Review: Custard – A Realm of Tales

A review plucked at random from the huge incoming pile, I selected A Realm of Tales based on the name of the band. “Custard”, I thought, “they’ll be funny.” I mean, who calls their band Custard unless they’re singing about puddings or just wanting to be a bit random? Well… erm.. Custard, it seems. They’re actually a fairly successful power metal band from Germany who probably have a nice sense of humour but don’t unleash it with silly musical tracks.

No, what they produce – on the strength of A Realm of Tales – is speedy, enjoyable metal. There is a theme to the album and with song titles like “Snow White”, “The Pied Piper” and “Arabian Nights” you can probably guess what it is. We’re not quite into Disney meets DragonForce here, though not far off. There are some songs which aren’t immediately apparent as being fairy tale adaptations, but they’re in the minority.

Many of the traditional fairy tales originated in Germany courtesy of the Brothers Grimm, so it’s perfectly within Custard’s right to bring their countrymen’s storytelling to a more metallic audience. If Skalmold and company can do it, then so can Custard!

What’s important is that they do it well. The lyrics are great, retelling the tales in the band’s own words and often focussing more on the characters than the stories. It makes a change from just having someone turn prose into poetry and setting it to music. The album is full of catchy riffs and headbanging rhythms with singer Olli Strasser hitting all the high notes required of a power metal vocalist.

After a brief intro track, “Queen of Snow” pummels like a gale across a frozen plain. Funnily enough, another of the best tracks on the album also revolves around the “S” word – “Snow White”. While the former is more of a stomper, the latter is far more widdly and upbeat. Fans of more room temperature liquids can seek watery comfort with “Daughter of the Sea” and “Bluebeard”.

What makes the album one I’ve gone back to several times is the simplicity of the rhythms. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in it, tapping toes and the like while I’m getting on with work. Simply put, it’s enjoyable stuff from beginning to end. If the band can carry this material off live then I can imagine them being great fun.

If there’s a track that sums up the whole album, though, it’s “Sign of Evil”. A cracking re-occuring riff, sweet guitar solo, pounding double bass drums and Priest-esque vocals. What else does a metal fan need?

A Realm of Tales is a very pleasant discovery from a band that are new to me, but who have been releasing material since 1992! Rest assured I’m going to be hunting down some of the older albums to hear the roots of this new release. In the meantime, this new album is definitely on my playlist – and it should be on yours. It doesn’t break any new boundaries, nor stretch across multiple genres to appeal to a young audience… but it’s a brilliant example of why you don’t need to do this to create a great album.

Header photo by Janine Ulbrich

A Realm of Tales is out on May 19th.

Custard: official | facebook | twitter | myspace | youtube

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