Fellowship “The Winterlight Chronicles” for #MetalChronicles

Band: Fellowship
Title: The Winterlight Chronicles (EP)
Label: Scarlet Records
Release date: December 22nd, 2023
Country: England
Format reviewed: High-Quality Digital Recording

Emotional landscapes  – A soulfelt journey under the Light of Winter

“Join me to discover the magical journey in Fellowship’s EP, ‘The Winterlight Chronicles’, where each of its three tracks reveal stories of courage, self-discovery and resilience. With wonderful piano melodies, a powerful rhythmic base at the close and the unmistakable and wonderful voice of Matthew Corry, in addition to Holly Brice as a luxury guest, “The Winter Chronicles” takes us through melodic landscapes that will touch the most sensitive fiber of the heart of every power metal lover. I guarantee you all a magic experience to the Wonderland called Fellowship” By Elyna Steel

Coming out of Harwich, England, Fellowship is a five-piece band formed by Matthew Corry on vocals, Sam Browne and Brand Wosko on guitars and Callum Tuffen on drums. Bassist Daniel Ackerman parted ways in 2022, so Ed Munson entered the band in 2023. 

Their ultimate mission is to further embellish melodic power metal. Inspired by the magic of wonderful groups like Twilight Force, Rhapsody and Majestica, Fellowship began to create music in 2019, recording a version of the song “Can you feel the love tonight?” from “The Lion’s King” soundtrack, which was a resounding success reaching more than 500k views on YouTube in a few days. Afterwards, the band debuted in 2022 with their first masterpiece titled “The Saberlight Chronicles” that fuses narrative fantasy with powerful and beautiful melodies around mental health. Themes such as isolation, anxiety and the search for personal identity, self-esteem and courage were worked on in the melodic and lyrical line in an extraordinary way. 

From that beautiful debut, the band chose two songs to cover in voice-piano format, “Glint” and “Oak and Ash” and added a bonus track, perfect for 2023’ Christmas season, “The Frozen Land”, giving rise to the EP  “The Winterlight Chronicles”, which summons us today. 

Keeping this background in mind, let’s immerse ourselves in this astonishing journey.

The precious track 1 is “Glint”, running for 05:00’. Transported to a place of countryside and hills, with the small fumaroles from the chimneys of small houses on a cold November day, the warrior in all of us emerges. Pride floods the heart when you return from battle and receive the glory of other warriors who look at you with admiration. One more battle? One more glory? After all you were born for it, for victory. You don’t need luck, there is no pre-written destiny because you were born to win. Even so, doubt floods the heart of the great warrior. One more glory? Or build a calm future where the memories of your fallen brothers are the company, the moonlight that illuminates the path. To do? One more glory? Or sit by the window while the peaceful breeze moves the treetops at sunset. The doubt is there, because it is the war of each of us who go through life fighting battles, wanting to demonstrate our value. But suddenly that doubt takes root in the soul and one wonders; What do I want to prove? And the answer comes from the heart of the warrior:  “I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WORTHY”, therefore I have nothing to prove. Actions speak louder than words, and every human being has a warrior in their DNA, who also wants to rest from the battlefield, in the calm of a countryside, looking at the treetops dancing to the rhythm of the warm wind in the afternoon.

If I love something about these guys it is precisely the narrative richness of their lyrics, for you can perfectly evoke a wonderful landscape and place yourself in it, as if you were watching an epic movie. Astonishing!

Musically speaking, this is definitely one of the most soul-stirring renditions I have heard in a ballad.

It is in 4/4 time signature at a slow tempo, kicking off with a wonderful crescendo piano, sweet like the caress of the spring breeze and at the same time nostalgic – guys, it is touchingly beautiful. After this spotless intro, Matthew Corry enters the scene in a mid-low range. I must say that the piano-voice duel is heavenly, and that Matthew’s voice gave me goosebumps – his vocal dominance, that velvety sweetness, the soft yet imposing cadence, ¡his beautiful vibrato and whispered notes like a lullaby – is too intense! 

Then the chorus is another glorious, moving journey. The piano is dramatic and the voice is in low register, yet bright, insanely well placed in the chest, perfect. After a beautiful piano riff, we enter the second verse. It feels like a rest, a feeling of arms gently hugging you, comforting you, courtesy of the piano and Matthew’s sweet voice that truly touches my soul. A piano crescendo gives way to the final chorus where the piano explodes with emotion and Matthew sings in his high notes, brilliant, perfect, from the very center of his spirit which seems to spill out, and then takes us to the closing where he returns to his low register, ending with  perfect piano arpeggios. Doubtlessly, a soulfelt masterpiece that melted this metal heart.

Continuing with the journey we reach track 2, “Oak and Ash ”, piano version from the original one, enduring 06:30’ and featuring Holly Brice (such an amazing voice she has! Listening to her gave me goosebumps while writing this). The story of this song shows us another facet of the warrior, the hero who reaches a breaking point where he becomes aware of his doubts, which he lives with great anxiety. Each one of us is this hero with a heart of oak and ash. At some point – maybe every day – we deal with the anxiety that living in this strange world produces.

