Just as you can't judge a person by their appearance, you can't judge music by the album cover. At first glance, I was drawn to the artwork of THE ARROW's album "Keeper of Souls." The dark color scheme, gothic font, and solid artwork made me take the band seriously. Granted, knowing the artist's name, such a result was quite predictable, since the name is Leo Hao. But beyond that, things aren't quite so splendid.
Of course, one should make allowances for the fact that the band's lineup was significantly renewed and several members are quite young. Still, what does their album represent musically?
One continuous song divided into eight parts (not counting the prologue), with marginally changing music, rhythm, and naturally, lyrics. And the feeling of deja vu never lets go. All of this has already happened somewhere before; we've all heard it already. Periodically, the words of the song where something similar already existed even pop into your head. I can't say the vocalist's voice is terrible or unpleasant, but you can't call it outstanding either. Together, however, the music and vocals compensate for each other's shortcomings.
From the entire album, I'd like to highlight "Gleam of Fire" and "Knowing the Outcome" — two decent ballads that even lodged themselves deep in my soul. The rest I wouldn't risk listening to again.
Well then, you learn from your mistakes. THE ARROW is a band with young members and everything lies ahead of them, but for now, you're better off listening to metal classics.