Into a New Dimension is the third album by Divinefire, a band formed by Narnia vocalist Christian Rivel and the multi-instrumentalist Jani Stefanovic whose resume includes stints with bands such as the power metallers Essence of Sorrow, the blackened melodic metal of Crimson Moonlight, the superb thrash metal of Am I Blood, and Sins of Omission amongst others. All of the songs on this disc were written by Stefanovic, who handles the guitars, drums, keyboards, and backing growls on the album. The lyrics were once again written by vocalist Rivel and focus around Christian themes as before. The duo are complemented by Narnia bassist Andreas Olsson. Add to this trio a myriad of guests including the excellent guitar players Carl Johan Grimmark and Patrik Gardberg and you have a solid lineup.
The biggest difference between Into a New Dimension and the band's previous two albums is the superb production quality here. There is a lot of thought invested in the arrangements, which include both beautiful symphonic passages and well crafted lead solos. Stefanovic's keyboard playing is slightly less pronounced than before, but there are still certain songs that are entirely driven by his synth work. The opening and closing tracks both bring forth dark keyboards merging with pounding drums and melodic metal riffery. Rivel's aggressive power metal-styled vocals work quite well on the neoclassically driven "Passion & Fire", complete with constant double bass drums, speed metal guitars, and a fantastic lead solo by Carl Johan Grimmark. Grimmark plays leads pretty much on every song, but he also exchanges spots with others including Stefanovic himself. One of their strongest collaborations is "Time's Running Out", where the second lead solo is a great example of melody and power blended into a single theme.
Highlights include the dark title track and "All for One", both of which feature great contrasts of dynamics, allowing Riven to showcase his true talents as a singer. The slower parts implemented into the otherwise fast and energetic songs provide a great sense of balance, especially when backed by those cool, monk-like chants and Sonata Arctica-like atmospherics. "Alive" is another piece which contains mammoth riffing and a great bass lead used to underpin the perfect mix of clean and death vocals. Granted there are some extreme vocal stylings on the album, they are used sparingly and should not bother most power metal fans who dislike that type of vocals.
The Japanese import contains a bonus track called "Free Like an Eagle", which resembles more so Narnia and their earlier material, and is full of vocal hooks and catchy guitar melodies. The artwork is worth mentioning as well, as it credits each musician playing on the songs, which is sadly missing on many an album nowadays.
Track Listing
- Vision of the New Dawn
- Passion & Fire
- Time's Running Out
- Into a New Dimension
- Facing the Liar
- Live Or Die
- Alive
- All For One
- The Final Victory
- The Last Encore
- Free Like an Eagle (Japanese bonus track)
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