Upfront, there’s a technical issue with this album that I, as a long-time producer, can’t put aside as I listen to this. I even asked the editor how I should deal with this and he suggested I try to keep the technical side of things separate from the artistic. Fair enough. So, my context will be “what kind of experience will you get if you consume this album in the manner typical of the times i.e., streaming it?”. So, let’s put that lens up now and view this review through it. This album was horribly over-compressed at some point, probably in the quest for loudness but streaming services don’t operate like that anymore so not only will this album sound a bit mushy, most importantly it’s volume will be turned down when it plays so it will sound quieter than other music in playlists with all the implications that come with that.
But the music is simply fucking awesome and deserves to be heard so let’s don our armour, grab our weapons, smack our squires upside the head a bit and ride out into adventure, shall we?
This is a concept album of almost Devin Townsend proportions.
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From the press kit: “Fairyland’s new album “Osyrhianta” is the fourth in a conceptual series and acts as a prequel to the previous trilogy… …It narrates the creation of the world Osyrhia, presents its lands as well as the people who inhabit them, and ultimately deals with the appearance of Cenos, sent on Osyrhia to teach, but driven to jealousy and greed by the creations he allowed the Osyrhians to devise…”
Fuck yeah, I’m on board.
The Age Of Birth / Across The Snow / The Hidden Kingdom Of Eloran / Elandera: Act one sets the scene and builds the universe (literally) with narration and strings which rise into a rocking, cinematic arrangement. Then straight to the drama with soaring choirs overcharging guitars and more quality arrangement that does capture the vibe of tension quite well.
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Well executed, vocals and large choral and string sections really create an epic feel in line with the scale of the scene they’re trying to create. Elisa C Martin’s guest vocals really provide another dimension through this section of the story. And there’s some totes sick guitar solo work, too.
Heralds Of The Green Lands / Alone We Stand / Hubris Et Orbis: Act 2 sees the introduction of the character Cenos with more of the same grand, sweeping arrangements and driving guitars. Great power is found but the will of men gets all ignore-y of the responsibilities and you know where that leads. That’s right, straight to a dead Uncle Ben. But It’s nice to know that the violins and flutes are actually real, it makes them feel more authentic to the modal timbre of the genre. The whole act drips with tension and emotion as the story turns.
Mount Mirenor / Of Hope And Despair in Osyria / The Age Of Light: Act 3 carries the story through with moments of soft, wistful flutes that evoke images of verdant valleys to gripping, angst-ridden stanzas driven by a pounding 16th kick drum. Almost serving as a complete story itself is Of Hope And Despair in Osyria, a 12-minute-long epic that is again worthy of comparison to Devin Townsend, which carries the story to the conclusion with bold-as-brass riffing and vocals.
So, yeah, it’s a bloody fun romp that, aside from the glaring production error gives a fan of this genre just what they want. I’ll be searching this band out when I finally get to Wacken. My Gen-X cynicism aside, this album belongs where it’s headed and I give it four-winged, dove-releasing, chained up dudes out of five.
Fairyland: Facebook
Release Year: 2020
Label: Massacre Records
Category: Album
Country: France
Reviewed by Chris St Clair
