Description

Italian act Arthemis second album ‘The Damned Ship’ was released in 2002 and its an album full of neoclassical speedy power metal of the highest order. Singer Alessio Garavello, who incidentally provides the powerful pipes for U.K. power metal upstarts Power Quest as well, is clearly professionally trained and doesn't hide his influences. It's fairly safe to say that if you're a fan of the vocal style made famous by Helloween, Rhapsody, Domine, Labyrinth, Dream Theater and others, this album will fit like your favorite pair of concert jeans. The 2 twin lead guitarists – Matteo Ballottari and Andrea Martongelli – are also shredders who in all likelihood spent a good deal of their youth listening to Kai Hansen and Yngwie J Malmsteen. Arthemis isn't going to win any points for originality, but I will say this for them: unlike many of their Italian metal-scene peers, they've decided to go short on the symphonic elements, and go all out on the speedier-than-a-runaway-train elements. To further help them stand apart from the pack, the riffs are for the most part meatier, the bass thicker, the songs actually a bit simpler than the 100s of other bands that fill this space – ‘Starchild’ is a superb example of how to create a brilliant modern power metal song – though there seriously are late-1980s Helloween moments literally all over the record. ‘The Damned Ship’ is done extremely well. The production and obvious musical talent are top-notch so if you're a diehard fan of well-played, catchy, guitar-driven neoclassical power metal, get this record. It'll be right up your alley. Track listing: 1. Quest For Immortality 2. Voice Of The God 3. Sun's Temple 4. Starchild 5. The Wait 6. The Night Of The Vampire 7. Earthquake 8. Noble Sword 9. The Damned Ship