Following the departure of Christian Eriksson I definitely had my doubts concerning the future of NorthTale. Eriksson is in possession of one of my favourite voices in current melodic metal and replacing him would obviously be a beckoning task. Thankfully they rather quickly found a strong replacement in Brazilian powerhouse vocalist Guilhereme Hirose! Also, in the end it is all about the quality of the songwriting and in that department Bill Hudson and crew truly excel once again!
“Eternal Flame” picks up right where “Welcome To Paradise” left us back in 2019. The influences from classic power metal bands, such as Helloween, Stratovarius and Angra still reign supreme and melody is of course always at the forefront. They also manage to keep a good balance between fast paced speed metal-esque pounding; epic passages and softer, more laidback, moments. At times you can clearly hear Bill Hudson’s Brazilian roots shining through in the music and I think that is something they could explore even more on future releases. Overall it is very “European” sounding though and wouldn’t have felt out of place if it was released on Noise Records back in 1988.
There’s really not much more that needs to be said about this album. If you’re into melodic metal with strong, high-pitched vocals you should get a taste of this! This is pretty much the musical equivalent of having an ice cold beer on a hot summer’s day – provided you like beer, obviously.
Guest vocals on “Future Calls” by Kai Hansen.
Guest guitar solo on “Future Calls by Tim Kanoa Hansen.
Guest vocals on “Judas Be My Guide” by Jonas Heidgert.
Guest vocals on “Nature’s Revenge” by Mary Zimmer.
Review by Stefan Lejon