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Emerald Sun - Regeneration review



Reviewer:
5.0

19 users:
7.37
Band: Emerald Sun
Album: Regeneration
Release date: February 2011


01. We Won't Fall
02. Theater Of Pain
03. Where Angels Fly
04. Regeneration
05. Starchild
06. Speak Of The Devil
07. Planet Metal
08. Chasing The Wind
09. Fantasmagoria
10. Holding Out For A Hero [bonus]

Warning: may contain moments of poking fun at horribly generic fluffy power metal. The views expressed do not represent the writers opinion on the genre as a whole, but rather the army of boring, dime-a-dozen acts it has produced. The same goes for any genre, you just happen to be reading a review about a power metal album. The following review is not intended for people who love hearing the same crap over and over and over. Reader discretion is advised.

So you already know what it sounds like - good, that will make this a lot quicker and a lot more painless. We could easily sit here and crack jokes about how "when you type in 'flower metal' into Google search, Emerald Sun pops up" or "' Generic fluffy pop metal' and Emerald Sun are synonymous", but that would be just downright childish, wouldn't it? Right. So lets get our hands dirty and get into why this sucks, aside from cracking a few cheeky, yet wholly accurate put-downs.

First of all, there's nothing wrong with being on the more catchy, lighter side of metal. However, when the only thing you've got going for your music other than 2 nifty guitar or keyboard leads per song, the lack of substance becomes apparent pretty quickly. Basically, it seems like the band came up with a handful of nice sounding leads, then filled the other 85% of the album up with the exact same rhythm tracks. Hell, if the leads and chorus' didn't change, I bet Emerald Sun could have easily convinced listeners that Regeneration was just one continuous song.

One thing I could always commend even the most generic of power metal acts for is the fact they could at least come up with some mighty, uplifting vocal arrangements that make the chorus' worth listening to. Regeneration even lacks that most of the time. Not to say they don't attempt it in every song, it just sounds like the lead singer just could give a shit a lot of the times...Perhaps even he knew this album was a write-off.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 7
Songwriting: 4
Originality: 2
Production: 8





Written on 11.02.2011 by Former EIC. Now just a reviewer guy.


Comments

Comments: 21   [ 2 ignored ]   Visited by: 182 users
11.02.2011 - 02:33
Axe Argonian

I just listened to two audio clips and thought, "Wow. How many times have we been there and done that?" This tripe is simply gagging on unoriginality and every power metal cliche in the book. Your review is very accurate.

Considering that you listened to this garbage in its entirety, I do feel sorry for you. Thank you for the good laughs, though.
----
"Man does at all times only what he wills, and yet he does this necessarily. But this is because he already is what he wills." - Arthur Schopenhauer
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11.02.2011 - 02:37
Link

The cover song is ok...didnt really made something new....but still good cover
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11.02.2011 - 03:12
Rating: 4
R'Vannith
ghedengi
Is it just me or does the vocalist sound identical to the guy from Timeless Miracle?
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11.02.2011 - 03:15
Doc G.
Full Grown Hoser
Written by R'Vannith on 11.02.2011 at 03:12

Is it just me or does the vocalist sound identical to the guy from Timeless Miracle?

He probably sounds identical to a lot of vocalists.
----
"I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck."
- George Carlin
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11.02.2011 - 03:15
Rating: 7
Death To Posers
Hate Thy King
It wasn't that bad, maybe the fact that I was playing an RPG while listening to it made it better.
----
The word gen means "illusion" or "apparition." In India, a man who uses conjury is called a genjutsushi ["a master of illusion technique"]. Everything in this world is but a marionette show. Thus we use the word gen.
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11.02.2011 - 03:32
Rating: 4
R'Vannith
ghedengi
Just listened to 'Planet Metal'...
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11.02.2011 - 03:58
Ag Fox
Angel No More
>seems like the band came up with a handful of nice sounding leads, then filled the other 85% of the album up with the exact same rhythm tracks
this is soo accurate (just went to their myspace)
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loves 小巫
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11.02.2011 - 14:34
Luneth
Account deleted
Oh wow, what a terrible album. I was looking forward to this for some reason...
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12.02.2011 - 00:21
PoptartDinosaur

Such a shame. Their last album was awesome. This is awful. I thought everyone was just being harsh, but not at all. This is fucking terrible.
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12.02.2011 - 02:13
Rating: 7
Death To Posers
Hate Thy King
Disclaimer is fucking hilarious
----
The word gen means "illusion" or "apparition." In India, a man who uses conjury is called a genjutsushi ["a master of illusion technique"]. Everything in this world is but a marionette show. Thus we use the word gen.
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12.02.2011 - 15:11
Luneth
Account deleted
^ I wouldn't go that far lol
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12.02.2011 - 16:50
RavenKing

OMG, this is fucking horrible. It would be about time musicians realize the melodic Speed Metal of old is dead and time has come to give up on this Flowermetal genre that is a total joke nowadays. And not a joke that makes you laugh.
The only thing the Powermetal genre manages to achieve is to reach a new low every now and then. Seems like the pit of mediocrity is bottomless.

Powermetal has spawned all the good it had and will only manage to suck more and more in the next years.
----
They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink
They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end
But everybody's only looking out for themselves
And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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12.02.2011 - 16:51
RavenKing

Written by Doc G. on 11.02.2011 at 03:15

Written by R'Vannith on 11.02.2011 at 03:12

Is it just me or does the vocalist sound identical to the guy from Timeless Miracle?

