Cain’s Offering have returned after a very quiet 6 years, and we review one of the most highly anticipated albums this year, ‘Stormcrow‘.
[tracklist]
01. Stormcrow
02. The Best Of Times
03. A Night To Forget
04. I Will Build You A Rome
05. Too Tired To Run
06. Constellation Of Tears
07. Antemortem
08. My Heart Beats For No One
09. I Am Legion
10. Rising Sun
11. On The Shore
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]57:00[/length]
[record_label]Frontiers Records[/record_label]
[release_date]May 15th 2015[/release_date]
[/details]
It’s been 6 long years since the debut album of Cain’s Offering, formed as somewhat of a power metal supergroup in 2009 by ex-Sonata Arctica guitarist Jani Liimatainen. The band seemed to have been created to continue on the legacy of the classic Sonata Arctica sound that seemed to drop out with the band’s ‘Unia’ release, and the sudden parting of ways between Liimatainen and the rest of the band.
The debut release of ‘Gather The Faithful‘ was extremely well received, though nobody knew what the future held for the band as other members had large projects to take care of, or even whether Liimatainen was interested in making another Cain’s Offering album. Alas, public demand increased, and here we are after a long hiatus with another album and a couple new members. Was it worth the 6 year wait?
The moment the opening track of ‘Stormcrow‘ blasts through the speakers, the answer is pretty simple. Absolutely. If you are a Sonata Arctica fan of old, this is the kind of sound we really miss. Bombastic introductions, passionate vocals, ringing verses, huge choruses and of course that thundering double-kicking on the bass drums. The track represents the mature evolution of Cain’s Offering’s music with more atmospheric keys and powerful songwriting, not the mention the clean cut synchronised shredding of new member and Stratovarius legend Jens Johansson’s keyboards and Liimatainen’s guitars.
The second track of ‘The Best of Times‘ introduces digital layers on to the music with the working of sweeping effects on to the verses, but reinvigorating the sound each time the chorus comes around with explosive ringing of 7-string guitars. It is evident that each of the songs has been carefully crafted with limited experimentation to still keep the Cain’s Offering flame alive, yet constantly peak the listeners interest with little bits here and there that differ from a standard power metal album.
A particular highlight of the album is Timo Kotipelto’s sleek performance on tracks such as ‘A Night To Forget‘ and his passion on the ballad of ‘Too Tired To Run‘. One of my favourite vocal performances out of the Stratovarius man’s career, but we also can’t forget the stunning instrumental prowess of the other other musicians on tracks such as the musical interlude ‘I Am Legion‘.
Cain’s Offering have made an album that really defines themselves as their own band rather than just a continuation of Sonata Arctica. Though tracks like ‘I Will Build You A Rome‘ and ‘Rising Sun‘ carry the signature Sonata sound, so much has gone into the album to really make a valiant effort and project this band to the top-tier of power metal. We were all well aware of Liimatainen’s immense skill on the guitar before, but now were are certainly made aware that he can write some excellent music and fully deserves to be recognised as a prolific songwriter.
Hopefully Cain’s Offering will continue to make albums, but if it’s another 6 years, or even never, there’s enough this album offers to make it a recurring piece to listen to for the next few years to come!
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]It’s the direction old school Sonata fans would have wanted the band to go in. All that relation aside, it is a beacon for power metal in the modern day.[/why]
