Beyond (Freedom Call album)

Last updated
Beyond
Freedom Call - Beyond.jpg
Studio album by
Freedom Call
ReleasedFebruary 21, 2014
RecordedSeptember 9 – November 22, 2013
StudioSeparate Sound Studio and FC Studio in Nürnberg
Genre Power metal, symphonic metal
Length59:09
Label Steamhammer
Producer Chris Bay & Stephan Ernst
Freedom Call chronology
Ages Of Light
(2013)		Beyond
(2014)		 Master of Light
(2016)

Beyond is the eighth full-length album by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on February 21, 2014, by SPV. [1] [2] [3] [4] A vinyl version of Beyond was released on March 14, 2014. [5]

Contents

Beyond marked the return of founding member, bassist Ilker Ersin, and the addition of Ramy Ali on drums. [6]

Critical reception

Beyond received generally very positive reviews upon release, although the majority of these reviews were by genre-related or genre-specific reviewers. Examples of these included:

In a 9/10 review for The Metal Observer and commenting on a return to form for Freedom Call, Jonathan Smith wrote: At its inception, this album makes little secret of which creative well it’s drawing from. The first eight songs are all but a perfect mixture of the speed happy character of Eternity meshed with the anthem-driven, catchy fanfare of Crystal Empire. In particular, “Union Of The Strong, “Knights Of Taragon” and “Heart Of A Warrior” all but kick the listener into a fit of déjà vu that recalls how this band’s much lauded third album began. Familiar melodies are reworked a bit and the lead guitar work of Lars Rettkowitz is a bit more mellow and methodical than Sascha Gershow’s technical work, but the speed and majestic consonance of each moment begs for a fist to the sky.

In an unscored but favorable review for Metal Injection, Shayne Mathis wrote: ...Freedom Call have consistently released album after album of fun, hyper-melodic power metal that's only gotten better with time, and Beyond may be the band's best album yet. These Germans may not be the most creative or adventurous power metal band out there, but they're definitely one of the most enjoyable. Unless you're a total sourpuss, it's impossible to listen to this album without feeling the urge to smile (or battle a dragon while soaring on the wings of an eagle). He continued: Despite the mammoth running time and rote formula the songs lapse into occasionally, Beyond is still an entertaining record for fans of triumphant metal. This is an album best experienced blasting through car speakers with the windows rolled down on the way to meet your friends for beers and good times. [7]

In a 7.5/10 review for Hardrockhaven.net, Justin Gaines wrote: Freedom Call – a.k.a. the happiest power metal band in the universe – are back with a new studio offering... ...titled Beyond. The long-running German band took a risk with their last album – 2012’s Land of the Crimson Dawn – where they mixed in quirky, Edguy-style rock songs with their usual shiny, happy, power metal. It wasn’t terribly well received, so the band is back on (very) familiar territory with Beyond. If you have at least one older Freedom Call album, you probably know what to expect from Beyond. The band basically takes the Helloween formula and makes it even faster and more melodic. Between Chris Bay’s melodic guitar work and his high-pitched vocals, it’s hard to sit still when a Freedom Call album is playing. Beyond takes the band back to the familiar lyrical territory of warriors, enchanted lands and unity in metal. Yes, it’s cheesy and yes, it’s a little weird to hear battle hymns sung in such a high octave, but it’s so damned hard to resist when these guys get going. [8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chris Bay except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Union Of The Strong"5:02
2."Knights Of Taragon"4:43
3."Heart Of A Warrior" (Rettkowitz)3:12
4."Come On Home"4:03
5."Beyond" (Bay, Ali)7:48
6."Among The Shadows"3:44
7."Edge Of The Ocean" (Rettkowitz)3:36
8."Journey Into Wonderland"3:58
9."Rhythm Of Light"4:02
10."Dance Off The Devil"3:45
11."Paladin" (Bay, Rettkowitz)4:07
12."Follow Your Heart" (Bay, Ersin)3:51
13."Colours Of Freedom"4:15
14."Beyond Eternity"3:03
Total length:59:09
Limited Edition bonus CD
No.TitleLength
1."Back Into The Land Of Light" (Live In The Black Forest)5:42
2."Hero On Video" (Live In The Black Forest)3:55
3."Rockstars" (Live In The Black Forest)5:02
4."Farewell" (Live In The Black Forest)5:24
5."Mr. Evil (Reggae Vs. Metal)" (Live In The Black Forest)5:12
6."Power & Glory" (Live In The Black Forest)3:32
7."Freedom Call" (unplugged)5:39
8."The Quest" (unplugged)8:25
9."Warriors" (unplugged)4:29
10."Power & Glory" (unplugged)3:41
11."Farewell" (unplugged)4:51
12."Mr. Evil (Reggae)" (masqueraded live)4:16
13."Rockin' Radio (Killerbilly)" (masqueraded live)4:27
Total length:64:35

