Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
On Valentine’s Day of this year the Dutch symphonic power metal band Magion announced that they were calling it quits. Since the band formed in 2005 they released an EP, two demos and two full-length albums. Their announcement came as a bit of a surprise, since their just released second album “A Different Shade of Light” is their best, most sophisticated work to date.
“A Different Shade of Darkness” is 10-songs and 65-minutes worth of killer material. The album begins with the excellent, “Beloved Enemies”. The massive “Masquerade” is up next and features an almost thrash metal vibe which is combined with the technical complexity which defines this album. Next is the Celtic influence of “Ever And a Day”. This song kind of reminded me of Leaves’ Eyes. Other highlights included: “Shallow Grounds” and the dynamic closing trio of “Untrue”, “Body’s Betrayal” and “Neverending Winter”.
So, while it is a shame that Magion (the band) is no longer with us the members of the band can be proud that they went out with a bang on “A Different Shade of Darkness”.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Beloved Enemies
- Masquerade
- Ever And A Day
- Shallow Grounds
- Out of Time
- Chance to Change
- Break the Silence
- Untrue
- Body’s Betrayal
- Neverending Winter
Line Up
- Myrthe van Beest – Vocals
- Chris Vrij – Guitars
- Arjen van der Toorn – Guitars
- Menno Bruggeling – Bass
- Joop de Rooij – Keyboards
- David de Waal – Drums