Narnia, the Swedish Christian metal band, have returned with their newest album, “Ghost Town” almost 4 years after “From Darkness to Light”. The new album, marks the band’s 27th year in the music scene, and it’s evident that they have not lost their touch. In fact, they made significant progress, offering their fans an impressive collection of melodic metal tracks with Christian-themed lyrics.
This time the band has embellished their heavy-power metal sound with not only neoclassical elements but with various progressive ones. There are times that they seemed a bit influenced by Threshold, and that can be said only as a compliment. Guitarist CJ Grimmark is responsible for the production, while Viktor Stenquist (DragonForce, Sepultura, Avatarium) conducted the mixing and Thomas “Plec” Johansson (Dynazty, Firewind, Mayhem, Soilwork, etc.) did the mastering. The overall sound is clear, full and dynamic.
The album’s musical diversity is apparent throughout as you can listen to melodic metal track such as “Rebel”, “Thief”, “Hold On”, “Ghost Town”, and “Wake Up Call”; a few of prog power metal anthems like “Glory Daze” and “Descension”, and “Modern Day Pharisees”, as well as the atmospheric “Out of Silence”, that features the eminent Eric Clayton from Saviour Machine, who reads the Lord’s prayer.
The album’s lyrics explore themes of faith, resilience, and hope in the times of difficulty. The band’s Christian beliefs are evident throughout the album, but they never come across as preachy or overpowering. The musicianship is exceptional, and the songwriting is superb. Christian Rivel-Liljegren’s vocals are as fantastic as ever and the songs’ melodies are memorable.
To sum up, “Ghost Town” is an impressive album that is sure to gratify not only the band’s devoted followers, but also all those who appreciate melodic heavy/power metal with progressive and atmospheric elements. It is worth giving this album a listen, regardless of any religious beliefs. Then again, if you’re a Christian metal enthusiast, I’d say “Ghost Town” is far more complete and captivating than Stryper’s most recent release, “The Final Battle”.