Personnel

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Call</span> German power metal band

Freedom Call is a German power metal band formed in 1998. The band tours regularly and the current line-up includes one original member, lead vocalist and songwriter, Chris Bay. Freedom Call has released 14 albums in total, eleven of these studio albums.

<i>The Headless Children</i> 1989 studio album by W.A.S.P.

The Headless Children is the fourth studio album by heavy metal band W.A.S.P., released in April 1989 through Capitol Records. The album reached No. 48 on the US Billboard 200 chart, the band's highest chart position, and remained on that chart for 13 weeks. This was the last album W.A.S.P. released before their temporary breakup in 1990, only to reunite two years later for The Crimson Idol (1992).

Blackened death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that fuses elements of black metal and death metal.

<i>The Somberlain</i> 1993 studio album by Dissection

The Somberlain is the debut album by Swedish black metal band Dissection, released on 3 December 1993. It proved to be a highly influential release for both black metal and melodic death metal. The band dedicated the album to Luis Elizondo, who had been disclosed in August the same year. This is the only album that features the band's original lineup. The artwork was created by Kristian 'Necrolord' Wåhlin. The album was composed and arranged between 1989 and 1993, and was recorded between 1 and 6 March 1993.

<i>Eternity</i> (Freedom Call album) 2002 studio album by Freedom Call

Eternity is the third full-length album by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on 3 June 2002 by Steamhammer.

<i>Crystal Empire</i> 2001 studio album by Freedom Call

Crystal Empire is the second full-length album by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on 22 January 2001 by Steamhammer. It was the last Freedom Call album with Sascha Gerstner, who later joined Helloween.

<i>The Circle of Life</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Freedom Call

The Circle of Life is the fourth full-length album by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on 21 May 2005 by SPV.

<i>Dimensions</i> (Freedom Call album) 2007 studio album by Freedom Call

Dimensions is the fifth full-length album by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on April 20, 2007. Stylistically, the album combines the up-tempo and melodic elements of the Eternity album with the more contemporary sound of The Circle of Life album. The mixing and mastering of the album was by Tommy Newton of Victory. It is a concept album set in a post-apocalyptic world, in the year 3051, in which a demon created by mankind has completely ravaged the world. The Japanese version includes the bonus track "The Quest ".

Melodic metalcore is a fusion genre, incorporating elements of melodic death metal and metalcore; it has a heavy emphasis on melodic instrumentation, distorted guitar tones, palm muting, double bass drumming, blast beats, metalcore-stylized breakdowns, and vocals that range from aggressive screaming and death growls to clean singing. The genre has seen commercial success for employing a more accessible sound at times compared to other forms of extreme music. Many notable melodic metalcore bands have been influenced by At the Gates and In Flames.

<i>Legend of the Shadowking</i> 2010 studio album by Freedom Call

Legend of the Shadowking is the sixth full-length album by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on 1 February 2010 via SPV.

<i>WTF?!</i> 2011 studio album by KMFDM

WTF?! is the seventeenth studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released on April 26, 2011, on KMFDM Records and Metropolis Records. The regular line-up of Sascha Konietzko, Lucia Cifarelli, Jules Hodgson, Andy Selway, and Steve White was joined by a handful of musicians from other industrial and alternative metal acts. The album took about twice as long as usual for the band to produce, and underwent a significant amount of modification during its recording.

