CoC : Morgana Lefay - Maleficium : Review

Morgana Lefay - _Maleficium_
(Black Mark, 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)

Right out of the books next to the band name Savatage and their opus _Streets: A Rock Opera_ comes Swedish progressive/power metallers Morgana Lefay and their fourth release, _Maleficium_. The music, the sound, the vocals and even the musical arrangements are very Savatage-ish. But, once we get past that, this is Morgana Lefay's release and it actual is quite good. Not being a big fan of the band in the past, I felt something click here with _Maleficium_, whether it be the well thought out musical arrangements of any of the 14 tracks or just the sheer musical experience and know-how that went into carving each tune. There seems to be a sense of concentration that went into creating _Maleficium's_ music, and that makes the material worth listening too. Most of the songs are lengthy ones, five minutes plus, but the length of the songs are a needed element of Morgana Lefay to capture the ideals and concepts, even the themes running throughout the record. Standouts: "The Source of Pain", title track, "Witches Garden", and "Where Fallen Angels Rule". Alert! Anyone into really dramatic, progressive metal like Savatage or Iced Earth, check this out.

(article published 2/1/1997)

ALBUMS
1/10/1995	A Bromley	4	Morgana Lefay - Sanctified