Force Majeure - Frozen Chambers
Low Frequency Records
Power Metal
10 songs (48'20")
Release year: 2008
Force Majeure, Low Frequency Records
Reviewed by Jerrol

Force Majeure got their initial start when the bands guitarists met each other in Järvenpää, Finland in 1998. Several years and many lineup changes later, we are presented with their debut full length release, Frozen Chamers. With Force Majeure being from Finland, one might expect something akin to Stratovarious or Sonata Arctica but that is not the case with this band. After several listens, I feel that, in style, Force Majeure has more in common with Helloween, Gamma Ray, and especially earlier Edguy.

Even though Force Majeure is built upon the foundation of guitarists Jussi Reuhkala and Eemeli Ojanen, singer Ricky Tournee and bassist Toumas Vaananen have both been with them for several years, they are a well rounded band with all the musicians showcasing their talents equally. They seem to have had problems securing a drummer and keyboardist. The drums are adequately preformed on the album by Juuso Myllyharju, who left shortly after the release and was replaced by Heikki Saari from Norther, who has since been replaced by Jaakko "Jake" Nylund (ex-Imperanon). The keys of the album were performed by sound engineer Kari “Huikka” Huikuri.

The twin guitars as well as the opening scream from Ricky defiantly set the pace on opening track, Gatecrasher, a heavy traditional power metal song that displays the enthusiasm of this young band. As well as the obvious power metal elements there are also flashes of traditional metal presented which brings to mind the styling’s of Accept. Wings of the Fallen shows some diversity with the keyboards sharing the front seat with the guitars, which does provide some good melody. Ricky puts away his raw Tobias Sammet styled vocals and doing his best Geddy Lee impersonation on this track. Winter’s Tale is your basic power metal ballad, which seems to pay tribute to Gamma Ray (Land of the Free era).

Overall, Frozen Chambers is a well balanced debut album. There are some very catchy moments on the album but unfortunately there are equally dull moments. One should also take note that the guitarists seem to focus more on riffing then on soloing. I would say that given a better production and a couple of years of experience together as songwriters (more and better solos please!) Force Majeure could be a force in the power metal scene. I do encourage fans of the genre to check them out, because there are some very good moments on the album.

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Killing Songs :
Gatecrusher, Wings of the Fallen, I Hear Voices
Jerrol quoted 76 / 100
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