CoC : Cellador - Enter Deception : Review

Cellador - _Enter Deception_
(Metal Blade, 2006)
by: Jackie Smit (7.5 out of 10)

Though the somewhat mundane cover art may indicate otherwise, Omaha's Cellador aren't exactly your run-of-the-mill power metal troupe. With Eric Rutan drafted in to oversee production duties on their Metal Blade debut, that much should be obvious quite early on. It isn't merely the Hate Eternal mainman's predilection to speed (which does make its presence felt on a fairly frequent basis throughout the course of the record) that sets this quintet apart, however.

Ditching many of the genre's more staid hallmarks -- sci-fi geek lyrics and technical showboating -- the band's debut shows off a remarkable maturity, especially impressive given their oldest member is a spritely twenty three years of age. Like UK power metal sensations Dragonforce, their technicality and musicianship is awe-inspiring and Michael Gremio delivers each vocal line with the poignancy of an air-raid siren. But perhaps more than even the aforementioned act, Cellador are bona fide songwriters, and rousing numbers like "Leaving All Behind" and "Releasing the Shadow" are sure to make the hairs prick up on the back of anyone's neck who's even remotely interested in heavy music.

They're not quite about lead a revolution in the genre just yet, but given time it's quite obvious from what's on offer on _Enter Deception_ that they very likely could do in the not-so-distant future.

Contact: http://www.cellador.com

(article published 27/6/2006)