Soulspell Metal Opera is a Brazilian Heavy Metal project put together by drummer Heleno Vale . This is the third album by the project, and Heleno brings together musicians and singers as is required so for example although he provides drums, so also do two others while there are three bassists and six guitarists for example. But it is in the vocal arena that he has really outdone himself with twenty singers, including Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth), Blaze Bayley (Wolfsbane, Iron Maiden), Michael Vescera (Obsession, Loudness, Malmsteen), Markus Grosskopf (Helloween), Amanda Sommerville (Avantasia) and Matt Smith (Theocracy) among the crowd. There is no doubt that the musicianship and singing is of the very highest quality throughout, and there are loads of different styles, but in many ways I feel that this is the album’s biggest downfall. Taken individually there are some incredible songs on here, (for example I love the blasting workout that is “Adrian’s Call”), but when listening to the whole album it is just that the individual parts don’t flow together as well as they might and at times the effect can be quite offputting.
I do wonder what the package that comes with the CD may be like, as this was provided as a download, and maybe with that in front of me this may make more musical sense, but as it is I found that it washed over me too much. It goes in too many directions (and this coming from someone who listens to the most complex jazz and prog imaginable) and I feel that if he had stuck to the Savatage/Helloween workouts then it would have been more effective.
