{"id":2837,"date":"2019-08-14T04:08:05","date_gmt":"2019-08-14T04:08:05","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-12-17T03:35:18","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T03:35:18","slug":"narnia-from-darkness-to-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/14\/narnia-from-darkness-to-light\/","title":{"rendered":"NARNIA: From Darkness to Light"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Narnia return with the second album since the return of Christian Liljegren to the vocal helm. The line-up remains essentially intact from their self-titled release a few years ago, but Andreas Passmark (bass) has been replaced by Jonatan Samuelsson. While the Narnia sound remains essentially intact – melodic power metal with a bit of progression – some of the songs could be categorized as rock anthems. Still, there is enough crunch, shred and heavy drum punch to keep this offering within the realm of metal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lyrically, these guys have always been outspoken about Jesus, but there is a definite \u201cpraise\u201d element lyrically this time. One of the most noticeable improvements from the last release is the greater presence of keyboards (Martin Harenstam) in the mix. Furthermore, the songs feel a bit more developed \u2013 featuring a bit more substance and complexity – with longer durations. It\u2019s early, but these songs reach the quality of the excellent Enter The Gate<\/span> and Course Of A Generation<\/span> \u2013 the two albums which I consider to be at the pinnacle of the band’s career to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album opens with \u201cA Crack In The Sky\u201d which features a great duel keyboard, guitar lead-in, a quick Grimmark solo followed by Christian Liljegren\u2019s patented charismatic vocal exegesis heralding the Lord\u2019s return. The 70\u2019s rock anthem which\u00a0follows \u2013 \u201cYou Are The Air That I Breathe\u201d \u2013 has that classic \u201cfour on the floor\u201d beat with a great melody. The anthemic gang-vocal, quasi-praise chorus is breathtakingly killer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou\/You are the air that I breathe\/You are the truth that I seek\/I believe, I believe in You\u201d<\/span><\/em> \u2013 \u201cYou Are The Air That I Breathe\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And then there is the \u201cgroovy\u201d Zep-influenced \u201cHas The River Run Dry?\u201d This song is a sobering reminder of the cost to living the Christian faith, but the sincere pleadings and humble outpourings keep it all grounded in the world where we live. One of the longer songs, there are some excellent performances by Grimmark during the middle section, and the subtle, yet noteworthy, synth\/organ sounds permeate this song in glorious 70\u2019s fashion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the catchiest, and most uplifting songs both musically and lyrically, is the Celtic-infused power metal romp \u201cThe Armor of God.\u201d This song reflects back nicely on the band origins, yet carefully avoids the clich\u00e9 pitfalls of those 90\u2019s power metal leanings. The chorus here is almost Petra-like (in a good way!). In this era of negativity, this \u201chappy\u201d metal song is so cool. Grimmark delivers a blistering guitar solo which enhances the metal yet doesn\u2019t overwhelm the overriding melody which is king here. The piano echoing the main melody in the outro is a classy touch as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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