Amberian Dawn – “The Clouds of Northland Thunder” (2009)

Label : Ascendance Records

Review by Tony Cannella

Finland’s Amberian Dawn have already created quite a buzz for themselves thanks to their phenomonal 2008 debut “River Of Tuoni”. The band have also been touring relentlessly – supporting the likes of Epica, Evergrey and Kamelot. After listening to the aforementioned debut CD it was really easy to become excited about this band. Now, they have released their eagerly anticipated follow-up CD titled “The Clouds of Northland Thunder” and after a few listens it is quite apparent that all of the praise the band received on their first album was well deserved.The band play symphonic power metal with plenty of bombast to the songs and have been compared favorably to another Finnish band Nightwish, thanks in part to the Tarja Turunen-esque operatic style of singer Heidi Parvainen. Personally, I think the songs that can be found on any one of their two albums – but particularly “Northland Thunder” – are good enough to stand on their own.  “He Sleeps in a Grove” gets things started on a fast paced, high tempo note. A strong opening track that is a perfect showcase for the awesome vocals of Heidi. This is a band that is at the top of their game and it definitely shines through on the opening track. The following number “Incubus” keeps things headed in the right direction and it is a definite highlight. Check out the fantastic guitar solo on this one. “Kokko – Eagle of Fire” slows the pace down a little bit. This is a nice mid-tempo number that once again highlights the great vocals of Heidi. “Willow of Tears” is a haunting ballad that offers a nice change of pace and the orchestration that is present in this song is a nice touch. “Shallow Waters” picks up the pace again and offers plenty of bombast. Other highlights include: “Lost Soul”, “Sons Of Seven Stars”, “Saga” and “Snowmaiden”. When all is said and done “The Clouds of Northland Thunder” features 12-songs and 47-minutes worth of pure symphonic metal paradise. With “The Clouds of Northland Thunder” Amberian Dawn have released another master piece. For anyone who liked “River of Tuoni” than I can safely say that you will love this one. All of the elements are there that were present on the debut but this one is a logical progression. Amberian Dawn should hopefully be prepared to take that next step in the metal stratosphere.

Rating – 80/100

Tracklist

1. He Sleeps in a Grove
   
2. Incubus
   
3. Kokko – Eagle of Fire
4. Willow of Tears
5. Shallow Water
6. Lost Soul
7. Sons of Seven Stars
8. Saga
9. Snowmaiden
10. Lionheart
11. Morning Star
12. Birth of the Harp
13. Windows
14. A Rise

Line Up

• Heidi Parviainen – Vocals
• Emil “Emppu” Pohjalainen –Guitars
  
• Kasperi Heikkinen – Guitar
  
• Tuomas Seppälä – Keyboards
• Tommi Kuri – Bass 
• Joonas Pykälä-aho – Drums