Album Review: Magic Opera – Battle of Ice (Self Released)

The symphonic power metal solo project of Marco Garau (Derdian), Magic Opera will release its second album, Battle of Ice, on January 27th, 2023. Based on the second chapter of Marco’s self-created fantasy saga, Amtork.

The line-up for the recording sees Marco on keyboards and features Anton Darusso (Wings Of Destiny, Savage Existence) on vocals, Enrico Pistolese (Derdian, Sick Society) on rhythm guitar, and backing vocals, Luca Sellitto (Stamina) on lead guitar, and Salvatore Giordano (Derdian, Sick Society) on drums.

There’s nothing like a fantasy epic to breathe life into symphonic power metal music and Magic Opera has one hell of a tale to tell here. Over an hour’s worth of powerful music with intense story-based detail. Battle of Ice is an investment but one that is more than worth the time. Thanks, mainly, to the expert abilities of everyone involved. Magic Opera combines the best of symphonic metal and power metal, delivering a hearty and heady experience.

It’s a grandiose offering but still puts the power metal front and centre, as the variation in tempos of The Black Sorcery, The Cursed Crown, The Legend of the Demon’s Cry, and Assault On the Castle shows. Magic Opera certainly make the experience fantastical but enflame the senses with hyperactive and heavy energy. It’s quite surprising just how quickly the first handful of tracks fly by, such is the fun being had.

Continuing to make the listener feel ten feet tall, Magic Opera push their anthemic bar that little bit higher with the extremely memorable Ride Into the Sun. Before delivering dreamy melody, delightful symphonic highs, and pounding metal rhythm with the exciting White Dragon. It’s tracks like this that really place you in the fantastical world that Marco Garau has created.

Some darker drama then arrives in the form of The Shadow Man, followed then by the thumping tempo of The Book of Evil, and the frenetic power of Under Siege. Magic Opera keeping hold of potential waning attentions with exceptional drive and a heartening amount of variety in tones. Leading to the grandest track of them all, not just in length, but in imagination too.

It’s the title track and the finale, coming in at a whopping 11+ minutes long, it sees Magic Opera taking their symphonic power sound to even greater heights. Fiery, uplifting, chest-beating, melodic, and undeniably epic. A stunning closing effort.

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