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Morning Dwell: Morning Dwell

Melodic/Power Metal

3.5/5.0

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Doolittle Group
by Craig Hartranft,  22.03.2014

Morning Dwell is the creation of vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Petter Hjerpe after purchasing HammerFall's Legacy of Kings, and then being introduced to Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II by his father. Hjerpe fell in love with European power metal and quickly devoured music from Gammaray, Freedom Call, Stratovarius, and Edguy, among others.

Morning Dwell: looks so tough.

Those influences basically tell the story of Hjerpe, the band, and their sound. Their self-titled debut, developed from songs he wrote and re-recorded for a demo, is essentially straight up melodic power. Actually, it sounds much like early Helloween and early Edguy, thanks to the timbre of Hjerpe's voice. Unfortunately his vocals get stomped on in most songs, pummeled by music. A possible exception could be Spread Your Wings. This error falls at the feet of either producer Tommy 'Reinxeed' Johansson or mixologist CJ Grimmark, both of who should no better.

As for the songs and music, the compositions are strong and deliberate, with plenty of melody and gallop for power metal. Also, necessary for the genre is a wall of riffage, some complimentary keyboards, and bunches of guitar solos, and it's all here. While there may be moments where things are toned down, as within portions of The Story Never Ends or Strongest of Them All, by example and the latter one of the best songs here, the race is on from the start, the music breathtaking and barrelling along. If you're seeking some respite from the bombastic and neckbreaking pace, you're not going to find it here. This probably second downside to the album, showing little variation. Even early on Edguy offered an anthem or ballad to balance the bracing speed of power metal. Yet, all in all, this debut is a fine start, and above anything else proves Petter Hjerpe and company's love for classic melodic power metal. Recommended.

Morning Dwell - Unlock All The Doors

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Morning Dwell wants you to metal like it's 1999, bringing power metal on the par of early Helloween and early Edguy.

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