NEW HORIZON – Conquerors (2024) *HQ*
Swedish melodic metal act NEW HORIZON is back with a new lineup as Nils Molin (DYNAZTY, AMARANTHE) has joined multi-instrumentalist Jona Tee (ex H.E.A.T) for the new album, “Conquerors.” As per its title, the album aims to spotlight historical and biblical figures that have left their mark on the world, for better or worse. The band’s sophomore album is out on June 14th, 2024, via Frontiers Music.
Following a remarkable journey that saw vocalist Erik Grönwall joining Skid Row, New Horizon’s founder Jona Tee embarked on a mission to find a singer who could embody the essence of the band’s next chapter. His quest led him to longtime friend Nils Molin, renowned vocalist of Dynazty and Amaranthe. And he perfectly fits “Conquerors” metallic songs.
“Conquerors” marks New Horizon’s sophomore album, a display for their resilience and unwavering commitment to musical excellence. Nils’s commanding vocals seamlessly intertwine with Tee’s intricate melodies, resulting in a sound that is both familiar and refreshingly innovative.
Right from the word go the opening track Against the Odds begins with a brass build up straight from an epic film score, to then have the triumphant guitars come in blazing and a soaring vocal chant of ‘rise against the odds!’. It grabs your attention in a way only this subgenre of metal – power melodic metal – can.
Classic instrumentation and heavy metal have always gone hand in hand. This is expertly demonstrated on Conquerors. Every track is filled with grandiose orchestras that add so much weight to the album and are paired seamlessly with the thundering guitar and drums.
To little surprise, Nils vocals are stellar across the board. The album is filled with gigantic choruses and he has all the power needed to carry them. A personal favourite is the magnificent Apollo. Being about the space race it delivers one of the most rousing choruses of the album that wouldn’t be out of place in an Avantasia song. Whether belted and epic, or more mellow and restrained, like the intro to King of Kings, the range and variety in his performance is the highlight of this album.
Changing vocalists so early on in a band’s life can often be a death sentence. It’s quite the dynamic shift for fans to adjust to, yet Nils completely sells it on Conquerors. He was absolutely the right vocalist for the job on these songs.
We get the obligatory ballad of course with Before the Dawn however it’s lifted by the inclusion of Elize Ryd, the other clean vocalist of Amaranthe. Anyone who has heard Amaranthe’s last three albums is well aware how well Nils’ and Elzie’s voices go together and it’s just as powerful here. It’s also an opportunity for the classical instrumentation to shine with some beautiful woodwind arrangements that really bring out the emotion of the song.
Closing an album with not just a cover, but a cover of one of the most epic songs from one of the most important metal bands in history, is probably one of the boldest creative choices I have seen all year. It’s a pretty straight cover of Iron Maiden’s Alexander the Great but that’s all it needs to be. The original is perfect, so just throw some modern production and amazing vocals at it and you’re all set.
Conquerors manages to be fully engaging for the whole runtime. The pacing of the album is perfect, with all the tracks edited to their optimum length, and just enough moments of levity to allow the music to breathe.
It may not be anything radically new for power metal but New Horizon shows that as long as you have the right musicians for the job you can still create a really exciting album, and one of the most entertaining power metal albums of the year so far.
Highly Recommended
01 – Against The Odds
02 – King Of Kings
03 – Daimyo
04 – Shadow Warrior
05 – Apollo
06 – Fallout War
07 – Messenger Of The Stars
08 – Before The Dawn
09 – Edge of Insanity
10 – Alexander The Great (356-323 B.C)
Jona Tee – guitars, bass, drums, keys
Nils Molin – vocals
Elize Ryd – guest vocals
Pre order:
amazon.com/Conquerors-New-Horizon/dp/B0CY2NNSZS
