Tempest is the fourth album of melodic/power metal from Sweden's Lancer, a band I had not run across prior to receiving the promo. It took me a few spins to finally figure out who they reminded me of, and then it hit me: Celesty, specifically their Reign of Elements album. The high-pitched vocals, melodic and catchy songwriting, speed to spare, it's all there on Tempest. Sure, there are some mid-tempo cuts like "Entity" which bear some resemblance to Orden Ogan, but when Lancer mashes down the gas pedal, like on "Blind Faith" or my favorite track "Out of the Sun," the double kick drums and soaring choruses bring me back to the early 2000s in a heartbeat. Most of Tempest so accurately recreates the glorious sound of power metal when it was at its initial zenith, if I had been told it was recorded in 2003 and not 2023, I would have believed it. None of this is meant negatively, far from it. When a musical style is honored by doing it the way it is meant to be done, the fact it sounds familiar to old favorites is a plus, not a minus. The only song I could do without is the title track, a ballad that is overly saccharine for my taste. If you live for the time when power metal enjoyed its brief reign, Lancer is a band whose catalog you'll want to delve into.
