Customer Reviews

Gather the Faithful

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When Jani left Sonata Arctica, I admit I was dissapointed, even after hearing that Elias would be his replacement (and I had already been a fan of Elias's solo work). However, then I heard that news that Jani was not going to dissapear, and instead form a new band alongside vocalist Timo Kotipelto and I was psyched.

...and all for good reason.
This album featuring Jani Liimatainen on guitars (and primary songwriter), Timo Kotipelto from Stratovarius, Mikko Härkin (former Stratovarius keyboardist) Jukka Koskinen (Bassist from Norther and Wintersun), and Jani Hurula on drums, is a brilliant take on Symphonic Power Metal. If you are a fan of Stratovarius or Sonata Arctica you definately need to give this album a listen.
Especially for those who are fans of Jani's songwriting and composing (for example, My Selene by Sonata Arctica, or the albums Divinity and Invitation by Altaria which both have songs written by him) then this album will not disapoint.

Lyrically it is not as poetic as Sonata Arctica's lyrics, which should go without saying considering Jani is not as versed in English as Tony (who is truly a poet with the language despite it not being his first) but definately a step up from those from Stratovarius.
For guitar enthusiasts, however, there is nothing negative to say. Jani was no slouch before (joining Sonata Arctica and recording tracks such as Destruction Preventer before he was even 21 years old) and he has only been improving in every area.

If you are a fan of Power Metal or Symphonic Metal at all then this is a great addition to your collection. It may not be your favorite album ever, but hopefully you will enjoy it anywhere near as much as I have.

Even if you're new to the style, this is a great album to showcase what the genre is all about.

I took this album for a quick spin because I'm a Power Metal fan and I dig Stratovarius. Sonata Arctica's not bad either. This album has grown on me quickly! Having Timo Kotipelto singing lead helps me quickly adapt my ear to it, but that's not the only good thing about this album. The songs are memorable without being formulaic and the overall sonic theme is friendly to the ear.

Think of it as Stratovarius without the noodling of Jens Johansson and Timo Tolkii. I'm a Malmsteen/Symphony X fan so that's not a detraction. BTW - Tolkii is no longer in the Strato but you get my point. Streamline the feel of Stratovarius, tone down the neo-classical themes and you have Cain's Offering. It really feels like a Timo Kotipelto solo album but I have a feeling if they keep this lineup intact, creative growth won't be hard to come by. My only complaint is that the album feels a little short at 10 tracks.

It's not a surefire classic, but it hits the sweet spot of my musical taste and deserves five stars.

Gather the Faithful is the 2009 debut from Finnish melodic metal supergroup Cain's Offering. With a lineup that includes Stratovarius vocalist Timo Kotipelto and at least two former Sonata Arctica members (Jani Liimatanien and Mikko Harkin), I figured I knew what to expect from this album - a mix of Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica. Well, I'm not much of a Sonata Arctica fan, and I gave up on Stratovarius a while back, but I saw this album on clearance so I figured it was worth a listen.

As expected, Gather the Faithful is a very melodic album with plenty of power and just enough in the way of progressive technicality to make things interesting. It's also not as melodramatic or overblown as some power metal albums. I think the songs are more focused and varied than the average Sonata Arctica album, and there isn't as much keyboard noodling as the average Stratovarius release. Actually, Cain's Offering reminds me a lot of Italian band Labyrinth back when they were making essential progressive power metal albums (like Return to Heaven Denied).

Cain's Offering really hits that sweet spot between melodic, power and progressive metal. The musicianship is high caliber, and Timo Kotipelto turns in a very impressive performance. Guitarist Jani Liimitanien did a fantastic job with production, and his songwriting skills really shine here.

Obviously I have to recommend Gather the Faithful to fans of Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica, but Cain's Offering should also appeal to old school progressive power metal as well as high quality melodic metal in general. This was a very pleasant surprise.