AMBERIAN DAWN – Temptation's Gates

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7.0

• Bands:
  AMBERIAN DAWN
• Duration: 00:36:54
• Available from: 06/26/2026
• Label:

• Napalm Records

Amberian Dawn had started their career with a rather derivative classic symphonic metal, before moving on to a decisive turning point with “Looking For You”, an album in which they inaugurated, in their opinion, a sort of 'ABBA metal', which was nothing else than mediocre pop rock inspired by the historic Swedish group. It's not very clear to us why the Finnish band at a certain point aimed to become a sort of reincarnation of the very famous Stockholm band, but the fact is that this phase was not an isolated parenthesis, given that an entire album of covers followed, “Take A Chance: A Metal Tribute To ABBA”.

The leader and main composer Tuomas Seppala then probably realized that perhaps it was not the case to insist in this direction and so, for this new work, entitled “Temptation's Gates”, several things change.
The historic singer Capri is out, the American Nicole Willerton is recruited behind the microphones and the style becomes decidedly more powerful and modern.
In this sense, the new singer is definitely useful, equipped with a very versatile voice, capable of moving from angelic performances to more aggressive ones, even showing off screaming in the end of “Moon”, a song with dark atmospheres and interpreted in low tones, as well as even growls in “Unchained”.
The opening pieces aren't bad either, namely the title track and “The Vision Of Dreaming”, which immediately make clear the band's new style and its desire to start again. “Eternal Flame” and “Life Is Art” exploit well-known melodies that are reworked, while “This Night Is Waiting For Me” and “The Garden” reveal a more modern cut capable of being truly quite captivating.
This sort of restyling of Amberian Dawn is therefore appreciable as, having reached the eleventh full-length of their discography, they finally manage to create a fresh and direct album, where you can listen to several beautiful songs, with a powerful and fast rhythm – in some songs practically power metal – and many effective solos on both guitar and keyboards.

A band therefore truly reborn, all in all still linked to their influences, but in which the new singer has certainly brought a breath of freshness, truly beneficial for this Finnish group: we believe, in fact, that thanks to this they will be able to inaugurate a new phase of their career, starting again with great conviction and determination.