During the coronavirus pandemic, many of us got used to working from home. These times have also taught us how many things can easily be done online. Bartłomiej Mezynski and Dionysis Maniatakos took the idea of remote work to an even higher level: they invited several artists from different countries to create a project called ASTERISE and recorded a full-length power metal album. On December 2nd, 2022, via Inverse Records, ASTERISE released “Two Worlds” – a concept album telling a story of a person trapped between the good and the bad, searching for their place in the world. Fans of STRATOVARIUS, turn up the volume, this is something you really don’t want to miss.
What’s worth emphasizing about “Two Worlds” is that this album is 100% online-made. Obviously, for the artists, it must have been more challenging than regular studio recordings, especially as there are so many participants involved and some songs include vocal harmonies. However, the mix sounds surprisingly good – it’s hard to find poorly balanced tracks, which serves as a big achievement for a project consisting of people who don’t have experience working together.
The record starts with an atmospheric intro, which introduces the listener to the mood of the whole album, gently turning into the opening track, “High Above the Horizon.” A fast, energetic song was a perfect choice to start the album. Do you remember The Hobbit movie and Bilbo Baggins excitedly shouting “I’m going on an adventure!”? This track has got exactly the same vibes. It sounds almost like old HAMMERFALL, but what certainly distinguishes it from their style is a fresh touch of high feminine vocals and the harmonies built around the vocal parts.
“Eternal Flame” at first seems nostalgic, but soon the guitars and pace changes make it more energetic and eventually almost euphoric. The guitar plays a significant role in creating the spirit of the song and tension build-up; it sounds like ASTERISE has learned a lot from IRON MAIDEN’s compositions. Can we also take a moment to appreciate the clean high-pitched vocals and harmonies in this track? Undoubtedly, this is an important point in the protagonist’s journey, as the song underlines their strength and confidence. On the contrary, the next track, “Frozen Lake,” is a little bit more wistful, especially its second half, which brings the feeling of overwhelming longing.
“Promised Land” sounds totally different from the very first note. Putting such heavy distorted guitars in the middle of a melodic power metal album filled with opera-style vocals was a very clever idea; if somehow the listener started thinking that they already know everything about the sound of ASTERISE, this is the plot twist moment. “Promised Land” is probably the most intense and the catchiest song from “Two Worlds” – a thrilling guitar solo and an emotional dialogue between two strong voices have a lot to do with it.
“Falling Stars” is a song that will surely be appreciated by STRATOVARIUS and HAMMERFALL fans, as it seems to be deeply inspired by them. It’s also the least obvious, most charismatic and complex track from this album. I would love to hear it live, together with “Promised Land,” if only it was ever possible – the strength and sublimity of these two tracks would be enough to fill an arena!
The screaming parts at the beginning of the verses of the following song, “Masked Parade,” are a little bit out of tune, which breaks the spell put by “Promised Land” and “Falling Stars.” Yet, the second half of the song compensates the harsh screaming with epic harmonies. “Top of the World” brings some more unexpected connections: the high-pitched vocals contrasted with modern-style strong guitars are followed by orchestrations and eventually crowned with a guitar solo soon joined by the keyboard. Seems like a lot is going on here, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, it still doesn’t sound overwhelming.
And finally, the journey ends with “The Funeral of Souls” – a piano-centered track with a violin touch. This is the moment when the protagonist gloriously meets his fate – a truly touching song to close the album.
“Two Worlds” presents a character’s journey, from being lost and searching for home to finally reaching their desires. Taking this into consideration, the album is meant to be listened to track by track, as a whole. The changes in pace fit well in the compositions and the contrasts are naturally joined together. The bass and the drums hold their position as a strong background in most songs. A careful listener will probably notice there are many uncommon solutions and composition tricks serving as little sparks that distinguish the ASTERISE project from the other power metal bands. Speaking of the other bands, the idea of gathering several musicians to create a power metal project with opera-style vocals is not a new concept; I guess AVANTASIA’s success might have been an inspiration for ASTERISE, especially as they have a lot in common when it comes to the style. The skills of all involved artists are really admirable; however, in some particular moments, something doesn’t work well in the male vocal parts. Firstly, it’s a question of incomprehensible spelling. Secondly, it seems that the idea was to incorporate some very high notes into the vocal lines, but perhaps the vocalist was not yet ready to push himself this far.
One thing I would also consider as a minor disadvantage of the album is that, at some point, the songs are becoming more and more predictable, the changes and turnovers don’t give the same “wow!” effect in the first and in the fourth or fifth song. Nevertheless, the variety of ideas successfully keeps “Two Worlds” from being marked as just another generic album. It also shows that power metal stories don’t belong only to the history books – it’s still possible to find fresh, creative forms of expression, especially for talented artists whose skills are on such a high level. “Two Worlds” is simply a well-done piece of songwriting. Who could even say it’s an internet-based project? And last but not least, let’s also mention the cover artwork created by Natalia Nowacka, which completes “Two Worlds.” The picture shows people trapped between the light and the darkness, and a heart somehow connecting both sides. Perhaps it might help the listeners with the interpretation of the lyrics. A similar presentation of the contrast between the bright and the dark side can be found on SONATA ARCTICA’s “Silence” cover. Moreover, from what we can see on ASTERISE’s social media, they are already working on the second album, joining forces with some more talented guests. I’m looking forward to them surprising us with some more unexpected tunes!
Written by Paulina Goździk
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. High Above the Horizon
3. Eternal Flame
4. Frozen Lake
5. Promised Land
6. Falling Stars
7. Masked Parade
8. Top of the World
9. Funeral of Souls
Lineup
Guitar: Bartlomiej Mezynski
Bass: Bartlomiej Mezynski
Keyboard: Dionysis Maniatakos
Drums: Slawomir Siwak
Orchestrations: Dionysis Maniatakos
Vocal: Tristan Harders, Arnaud Menard, Katharina Stahl
Acoustic Guitar: Lukasz Watroba
Guest Guitar Solos: Jimmy Hedlund, Andi Kravljaca, Mateusz Karmelita
Guest Choirs: Aleksandra Mezynska, Lea Diekmann
Label
Inverse Records
