MUSIC REVIEW: Metal de Facto - “Land of the Rising Sun I”
Sometimes a band is just so interesting that—despite writing music in a style that you’ve lost interest in yourself—you just have to try out everything they release, just to see. That’s certainly the case for me with Metal de Facto. While I’m not exactly spending a lot of time listening to metal anymore in general, I have to appreciate a quality band who releases themed albums that make me chuckle. Their first release, “Imperium Romanum” (2019), was a pretty solid heavy/power metal album on the whole, though I wasn’t sure what to make of their new singer, Aitor Arrastia, when he was announced, as I am a big fan of their previous vocalist. As such, when “Land of the Rising Sun pt. 1” was announced for February 9th, 2024, I figured I should give this one a spin as well!
You can check out Esa Orjatsalo on Gathering of Geeks, by the way! Don’t miss out, the man knows his comics!
Noteworthy up front is that this Japan-themed album does appear to be the first part of a greater whole, so perhaps Metal de Facto’s third album will also relate to Japan… though who knows, maybe they’ll take a break and do something different and return to Japan later. One way or the other, I’m certainly not surprised that this is where they landed on this album, as there’s a lot of fun to be had, exploring Japanese culture and history with music.
This release starts with the second single, “Rise Amaterasu.” The neoclassical keyboard sound is probably my favorite part of this song, because this track, on the whole, is really traditional power metal, to the point that most of the melodies are familiar from a lot of existing power metal songs. If you want your power metal to follow the rules it has always followed, this song will be spot on, but for those who have grown weary of paint-by-numbers power metal, this one might be a refreshing glass of saltwater that leaves you a little thirstier than when you started. Also of note, I’m not actually sure if neoclassical harpsichord really suits the style and theme of Japan, as Japanese music isn’t exactly known for it, at least traditionally, so that might stand out as strange, but it’s absolutely down to personal preference if it’s going to bother you. Benji Connelly is skilled enough that he can easily hang with other neoclassical all-stars, like Jens Johansson of Stratovarius or Henrik Klingenberg of Sonata Arctica, no question there!
Now, if the first song was very straightforward, the second track (and first single), “Code of the Samurai,” is a ludicrously catchy and silly song with one of those bangin’ choruses that’s going to get stuck in your head forever… which, c’mon guys, it took me 2 years to get your version of “Ginga Densetsu Weed” out of my head! It’s not a very serious song but it’s hellishly fun. Following this is a slower track—a bit early in the album to slow down, perhaps—called “Heavier than a Mountain.” This is a soft, pretty song that again brings me back to the ‘90s and ‘00s of heavy metal, with some really magnificent keyboards that again stand out for both sounding amazing and also not quite fitting what my brain feels is a Japanese theme… but they remain my favorite parts of the song nevertheless, really breathing something special into the solo. I might have moved this track down a bit in the play order for the sake of flow, but again, that’s personal preference.
There’s a pure Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) bass intro to “Slave to the Power,” which feels like it could have also been called “Slave to the Grind” if they hadn’t been making what I assume is a riff off of “Powerslave.” This song plays like if an Iron Maiden song had a hard collision with a bit of ‘90s pop-punk and classic speed/power metal, making for a pretty entertaining track with a lot of whippy soloing and an endless galloping rhythm. Then, one might expect a Manowar-flavored ballad from a song called “Divine Wind,” and they would be quite wrong. Rather, this song is quite an adventure in itself. I didn’t actually know the story of the divine wind, but a quick browse online told me that the kamikaze or divine winds originally referred to two typhoons that were thought to have saved Japan twice from the Kublai Khan Mongol fleets. I enjoy the use of the narrative voice to create drama and the song does a nice job of representing the story.
“Tame the Steel” brings back that hint of Iron Maiden flavor, but this time in the song name and guitar sound (though, yes, still a bit in the bass—we must assume that Sami Hinkka likes his Steve Harris), as Maiden have songs called “Sun and Steel” and “To Tame a Land” right next to one another on “Piece of Mind.” It’s an upbeat, peppy song, but hasn’t stuck with me (likely because power metal has to work very hard to stand out to me). Then, “Superstars” is another one of those songs that I feel like I’ve heard a few times before, as done by other bands, but they do it with such charm and charisma that somehow this song is feeling like a guilty pleasure, even though there shouldn’t be anything guilty about it. The bridge is silly-fun, leading up to a nonsensically anthemic and delightfully cheesy chorus—I really hope they play this one live at the upcoming show.
Now, on first listen, my first impression of the first half of “47 Ronin” was not very flattering, I admit. I had thought it was a bit basic, when it comes to power metal and the last thing in the world I want is to be bored in a 12-minute epic finale. Now, once my foot was properly in my mouth, I got a few more minutes into the song and found myself rapidly changing opinions. The song opens in a fairly straightforward manner, sure, with the narrator’s voice again, paired with Aitor, but the music is actually very smooth—if you know me, you know I love a marching beat—which is gorgeously backed by Benji’s keyboards. The speed picks up after a couple of minutes and perhaps the single-word vocals had put me off, but they’re not really an issue on another listen. Near the 4½-minute mark, there’s a nice wail that’s well-paired with keyboards, and the drums really keep things lively. The slow down and build-up around the halfway mark add some unexpected drama as the song then begins its journey towards the climax, with a Queen-like moment as the keys change the pacing. It slows down dramatically again for a moment, before we hear the narrator return, followed by Mikko Salovaara having some fun on the guitars once more. I love the part where it gets darker, before the guitars get a bit more uplifting. The narrator is the one who finishes things off… I could’ve used a bit more wistfulness in the voice to match the lyrics, but otherwise it’s a nice ending. Ultimately, this is a pretty solid final track and doesn’t piddle around, despite the long playtime. If the ideal is to always leave the listener wanting more, this could certainly do the trick.
Of course, the biggest change in this album was the new vocalist. Ultimately, he’s an excellent singer and he suits the band nicely with his sound. However, if you are sensitive to accents, he does sing in a very Finnish accent, occasionally going into some awkward Finglish pronunciation, so if you’re prone to teasing Tony Kakko for his English, you’ll probably have the same feedback for Aitor (with some irony, as he is Spanish originally, yet sounds Finnish). Another thing I’ve noticed is that he sounds like he’s trying very hard to get the notes perfect, which makes the vocals feel very tight. He’s doing a good job, but it’s very sterile, as though he wants to make a good impression and is forgetting to have fun and show off his own personality. This isn’t a criticism, per se, as this is normal when you have big shoes to fill. I just hope that, at live shows and on future albums, he loosens up and explores the power that he clearly has more comfortably.
Ultimately, this is a pretty fun album. As I’ve touched on, if you’re looking for Japan in both sound and theme, you might find “Land of the Rising Sun pt. 1” to be a bit strange as it only matches one of these. That said, if you’re not married to the lyrics or concept, this shouldn’t be an issue, especially considering that this is not a historically-themed album, as tracks like “Slave to the Power” are more modern in concept. While bands like Whispered make use of Japanese instruments, Metal de Facto does not have a folk element, so they’re really allowed to sound however they want when they write about a theme. The overall musicianship is phenomenal and the new singer might not be comfortable in the shoes yet, he’s certainly got the potential to fill them out properly with time and practice. Overall, “Land of the Rising Sun pt. 1” is a very nice addition to this band’s discography and a healthy step forward in the development of their sound and style. I look forward to whatever comes next!
Tracklist
Rise Amaterasu
Code of the Samurai
Heavier than a Mountain
Slave to the Power
Divine Wind
Tame the Steel
Superstars
47 Ronin
