About a month ago I asked the forums for help in finding some fresh Power Metal. Among the recommendations was a Norwegian group named Keldian, and after a few YouTube samplings I was intrigued so I bought both of their albums from the almighty Amazon (seriously, just how obscure does something have to be before they don’t have it?). I put them through some hard listening, immediately appreciating the quality music on display but looking for flaws that could bring down an otherwise great sound. In the end, however, I have to set aside my few complaints and state right out: Keldian fall just short of being an amazing Power Metal band.

This week I’ll give my thoughts on their debut album, Heaven’s Gate, which was released way back in 2007. Starting with the opening track Crusader, the band establishes their sound as a balanced mix of slightly symphonic Power Metal with 80’s pop rock. The synths and keyboard provide a space-like atmosphere, vaguely reminiscent to Hawkwind, which is further cemented by lyrics that consist of traversing about the stars and ideas of self empowerment. On the instrumental side the band shows restraint, going more for atmosphere than substance, so there is less technicality displayed than you might expect for this style.

Despite a lack of musician showmenship, as I listened to track after track at no point did I begin to lose interest. While the members of Keldian are not instrumental virtuoso’s, they are outstanding songwriters. Tracks like the self-titled and Sundancer attack with more hooks than I can count, and are infinitely repeatable. One could almost say they are radio friendly, but not in a negative light. These are quality tracks that could represent Heavy Metal very well on mainstream radio if given the opportunity, which is a difficult line to balance upon because generally you have to sacrifice quality for mass appeal. Such is not the case here.

As to the individuals themselves, I was surprised to learn that Keldian is a two man group. Christer Anderson (Lead Vocals, Guitar, and Bass) and Arild Aardalen (Keyboards and Additional Vocals) comprise the band itself, with contributions on drums and vocals from various session artists. Unfortunately thus far Keldian has not performed live, though they have stated intentions to do so after releasing more material. This is a band I would go out of my way to see in person, because I can only imagine the crowd atmosphere their music would generate.

As great as this is, I do have a critique. There are times on the album where the lack of a dedicated second guitarist causes the music to sound hollow. With Christer’s rhythm guitar work providing the meat of the sound, when he breaks off into solo interludes or drops out altogether it sometimes, but not always, leaves a noticeable void that the bass/keyboards cannot fill. A dedicated lead guitar would provide another layer of sound, and if applied it would take a great formula and push it to the next level.

The bottom line is that Keldian’s debut album holds its own against anything I have heard recently, and leaves a lot of modern Power Metal groups in the dust. There are no weak tracks to be found, though there are standouts, and I believe the band will improve in the future as long as they stick to their songwriting talents and expand from there. If you are looking for a Power Metal fix that steps away from the norm, I highly recommend this album.