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Sage: Anno Domini 1573
Sage - Anno Domini 1573 Music Review

Sage: Anno Domini 1573

Melodic/Heavy/Power Metal
4.5/5.0

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Rockshots Records
Released: 21.09.2018
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 19.09.2018

Only a mere five years old, Sage is an upstart metal band from Croatia, along the Adriatic Sea. Yet, while young, the band has quite the accomplishments already including filming a live performance for DVD, working with former Kamelot drummer Casey Grillo to produce their first album, Anno Domini 1573, and then introducing several videos in advance of its release.

Sage Band Photo Click For Larger Image

Sage

Additionally, Anno Domini 1573, as a first album, is an ambitious historical concept album. It concerns the Croatian Peasant's Revolt against the cruel nobility in 1573. While having noble ideas and some initial success, the uprising was halted rather quickly and the retribution by the nobility was swift. Sage tells the historical tale using European melodic power metal with some nuances of progressive metal.

Their sound is ambitious as their conceptual theme, with the songs often sounding grand and epic. This is thanks, of course, to the bombastic nature of power itself. But to this, Sage adds its own drama, including vibrant harmonic vocal arrangements, a percussive and strong rhythm section, lavish synths for symphonic embellishment, and a bevy of fiery guitar solos teamed synth solos. If the formula seems familiar, Sage obviously follows in the same path as peers such as Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, or Seventh Wonder And, honestly, they're pretty darn good at it too.

You'll find all these musical elements finely expressed within Wolf Priest, Two Souls, Rivers Will Be Full Of Blood, the rather aggressive Treason, and Man Of Sorrow, which invokes some celtic/folk styling thanks to a violin presence. All in all, with a significant ethnic historical tale wrapped in ambitious power metal, Croatia's Sage delivers a fine debut album with Anno Domini 1573. I think we can expect more like this in the future from this talented band. Recommended.



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The Bottom Line

With a significant ethnic historical tale wrapped in ambitious power metal, Croatia's Sage delivers a fine debut album with Anno Domini 1573. Recommended.

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