There are a lot of countries I automatically associate with power metal. Italy. The US. Germany. Canada, even. But not Norway. I associate that country with edgelord black metal, church burnings, brown cheese, and my roomie. And yet, here I sit, jamming Norwegian power metal outfit Release the Titans. Established in an unspecified year,1 and originally a one-man project spearheaded by guitarist/vocalist Pål Olsen,2 Release the Titans started dropping a cavalcade of singles from 2022 into 2023. Those who have listened to all of those already know this album pretty well, but I hadn’t heard a thing up to this point. So, I embark upon The Odyssey with fresh ears and an open mind.
My first impression of Release the Titans is that they at the very least understand their assignment. Righteous lead guitars, chunky but rapid-fire riffing, and lots of big arena energy abound. In each song, listeners can look forward to well-paced and lively tunes pulling influences from Helion Prime, Dire Peril, Brainstorm, and even Unleash the Archers. That’s good company to keep in this game. Pål Olsen is a beast on the lead guitar, shredding like his life depends on it. Sebastian Madsen does more than a respectable job on second guitar, chugging along with great rhythms and boundless groove, as bassist Iben Solberg works that low end with reliable consistency and finesse. Last but not least, drummer Geir Øivind Vågane drops massive beats and fills on a regular basis, driving the record forward with vitality and verve.
Clearly, Release the Titans have talent and skill, but their songwriting chops need further development in order to mingle with the genre’s biggest players. Many choruses, such as the one on opener “Dawning of Man,” shove to the forefront without ceremony or tact. Blunt force transitions like this one can work in the right context, but in this case this strategy always comes across as clumsy and unrefined. In other areas, Release the Titans appear unsure when to allow a song its natural end. “Exodus” and “Sea of Tranquility” both overstay their welcome with overlong concluding passages, extending each number’s life span a minute or more past due. However, the record’s biggest drawback is Pål Olsen’s vocal performance. Nasal, strained, and considerably distracting, Pål’s valiant effort to breathe fire into these songs instead invokes a cringe response or a bemused chuckle. The worst offenders in the former case include way off-key falsettos in “World Ablaze” and “Horizons Beyond.” In the latter scenario, I found myself entirely bamboozled when I misheard certain lyrics in “Sea of Tranquility” as “strange creatures are suckling me” when they actually read “strange creatures are circling me.” That said, with some more practice and training, Pål could very quickly become the vocalist this band needs to succeed. Or, if they were so inclined, the band could hire a new one and resolve the issue that way.
Listening past these misfires and miscalculations, a lot of material on The Odyssey holds promise. Bops like “Sole Survivor,” “Cygnus-X1” and closer “Into the Unknown” stomp and bounce with the best of them, and offer all of the adventurous spirit I expected from a record of this kind. Engaging, if not outstanding, cuts “God of War” and “Cryosleep” further deliver on Release the Titans’ premise of explorative, space-faring journeys with ripping solos, pumping grooves, and interesting riffcraft. Also commendable for a debut record, The Odyssey is cohesive and organized perfectly for enjoyable revisits by anyone with an affinity for the style. Finally, The Odyssey sounds pretty great. It might not break any molds for the genre, but all of the album’s constituent tones and textures are right, sit in a comfortable spot in the mix, and offer enough breathing room as to be pleasant to hear across the board.
As it stands, I can only really recommend The Odyssey to power metal’s most die-hard fans. There’s a lot of potential here, as the band members know exactly what to do with their instruments (with the sole exception of vocals) to make space waves. Unfortunately, those vocals are a major drawback to my enjoyment of this record, as are the abrupt chorus transitions and occasional bloat. Ultimately I’m disappointed overall, but also hopeful that, with more time to refine and develop their approach, Release the Titans improves.
Rating: Disappointing
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self Release
Websites: releasethetitans.no | facebook.com/releasethetitansband
Releases Worldwide: June 21st, 2024
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