Band:	Excalion
Album:	Waterlines
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	February 21, 2007
A review by:	Jeff

01. Wingman
02. Life On Fire
03. Losing Time
04. Ivory Tower
05. I Failed You
06. Arriving As The Dark
07. Streams Of Madness
08. Delta Sunrise
09. Between The lines
10. Soaking Ground
11. Yövartio [Finnish version] [European bonus]
12. Access Denied [Japanese bonus]

"Waterlines" is the second album of the young Finnish combo Excalion. Their first release, "Primal Exhale", released on the label Sound Riot was a good but not original at all beginning. The album was not bad, it was well done but its lack of originality and inspiration were so high that it was simply average in the end. With "Waterlines", Excalion is improving; the band failed to do something original one more time but that's better for sure and it's not surprising if Limb Music chose to distribute them all around the world.

What can I say? Musically speaking, "Waterlines" sounds a bit like the first album of the combo. Like Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius or a ton of other bands from Finland, Excalion plays a hyper melodic Power Metal. It's "cute" as hell with catchy and commercial chorus, it's a bit repetitive and clearly not so original but if I have to be honest, in the style "Waterlines" is a good album. The musicians are good the songs like the fast "Ivory Tower" are well-done and sometime it's even a bit progressive (but just a bit really). On the other hand some other songs like "Arriving As The Dark" are so banal and conventional that you'll wonder if you're not listening to something that you bought some years before. It's a bit sad but even if Excalion made a good album of Finish Power, it's not perfect too and suffers a bit of the number of the releases that we have in the category even though it's cleary better than a ton of them.

For the production, it's clean as hell. The sound is really good and the mixing was well-done and even if the cover is a bit cliché, it's a good production for this kind of releases. In fact, if you're a fan of this kind of music, "Waterlines" will not disapoint you and it's highly recommended but if you're bored by Power Metal, especially by the one from Finland, then you'll have to go away asap because Waterlines will not give to you anything new. If Excalion should try to add something new and personal to their music, they could become a great combo of Power.

A bit like with the previous release of the combo, "Waterlines" clearly lacks of creativity. It's classic as hell and not original at all, but let's be honest too, in the style it's not bad and really better than "Primal Exhale". I will not say that we're in front of a great album but if you like combos in the vein of Sonata Arctica, then you'll have to try this Finnish band after all. For fans only but in the style, this is a good album.