ARION have been slowly but steadily releasing solid albums and thus building a solid reputation on the Finish metal scene as a reliable (melodic) power metal band. Four years after 2021’s “Vultures Die Alone” the band have released the poetically titled “The Light that Burns the Sky,” which came out on February 28th, 2025, through Ranka Kustannus in Finland, Avalon Label / Marquee Inc. in Asia, and Reigning Phoenix Music in all other territories, adding another landmark album to their discography.
Confidently moving from the straightforward power metal formula of their early albums to the rich orchestral arrangements and intricate instrumentals that this album presents, one thing is clear: the band’s main songwriter, Iivo Kaipainen, sure knows his craft. Not only that, he knows he can count on his bandmates’ skills to pull off a more layered sound design as many of the tracks on this record see the band heavily flirting with symphonic metal in the way the instrumental side delivers more than just melody and rhythm, as backing orchestrations add a decent amount of drama to the fold. This is not the usual Euro-power metal fare of most bands, it’s chunkier, heavier, and more robust than that, with a lot going on behind the vocals to the point of being maximalist in its presentation. Moreover, even in the vocal department Lassi Vääränen’s delivery is less soaring high notes and more mid-range and gritty, reason why I feel like the songs are darker and angrier than what I normally expect from the genre, which is satisfyingly refreshing. On the downside, this also means that his vocals don’t always rise above the instrumentals in the mix, which on occasion makes for a muddled sonic experience.
After an ominous and intense instrumental intro, “The Darkest Day,” the album gets going at a quick pace with both the up-tempo title track, “The Light that Burns the Sky,” and single “Like the Phoenix I Will Rise” being speedy and hefty numbers that are also quite dramatic when you look at the lyrics. Not sure if it’s a coincidence or not to have yet another track about the atom bomb (after NEW HORIZON’s “Fallout War”) in the wake of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer but “The Light that Burns the Sky” echoes its deadly consequences in harsh tones and anthemic melodies with the poetic title referring to the light it causes when it detonates. On the other hand, “Like the Phoenix I Will Rise” deals with more fantastical themes while offering technical riffage and big orchestrations that complement Lassi Vääränen’s hard-rocking vocals while the dynamic and hooky chorus has an empowering message at its core. Conversely, the more melodic and soulful “Wings of Twilight” features the beautiful voice of Melissa Bonny (AD INFINITUM) who brings a certain softness to the music and depth to the lyrics while elevating the already ear-catching chorus.
Single “Burning in the Sky” is a bit more melancholy when it comes to its lyrics but features the same densely layered soundscape of symphonic elements and intense instrumentals that (for better or worse) is a trademark of this album. However, the catchy vocal melody manages to soar a bit higher over the anthemic music and make the song that much more impactful. In the same vein, both “From an Empire to a Fall” and “Blasphemous Paradise” (cool title track!) are high-octane, energetic tracks that ride high on Iivo Kaipainen’s guitar work and Topias Kupiainen’s pounding drums with the intense choruses acting like melodic hooks that will get the crowds singing along. With “Wildfires” and “Black Swan” the band shifts gears as they deliver much heavier and angrier soundscapes that are neatly enhanced by Lassi Vääränen’s gritty shouts while the guitars and bass deliver on the melodic and rhythmic side of things, keeping the momentum going at breakneck paces. These are some of the most fun and engaging tracks on the album and will surely kill live. Likewise, the final two tracks, “In the Heart of the Sea” and “Into the Hands of Fate,” are driving and relentless numbers that don’t deviate much from the pattern set by the previous tracks thus giving the album a strong sense of cohesion from beginning to end.
There’s no way around it, “The Light that Burns the Sky” is ARION’s heaviest album to date, but this heaviness doesn’t necessarily come from the instrumentals themselves but from how thickly layered the symphonic arrangements are. There are some attempts to cut through this heaviness with some keys but the production pushed them too far into the background to make any real impact on the way the music comes across, which is a shame as they could have brought some much-needed variety to the fold while giving the songs a nicer balance in terms of sound design. Nonetheless, “The Light that Burns the Sky” is quite ambitious in how complex, technical, and larger-than-life it is with the band firing on all cylinders and doing justice to Iivo Kaipainen’s bombastic compositions.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
- 1. The Darkest Day
- 2. The Light That Burns the Sky
- 3. Like the Phoenix I Will Rise
- 4. Wings of Twilight (ft. Melissa Bonny)
- 5. Burning in the Skies
- 6. From an Empire to a Fall
- 7. Wildfire
- 8. Blasphemous Paradise
- 9. Black Swan
- 10. In the Heart of the Sea
- 11. Into the Hands of Fate
Lineup
Lassi Vääränen | vocals
Iivo Kaipainen | guitars
Arttu Vauhkonen | keyboard
Gege Velinov | bass
Topias Kupiainen | drums
Label
Reigning Phoenix Music
Links
arion.fi | Facebook | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube | RPM
