FAIRYTALE
“Army Of Ghosts”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Fairytale are a heavy metal band from Germany founded by guitarist Colin Buttner in 2000. The band released their debut E.P. ‘Book Of Fairytales’ in 2006, with three full length albums following – ‘Rise Of The Twilight Lord’ (2011), ‘Battlestar Rising’ (2017), and ‘Army Of Ghosts’, released in 2023.

Featuring ten songs of heavy hitting heavy metal, Fairytale’s new album has all the style and sound of the glorious eighties for metal evolution – fans of bands such as Iron Maiden and Manowar whetting themselves at the prospect of just what is to unfold. The band ignite the touch paper with the one minute atmospherically sinister intro ‘The Altered’…

…leading straight into the (albums) title song ‘Army Of Ghosts’ – and a thunderous stampede of anthemic metal! The classic “foot on the monitor” feel of old school, traditional heavy metal is clearly evident as the band foot stomps their way forward. Yet with a melodious intent that is just sublime, attracting the attention of every listener everywhere. And with a turn of incredible speed, the band storm on with the blistering ‘Voices From Inside’ – and a head bang ability that is just immense! The difference between the opening two songs is colossal, the band prowling around the heavy metal genre to offer fans and followers a myriad of styles. Pace remains high for the galloping ‘1428’, echoing a sound that was pioneered over four decades ago by metal legends Iron Maiden. However, Fairytale add menace – and lots of it! ‘1428’ a swashbuckling foot stomp of metal that’ll have everyone jumping for joy! And head banging too!

The band take menace to new heights – or is that lows – with the heavy hitting, doom laden ‘Possessed’. That is until the fifty second mark when a glorious NWOBHM sounding guitar riff moves ‘Possessed’ up a gear, with a mid tempo gallop taking over the airways. And that riff returns many times as ‘Possessed’ marches on with a sound that sometimes bears a remarkable similarity to the mid eighties sound of British metallers (and legends) Grim Reaper. With an eerie and spine tingling guitar intro, ‘Morningside’ builds to a crescendo, launching head long into a heavy foot stomp – the heaviest heard on the album so far. Yet despite all the heaviness, the albums melodic stance is incredible, Fairytale delivering some cracking and highly infectious heavy metal. Which continues on with absolute aplomb, courtesy of the thundering ‘Elizabeth Dane’ – and a majestic march that sees ‘Elizabeth Dane’ stand head and shoulders above everything else heard so far. The epic and glory edged nature of the band coming to the fore.

With its tension fuelled and highly atmospheric build up, ‘Waxwork’ very quickly turns into a fast paced furore of galloping heavy metal, planting both feet firmly on the monitor. The band have ran around the entire heavy metal genre all album so far, delivering various styles of metal to attract a very wide audience. An audience that’ll replay ‘Army Of Ghosts’ (the album) time and time again – for there is just so much variety on offer you’ll need a couple of listens to catch ’em all! And phenomenal pace lights up the album in the mighty shape of ‘Horace P’ – a gear changing slab of fast and mid paced metal to head bang vigorously to. And with the classic sounding riffing of the NWOBHM thrown in too, ‘Horace P’ is gonna appeal like a magnet to the metal traditionalists! Bringing the album to a shuddering end, ‘Alive’ is a menacing mid tempo foot stomp that wobbles buildings as it marches on by. Fairytale began the album with a high intensity that has remained high right ’til the very end – the very end of a very good heavy metal album.

Overall, a galloping tirade of all out heavy metal, ‘Army Of Ghosts’ is varied, infectious, and highly head bang-able.

TRACKLIST

The Altered
Army Of Ghosts
Voices From Inside
1428
Possessed
Morningside
Elizabeth Dane
Waxwork
Horace P
Alive

https://www.fairytale-metal.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fairytalemetal

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