4 /5
Rating
Written by Michel Renaud
Published March 26, 2002

Archmages hail from Estonia and this 2-song demo is their first recording. The band plays melodic metal that borders on hard rock, with a little aggressive edge on the guitars, especially on the first song "Unavoidable Way". The vocals remind me more of rock/hard rock vocals, and I was quite surprised by the vocal performance, the singer has a very melodic voice and he seems to be quite in control too - although the two songs on this demo do not cover the many ranges that a metal vocalist may have to use on a full album, but from what I hear, it shouldn't be a problem. "Unavoidable Way" is a rocker, pretty catchy song with some female vocals thrown in (or is that the singer doing those? - not sure.) The second song, "Getting Free" is a power ballad, and again here the vocalist does a great job. It starts in a very slow and melancholic mood and gets heavier later (while retaining the melancholic feel), never going past a mid-paced beat. Both songs are very good and should please a wide range of tastes - from rock to melodic metal. It'll be interesting to see what the band comes up with in the future.

Additional Information
<b>Contact:</b> <p>E-mail: <a href="mailto:flex.wheeler@mail.ee">flex.wheeler@mail.ee</a></p> <p>Mail:<br><br> Volli Kalju<br> Mustamae tee 159-6<br> 12913<br> Tallinn<br> Estonia