Review: Signum Regis – Undivided

Ulterium Records (November 17^th 2023)

Reviewer: Jason Hopper

I truly love discovering bands that have been around for some years but have been under my radar due to the plethora of bands that encompass the hard rock and metal scene these days.  Signum Regis happens to be one of them. Formed in 2007, they are about to release their seventh album, ‘Undivided’. If, like me, you are not familiar with the band, I would describe them as equal parts Helloween, Hammerfall, and Yngwie Malmsteen, with medieval-based lyrics to match.

The album opens hard and fast with ‘Daniel’s Prophecy’. It has just the right amount of power, progressivism, and steady melodicism to make this a terrific opener and a representation of everything this album has to offer. The band’s technical prowess is impressive and fantastic.

Top song on the album goes to Track 2’s ‘Ministry of Truth’. It starts out with a jumbled intro where drummer Jaro Jančula and guitarist Filip Koluš are banging and tapping away frenetically for the first near half minute before the song settles into a killer rhythm and a soaring vocal performance from Jota Fortinho in the chorus. Melodic power metal at its finest.

Keyboardist Ján Tupý gets his chance to sign with ‘Salt of the Earth’ incorporating keys that match the guitar notes in parts but also incorporating a layer of notes that pulls together the instruments under its umbrella of melody. A top shelf song for sure.

Another standout is the title track. A traditional metal riff, with just the right amount of tremolo from the guitarist in the opening and verses to enhance its strength. The chorus once again has a wonderful elevation that Jota performs perfectly. A small point of contention for the lyrics.  The chorus is way too predictable, with lyrics heard before in about a hundred songs. “Undivided, united we stand, but divided we fall”. They could have spent a little more time working this one.

With the first half dominated by high-speed tracks, I like how Track 6’s ‘Servants of the Fallen One’ slowed things down just a tad. This is by no means a ballad and a bit faster than a mid-tempo.  It’s something akin to what you would hear from Iron Maiden. The beginning reminded me of the Confess song ‘Strange Kind of Affection’ as it has a similar opening riff. It’s a nice reprieve from all that came before and freshens up the album a bit.

Final track ‘Shield My Soul’ has an intro that surprised me. It’s quiet and ballad-esque, with an almost country tone. Just a guitar being strummed with some tapping cymbals, similar to Metallica’s ‘Fade to Black’. That all changes of course and becomes an over seven-minute sprawling opus. Overall, I could not get into all the time changes and I found Jaro’s offbeat rhythm at key points to be too distracting. He does this slightly in several songs, including the opening track, but here it’s more prominent and a key component to the song. I suspect people who love progressive metal will dig this track.

A note of appreciation should go to the fine production, mixing, and mastering of Jacob Hansen, who has produced bands like Volbeat and Kamelot. The artwork by Uwe Jarling is also worthy of a wall hang if you are so inclined to buy the record.

So here I have one more band that I need to explore their back catalog as well as look out for future releases. Power metal releases can vary. Some are hokey and cringeworthy, while bands like Signum Regis need no gimmicks to impress. Their talent shines through and help to elevate a subgenre that shows no signs of fading, especially when acts like this continue to release quality material. A definite purchase for sure.

Tracklist:

1. Daniel’s Prophecy
2. Ministry of Truth
3. Salt of the Earth
4. Interpreter of Dreams
5. Pilgrim Road
6. Servants of the Fallen One
7. Sea of Galilee
8. Prepare for War
9. Undivided
10. Shield My Soul