Great works of literature have often been a source of inspiration for bands, whether it be Blind Guardian and J.R.R Tolkien or Seven Kingdoms and the works of George R.R Martin – heavy metal and power metal, in particular, is no exception to being inspired by some of the most well-known works of fantasy ever produced. Swedish metal band Mad Hatter have released their new album Pieces of Reality. The four-piece from Sweden makes no secret of the inspiration they have gleaned from Lewis Carroll’s fantastical “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” with songs such as the fast-paced ‘Queen of Hearts’ and the name of the band itself. Mad Hatter joins a long list of artists who have intertwined fantasy themes with heavy metal and produced an effective outcome.
After releasing their debut album, the self-titled Mad Hatter in 2018, they have returned with a new offering which blends pure power metal with heavy-hitting riffs which can be heard throughout.
Structurally, the album is well made. The majority of the songs are four to five minutes long, with no song breaching the six-minute mark. Mad Hatter delivers the songs in a clear and effective way and know what they want to do, and how they want to do it.
The album is opened by the ominous and eerie sounding ‘Fever Dreams’, a one-minute long instrumental with cackling laughter before transitioning into ‘Master of the Night‘. The track has a relatively calm start before launching into the heavier parts which set the tone for the rest of the album up.
The third and fourth tracks are where ‘Pieces of Reality‘ really shines. The aforementioned ‘Queen of Hearts‘ is an archetypal power metal song, opened by Petter Hjerpe’s high soaring vocals, and again on display during the hook of the highly catchy ‘Rutledge Asylum‘. Hjerpe’s vocals are backed up well by Alfred Fridhagen’s guitar solos, the work of Dennis Eriksson on the drums and Magnus Skoog on the bass.
The rest of the album is made up of well-constructed tracks which will ensure that Mad Hatter are not merely a flash in the pan, highlights further down the album include the title track ‘Pieces of Reality‘ and the anthemic ‘The Valley’
Pieces of Reality is a fresh entry into the power metal genre, expanding upon the work from their first foray in 2018, it will be interesting to see where Mad Hatter go from here. Hopefully, they continue to create upbeat heavy-hitting tracks like the ones featured here. Pieces of Reality is available from May 22nd through Art Gate Records.
