Throughout the years and four albums Veonity have certainly aimed for the skies and beyond, and their efforts placed themselves among Sweden’s finest, as far as power metal goes. Humble beginnings with Gladiator’s Tale (2015) started the journey toward the stars with sojourns into diverse realms of power metal; Into the Void (2016) took them through a one man voyage into the unknown and darker depths of the genre; Legend of the Starborn (2018) set the stage alight with epic battles and the glory of light. Lastly, Sorrows (2020) showed the serious, down to earth - even melancholy - side of a band otherwise destined for power metal clichés. And now number five - Elements of Power - lays it all bare upon the altar of power. At face value it might seem a typical power metal album, aligned with the tropes and the clichés, but a few spins will make those little unique bits and pieces of Veonity shine through.

Elements of Power is still a pretty diverse album as far as power metal goes, though it is of course deeply rooted in the European theater of the style. The title track brings in Sigfried Samer of Dragony for some guest vocals, and amplifying that modern power metal sound. Extremely catchy, each song delivers some new, fresh take and spin on the tale, and new quirks for Samuel Lundström to unleash; like that phenomenal hook right at the end of Beyond the Realm of Reality or those Majestica inspired, flapjack flipping, fret blazing melodic bursts in the title track. Some of the best riffing comes in that soaring eagle on the northen skies of a song that is single Dive into the Light, evoking some of ye olde Power Quest upon its crystal clear horizons. Lundström, whose delicious antics have always taken the forefront in the guys’ sound, keeps unleashing magic melodic soloing and refreshing harmonies. Beyond the Realm of Reality makes for that epic, high flying opener they nailed every bit of on Into the Void’s When Humanity is Gone. Anders Sköld turns his register a little higher this time around, showing he can compete with the greats of the genre.

The only thing the album really lacks is that ten minute epic battle of a closer to really hammer in all the glory the rest of the album so revels in. Not that Return to the Land of Light is a bad song or a bad closer at all, only that rather than finishing the story off in a triumphant fashion, it brings the story around to where it began, stylistically speaking. These guys have come together and you can tell how much fun goes into the entire production. Right from Joel Kollberg’s pummeling double bass and pounding, Sabaton-esque presence in tracks like The Surge to those sweet, spine tingling high notes (sparingly used) from the illustrious frontman, and to Kristoffer Lidre’s ball busting presence on the bass (got those bass lines from Facing the Water stuck on my brain) - getting tighter with each release. With each album, the guys set off with a goal, and with each album that goal is delivered. In that vein, Elements of Power isn’t Veonity’s most challenging or groundbreaking album, but it takes all the sounds and elements they’ve made themselves known for and turns them into an utterly playful and forceful adventure. A delight, and a revelry in all things great and magic about cheesy, old school power metal.

Standout tracks: Beyond the Realm of Reality, Elements of Power, Dive into the Light, Blood of the Beast