarists Devan Fechner and Jaden Knowles peel off some solid riffs and leads, and vocalist Avery Berg bellows a rousing battle cry. The aforementioned ‘Blades on the Rampart’ is a galloping powerhouse locked down by the rhythm section of Dan Nevin (drums) and Ted Jedlicki (bass), with another dominant vocal melody courtesy of Berg.
I have to mention the album’s cover art by William Nevin, it’s full of character and I really do like it, with what looks to be an oil painting showing five intrepid heroes at the gates of some dark dungeon about to embark on a journey into the unknown, where untold adventure and dangers await: an analogy of the band’s first steps on a heavy metal career maybe!
The album consists of 8 fist-pumping tracks, cumulating in the impressive album closer, the 10-minute plus ‘The Silver City Fell’, which combines acoustic guitars, and cellos together with galloping riffs and rhythms in a highly ambitious arrangement. The album was recorded at the at Cadaver Audio studio, and this is probably where the album lets itself down just a smidgeon, there’s a touch of the amateur about the albums production, not that it sounds bad, it’s full of raw emotion and the desire is there to be heard, it’s just that some of the tones and performances aren’t quite there, and maybe a more experienced producer would have eked out a stronger sound overall, but I’m nitpicking.
In conclusion, I don’t mind admitting that Chamber Mage aren’t really my bag, but I can honestly say I like this album, the band has obviously poured their hearts into this debut and their dedication and passion shines through, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the album because of this. Saying that, it is quite rough around the edges and comes across more as a high-end demo, rather than a polished professional album. I can liken it to some of those homemade films shot on camcorders or smartphones, very impressive, but the budget constraints do show. On the whole though I do hope this is merely a first step, albeit a tentative one, to a more grandiose future, recommended to those who like a bit of stirring fantasy mixed in with their metal, and definitely one to look out for in the future.
