MORNING DWELL is not unknown to the loyal fans of power metal. The Power Will Go On is the band’s third album, and it is the best material that a dedicated fan of the Keeper of the Seven Keys can listen to nowadays.
The Power Will Go On delivers exactly what the title promises. Pure German/European power metal having its roots to HELLOWEENs’ best era and the two “Keeper…” albums which made the genre very popular back then. The vocals of Petter Hjerpe are perhaps the closest to those of Michael Kiske of that era, and are among the highlights of the album – along with the music of course.
This kind of power metal reached its peak in the late 80s, but has had a significant decline since then. Many bands copied that sound, added a lot of symphonic or operatic elements, others female vocals and along with several dragon and sword themes, the genre went an unprecedented humiliation and fall in terms of quality. MORNING DWELL show respect to that era, and thankfully the new album sounds a natural and serious continuation of the late 80s period of power metal, before all these elves, princesses, dragons and drum-machines appear!
The new album follows the up-tempo euro-power metal school, with lots of anthemic type-of metal songs, speedy but catchy melodies and great old-school power metal vocals. This results in a very energetic album, making the listener sing along with Petter Hjerpe many times, while the melodies stick easily to the mind. The entire album is in a very good level, but songs such as “We Stand Together”, “Behind the Gate” and “Book of Damnation” will attract many fans, especially those who love the power metal of the 80s.
MORNING DWELL from Sweden seems the best continuator of HELLOWEEN and the “Keeper…” era. Their music is serious and the tracks bring out the energy and the feeling that this music was supposed to have from the beginning. The Power Will Go On is perhaps the best Euro-power metal album of 2021, especially for an old-school fan of heavy/power metal.
