Dionysus - Anima Mundi


Year of Release: 2004
Label: AFM Records
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 48:03:00

Less than two years after their excellent debut album Sign Of Truth, Dionysus is back with a follow up; Anima Mundi, showing Dionysus is not just a side project, but a real band. When I first heard Sign Of Truth, I loved it. Powerful melodies, great vocals and lots of musical fireworks. So when I heard they were working on a new album, I could hardly wait to hear it. And after hearing it, I am not disappointed!

Musically Anima Mundi follows the same line as its predecessor, meaning more catchy songs, crystal clear keys, and of course the vocal supremacy of Olaf Hayer! One thing I noticed in comparing the albums is the bass sound of Nobby Noberg, which is more prominent on Anima Mundi, resulting in a warmer, heavier sound. Johhny ?hlin again plays some fantastic guitar solos, sometimes followed by a solo by Kaspar Dahlqvist (keys), like in "Divine." The songs are mainly up-tempo songs and it is a lot of sing-a-long metal, something many do not always take that serious, unfortunately. Yes, the songs are catchy ? is that bad? No, not at all. Listen to the album and you'll hear some excellent songwriting as well as musicianship. The riffs by ?hlin just have something to them. But Anima Mundi is not a one man show! "What," for example has a very nice bass solo by Noberg. Or "Anima Mundi", the title song, with lots of keys and great vocals, especially in the chorus parts, where they have added some backing vocals to create a bit of a choir effect.

There is one song that stands out on the album: "March For Freedom," which begins with an acoustic guitar, followed by steady drums and epic keys. This is truly an epic song and my absolute favourite song of the album, most likely also the best song of the album! The catchy chorus will stick in your head, just as the guitar solos will. I can't say why, but I just love this song, and so do my wife and 5 year old son, and they normally don't like metal. "Closer To The Sun" is the most up-tempo song on the album, with past, powerful drums and majestic double bass by Ronny Milanowicz. I have been looking for a ballad on the album and the only song that could be called a ballad is "Forever More", mainly because it has a guitar solo that sounds like one you hear in most rock ballads, and the vocals are dripping with a bit more passion, but other than that, it's another great metal song.

OK, maybe I'm biased, but I love Anima Mundi even more than Sign Of Truth and I am a fan of stuff like Edguy and Avantasia. But still this is a worth while album with powerful metal and just f***ing cool songs, showing the band has progressed since their debut album, despite the general sound is comparable. This is something I can appreciate in a band, so they have my recommendation! After all, there are less interesting bands around, so I find Dionysus refreshing and can only say: Gimme more!

Similar bands: Edguy, Avantasia, At Vance

[This review originally appeared February 2004 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]
Tracklisting:
Divine / Bringer Of War / Anima Mundi / Heart Is Crying / What / Eyes Of The World / March For Freedom / Closer To The Sun / Forever More / Paradise Land

Musicians:
Olaf Hayer - vocals
Johnny ?hlin - guitars
Magnus Noberg - bass
Kaspar Dahlqvist - keyboards
Ronny Milianowicz ? drums

Discography:
Sign Of Truth (2002)
Anima Mundi (2004)
Fairytales And Reality (2006)

Genre: Melodic Metal

Origin SE

Added: November 27th 2004
Reviewer: Marcel Haster
Score:
Artist website: www.dionysus.se
Hits: 2223
Language: english

  

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