Select a review to the right.
Kenneth Gustafsson / Rocknytt
Rating: 9 / 10
3M ... Dark, powerful and rich. Yes, that's how I understand this five trace EP. can already point out here that it is by no means something innovative I hear, but why does everything have to be? It is enough that it is good and that's it, really good items.
And if I had a band and Jonas RadeHorn was the lead singer of the same, I would have chained him. Aah, what a voice. With the band, one can not fail. Though it seems in itself not be a single weak link in The Citadel. May, without being able to point to exactly where, the vibe Evil Masquerade when I hear EP'n. And worse influences are of course ... However, The Citadel a lot more progressive. And it is in a natural way, not at that doctored and made way that is progressive only to and gets boring after a few songs.
Nah, this could be something very good and I am not sorry about keeping the extremely tasty piano loops in the future, tasteful is what it is.
Best songs, because that is actually two I can not stop listening to: "Heaven" and "When The Storm Begins".
Do not wait too long with full length album, I want to hear more NOW!
Janne Stark
Semi-proggish Swedish band The Citadel now follow up their debut The Brothers Of Grief with a five track MCD. The debut was a pleasant treat, but this little follow-up actually fits my musical taste buds even better. Opener A Voice Beyond gives me pretty strong Evergrey vibrations, but with a more uplifting melodic chorus than what the Gothenburg quintet offers. A really nice one, dark and heavy but with a slight streak of hope in the chorus. The mix is really fat and heavy adding the right elements to the overall audio experience. Next up is Demon’s Eye (nope, not a Deep Purple cover), which actually sounds even more like Evergrey, with singer Jonas Radehorn taking on a very suitable Tom Englund touch in phrasing and vocal tone. A killer track indeed! In Heaven you however hear more of Radehorn’s own voicing. This song also showcases a slightly more symphonic but yet melodic side, but still maintaining a heavy staccato base. Nice chorus that really sticks. When The Storm Begins is another killer, crushingly heavy thing with an oriental touch in some of the vocal phrases. Also hear you’ll find a more symphonic touch shining through in the chorus. I really dig the long lost classic “fire”-falsetto, which I had expected from bands like Enforcer or Steelwing. The MCS closes with the track 7, which follows nicely in the same tradition as the previous tracks, also here with a pretty dark and melancholic aura hovering over the audio delivery. I guess that is one of the things that makes me think of Evergrey. Five tracks is quite a good move, considering the heaviness and musical richness, yet it leaves me wanting more. A really great and interesting release.
Metal Chaos
Sometimes you’re really in for a surprise in the album reviewing business. The description given beforehand will lead your mind in one direction which necessarily isn’t at all what the impression is after listening to the release a couple of times. THE CITADEL was listed as Epic Doom and in one way I can see it; it has resemblances with other Swedish acts which also have been listed under that moniker. Like VENI DOMINE or MOAHNI MOAHNA. Yes, THE CITADEL really sounds Swedish and that’s absolutely nothing bad.
The first that came to mind listening to the “A Passage Through Eternity” was SEVENTH WONDER and their masterpiece “Mercy Falls” and for me that’s absolutely a good thing. This EP is a really nice selection of songs, the production is modern without being overdone. There’s still air in the mix and that is so important for this Heavy Progressive Metal. But what is most important is that Jonas Redehorn has an absolutely amazing voice which fits the music perfectly. Just like Tommy Karevik from already mentioned SEVENTH WONDER, Jonas voice is so crisp and clean without being weak. Without a good vocalist this kind of music would be quite anonymous but that’s absolutely not the case here.
What also THE CITADEL manages is to create very catchy and melodic vocal lines even if the music is really complex from time to time. “When The Storm Begins” touches DREAM THEATER’s area but is far more accessible than the US friends. The closer of the EP, shortly titled “7” is darker and the add-on’s in the production is more prominent but still without taking over completely. Even if this EP shows different styles, “Demon’s Eye” for example is an (older, “In Search Of Truth”-type) EVERGREY smelling track, Heavy and Groovy, more basic Heavy Metal than the rest and sticks out quite a lot, still within the concept. For me THE CITADEL has been a well kept secret. Surfing and trying to dig out information about this release wasn’t easy. That’s really a shame because “A Passage Through Eternity” is a mighty fine piece of music.
The Metal Observer
Power Metal with some hair on its testicles, that’s what this is. This has a strength to it that will appeal to fans across a broad spectrum of tastes, yet sacrifices nothing in terms of melody and emotional range.
