DARK ILLUSION – Where The Eagles Fly

Sadly, after all this time, almost two decades after their beginning, the Swedish Dark Illusion design gets its fair share of praises. In the 80s, the career of this band was cut short only after three years of existence. If people had known the kind of magic that could have burst out of this group, they would have probably chained those guys together no matter what. Actually, everything collapsed because of personal reasons that concentrated on time and the longing for separate different lives. Well, you can’t blame Metalheads for wanting to explore themselves apart, now could you?

After a long vacation, two of the surviving members (Tomas Hultqvist and Niklas Tengblad), which the former is currently the lasting survivor of the band’s original lineup as his co-founder left, decided to make a comeback. Where The Eagles Fly is Dark Illusion’s second album after their official return in 2003 with their EP, For Just Another Night. If you are into their local pals of Hammerfall, Dio and other famous Dutch talents as Martyr and Picture, this one is your next admiration. This album is living, breathing, easting and smelling like the 80s with its Heavy/Power Metal ecstasy.

Behind the curtains of the rising Dark Illusion, stands the band’s guitarist, Tomas Hultqvist. Ever since it was decided to resurrect Dark Illusion, he remade and rewrote the band’s 80s material while implementing some of his own personal compositions to the mix. The great results were seen and heard through the debut Beyond The Shadows and the current Where The Eagles Fly. When the feeling of the 80s melodies and riffs meet the enriching harmonious set of vocals, it’s bound to be worth it. New and old creations, even if not that original (at first glimpse) and heard quite a lot from surviving 80s bands, quality triumphs.

Through catchy, yet inspiring tracks as “Only The Strong Will Survive”, “Land Of Street Survivor”, “Pay The Price” and “Dark Journey”, it is like looking through old classics. Hultqvist, along with his fellow band mates (including the local Therion’s and Stormwind’s lead singer, Thomas Vikstrom), surely did the best he could to bring out something for modernity to chew on, as it can never create this kind of charming nostalgia.

The Dark Illusion, on its wrongful title, is not an illusion at all; it is the light in the dark when it comes to 80s Heavy Metal. With bands such as Dark Illusion and artists as Tomas Hultqvist, it is hard not to be drawn to the true nature and roots of what made Metal the greatest musical genre of all time.

You can find this amazing album, on its enjoyable tracks through Battlefield Records. This is a classic to be, so you’d better get a hold of it.

Other good tracks: “My Heart Cries Out For You”, “Destiny’s Call”, “Spellbound” and “Running Out Of Time”.