Rain Fell Within - Refuge
(Dark Symphonies) www.darksymphonies.com

Rain Fell Within are so goddamn romantic, I could cry, if there were any tears left in my ruined psyche. Led by the angelic voice of the singularly and appropriately named Dawn, 'Refuge' sounds like the sun rising after the endless night of long knives, a power metal opera full of drama and melancholy, but with bright bursts of sunlight streaking in, like an antidote to all the Satanic savagery permeating the rock and roll landscape. I'm actually surprised that Rain Fell Within are from Virginia, since I thought this kind of mystical, magical music only came from faraway lands where trolls eat wandering children and fairies frolic freely. Full of chanting and bombast and soaring harmonies, it's difficult to nail exactly what Rain Fell Within are doing on 'Refuge'. New Age metal? Medieval power folk? If I go on like this, I'm going to have some serious explaining to do at the next hellfire and fist fight party I attend, so let me just say that this album is a unique experience, and well worth diving into, like a long and blissful dream.