The strength of the songwriting is what seizes the listener’s immediate attention. The songs are all well-structured and memorable. Even better, they are varied yet cohesive in mood, making “A Passage Through Time” one of those gems that works well both as a collection of songs and as a coherent album (or, in this case, EP).
There is a troubled majesty that permeates the music on this release. Opening track “A Voice Within” has some powerful riffing supported by piano and strings, delivering a sound that covers a broad sonic range. The vocals are a forceful tenor that backs off and becomes more approachable at the chorus, which is melodic and catchy, with a piano accompaniment that gives the song a vulnerability that juxtaposes nicely with the vigor of the riff and the singing. Following track “Demon’s Eye” is strong and melodic, and is made more so by the up-front presence of a Hammond organ. (And in my humble opinion, all music is made cooler by a Hammond.)
Vocalist Jonas Radehorn is superb, and demonstrates versatility here. Frequently strong and authoritative, occasionally unguarded, he even belts out a Halford-esque howl to open “When The Storm Begins.” Radehorn demonstrates not only great range, but also emotional dexterity and awareness. His is a seemingly effortless talent, intuitive about what type of performance each song requires.
Occasional missteps do appear here and there. Some undecipherable speech can be heard after one of the choruses on “A Voice Within,” a device that distracts more than it enhances the song. Similarly, a spoken stanza during “Heaven” comes off as a bit pretentious.
These mistakes are minor, however, and take little away from this fine work. THE CITADEL show themselves as up-and-coming masters at conveying emotion. Check this one out.
Hard Rock Info
These fucking piano intros! Smash the piano and use that as a intro instead, much more fun!
Some kind of melodic heavy metal with a lot of melody and harmonies. Not bad at all!
You really need a good singer when it comes to this genre,
and I think THE CITADEL really have that.
This band should get more attention, so go ahead and take a listen to them at once!
by Craig Hartranft
The Citadel is a rather obscure power/progressive metal band from Sweden. A Passage through Eternity is a 5 song EP, the first since their 2007 debut Brothers of Grief (which I know nothing about). A single listen convinced me of The Citadel's talent. While not necessarily reinventing the power/prog wheel, this crew offers sound, convincing, and entertaining arrangements for the genre. Heaven and the well-developed When the Storm Begins are representative classic tracks. As to individual performance, I was rather impressed with Jonas Radehorn's vocal work. Although I wasn't convinced at the start, on the longest cut A Voice Within, Mr. Radehorn's has both strength and versatility.
I doubt whether my fellow American metal brethren will be able to get a physical copy of A Passage through Eternity. But, if a digital copy is available at a good price then, by all means, both here and in UK/Europe, prog metal fans should check this out.
Recommended.
Metal Maniaxe Radio
"This is A very good album I have it rotation, I enjoyed it,the riffs were very good and the vocals as well, I will have The Citadel in rotation for along time to come, I cannot wait to hear more from these guys."
~ Robert Kudler
Network Noir Web Radio
"I love the band. We're going to add them on our next update.
Not familiar with past releases- we would be interested in those releases too."
~ William Wilkins
Melodic Rock Webzine
The Citadel are new name to me, but it turns out the band was formed in 2002 and released their debut album, ‘Brothers in Grief’, in 2007. This 5 track mini-album is the follow up.
‘A Voice Within’ kicks off the album in a Doom laden fashion and melodic rock fans might begin to wonder what there is here for them. In fact, they need to stick with it, as by the time the chorus kicks it is clear these guys have sense of melody. On ‘Demon’s Eye’ the vocals do have a bit of a death growl going on at times, but do manage to keep a sense of melody as well. It was while listening to 3rd track, ‘Heaven’, that it hit me who these guys reminded me of. Maybe it is just because I’ve also been reviewed their new album, but I detect hints of Ten going on here. Imagine if Ten were mixed with a Doom outfit such a Candlemass (a random name pulled from my somewhat limited knowledge of the genre), then the result might sound like this. ‘The Storm Begins’ and ‘7' complete the album maintaining the standard of the previous progressive power metal tracks. Maybe it is just my imagination, but I think the chorus’s get stronger as the album progresses.
This is an album that is better than the sum if it’s part. There aren’t any really stunning tracks here, but somehow they all seem to gel together in a neat little package. The result is a bit of surprise for me, as despite the doom elements in the background, I ended up quite enjoying this album.
This content will be updated shortly.
Until then, images can be found on our facebook-page!
