Band:	Vhäldemar
Album:	I Made My Own Hell
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	2003

01. I Made My Own Hell
02. Breakin' All The Rules
03. No Return
04. Steam-Roller
05. Old King's Visions (Part II)
06. Mystery
07. House Of War
08. Moonlight
09. Dreamer
10. Death Comes Tonight
11. I Will Raise My Fist
12. March Of Dooms

And so it's time, for the second album from the Spanish band, "Vhäldemar".
The thing I wanted to know most was if they should continued where the last release ended, "Gamma Rayish" like, or if they should use their talent and do something of their own.
And the answer?
Well, they are not sounding like "Gamma Ray 2" anymore, that's for sure, but I don't know if that is a good or bad thing, 'cause I really liked what they did on their debut.
Here Carlos (The singer) has taken a step forward, or backward?, from the Hansen alike singing style, and now you really hear that he is from Spain.
But I guess it's for all best that they now have leaved the shadow of "Gamma Ray" and I think, if they can keep it up this way, they will succeed to make a name of their own.
You can hear on this one, that they really have some ideas that can work; unfortunately they have a long way to walk before they can handle it masterfully.
I will come to that later.

In overall, the album is in the same spirit as their first one, it's some details that have change, such as the singers voice and that they have started to develop their own sound, which lays somewhere between "Gamma Ray" and a speedier "Manowar".
With the power and speed from "Gamma Ray" and the Heavy Metal Lyrics from "Manowar", "Vhäldemar" does something good, but they still have a long way to walk.
I know many didn't think that they added anything new too the Metal scene, but that isn't that easy too do, I mean, all the Black and Death don't do it either, is sounding the same, all of it. And with an overfull Power/Heavy Metal scene, it's not easy.
But it was something with the debut that really capture me, and that feeling is still there, maybe not as much as on debut, but it's there.
And once again, the French master Jean-Pascal Fournier is the one that have done the cover, and what a cover, one of the best this year. Easy but so wonderful.

Unfortunately, they have hard to write the right lyric to the right song, and then have Carlos some problems to sing emotionally.
The lyric problem is shining bright in the song, "Dreamer"; everything in that song is wonderful, except the chorus, its suck, big time. Otherwise, is "Dreamer" the best track on the album, together with "No Return", that Carlos again has difficulties with the Emotionally way of singing.
One quite unusual thing is that there is 3 instrumental songs on this release, 2 long ones and 1 short. That is one thing that's not happen every day.
But I think if these guys get some time to develop their sound, they will be a band to count, but for now, they have quite a long way to walk.


Killing Songs: "Dreamer" & "No Return" is the best ones, the rest is in the same league, just under these two.