• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

The Waymaker is a new band (formed over the summer of 2019) but comprised of experienced musicians Christian Liljegren and Jani Stefanovic who were both in Divinefire along with other bands and projects. They set out, with female singer Katja Stefanovic, to create Scandinavian symphonic power metal on their debut, The Waymaker.

The album hits all the notes that you'd expect from lush keyboards to neoclassical guitar work to catchy and melodic vocal lines. Their web site lists some notable influences which are quite easy to identify, from the classically inspired soloing on "Prophet's Sign", which would make Yngwie Malmsteen proud, to the emotion-packed choruses of "I Am Sustained" which bring me back to the Khan era of Kamelot. Everything is performed with skill and precision and is quite entertaining with not a lot of overindulgence or any notes out of place. Their web site also notes that The Waymaker deliver "Scandinavian melodic metal with a new twist" but despite how good this is, I don't hear anything I haven't heard before from Kamelot, Yngwie's Rising Force, Burning Point, Stratovarius and a host of others. That doesn't mean I don't like The Waymaker, I do, it just may not be as earth-shattering as the band might have you believe. That caveat notwithstanding, if you are fan of symphonic power metal, this is definitely one to seek out.