Endless

Magic Sword are a cloaked, neon-masked trio of anonymous heroes who wish to be referred as the Keeper of the Magic Sword, the Seer of All Truths, and the Weaver of All Hearts and Souls. Instead of providing actual biographical information, their backstory is the legend of the Keeper, who was manipulated into freeing the Dark One from captivity and is now on a quest to find the Chosen One in order to unleash the power of the Magic Sword and return the Dark One to its eternal prison. While this seems like a fantasy concept worthy of a power metal band like Helloween or Manowar, Magic Sword actually play synthwave, a retro-futuristic style of electronic music heavily inspired by the aesthetic of 1980s action and horror films. Their music blends arpeggio-heavy disco beats, in the vein of Giorgio Moroder and Cerrone, with wailing guitar and keyboard solos, and the Keeper wields a sword of light during the groups ever-evolving live performances. Endless is the third and final chapter of the second volume of the Magic Sword saga, following debut full-length Volume 1 and two EPs. The album is a little less heavy and not as danceable as some of their previous efforts, although there are some dazzling synth-disco cuts such as the acid-tinged stormer Invincible and the brassy, bittersweet Prophecy. A New Quest is another winner, briefly starting out slow and ominous before suddenly launching into a triumphant Italo-disco stride. Elsewhere, the album is filled with slithering cinematic segues and suspenseful pulsations, all playing as the soundtrack to an epic battle against the forces of evil, culminating in the swaying power ballad Hope and the orchestral drama of Endless. It has to be said that as enjoyable as this album is, its hard not to compare it to the work of contemporaries like S U R V I V E (the revolving melody of Aftermath is highly reminiscent of the Stranger Things theme) or Com Truise (particularly the slo-mo swirl of Empress), not to mention vintage touchstones such as the soundtracks of John Carpenter. Of course, the same can be said about much of the synthwave scene -- these are some of the qualities that draw fans to the genre. Ultimately, Magic Sword stand out due to their elaborate concept and their steadfast dedication to it, and their music succeeds at capturing the appropriate moods and atmospheres. ~ Paul Simpson