• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Civilization One's second album, Calling the Gods, is an odd mixture of the good, the bad and the weird. As part of Limb Music's stable, it is no surprise that this truly multi-national band, with members from England, France, Italy and Sri Lanka, plays Melodic/Power Metal. They lean to the Germanic style, i.e. less keyboards. Songs like "The Land on Flames" and "Archangel" (the good) are entertaining, if unoriginal, Power Metal tunes with a crunch level in the realm of Angra and Iron Fire. The vocals are gritty and well done, always a plus for this style. My foot was tapping throughout the first two thirds of Calling the Gods. "Reunite" and "New World" (the bad) are another matter. "Reunite" is a nauseatingly sweet ballad, a song Poison might pass on for not being heavy enough. "New World" has a guitar part, some sort of pinch or squeal that is so annoying it makes me want to chuck the speakers out a window. Calling the Gods ends with a couple of bonus tracks that, when taken in the context of what they were written for, sort of make sense, but when included on a straight-up Power Metal album, are horribly out of place (the weird). The band and lead singer Chity Somapala, in particular, take nationality to heart and have written songs for both the Sri Lankan cricket team ("Believing the Dream") and the 2012 Sri Lankan Olympic team ("Dreams of Fire.") As they were intended for a non-western audience it is no surprise they sound a bit "different;" "Believing the Dream" starts out like something from a Bollywood movie while "Dreams of Fire" would fit in on the soundtrack to the Broadway version of The Lion King.

Calling the Gods has some quite good material and moves along briskly before "Reunite" derails the fun. The inclusion of the bonus tracks is a questionable move, if only because they don't fit with the rest of the album, so it ends in a rather unsatisfying way. The discerning Melodic/Power Metal fan should find some enjoyment but nothing earth-shattering.