<i>Into the Wild</i> (Uriah Heep album) 2011 studio album by Uriah Heep

Into the Wild is the 22nd studio album by the British rock band Uriah Heep. It was first released in Japan on 12 April 2011 by Universal Music Japan with 12 tracks on SHM-CD and in Europe by Frontiers Records on 15 April 2011 with 11 tracks on a regular CD; the album was released on 3 May 2011 in America. A video for the single "Nail on the Head" was released to promote this album. In April 2011 Into the Wild entered the German Media Control Charts at No. 32. This marks the group's best chart entry in Germany since Uriah Heep's heyday, according to Blabbermouth. Uriah Heep toured in support of the album, with a US tour beginning in June. However, lead vocalist Bernie Shaw had to back out of some of the last tour dates due to health issues, and so his spot was briefly taken over by former vocalist John Lawton, who performed some shows with the band. Into the Wild is the last Uriah Heep album to feature bassist Trevor Bolder, who died in 2013.

<i>Red Silent Tides</i> 2010 studio album by Elvenking

Red Silent Tides is the sixth album by Italian folk/power metal band Elvenking. It was released on September 17, 2010, through AFM Records in both standard and Deluxe Editions. The Deluxe Edition of Red Silent Tides included a second disc which contained their first demo album To Oak Woods Bestowed as a bonus disc. This album would also feature Raffaello "Rafahel" Indri on guitars alongside Aydan. Also this album would not feature Elyghen on Violins due to his trip out of Italy and was replaced by session player Fabio "Lethien" Polo for the remainder until Elyghen's return.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unisonic (band)</span> German hard rock/power metal supergroup

Unisonic was a German hard rock/power metal supergroup, founded on 10 November 2009 by Helloween singer Michael Kiske alongside Dennis Ward and Kosta Zafiriou from Pink Cream 69 and Mandy Meyer, formerly in Asia and Gotthard. In 2011 the band was joined by Gamma Ray leader and Helloween co-founder, Kai Hansen.

<i>Land of the Crimson Dawn</i> 2012 studio album by Freedom Call

Land of the Crimson Dawn is the seventh full-length album by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on February 24, 2012 via SPV in Germany, the Europe-wide release on February 27, and the North American release on February 28. The album was released in three versions: as a jewel case featuring 14 songs, as a double coloured vinyl LP and as a limited edition double CD digipak including six additional Freedom Call covers.

<i>Get Scared</i> (EP) 2010 EP by Get Scared

Get Scared is the second EP by American rock band Get Scared, released on November 9, 2010 on Amazon and iTunes as a digital download only. Two of the songs from the EP, "Sarcasm" and "Voodoo" were re-released on Get Scared's debut album Best Kind of Mess. The third song, "Deepest Cut", is exclusive to this EP only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragony</span>

Dragony is a power metal band from Vienna, Austria, which incorporates elements of symphonic metal in their style.

<i>Ages of Light</i> 2013 compilation album by Freedom Call

Ages of Light (1998–2013) is the first best-of compilation by German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on 26 April 2013 via SPV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edge of Paradise</span> American rock band from Los Angeles, United States

Edge of Paradise is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 2011. The band currently consists of Margarita Monet (vocals/keys), Dave Bates (guitars), David Ruiz (guitars), Jamie Moreno (drums) and Kenny Lockwood (bass). The band is known for its heavy guitars complemented by industrial and classical influences, as well as Monet's large vocal range. In 2012, Monet was featured in Metalholic’s "Top 25 Women in Hard Rock and Metal."

<i>Master of Light</i> 2016 studio album by Freedom Call

Master of Light is the ninth full-length album by the German power metal band Freedom Call. It was released on November 11, 2016, by SPV.

References

  1. ↑ "FREEDOM CALL bring their 'Light Over The Beyond' tour to London this March". uberrock.co.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Freedom Call - "Beyond" CD Review". metalunderground.com. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Album review: FREEDOM CALL – Beyond". getreadytorock.me.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  4. ↑ Drago, Dan. "Freedom Call - Beyond Review". heavymetal.about.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "beyond-is-entering-the-international-charts-release-of-vinyl-version-march-14th/". Freedom Call. 2015-09-11. Archived from the original on 2015-05-13. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  6. ↑ "WorkHard PR Freedom Call Beyond". WorkHard PR. 2014-03-08. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  7. ↑ "Album Review: FREEDOM CALL Beyond". Metal Injection. 2014-04-14. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  8. ↑ "Freedom Call Beyond". Hardrockhaven.net. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.