ALBUM REVIEW: Battle Of Ice – Marco Garau’s Magic Opera

More band names need to have the founder’s name stuck on the front. There’s an undeniable intrigue to groups who practice the art – is it a possessive act of spite, a warning to the other members who the ringleader is? Maybe it’s more like Luca Turilli’s RHAPSODY, where the name makes it easier to identify which of the 80 variations of the band you’ve bumped into in a dark alley.

If pride was the reason that Marco Garau’s MAGIC OPERA are named as such, rather than it being his solo project, then he could still rightly carry on. The former DERIDAN keyboardist is an alchemist, distilling old-school symphonic power metal down to the most intricate technical and thematic elements. Then, in true power metal fashion, he applies both of them in outlandishly liberal doses to everything he touches. He knows his oats, and MAGIC OPERA’s 2021 Amtork Saga debut The Golden Pentacle was proof if proof were needed. But does Battle Of Ice live up to those high standards?

It certainly stays on theme, there’s no doubt there. Opener The Black Sorcery sets the tone of the adventure immediately; medieval string plucking making way for a triumphant medley of mounting guitar and keys. Beyond that point, galloping double-kicks and the battle for guitar and keyboard supremacy are the order of the day. The waltz-like Assault On The Castle is a superb blend of style and strangely graceful execution, while The Book Of Evil simply has to flex its skill and knowledge of the genre to create a memorable first impression with dazzling guitars and no-nonsense power metal melodies.

Another part of the true joy of this album lies in the fantasy theme providing room to play around with the musical content, in order to better tell the story. Sometimes it’s subtle – switches in key and instrument focus to change the scenery audibly a la the classic-to-the-core ballad White Dragon – while other times it’s more on the nose, such as lead vocalist Anton Darusso switching between clean and harsh vocals depending on which side of the story is being told in tracks like The Cursed Crown. It emphasises a fuller experience that goes beyond the songs to create something closer to an art piece in its effect and it is masterfully done.

There are one or two orcs in the ointment, however. It’s squeaky clean production wise, almost to a fault – predecessor The Golden Pentacle seemed to relish the slight roughness around the edges in parts for emphasis. Battle Of Ice, however, has in places opted for a level of polish that even MAGIC OPERA’s rampant enthusiasm can’t scuff up, which leaves it feeling devoid of character at times. There are a few by-the-numbers tracks, too; efforts like Ride Into The Sun that have all the aforementioned distilled elements, but are put together in a rather basic and barebones configuration and lose their appeal quickly.

For its faults, though, Battle Of Ice remains a fantastic effort and a worthy follow-up to MAGIC OPERA’s debut. It’s an experience, more than anything; a soaring dragon flight through a world where you can take in the tale as it unwinds below you, where the dragon only occasionally stops to scarf down as much cheese as it possibly can. The sheer passion that has gone into creating a storytelling vehicle here is plain to see and delivered with such pure power metal enthusiasm that is hard not to love it just for that. Power metal of this quality already being released in 2023 only says good things about the genre, and better things about where Marco Garau is taking MAGIC OPERA.

Rating: 8/10

Battle Of Ice is set for release on January 27th via self-release.

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