The Greek power metallers collectively known as Emerald Sun are definitely marking their 20th anniversary in style by means of this excellent 12-track onslaught of theirs. In many ways, the band sound like a cross between Judas Priest, Accept, and Iron Maiden, which is to say that there is an overload of meaty and bombastic riffs, strong vocals, epic atmospheres, and a truly powerful production to be found on this cool disc of theirs. Granted, there are quite a few clichés present as well, but we are talking about power metal here, folks.

 

In other words, those clichés are endearing and charming…and there is nothing wrong with song titles such as "Kill or be Killed" or "All as One"! The tasty solos are quite Maiden-esque, the vocals are soaring in places, and there is something about the entire affair that brings to mind visions of heroes, villains, dragons, battles, glory, and all of that good stuff. The thing about "Under the Curse of the Silence" is that it might sound pompous here and there, but that does not mean that it is not utterly appealing.

 

 The record is solid and nicely arranged from start to finish, but two tracks do stand out, namely the moving "Journey of Life" and the bone-shattering "Slaves to Addiction". The tunes range from mellow to pummeling, so there is plenty of variety to this one and it is a great slab of crunchy power metal that ought to appeal to fans of the genre.

 

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