M.E.T.A.L.

M.E.T.A.L. is a work on which FREEDOM CALL sounded, head-on as the title suggests, the spirit of positive melodic power metal they have long held up. Brightly soaring guitar, driving rhythm and choruses premised on singing along with the crowd keep the elation unbroken from start to finish. Rather than competing in heaviness or darkness, a stance of turning the very joy of listening to metal into sound runs to every corner of the songs. On “111 - the Number of the Angels,” “M.E.T.A.L.,” “Fly with Us” and “Days of Glory,” twin-guitar-like melody and keyboard color open to the wide sky. Songs like “Spirit of Daedalus,” “One Step into Wonderland” and “Ronin” breathe the band’s full playing too. The songs are accessible, but the construction of the riffs and the tightness of the rhythm support the sweetness. Letting you raise a smile and a fist at once, it is a record that condenses FREEDOM CALL’s appeal.