THE FERRYMEN: One More River To Cross (MELODIC METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

By combining a talented songwriter/guitarist - the prolific Magnus Karlsson -, a frontman that many consider to be Dio's successor - the talented Ronnie Romero - and a strong drummer, Mike Terrana, Frontiers had once again hit the bull's eye in 2017. "One More River To Cross" is Ferrymen's third album, and it was eagerly awaited by the fans of each of these talented musicians, so much they knew how to mark with their personal stamp the previous opuses of the band.

It had not escaped anyone that they were looking insistently towards Dio's productions and Karlsson's work with Primal Fear. We were then not far from a kind of melodic heavy/power metal. On this new album, the band seems to have evolved towards a less heavy writing, even more melodic, and developing the orchestral aspect until now more discrete. On this "One More River To Cross" we are thus rather in the presence of a heavy melodic opus associated with a rhythm and a hard rock groove. The tone of the words is epic, the atmospheres lush and the melodies particularly catchy, worthy of an arena rock gala.

It seems surprising that only three men are the authors of this musical cyclone: the impression of listening to the work of an orchestra is tenacious. Karlsson, who handles all the strings and synths, is simply phenomenal with his addictive rhythms and twirling solos. He has found the perfect partner in Terrana. Who would have thought that he could easily adapt to the rhythms developed here without crushing with his power the scores? As for Romero, he simply finds his ideal place in this environment. He has indeed no equal to combine strength and vocal accuracy, while possessing an undeniable talent to breathe into the interpreted titles the dramatic aspect sometimes desired.

The power, the passion and the emotion mark the eleven tracks proposed here. The jewels of this album are legion, among which the fundamentally melodious and catchy 'One World', 'The Last Wave' and 'The Passenger', which will turn in loop. But also the perfect 'Shut It Out' which varies cleverly the ambiences and where the recognizable patte of Karlsson brings us back to his works with Allen/Lande. Finally, the sumptuous, bewitching and finely structured orchestral pieces that are the eponymous title and 'Morning Star', where Romero offers an interpretation worthy of Ronnie James Dio, fill the listener with strong emotions.

The Ferrymen have struck again with this new present. The band still retains the majestic power that characterizes him. Reinforcing his symphonic tendencies, he also gains in personality by extracting himself from the mimicry which could have been reproached to it in the past. This is certainly an opus that will mark this beginning of the year in the small world of melodic metal and who knows, maybe even appear in the best productions of the genre in 2022. - Official website

THE FERRYMEN

ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS

FRONTIERS RECORDS

MELODIC METAL