Sons of Seasons – Magnisphyricon

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Despite an impressive background playing for a wide range of artists (but most famously for Kamelot), Oliver Palotai’s own project Sons of Seasons didn’t really hit the mark with debut album Gods of Vermin. Even with the Kamelot connection and being heavily promoted as featuring Oliver’s girlfriend, Epica singer Simone Simons (to the point of putting her image on the cover), the album was met with a very neutral response. So it is a very pleasant surprise to see that the band’s second album is a staggeringly big leap forward. Magnisphyricon sounds much less stale than their debut, with the production having a much warmer tone. It is significantly richer and more textured, having a familiar, classic feeling. As can be expected, there are some symphonic elements incorporated into the music, but it doesn’t feel like a central, overwhelming feature, instead simply giving flavour and atmosphere. More prominent are Oliver’s piano parts, again something that should be of no surprise, especially given the album’s cover. It goes without saying that fans of Kamelot should probably enjoy this, although Sons of Seasons definitely differ in style from Palotai’s day job. They sound much less archetypical symphonic power metal, and lean more heavily towards the progressive side of the genre. Simone Simons once again guests, but this time only for a single song, Sanctuary. This actually proves to be a good thing – singer Henning Basse is more than capable of holding the album on his own, and whilst the guest appearance is nice, it is good to see the band are not overburdened by numerous guest appearances. Whilst the first half of the album is decent enough, it only really takes off on the second half, with the triple attack of the lengthy Nightbird’s Gospel and the brilliant, heavy Tales of Greed, before flowing gracefully into the fantastic Lilith. Magnisphyricon makes for a very satisfying listen, and whilst it probably won’t prove to be one of the most prolific albums of its genre, it certainly entertains.

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Power Metal, Progressive, Quick.Play Reviews, Sons of Seasons