Wuthering Heights – Salt (2010) Review

Now here is some epic music. Wuthering Heights hails from Copenhagen, Denmark. Their latest album, Salt, picks up perfectly where The Shadow Cabinet (2006) left off and that is a very good thing. The Shadow Cabinet was very well received, in fact, it’s hard to find a review with anything bad to say about it. The same goes for Salt. I really don’t have anything bad to say about it.

The music can best be classified as progressive power metal with some folk elements. I hate cheesy power metal. You know, the power metal where they sound like they are trying way too hard to be epic. This is different. Wuthering Heights doesn’t sound like they are trying at all. They just are freaking epic.

This is also some of the most technical and interesting power metal out there. It’s not quite as technical as DragonForce, but for me it is way more interesting. In DragonForce I feel like a lot of the notes are just there to make the listener go, “Holy mother of god!”. With Wuthering Heights I feel like each note is an essential step forward on the journey. Their melodies tell a story. They wind as though traveling across a land. The dynamics really make this an enjoyable album.

The vocals are not your typical power metal fare. Nils Patrik Johansson’s voice is clean but there is a bit gruffness that gives him a unique sound in a genre that really needs it.

I would recommend this for fans of Kiuas, DragonForce, Orden Ogan, Six Magics, Mutiny Within, and similar bands. I’m not a power metal guy so feel free to recommend more similar bands.

I can’t imagine anyone releaseing with a better progressive power metal album this year. This is a must have for fans of the genre. Even if you are not a fan of the genre check it out just for the musicianship and songwriting.

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