Enter Deception

Review

This one is very personal to me. Just like many people I have anxiety problems. The last few days have been even more difficult. No details needed but then I came across a long-forgotten pearl in my collection. What does this album have to do with that you wonder. I will come back to it later.

The first album I bought at cdon.se back in a time when CDs mattered. The others (Off The Grid and the single Honor Forth) I purchased directly from Chris. I don’t know him but he seems genuinely a nice guy! This review is about Enter Deception though.

I’m not gonna sit here and lie saying that Cellador could possibly be as big as Metallica but we all know the Americans and how proud they are of their things. With that said I can guarantee you that they could have been the American Helloween and could possibly have become bigger than the previously named band even outside the US. Helloween set the standard that almost every Power Metal band that came after tried to follow. Cellador initially seemed to be following in DragonForce's footsteps, but they turned out to be a marvel of their own.

The Band

Good singers don't grow on trees, and phenomenal singers you can count on the fingers of one hand. To this list I add Michael Gremio. At least based on his performance in this album. Saying that he’s wasting the talent God gave him is too harsh but it is really a shame he drifted away to “screaming”. I remember Bill Hudson came to the band when the songs were already written so it’s for me unclear how much he contributed. Since I have committed the crime of downloading Leaving All Behind demo (Chris, if you read this and have the first two demos I’m buying them) I can tell there are significant differences from the compositions here and there. It’s easy to say that Chris wrote it all and he was the band. This is true to a certain point and the proof is that Off The Grid is also an amazing album. Only problem is it’s not surrounded by the same magic as Enter Deception. Many factors could play roles in this. We as human change through time but I’d like to believe that Chris is like that amazing football player that still needs his teammates to be able to shine. I’d say that they all did in very specific ways.

It reminds me a little of how I feel about Yngwie Malmsteen. I can say that I like Cellador cause the whole reference is the two albums that I like. With Malmsteen it’s different. I can’t really say I like his entire work when there are only two albums I keep coming back to (7th Sign and Magnum Opus). And why those two? I believe that particular lineup with Mike Vescera and Mike Terrana had the same kind of magic. Put the right musicians together at the right moment and sometimes something happens that can't simply be recreated by replacing the pieces. I’m not a musician. I have a collection of guitars and gear that I kept buying because I thought it was the wrong guitar that was keeping me from playing. I don’t understand music theory neither. All I can say is that the melodies in this album aren’t only of a refined taste but they also feel extremely uplifting. And the lyrics? They speak directly to your soul in a way that you’re put in touch with some inexplicable force. It all gives me goosebumps and the anxiety that I spoke about in the first paragraph is somehow lifted. I believe we are able to (unconsciously) do splendid things. I don’t understand the mechanism. Sometimes people create something greater than what any of them could have deliberately planned. You don't know whether to call that chemistry, inspiration, subconscious creation, or something else. But you hear it on this album.

Track Highlights

There isn't a single track on this album that can be left out. It's pure Power Metal from the beginning until the end. I'm not gonna analyze all the songs individually neither cause then this out turn into an essay. Just buy the album and listen. You won't regret it!

Final Verdict

I just don’t recommend listening to Forever Unbound while driving. It can give you a speeding ticket.