Lightmare

Item: The Fool
Author: Josh Spencer

The Fool

(1997)

Reviewed by Josh Spencer

Discogs YouTube

Label Treasure Hunt RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1999

heavy metal power metal progressive metal

It's been said of Lightmare that when they're on, they're on, but when they're off, they're bad. I haven't heard their earlier albums (this is supposed to be a big improvement), but I wouldn't say there's that much of a gap in quality among the songs here. Frankly, Christian fans of classic power metal don't have much to choose from, and this is one of the more worthy albums out there.

Rather than the riff-heavy power metal of Blind Guardian or Iced Earth, it's the intricate "light" power metal of Helloween, with majestic and soaring songs fueled by tight, occasionally progressive guitar lines (the classical/progressive instrumental "Tones" is killer). Keyboards add nice epic swells and gothic moods to the sound, while wooden-tone double bass drumming provides a constantly tumbling sense of movement, often overpowering the other instruments in the mix. The vocals are thankfully not quite as high as some of their contemporaries, but other faults like nasality and impaired English accents (they're German) are hard to look past.

Lightmare takes its lyrical cue from '80s Christian metal, with simple-minded preachy anthems that can't always fill the grandiose vocals they're set to, are awkwardly translated, and might not hold the interest of more poetically-minded listeners. For example, title track "The Fool":

Money and might is all what we want
We're living good, but we want more
That once we must die this is a fact
That intentionally we ignore

Others are not so bad:

Once there was a planet gleaming with pure majesty
Then arose the human being "Lord" it wished to be

Crown of creation you've brought the end
To the awesome lands
Can't you see that one day you'll hold
nothing in your hand?
(from "Terrion")

If the death and black metal coming from Europe is like a dark and gloomy fortress, Lightmare is like a bustling castle with trumpets blaring, flags waving, and the soldiers singing about taking stands and going forth in triumph. If you're one of those headbangers who thinks of himself as such, you'll want to get The Fool.

3 tocks