Signum Regis: The Eyes Of Power (reissue 2025) | Roma Always Eternal
(2025 – Beyond The Storm Productions)
The stories and legends surrounding the Roman Empire and its surroundings have been used a thousand times in metal, and their sources are almost inexhaustible. Perhaps this resource may sound redundant, but rarely has Rome’s significance in human history been honored as in the case of “The Eyes Of Power,” a classic album by Signum Regis, released in 2010, which is being reissued 15 years later. Roma and Power Metal, powerful, orchestral, and fast-paced—it sounds like a good combination. That’s what Signum Regis is all about, especially this album.
The curious thing about this re-release is that it is something completely different from the original 2010 album, although not so different in the end. Let me explain: Signum Regis decided to re-release “The Eyes Of Power” but modified the cover, re-recorded guitars and some bass sounds on some tracks, with a new mix, but without touching any of the vocals that Göran Edman (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen) recorded at the time, and the rest of the instruments, the general structure, and the songs that make up this great album remain intact.
“The Eyes Of Power” is a kind of concept album that introduces us to various stories surrounding the Roman Empire in its struggle against the Sassanid Empire, and thus, each track on the album takes us through events from a little-known period of Roman history. It is interesting for lovers of history, the Roman Empire, and those who also like metal.
Anyone reading a presentation like this might think, ugh, another Epic Metal album. The reality is that although Signum Regis is tempted to go down that path, its journey leads it down an interesting mix, always within the Power Metal style, in general terms. The songs are generally no longer than six minutes, being short and direct, avoiding indefinite lengths or digressions.
In that sense, in “The Eyes Of Power,” we have a very particular rendition of European-style power metal, reminiscent of Helloween and Hammefall, with traces of classic and melodic metal, but maintaining its own identity that makes Signum Regis a band to be reckoned with within the genre. There is an undeniable influence of classical music, especially in the construction of the riffs and chords.
To begin with, the instrumental “Renewal In The East” gets things off to a good start with a great orchestration of guitars and an unmistakable taste for classical music, serving as an introduction to “Dura Europos,” a fast-paced track and one of the best, while “Purpleborn” has a Rhapsody feel to it, at least in its conception.
“Mystical Majesty” is a mid-tempo, stilted track that contrasts with the much faster “One Fatal Enterprise.” “The Underground Temple” is another instrumental track, excellent in every way (or rather, in every listen), which, together with “Roma Aeterna” and the first track on the album, demonstrates Signum Regis’s high level of musicality and performance. Perhaps one of the best tracks on the album is “Oathbreaker,” a song more closely related to classic metal, along with “Destroyers Of The World,” which has a tremendous classic/epic feel to it.
I think it was a good decision to re-record the guitars and bass on the album. Ultimately, “The Eyes Of Power” sounds much more powerful and orchestral than in its original version. You can tell how much work has been done in this regard, as the guitars and solos sound much more aggressive and superb. Also, the new mixing and mastering have played a decisive role in defining a much superior audio. The fact that Göran Edman’s great vocals have not been touched is another great success, and with the new sound, his voice seems to shine much more.
The new cover is simply stunning, and even the entire interior of the CD edition and the booklet are illustrated by Uwe Jarling with truly spectacular graphics. There are no photos of the band, either from that era or from the current lineup. The lyrics come with an introduction to the particular story that each track refers to, which obviously has to do with the Roman Empire.
“The Eyes Of Power” is undoubtedly a great album, and with this new version, it is much closer to a more current and powerful sound, which does justice to a good album. Then there is the discussion of whether or not a disc can be retouched, which is another issue altogether. For now, the physical edition is only available on Compact Disc. We believe it deserves a vinyl version.
To get the album or contact the band, here are the details, as always, and the lyric video for “Dura Europos” so you can judge for yourselves…
https://www.facebook.com/SignumRegis
