Power metal fans will remember that Elisa Martin once sang in DARK MOOR. Eventually she was replaced by the male vocals of Alfred Romero, and Elisa continued the cause of epic power metal in the French band FAIRYLAND — but she did not stay long there either, and we already hear the second album from this collective once again with male vocals. On "The Fall Of An Empire," the epic tale of the magical land of Osiria continues — a land upon which evil has descended and which must be liberated (does that remind you of anything, by any chance?). So, naturally, there is a dark lord, and naturally there are Gods who decide to help Osiria, because evil must be defeated. But all of that lies ahead (presumably on future releases). In short, a typical situation — a plot that has been used by at least a hundred bands in the symphonic black and power metal genres, with the sole difference being that in the former evil wins and in the latter good triumphs. Otherwise everything is the same. The most famous example of a saga stretching on for years is, of course, the Algalord chronicles by the Italians RHAPSODY. But anyway, let us return to FAIRYLAND. Although I did not mention the previous band by accident, because what we hear here strongly reminds me of RHAPSODY's early works — similarly pompous, keyboards performing orchestral parts, choral passages, mid-tempo pace, though with less expressive vocals and a weaker technical side. It goes down very easily, yet little of it remains in memory. I will note, however, the keyboard solo transitioning into a guitar solo in "Lost In The Dark Lands." The one-minute track "Slaves Forlorn" was quite amusing — the Cradle Of Filth circa-1998 style is too obvious. Meanwhile, "Clanner Of The Light" was a bold idea but ultimately unsuccessful, since Max Leclerc's vocals are not interesting enough on their own to carry a composition built entirely upon them. On the other hand, "In Duna," led by female vocals, fit into the album excellently. At the album's close we hear a 10-minute composition. The tendency is not bad, as the song contains elements of progressive music. Perhaps someday the band will employ these elements more seriously in their work.
All in all, if you are a fan of melodic, not overly heavy, epic power metal, this disc will be of considerable interest to you.