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I've been waiting for this band's debut since running across their demo on Bandcamp back in 2022. Signed to Nameless Grave records, Chamber Mage have now delivered By Light of Emerald Gods, their first full-length album. I'd like to say the band have delivered on the promise they flashed on the demo, but after several listens, I'm still trying to get a handle on it. At their core, Chamber Mage is an epic traditional heavy metal band, so the album has fantasy-based lyrics, a few sound effects to set atmospheric moods, galloping riffs and big choruses, the kinds of things you would expect. The band's quirkiness is on full display in places, notably in the vocal lines, which tend to wander quite a bit, as well as some of the songwriting, which is oddly upbeat in spots. That is most notable in the folk vibe (minus the instrumentation) to some of the songs like "Bishop's Vengeance," which has a middle section with just bass and jaunty vocals, or "The Emerald Tower Revealed," which has a tavern sing-along feel. The heavier tracks are fine, memorable for being unfocused as much as anything else, and with overall weak production, the whole album feels like it could have been much better. There is some Dark Forest, some Brocas Helm, a bit of Wytch Hazel and even Rush in Chamber Mage's sound, but on By Light of Emerald Gods, it never really gels.