Metal Debate Album Review - Arcane Horizons (AfterTime)

The Great Metal Debate Podcast

Welcome back to The Great Metal Debate podcast. Today we’re reviewing the new release from US symphonic/cinematic metal act AfterTime titled “Arcane Horizons.” To somewhat give my summary thoughts first, I truly love the original feel and overall aesthetic of this album and the band generally. AfterTime are somewhat unique in their clean and airy vibe, with great if not exceptionally catchy melodies, highlighted by the outstanding vocals of frontwoman Sarah Wolf. The presentation is actually somewhat minimalistic for a symphonic band, where one might expect every bit of the sonic spectrum to be filled with noise. But with AfterTime, less is often more, and I broadly applaud that philosophy. I’ll touch on a few of the songs to give some insight. “Lament D’Morgan” is a 6 ½ minute epic track that leans heavily on the strength of Wolf’s singing. “By The Tavern’s Light” brings a bouncy, folkish quality to the table with, in my opinion, the strongest melding of choruses with Wolf’s sweet vocals. I did think, though, that this one also showed some weakness in the guitar mix, with the trade-off lead break between folk-instrument and guitar evincing much dynamism and color in the former and a too muted sound in the later. “Under A Midnight Sun” is a brief instrumental/choral – choral-mental? – arrangement, which would be at home on a Nightwish album. One of my favorite songs on the album is “Armored Heart”, as I think this one best melds the power of Wolf’s voice and majesty of the orchestrations. Those symphonics aren’t cookie-cutter as with so many melodic metal bands; there seems to have been real thought put into their application within the context of each song. And this is good, because they are integral to every song on the album. The guitar lead breaks are often very understated in their execution – you won’t find yourself bombarded with a riptide of notes but rather a considered light mist elicited from the fredboard. And this approach works well on tracks like “Armored Heart” and “Amongst The Trees.” Other songs such as “Sons Of Fenrir” and the Epica-esque “Goddess Of Dark Horizons” in my opinion could have used a little more punch in this area. The track “Of Lust And Rust” has a beautiful vocal melody, and I really enjoy the structures as contrived within each verse. But the whole effect becomes a bit repetitive. Just a little additional change-up would have gone a long way here, including making the abrupt ending seem less so. In my estimation, the vocals are the highlight of the album, and I’d especially recommend this to fans of high-range clean singing. Wolf’s voice is crisp and fresh throughout. She is an incredible talent, and I’m frankly excited for what future years hold for this young artist who surely has not come close to the apex of her abilities. The compositions on Arcane Horizons allow her to shine – the production giving plenty of space for her vocals to be heard. You’ll never hear other instruments come close to overlapping her voice’s position in the mix. Did I mention the backing choirs? They are perfectly added in all the right places and alongside the orchestrations provide a foundation of melody that truly enhances the music on Arcane Horizons. Kudos to the composer for integrating these so well. Looking now at two full albums of material, to my mind AfterTime do a lot of things well. They have a beautiful, distinct sound overall that includes some amazing melodies, and that has translated into some excellent songs… even if they don’t always quite reach the heights they’re reaching for, it’s still worth the journey. I’m giving Arcane Horizons an 8 out of 10 rating. You can purchase Arcane Horizons as well as other music and merchandise from the band’s website Aftertimeofficial.com. And be sure to check them out live touring the US this July alongside Helion Prime.