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I have to admit, the only reason I ever checked out Altaria was because of guitarists Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish) and Jani Liimatainen (ex-Sonata Arctica). It may seem crappy to check out band based upon a few of it's members but hey, the powers that be want you to focus on that - that notice on the front cover is no sticker, it's actually on the front cover! To some it may seem like I'm angry about that; I'm not, but I think it's fair to warn others while these musicians play the guitars on Invitation, that's all they do. None of the material here was written by Vuorinen or Liimatainen but rather Tony Smedjebacka (drums) and Marko Pukkila (bass) who make up the core of the band and who listeners should be passing judgment on.
That said, Tony and Marko's music on Invitation is an odd creature. Sure, it's drenched with all the typical Euro-styled flavorings, but there's a lot more to consider before one forges an opinion on the album. In general, the music is the better half of the deal and so is the first half of the album. Unfortunately, things start off kind of rough with "Unicorn." "Unicorn" is a great song (and a personal favorite) but only if you track down the 2002 demo - otherwise it's overstuffed and overproduced. Demos exist for some of the other songs as well (which can be found on the 2007 compilation "Divine Invitation") but don't surpass their final versions to such a degree.
The handicapped "Unicorn" is followed up with solid offerings like "History of Times to Come," "Wrath of a Warchild" and the excellent "Ravenwing." As content as I am to take those tracks to the bank, the remainder of the album is a bit more vulnerable. The lyrical content of "Fire & Ice" is so cringe-worthy I can honestly imagine it being something I'd find on an old 45 in my attic (and I'm not old enough to have 45's in my attic) while others like "Emerald Eye" feel unfinished. This puts pressure on "Immortal Disorder," "Kingdom of the Night" and "Here I Am" to make up lost ground, something they're incapable of, at least at first. It's only after the listener completely immerses themselves in the album that these tracks surrender their tasty charms.
As if it needs to be said, I've accepted Altaria's "Invitation," but should you? That's no easy question. While I could sit here and try and make excuses as to why you should give this a chance, I can't. Why? As explained above, I'm not totally content with the music as Invitation presents it; I had to supplement it with 2007's Divine Invitation to get everything I wanted. When you have to go through that much trouble to get what you're looking for, any kind of plea is dead on arrival. So, if anything, the best advice I can give is to tread carefully, at least until you reach 2004's Divinity.
