?Classics? of power metal #12 - ANCIENT BARDS - The Alliance Of The Kings (2010), early impressions
Prior exposure to this band/record: Zero. The Alliance Of The Kings (which fortunately seems to be its official title, as I would refuse out of principle to write out The Alliance Of The Kings - The Black Crystal Sword Saga Pt. 1 ) begins with a spoken word section that frames the record, in part, as follows: Sendor, the Supreme Dark Wizard, came to know about the existence of a mysterious sword that gave its holder absolute power: immortal life, unbelievable strength, and knowledge of all magic. No one knew about the sword except the four Kings from the four corners of the world. The sword had been hidden in the Dark Cave in Noland under the cover of darkness, and locked in a hidden place that could only be opened if the four weapons of the four Kings were revealed before it... And it goes on like that, but I might fall asleep if I try to transcribe any more. Let's pretend for just a sec to ignore any language barriers that might lead one to snicker at ...