
Veni, vidi, vici.
-- Metal De Facto --
17/11/2019
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Power metal |
Album artists:
■ | Mikael Salo | Vocals |
■ | Esa Orjatsalo | Guitars |
■ | Mikko Salovaara | Guitars |
■ | Sami Hinkka | Bass |
■ | Benji Connelly | Keyboards |
■ | Atte Marttinen | Drums |
Review
written by Nathalie Van Hecke.
Metal De
Facto is a Finnish power metal band formed in late 2017 by Esa Orjatsalo (ex-Dreamtale) and Sami Hinkka (Ensiferum), who had met and discussed the deeper
meanings of power metal while on board Ensiferum‘s tour bus. The lineup was soon completed
with Atte Marttinen (ex-Kivimetsän Druidi), Benji Connelly (Everfrost), Mikko
Salovaara (Leverage) and Mikael Salo (Everfrost). “Imperium Romanum” is the
band’s debut album and is released through Italian record label Rockshots Records with distribution in the Benelux handled by Plastic Head and Bertus.
Metal de
Facto’s main goal, starting with this first album, is to make power metal great
again by ticking off all the classic power metal boxes. Catchy, soaring vocals,
an endless supply of high-octane guitar riffs and marching drum and bass beats.
Songs like “The Conqueror” and “The Ascending of Jupiter” focus on speed and adrenaline
while tunes such as “Legionnaires’ Oath” and “Bacchanalia” put more emphasis on
anthemic lyrics and
tracks like “Ides of March” and “Germanicus” focus more on orchestration. But it doesn’t stop there, songs like “Inferno,” and the aforementioned
“Bacchanalia” respectively add electronic beats and folk melodies into the
power mix and finally “Echoes of Eternity” is an intimate ballad with acoustic
guitar and flute.
Thematically,
“Imperium Romanum” is a concept album about ancient Rome with each song
dedicated to a certain aspect of Roman lore. It’s origins in the legend of the brothers
Romulus and Remus (“The Conqueror”), the Roman pantheon of gods (“The Ascending
of Jupiter”), the Colosseum, the assassination of Julius Caesar (“Ides of March”)
and Rome’s military might (“Legionnaires’ Oath”). All songs are written from
the perspective of many of Rome’s iconic characters, such as Romelus right
after he violently took control of the city from his brother Remus, a centurion
commanding his legion and the assassins of Julius Caesar. But the band don’t
limit themselves to just the historic acts, but they also delve into the
thoughts and philosophies behind those actions, offering much more depth into
those tales that have already been told so many times in music.
Overall, “Imperium
Romanum” is an absolutely stunning release and a great start for the band, beside
the interesting storylines it’s also
hugely enjoyable to listen to with the mind blowing solos, catchy choruses, powerful
vocals and of course the fast-paced power metal ass-kicking! So if you’re
looking for a varied ancient Roman history class with a lot of fun and partying
or just like power metal in general, then Metal De Facto’s debut release is one
gem you shouldn’t pass on. Metal De Facto found power metal a genre of bricks
and left it a genre of marble. Here’s the music video for the album's opening track "The Conqueror."
Personal
rating : 5/5