Looks can be deceiving! Upon first seeing the album art for Gathering of Kings’ latest album, Discovery, I expected some half baked 70s prog worship, or worse yet, 20 minute jazz odyssies a la Spinal Tap. The last thing I expected was nearly an hour of top shelf 80s AOR, but sometimes life is funny that way. Gathering of Kings is similar to The Night Flight Orchestra. Both are Swedish, comprised of metal musicians, and pay tribute to that classic melodic rock sound of decades past. The only difference is NFO is a full fledged band whereas GOK is more a revolving studio project.
Discovery features members of Therion, Saffire, Citadellion, and even (surprise, surprise) The NFO among others. While it’s stylistically rooted in old school melodic rock, a cast of singers helps give each track its own unique flavor. These singers are Alexander Frisborg (Citadellion), Jonny Lindqvist (Nocturnal Rites), Apollo Papathanasio (Firewind, Spiritual Beggars), Rick Altzi (At Vance, Masterplan), and Tobias Jansson (Saffire). My favorite of the bunch is Lindqvist. His contributions, “December” and “Moonlight”, are the heaviest and remind me of Odyssey era Yngwie Malmsteen. Lindqvist isn’t a dead ringer for Joe Lynn Turner, but he displays the same bravado the legendary singer had in his prime. If Malmsteen ever got off his high horse and wanted collaborate with a top notch singer again, Lindqvist would be the guy.
Its been a recent trend in the melodic rock world to utilize modern rock/metal production techniques. With the exception of Eclipse, this has always been a major turnoff of mine. It makes no sense to take a genre with origins in the 80s and “modernize” it. What for? The audience buying the product is niche to begin with. If the idea is to “attract outsiders”, good luck. Gathering of Kings knows just how absurd this philosophy is and stays true to the retro 80s sound with a slick, polished production. Tracks like “Heaven on the Run”, “Riders of the Light”, and “Loreli” boast the arena atmosphere of Foreigner, guitar and synth interplay of Journey, and lyrical prowess of Jim Peterik. What more could you ask for?
Discovery is a fine tuned vehicle that begs for the keys to be put into the ignition. Consider it a musical Maserati. If you’re a lover of all things AOR, hop behind the wheel and take the trip. It’s well worth it.
7 out of 10
Label: RN Records
Genre: AOR
For fans of: The Night Flight Orchestra, Foreigner, Journey