Ambition counts for a lot in power metal. Perhaps more than in any other metal subgenre, you’ve gotta be able to sell your vision — both the music and, often, the fantasy associated with it — and being fully dedicated to your project goes a long way in making that happen.

No one could accuse UK power metal act Grimgotts of lacking ambition. The band’s always told big, grandiose stories with its music, covering everything from high seas battles to Harry Potter along the way. That continues on their latest album, The Time of the Wolfrider, the band’s first full-length in five years and a concept album, to boot.

As the band puts it, Wolfrider chronicles the journey of its titular hero, as he battles witches and werewolves in a magical land called Andria. And as you might expect, the band pulls out all the requisite “power metal concept album” stops: symphonic passages, spoken word exposition, you name it.

And at times, the band really appears to be onto something. Vocalist Andy Barton takes pages out of the best books of Euro power metal, channeling a sort of hybrid of Tobias Sammet and Joacim Cans. So, basically, you could do a lot worse, vocally! There’s also terrific, melodic interplay between guitarist David Hills and keyboardist Fabio Garau; the two have a terrific feel for all things sprightly and nimble, which helps Grimgotts’ musical and storytelling causes throughout Wolfrider.

Musically, the opening 1-2 punch of “An Amber Dawn” and “The Rise of the Wolfrider” is particularly strong, Following an extended, spoken-word intro, the former blasts out of the gates with a furious tempo, an ascendant, versatile performance from Barton, and an instrumental break at around the 4:00 mark that’s best described as “total madness.” The latter is a bit briefer, but makes tremendous use of an unbearably catchy lead guitar refrain from Hills.

The problem is that, at times, it feels like Grimgotts’ execution can’t quite match their vast ambition.

Some of that’s down to the theatrics of it all. For a band that clearly put so much into its production sonically, the spoken word parts feel like they were a bit of an afterthought. I get that not everyone can afford the kinds of actors your Rhapsody’s or Blind Guardians get for their immense theatrical production, but the folks doing the narrative bits on Wolfrider feel so out of place they end up detracting from the story. They have negative gravitas.

Beyond this, the songs can also leave a bit to be desired. At over 10 minutes in length, the early album epic, “Darkwood,” is about four minutes longer than it needs to be, and saps the momentum of the aforementioned opening duo. Others just find ways to take you out of them, like “Black Banners” — where Barton tries to do some deeper, uh… ‘character work’ with his vocals (you’ll know it when you hear it) and ends up giving you comedy instead.

Again, the ambition Grimgotts shows in making an album like Wolfrider is admirable. But ultimately, the band’s aimed a bit too long and come up a bit too short this time out.

Keep it heavy,
—Dan

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The Time of the Wolfrider is available now via Elevate Records. For more information on Grimgotts, visit the band’s Facebook page.