MAGICIAN

Magician were formed in 2000 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The five members of the band are all experienced musicians, having played in various bands prior to the formation of Magician. The band have supported Helloween and Symphony X in their homeland. Although they’ve have been around since 2000, ‘Tales of the Magician’ is their first full release. In fact, the album was recorded in 2006 but has only recently secured worldwide distribution. The album was recorded in Brazil but was actually mixed and mastered in Hamburg by, amongst others, Kai Hansen, ex Helloween. The Helloween influence is pretty evident throughout , from the intro track ‘Let the Spell Begin’ to the final track. Having said that, there is enough quality on show for Magician not to be dismissed as second rate copyists. The operatic vocals that pepper the CD might not be to everyone’s taste but they are effective and fit in well with the general mood of the album, which is quite dark and very grandiose. Other than Helloween, the main similarity to another band that I can deduce is to Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force. This is because the guitar of Renato Osorio is very reminiscent of Malmsteen at his peak and also due to the vocals of Dan Rubin being comparable to those of Jeff Scott Soto. The similarity to Rising Force is most marked in the second track, ‘Prime Evil’. The style of the songs remains fairly unchanged throughout this release with an up tempo, speed metal/thrash approach with keyboards and backing vocals filling out the sound. The exception to this rule is ‘Minstrel’s Domain’ which features a well executed acoustic intro, alongside keyboards and even a flute. All in all, this is a release that Magician can be proud of. Although there is nothing here that is terribly original, what is here is well played and produced and it is obvious that a lot of time and effort, and not a little care, has gone into this album.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Die Hard Records

Album

TALES OF THE MAGICIAN

Review by Dave Uphill

RUNNING TIME:

55:58

RELEASE DATE:

27th Oct 2008

TRACK LISTING

1) Intro: Let the Spell Begin
2) Prime Evil
3) Underworld Terror
4) Sandstorm
5) Terminal Day
6) Dark Ritual (Hear Your Master's Call)
7) Minstrel's Domain
8) Siege of Zelgian
9) Crossing the Last Gate
10) Let the Harmony Endure

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Brazil

"The operatic vocals that pepper the CD might not be to everyone’s taste but they are effective and fit in well with the general mood of the album, which is quite dark and very grandiose."