Swedish act Civil War returns with the new album “The Last Full Measure” delivering a melodic mixture of classic heavy metal and epic power metal.

“Road To Victory” channels typical warrior anthems with dated triumphant keyboards and polished guitars. Sadly nothing stands out as the songwriting seems quite stale and the guitar driven groove doesn’t hold enough strength.

“Deliverance” follows the same musical direction, even if the guitar riffs are rather catchy we all heard this type of songs before. There is an obvious traditional guitars/keyboards combo and at least this track features a more genuinely catchy groove.

“A Tale That Should Never Be Told” delivers an atmospheric symphonic approach with almost mystical choirs and majestic music theme.

“Gladiator” offers a tighter faster rhythm with some crunchy guitar riffs in the mix. The recurring battlefield glory is particularly dominant and the guitar solo adds some dynamic elements.

The title track tries to gain strength with solemn atmospheric keyboards and certainly the lead guitar work is more detailed and interesting but in the end the overall mood is not as impressive as it should be.

“Aftermath” is the usual ballad borderline romantic with super clean melodic guitars but the vocals don’t seem to hold the necessary dose of pure passion.

“The Last Full Measure” tries to be as catchy as possible but unfortunately really suffers from an evident lack of originality in terms of songwriting and since each song feels too predictable it would be enjoyable only for an average unsophisticated crowd.