Borealis are a melodic metal band from Canada formed in 2005, releasing five albums to date – ‘World Of Silence’ (2008), ‘Fall From Grace’ (2011), ‘Purgatory’ (2015), ‘The Offering’ (2018), and ‘Illusions’ released in 2022. Over the years, the band has performed with some of the biggest names in heavy metal – names such as Kamelot, Epica, Sonata Arctica, and Saxon. The new album clocks in at over an hour in length, continuing the increasing use of more orchestral elements (from the band’s previous album) across eleven bold and majestic new songs…
…all coming to life with the one-minute anticipation-fuelled instrumental ‘Illusions’ – the album getting underway proper with the heavy hitting mid-tempo thump of ‘Ashes To Rain’. The band’s blend of heavy power and progressive metal in full swing, as ‘Ashes To Rain’ strides on to a conclusion. Borealis are back – and chomping at the bit to deliver cinematic surround sound metal to the masses. The seven minutes plus ‘My Fortress’ actually increases the melodious intent from the previous song, lengthening the stride pattern to become a thundering mid-tempo highly energetic canter. And just across the opening two songs, the band have shown their prowess, proficiency, and pedigree as one of the leading progressive melodic power metal bands in the world.
The punchiest song heard so far ‘Pray For Water’, is a mid-paced anthemic amble across the land, gaining many new followers with its highly infectious and sing-along-able chorus. Surely Borealis will include this one in their live set, for every fan will have been singing along to it for bloody ages – wishing and waiting patiently for the in-concert sing-along! ‘Burning Tears’ – featuring guest vocalist Lynsey Ward from the UK progressive rock band Exploring Birdsong – is a much mellower offering than what has gone before, projecting a hymn-like majesty as it effortlessly floats through the air. And by stark contrast, ‘Believer’ is a thunderous avalanche of foot-on-the-floor melodic metal, hitting the brakes in under a minute to divert into the progressive metal corridor. But then what’s great about ‘Believer’ is, the continuous pace, tempo and style changes! So many, that the listener hasn’t a clue what direction the song is going in next – making for very addictive listening indeed.
There are some fairly long songs on ‘Illusions’ (the album) – six and seven-plus minutes, and the album’s mighty finale…more on that later! ‘Cause the six minuter ‘Light Of The Sun’ comes crashing over the horizon and bulldozes its way over the landscape. Heavier and full of more muscle than anything heard so far, ‘Light Of The Sun’ shudders the ground and shakes buildings as it bustles on by. Mellowness graces the album once again, as ‘Face Of Reality’ glides in on the breeze of an autumn day, introducing a punchiness seldom heard on the album – with echoes of the heavy-hitting mid-paced nature of British rock rising above the surface. The band’s melodic metal roots are intertwined with other styles of rock and metal to create an atmosphere of interest and intrigue.
And now for one of the hardest-hitting songs on the album – ‘Bury Me Alive’ delivering a power-driven dynamic not heard before…not to mention a light touch of the symphonic style of metal too. Borealis maintain their diverse approach to metal styles.
Atmospheric and enticing, the intro for ‘Abandon All Hope’ is gonna grab your attention with both hands, pummel you with thunder, and proceed to caress you with a mid-tempo melodic stroll of softness. And then repeat the process! With so much diversity on show, you’re gonna have to listen to ‘Illusions’ quite a few times to catch everything that the band have on offer. Bringing the album to a close is the mammoth eleven minutes plus ‘The Phantom Silence’ with Borealis letting everything in their arsenal explode high into the air. The mellow intro, the cinematic heavy hitting, the powerful progressive punch, and the pace-changing tempo, ‘The Phantom Silence’ displays the band at their most creative. An epic ending to a very good album.
Overall, a majestic stroll of progressive power metal with high melodious intent, ‘Illusions’ is as attractive as it is infectious.
TRACKLIST
Illusions
Ashes To Rain
My Fortress
Pray For Water
Burning Tears
Believer
Light Of The Sun
Face Of Reality
Bury Me Alive
Abandon All Hope
The Phantom Silence
Borealis: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: AFM Records
Category: Album
Country: Canada
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