He probably sounds identical to a lot of vocalists.


Indeed. He sounds gay like all those Flowermetal vocalists who seem to have been castrated.
----
They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink
They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end
But everybody's only looking out for themselves
And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
Loading...
13.02.2011 - 21:36
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Irritable Ted on 13.02.2011 at 21:20

Prefered the previous album. The new vocalist is poor in comparison.

Black metal is crap as well. Death metal has had its day. All forms of extreme metal are generic copycats.

We already have an extreme metal troll, we don't need a melodic metal troll as well.
----
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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13.02.2011 - 22:35
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Irritable Ted on 13.02.2011 at 22:02

Written by Troy Killjoy on 13.02.2011 at 21:36

Written by Irritable Ted on 13.02.2011 at 21:20

Prefered the previous album. The new vocalist is poor in comparison.

Black metal is crap as well. Death metal has had its day. All forms of extreme metal are generic copycats.

We already have an extreme metal troll, we don't need a melodic metal troll as well.

I don't go on extreme threads as I don't like extreme metal.

I'll end this off-topic here: I'm happy you have those morals, keep them. Not enough fans (of either side) stick to liking what they like without bashing others for what they like. You want majestic leads and comprehensible vocals? Awesome. Some do, some don't.
----
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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14.02.2011 - 06:31
Crème fraiche

Dammit, sad to say i was really looking forward to this one
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15.02.2011 - 17:06
Rating: 4
R'Vannith
ghedengi
I understood the review, regardless of what the reviewer is more inclined to listen to, that should have no bearing on how and whether their opinion can be expressed.
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15.02.2011 - 22:04
Rating: 7
Death To Posers
Hate Thy King
Written by RavenKing on 12.02.2011 at 16:50

OMG, this is fucking horrible. It would be about time musicians realize the melodic Speed Metal of old is dead and time has come to give up on this Flowermetal genre that is a total joke nowadays. And not a joke that makes you laugh.
The only thing the Powermetal genre manages to achieve is to reach a new low every now and then. Seems like the pit of mediocrity is bottomless.

Powermetal has spawned all the good it had and will only manage to suck more and more in the next years.


I don't know.. I like Power Metal that sounds more like Tarot or Blind Guardian still.
----
The word gen means "illusion" or "apparition." In India, a man who uses conjury is called a genjutsushi ["a master of illusion technique"]. Everything in this world is but a marionette show. Thus we use the word gen.
Loading...
16.02.2011 - 00:13
RavenKing

Written by Death To Posers on 15.02.2011 at 22:04

Written by RavenKing on 12.02.2011 at 16:50

OMG, this is fucking horrible. It would be about time musicians realize the melodic Speed Metal of old is dead and time has come to give up on this Flowermetal genre that is a total joke nowadays. And not a joke that makes you laugh.
The only thing the Powermetal genre manages to achieve is to reach a new low every now and then. Seems like the pit of mediocrity is bottomless.

Powermetal has spawned all the good it had and will only manage to suck more and more in the next years.


I don't know.. I like Power Metal that sounds more like Tarot or Blind Guardian still.


I realize the way my statement is written could give the impression it is stated as an absolute truth.
It is not what I intended. Perhaps I am wrong to think that real Powermetal is dead and the genre will only manage to suck more and more but that's definitely what I believe.
I know it's a very negative vision but, sorry, I can't imagine a good future when it comes to Powermetal. Imo, the genre already went down the drain many years ago. In my mind, it is not dying, it is already dead.
----
They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink
They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end
But everybody's only looking out for themselves
And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
Loading...
16.02.2011 - 00:36
Rating: 7
Death To Posers
Hate Thy King
Written by RavenKing on 16.02.2011 at 00:13

Written by Death To Posers on 15.02.2011 at 22:04

Written by RavenKing on 12.02.2011 at 16:50

OMG, this is fucking horrible. It would be about time musicians realize the melodic Speed Metal of old is dead and time has come to give up on this Flowermetal genre that is a total joke nowadays. And not a joke that makes you laugh.
The only thing the Powermetal genre manages to achieve is to reach a new low every now and then. Seems like the pit of mediocrity is bottomless.

Powermetal has spawned all the good it had and will only manage to suck more and more in the next years.


I don't know.. I like Power Metal that sounds more like Tarot or Blind Guardian still.


I realize the way my statement is written could give the impression it is stated as an absolute truth.
It is not what I intended. Perhaps I am wrong to think that real Powermetal is dead and the genre will only manage to suck more and more but that's definitely what I believe.
I know it's a very negative vision but, sorry, I can't imagine a good future when it comes to Powermetal. Imo, the genre already went down the drain many years ago. In my mind, it is not dying, it is already dead.



Yeah, good Powermetal is harder to find nowadays. I'll give you that. I don't really know enough about the sales and popularity of Powermetal to say whether it's in decline or dead or not, though in terms of quality it has gone a bit downhill.

Funny thing is, I've never met a male Powermetal fan IRL but there are a lot on the internet. Makes me think a lot of people listen to it but don't admit to it in person. lol
----
The word gen means "illusion" or "apparition." In India, a man who uses conjury is called a genjutsushi ["a master of illusion technique"]. Everything in this world is but a marionette show. Thus we use the word gen.
Loading...
16.02.2011 - 21:09
momoair

Great album! The "Holding Out For A Hero" is an awesome cover.
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