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Excalion - Waterlines review



Reviewer:
7.0

50 users:
8.08
Band: Excalion
Album: Waterlines
Release date: February 2007


01. Wingman
02. Life On Fire
03. Losing Time
04. Ivory Tower
05. I Failed You
06. Arriving As The Dark
07. Streams Of Madness
08. Delta Sunrise
09. Between The lines
10. Soaking Ground
11. Yövartio [Finnish version] [European bonus]
12. Access Denied [Japanese bonus]

"Waterlines" is the second album of the young Finnish combo Excalion. Their first release, "Primal Exhale", released on the label Sound Riot was a good but not original at all beginning. The album was not bad, it was well done but its lack of originality and inspiration were so high that it was simply average in the end. With "Waterlines", Excalion is improving; the band failed to do something original one more time but that's better for sure and it's not surprising if Limb Music chose to distribute them all around the world.

What can I say? Musically speaking, "Waterlines" sounds a bit like the first album of the combo. Like Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius or a ton of other bands from Finland, Excalion plays a hyper melodic Power Metal. It's "cute" as hell with catchy and commercial chorus, it's a bit repetitive and clearly not so original but if I have to be honest, in the style "Waterlines" is a good album. The musicians are good the songs like the fast "Ivory Tower" are well-done and sometime it's even a bit progressive (but just a bit really). On the other hand some other songs like "Arriving As The Dark" are so banal and conventional that you'll wonder if you're not listening to something that you bought some years before. It's a bit sad but even if Excalion made a good album of Finish Power, it's not perfect too and suffers a bit of the number of the releases that we have in the category even though it's cleary better than a ton of them.

For the production, it's clean as hell. The sound is really good and the mixing was well-done and even if the cover is a bit cliché, it's a good production for this kind of releases. In fact, if you're a fan of this kind of music, "Waterlines" will not disapoint you and it's highly recommended but if you're bored by Power Metal, especially by the one from Finland, then you'll have to go away asap because Waterlines will not give to you anything new. If Excalion should try to add something new and personal to their music, they could become a great combo of Power.

A bit like with the previous release of the combo, "Waterlines" clearly lacks of creativity. It's classic as hell and not original at all, but let's be honest too, in the style it's not bad and really better than "Primal Exhale". I will not say that we're in front of a great album but if you like combos in the vein of Sonata Arctica, then you'll have to try this Finnish band after all. For fans only but in the style, this is a good album.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 8

Written by Jeff | 05.06.2007



Guest review by
-Mayhem-
Rating:
8.8
A small Finnish melodic metal band Excalion released their second full-length album called Waterlines in 2007. Their debut Primal Exhale had lots of potential but many of the song structures were way too ambitious. Waterlines, however, brings on the band's very own style and sound better than ever before

Waterlines is a really fine album that improved everything that Primal Exhale lacked while keeping its good sides. The performance has taken huge steps forward and technically the album is successful. The new guitarist Vesa Nupponen proves his skills by delivering some nice solos and solid overall guitar work. Vocalist Jarmo Pääkkönen also succeeds by reaching some great high notes. Also all of the unclear pronunciation is gone. The whole band performs a lot better with this new lineup.

Read more ››
published 22.12.2009 | Comments (2)


Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 41 users
05.06.2007 - 14:37
velvet

I'm a sucker for good coverart and thus may have to get this... How does it rate compared to the new Strato or Sonata stuff (which is beginning to bore me if i'm honest)?
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05.06.2007 - 15:15
Bararey
Winter is Coming
I actually bought this album two weeks ago based on the cover art; I have not heard of the band before. I still did not have the chance of listening to it, and from your review it seems like they're your typical "generic" power metal band.
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"Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died."
Ser Jorah Mormont
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17.09.2007 - 19:39
Rating: 9
Rusher

Particularly, one of the best albums in 2007! "The Wingman" alone is worth buying the album, what a mood-lifting song!
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21.12.2007 - 00:47
Arçaliz
Account deleted
Waterlines It's seen that it is a lot a work but I mature in comparison to what was Primal Exhile. I think that is one of the best Power Metal albums of 2007. Songs like The WingMan is one of the future hymns of the Power Metal.
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04.01.2008 - 02:07
Rating: 9
WorpeX
Made of Metal
Great album. ^^ One of my favorites this year!
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18.09.2009 - 13:23
Rating: 10
-Mayhem-

My Favourite album of all times.
Well maybe the next one will beat it since the bits and pieces from the studio sound amazing.
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02.05.2013 - 21:38
caimanjosh

This album's really grown on me. I think the key is Jarmo Pääkköne's spirited vocal performance -- he really sounds like he put his heart into this one, and it takes what might be kinda generic power metal to the next level. A couple of the ballads on here still bore me a bit, but the album overall is quite enjoyable, and I've come back to this many times over the last year or so. Definitely worth a look if you like power metal with powerful vocals (which, I think, is what "power" metal *should* be about!).
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27.10.2019 - 03:34
Raziel X

This is much better than Sonata - who, if you havent forgotten out of nostalgia, have built their initial success upon sounding like upgraded old Stratovarius... Excalion, even though they also share some similarities with Stratovarius, are closer to what Stratovarius started doing post-Tolkki
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