We stand at the doors, and then we realize that self-confidence is based on hopes, which at the end of the day weigh us down because they contradict that question that runs through our heads every day; “Am I worthy?”, “Am I enough?” We look in our minds, in our hearts for the answer – many times we look for it in the eyes of others, in case, perhaps, someone releases the anguish by telling us: “Yes, ¡you are worthy! ¡Yes, you are enough!”. But do we believe them? And sometimes it seems as if the questions that emerge due to our insecurities were somehow forbidden to be asked. Shame on us to be insecure! However, as we see in this story, even the bravest hero has insecurities, struggles with anxiety and doubts about his worthiness. 

This universal message is beautifully drawn in the melody and in the vocal performance of Matthew and Holly. The composition is in a 4/4 time signature at a catchy mid-tempo Andante. It starts with a delicate piano in crescendo until the first verse, where it softens to give way to Matthew in his perfect, brilliant middle register, beautiful goatish vibrato and Broadway-style tone that I really love. The nuances of his velvety voice – again- feel like a caress. Holly enters on stage at the intermezzo section, supported by the soulfelt piano. Holly’s voice is so adorable! 

She and Matthew form a heavenly duet in the chorus section. Their voices, although different, have a lot of connection. It is as if a soul had been divided into male/female and by singing this beautiful song they had reunited and become one again. It ‘s overwhelming!  

The second stanza is in charge of Holly and the second intermezzo is Matthews’s yet dueting one line here. After the second chorus there is a bright, gorgeous bridge performed majestically by both vocals in exchange, and after this, the solo piano, heavenly. In crescendos, arpeggios that feel like powerful waves of emotion, which then give way to the last chorus and the magical Brice-Corry duet in a perfect performance. The truth is that I lack words to define this wonderful song. It is one of those pieces that transcend time and space. The vibe they leave you is nostalgic yet beautiful, like the sweet anxiety of true love when it arrives unexpectedly. Wonderful!

“The Frozen Land” is the epic finale of this adventure, featuring Philipe Giordana on keyboards (RIP). 

Loneliness, resilience and existential questioning are the themes of this lyric. It depicts the quest of self-identity, emotional connection and the meaning of existence, in spite of inner emptiness and life’s challenges. The cold and the ice echo the emotional disconnection that we often feel, leading us to isolation. Yet, in the midst of cold and snow, the strength and temper of the ice warrior emerge, allowing him to withstand the snow and wind and encouraging him to move forward. The hope of emotional connection and self-discovering are what keeps us alive in the end.The mettle- that inner strength of the ice warrior- is the ichor that encourages him to carry on, that driving force that comes from within and triumphs over adversity- that is the ultimate conquer. Marvelous lyrics!

Clocking in at 5:07, this song embodies pure power metal in the Rhapsody/ Twilight Force style, characterized by its super fast tempo and a 4/4 time compass. It launches with a veil rhythmic base and exquisite dual-guitar riffs. Matthew enters with spotless vocals in his medium-low register delivering a refreshing, joyful first stanza. Then the fast intermezzo duets with the adorable voice, setting the stage for the chorus. And what a chorus!!! Very fast tempo, rising vocals and the keyboards in the background produce a feeling of hope, of being in the forest surrounded by good friends happy to live a new adventure. And Matthew, what an impressive and beautiful voice this guy has! It gives me only good vibes. It is as if through his voice he spreads his spirit which is pure light, love, kindness and joy.

The second section remains likewise until the bridge where the keyboard in the background is warm and bright like the sunlight moving between the treetops, perfectly complemented by that intense rhythmic and melodic base and the voice that adds up, giving us beautiful nuances before the wonderful guitar solo to the most pure Rhapsody style. It is at this point where the great Philipe Giordona (RIP) joins the guitar party, alternating solo sections masterfully. Matthew enters the final intermezzo in an almost whispered voice to carry us to the end of this amazing journey, raising the pitch beautifully once getting to the super fast outro section, full of melodic nuances, positive energy, JOY!  Abrupt ending for an amazing final ride!

As a conclusion, Fellowship’s EP, “The Winterlight Chronicles”, is a journey through the different recesses of the human mind through themes of courage, self-discovery and resilience. The introspection portrayed in “Glint”, the emotional depth of “Oak and Ash” with the sweet voice of Holly Brice, and the epic finale of “The Frozen Land”, Fellowship offers us an exquisite combination of masterful storytelling and musical perfection. Matthew Corry’s voice shines at all times, supported by a melodic base that excites and touches the most sensitive chord. The three tracks on this EP demonstrate the band’s ability to create narrative depth in their music, inspiring and astonishing. And I loved it sincerely! Magic everywhere, sweetness, joy, nostalgia. It’s really soul stirring! 

 “The Winterlight Chronicles” not only shows how talented these 5 dear guys are, but it is also an invitation to reflection, to introspection, to look into our own internal landscapes while moving us and whose piano and instrumental melodies caress the soul, making it a must-listen in the realm of contemporary power metal.

Excellent job, dear guys! It has been my honor and my privilege to take this trip to the wonderland called “The Winterlight Chronicles”! 

Therefore I rate it: 10/10 Immortal Classic

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10/10 Immortal Classic
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