Today the streets of the kingdom of averaged mediocrity are filled with celebration and merriment! DIONYSUS, residents here since 1999, have finally received permanent registration! And even after the release of their third album, Fairytales And Reality, they have no plans to relocate. Eight years have passed, and the Swedes continue to churn out symphonic European-style power metal with neither high nor low indicators and characteristics — I'd say average ones. Average tempo, average heaviness, the average vocals of Olaf Hayer singing in the manner of Timo Kotipelto, and most importantly — average, nondescript melodies and a lack of ideas. As is often the case with "B-class" bands, the album's biggest hit plays at the beginning, after which there's practically nothing worth hearing on the disc. The same phenomenon is observed on Fairytales And Reality — "Illusion of Life" inspires great hopes, but alas... nothing interesting was detected further on the record. Interesting melodies and choruses seem to peek through here and there, but there's no cohesion to the material, no completion of ideas.
In principle, on the podium of European power metal's second tier, DIONYSUS occupy far from the last and not even a middle position (largely thanks to the vocalist's renown, having participated in projects such as Luca Turilli and Lord Byron), and fans of HELLOWEEN and STRATOVARIUS will find in the Swedes' work more than one song (unlike me) worth spinning in their player more than once.
P.S. I was greatly amused and given pause by a phrase in the press release: "According to the musicians, their new album is so good that you can confidently add it to your collection and throw out all your other discs as unnecessary."