A superb live album from the heroes of fantasy power metal, FREEDOM CALL. What patriot wouldn't swell with pride upon spotting, on the very first spread of the booklet, the wintry ambiance of moscow's Red Square and a blue-green ticket bearing the Cyrillic inscription "CONTROL," preserved for future generations?.. And that's just the first surprise. Across two discs, the band packed the concert recording itself (captured during their tour with EDGUY), the previously unreleased "Taragon" EP, and, as a bonus, a couple of interesting covers.
So, let's take it in order. Compiled from recordings of various shows — from Barcelona to moscow — and polished to perfection in the quiet of a German studio, the band's live album is a best-of collection that adequately represents the group's still modest discography. The setlist includes both soaring power metal runs and epic pieces: "The Quest" and "Tears Of Taragon." The studio polish somehow erased the screams of the crowd going wild at the stage (the shouts of "FREEEEDOOOM CAAAALLL!!!" between songs don't count), but the sound gained considerably in richness and power. Of course, this by no means justifies the "Therion-esque" grandiosity of the cover art — the band still has a long way to go before reaching the likes of BLIND GUARDIAN! — but I must admit, it rocks pretty hard. Both me and the neighbors upstairs... The songs from the band's latest studio effort came as an unbroken block: "The Eyes Of The World," "Metal Invasion," "Land Of Light," and "Warriors" — this more keyboard-oriented material, contrasting with the other tracks, makes it clear which direction the band has taken.
The second disc houses the "Taragon" EP, which was supposed to come out four years ago (following the debut) but, for various reasons, only saw the light of day now. Besides the drawn-out "Tears Of Taragon" (padded with a rambling monologue — the awkward German accent sounds even more absurd in the epic context of the story being told), the EP includes "Warriors Of Light," "Heart Of The Brave," and "Kingdom Come," previously only performed live. And let's not forget the magnificent cover of "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" by synth-pop quartet ULTRAVOX. As a bonus, two more covers made it onto the disc: "Hiroshima" by WISHFUL THINKING and "Dr. Stein" — from the good old HELLOWEEN classics.
To draw a line under all of this, the band has made an excellent gift for their loyal fans. However, anyone for whom the German "call of freedom" merely induces nervous hiccups is unlikely to join the ranks of FREEDOM CALL admirers and devotees after listening to "Live Invasion"...