German metal band, playing German metal. Been around since 1998.  Reminiscent of Gamma Ray, Helloween, Blind Guardian and Edguy.

STAIRWAY TO FAIRYLAND (1999) SPV/STEAMHAMMER

Freedom Call came bursting into the scene in in 1998, riding on the newfound success of European metal bands such as HammerFall, Stratovarius and Gamma Ray. The fact that the band includes drummer Dan Zimmermann from Gamma Ray gave the band some attention from the start.

'Stairway To Fairyland' is a decent debut album. The music is by no means groundbreaking, but I think Freedom Call have managed to create their own recognizable sound nonetheless. They are firmly rooted in the German power metal genre, and evil tongues would have it that this band is one of the reasons and inspiration behind the term flower-power metal! The music is speedy, but without any technical finesse. And there is virtually no variety within each song. Chris has a high-pitched, helium infested voice, and a thick German accent. He sounds like a cross between Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray, ex-Helloween) and Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween). And there is no secret that the bands we think of when we read the names of these vocalists are bands that Freedom Call are heavily influenced by.

I must admit that while I found much joy in listening to this album at first, the excitement kind of wore off with repeated listens. Freedom Call will forever be stamped a copycat band, and then it won't help them that they deliver some darn catchy tunes. Another problem is that some albums are just bound to drown in the hordes of new releases. And in 1999 there were so many great albums released in this genre.

'Stairway To Fairyland' is a concept story, but I've not yet bothered to find out what it is all about.

Killer tracks: Tears Are Falling, Fairyland, We Are One, Tears Of Taragon, Graceland

ETERNITY (2002) SPV/STEAMHAMMER

Freedom Call's second album have so far managed to escape me. But here's the third one. And I must say that I'm not that pleased with it. It's filled with all the clichés imaginable, and I found myself quite bored at times. 'Eternity' might be like wine, and improve over time. But my first reactions were pretty lukewarm. I just don't see the point of having a second rate Gamma Ray meets Hammerfall, when the original bands are still around. The album is not all bad, but I suspect it will collect some dust over the years. Kudos on the anthem "Metal Invasion" though! Oh, and this is yet another concept I didn't really read into.

Having listened to the CD more extensively, I've come to the conclusion that I like 'Eternity' more than their debut. The sing-a-long factor is ever present, almost forcing you to like the songs, just because you become familiar with them so very quickly.

Killer tracks: Metal Invasion, Ages Of Power

Related artists:

Gamma Ray, Symphorce, Helloween