LANFEAR - X To The Power Of Ten

Lanfear - X To The Power Of Ten

11 songs
51:27 minutes
***** **
Locomotive

Bandpage

Since their debut Towers from 1996, German metal band Lanfear’s career has been followed by DisAgreement Online. Throughout the years, there have been quite a few line-up changes, that brought along stylistic changes that were not always to my taste. Especially since having a new vocalist, Tobias Althammer, and having signed to Massacre Records, their sound turned more into a power metal direction that neglected their progressive roots. I had therefore been looking forward to their new CD on a different label and with again a new singer, Nuno Miguel de Barros Fernandes.

This didn’t have too big an impact, so that X To The Power Of Ten sounds like the logical follower to Another Golden Rage. Lanfear still put a lot of weight on classic power metal with lots of breaks and changes of pace. A light progressive touch reminds of the later Fates Warning. Their songs contain many ideas, and convince with a complex build-up, which becomes especially clear on My Will Be Done. The more electronic Synaptogenesis, influenced by the old British school, is one of the better moments on the CD.

Although everything is basically fine (adequate production, interesting songwriting, perfect instrumentation), Lanfear should ask themselves if the CD had more verve if the execution were less harmless. There are no blackouts to be found, but I miss the spices. It would be nice if the sounds sounded at times as mathematical as the album title.

Lanfear can be satisfied with X To The Power Of Ten, but it wouldn’t do them harm to try to innovate their sound in the future. Without expecting a return to Towers or Zero Poems (their excellent first two releases), Lanfear should foresee some changes if they don’t want to get stuck in a standstill.

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