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Casus Belli: In The Name Of Rose
Casus Belli - In The Name Of Rose - [Limb Music Products]

2005-10-04

Casus Belli is a band from Greece that was formed in 1997. The guitarist, Panos Arvanitis, and the singer, Panos Dedes, both are Condemnation refugees, formed the band, and they are in it to this day. You can feel their presence as they are the composers and the voices on the songs.
The year 2005 saw the release of their second album, In The Name Of The Rose, which has been influenced by the German power metal band, Valley's Eve. It starts with the style and genre - heavy power metal with heavy riffs that suit hard rock bands or heavy metal bands. This is the same style which Valley's Eve uses. Another thing in common with the two bands is the men who were behind the makings of the album. Apart from Arvanitis and Dedes - Fotis Anagnostou, the bass player, who joined the band prior to their 2001 debut album release, is highly unnoticed here. The band member you can really hear is the drummer, Frank Huber, and you can tell by the name that he's not Greek like the others. He's German and he usually the drummer of…that's right, Valley's Eve. To seal the connection between the bands, Roberto Dimitry Liapakis, the singer of Valley's Eve, lured Casus Belli into signing for the record company he's in, Limb Music Products, and he supplied the mastering and mixing of the album along with Christian Schmid.

Musically speaking, you can find a slower pace than the usual euro-power metal. The riffs are really heavy at times, and the voice of Panis Dedes blends well with this type of music playing. Dedes can take it up a notch, though screaming isn't his best side, but generally speaking he's good. It is worth mentioning that before he was busy with Casus Belli he was interested in the Judas Priest singer position. He even made it to the twenty-five finalists list, so I guess I'm not the only one who thinks he's fine.

Most songs have that power metal beat, sometimes it's heavier and slower and sometimes it's lighter and faster, but it's a solid performance of power metal that you're going to find in most songs of the album. If that's what you're looking for, may I recommend Vengeance Is My Law and I'm Your Master, the first two songs. If you're looking for some good solos you can find them in Eastern Dance and a few other songs, and if you're in the mood for something different, then the theme song, In The Name Of The Rose, which is also called Holy Gates, is a nice ballad or you can be satisfied with a calm track called Whispering, an instrumental track.

Nir Haviv



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