Conquistador

Olympos Mons

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 16, 2004)
• Original Release Date: November 9, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lmp
• ASIN: B00064N8PY
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #231,983 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Seven Seas

2. Stars

3. The Last Light Of The Moon

4. Wanted Man

5. Black

6. Through The Ice And Snow

7. Black Desireé

8. Cleopatra

9. The Princess Of Saba

10. Lady In White

11. Conquistador

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

It was neither the alcohol nor their similar band backgrounds which brought the guitarist Jari Sündström and singer Ian E. Highhill together on that unforgettable concert evening in a small town in Finland in 2002. It was the passion for melodic, symphonic metal music and one which led the two experienced musicians to the important decision of founding a band with the name of Olympos Mons (the highest mountain on Mars and the largest volcano in the known universe). Jari Sündström feels just as much at home in the world of classical music as he does in rock and metal, has been composing songs for many years and his aggressive style of playing guitar has made him a popular figure on the local scene. For his part, Ian E. Highhill has a voice of exceptional range and is also known worldwide both as a composer and as the author of dark, romantic lyrics. Their new album, Conquistador, clearly shows that Olympos Mons have jumped the queue to become forerunners in the field. The impressive production by Janne Saksa from Sound Supreme Studios, the excellent mixing by Nino Laurenne (Sonic Pump-Studio) as well as the brilliant mastering by Mika Jussila (Finnvox Studios) make sure that Conquistador is just as huge and sounds just as explosive as the name Olympos Mons implies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Already living up to the elevation of their namesake!, July 6, 2005

By	Pearly White "Pearly...~>" (Northwest USA) - See all my reviews

WOW! I've been checking out a lot of bands on this label lately (LIMB Music, Germany), and as with most labels out there in this genre there are good ones, bad ones and hidden jewels within the numerical litany of the catalog and band roster! This one qualifies as a hidden jewel for sure! I love how many territories this one explores in it's 11 tracks! At first we start as you'd expect, with a typical "happy" power metal song with "Seven Seas". Good, but the best was certainly yet to come! On "Stars" the band revs up their Rhapsody machine and treats us to some stellar symphonic fury! Then with the next track "The Last Light Of The Moon" we digress to more of a Dream Theater/Symphony X sound. With awesome cunchy progressive riffs! We even visit the more anthemic...and dare I say "mainstream" side of power metal on the album with the catchy song "Black". For dessert we're treated to the cliche' (but I'm still smiling anyway:-) "10-minute epic" track with the astounding "Conquistador"! Oh, and let's not forget track #10 either called "Lady In White"...I'M IN METAL HEAVEN! Crank this up! This track is what the band Skylark could and should sound like if they'd actually get it together! A crackling experience from the album that left me dazzled!

The sound and production on this disc are just all-out teutonic! I also love the fact that unlike so many power metal albums I pick up nowadays, the 11 tracks on this cd are ACTUAL SONGS THAT COUNT! No wasted space or bulking up the tracklisting with needless acoustical interludes of 90 seconds or stupid "book on tape" narratives that waste my time! NO WAY! All the tracks are full-fledged aural assaults complete with great lyrics and vocal delivery! The masses of swirling keyboards (all just in the right places by the way...) are also fabulous and add a dramatic tapestry to each song.

This band reminds me of so many power and progressive metal acts during the running time of this cd, it's impossible to pin down just one or two bands with which to compare them. Truly that means that it looks like...finally(!)...we have something original under the sun in this class of music?! At least in the sense that most bands who try to sound like the dreaded "amalgum" of all their influences wind up horribly missing the mark. NOT HERE! Olympos Mons carves out an awesome block of remarkably varied power metal music that will surely be finding it's way into this listeners cd player for months and months to come! I'm happy now, but I can't wait for the next installment! Watch these guys! They could be the next really big thing on the block for metal lovers of all persuasions! 4/5!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantasic album!!!!, November 28, 2004

By	John Milton "John Milton" - See all my reviews

CONQUISTADOR is a really strong debut coming from the Finnish power metal band Olympos Mons. All songs are written by guitarist Jari Sundström and singer Ian E.Highhill. They also seem to stand for the production of the record.The songs are filled with mystical magical elements and cool lyrics that together creates a whole fantasy world for the mind to enjoy.
I really loved "The last light of the moon" a big bombastic track with great guitar riffs and a soaring high vocal in the chorus part.
"Throught the ice and snow" is a straight fast metal song with a great catchy melody.
The haunting "Black" is progressive metal at its very best,this song never fails to give me chills.
"Princess of Saba" is an eastern influenced song with some heavy Symphony-X like riffs in the opening.
"Lady in white" is a magical tune, it has the kind of chorus you just have to sing along with!!!
Everyone who buys this record can surely agree with me that these (Finnish) guys have produced a really big sounding (kick ass) Power Metal album, with great catchy melodies!!!
One of the best Metal records of 2004!!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best newer Power Metal bands, August 25, 2005

By	Michael Anthony "Hybridblues" (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm going to keep this review fairly short. I didn't know what to expect from these guys before I heard them but once I put the disc in I was hooked. Not too many bands out there right now has had that effect on me. These guys and Galloglass have been the best newer bands that I've heard on LMP lately. This album is definately worth buying, you won't be dissapointed. I'm hoping too hear more from these guys in the future and I hope that their future albums will live up or be better than this.