As a fan of this band, when I first heard this album, I struggled with how Giada’s voice sounded. It sounded more different than I could wrap my head around initially, but after giving it a couple of listens, I am now fully onside with this album. There’s also been 3 member changes from the last album. I was wondering how the hell they were going to find people suitable but find they did. In short, it took me a little while but I love this album now. The same slightly technical aggressive Melodic Power Metal is there, 2 really good guitarists trading off each other swapping solos and harmonising, great vocal melodies from a memorable and powerful voice, and a solid kick-arse ( and I mean kick-arse) rhythm section. The ‘get-stuck-in-your-head’ songs just keep coming, ‘Embrace The Night’, ‘Towards The Sun’, the furious ‘Far Beyond’, ‘The Lone Stranger’, ‘The Water Dancer’ (I see a castle in a future video clip, hope I’m right). An interesting cover finds it’s way in towards the end, Judas Priest’s ‘Night Crawler’, different enough to be ‘their own take’ on it, familiar enough to pay homage. That one took a while to seep in also.
Final words – If they play ‘your style’ of music but it doesn’t grab you straight away, come back to it. For me, it took a little while to grow, but it’s flourishing now. Horns up.
Fave songs – ‘Embrace The Night’, ‘The Lone Stranger’, ‘The Lone Stranger’.
For fans of – Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Blind Guardian, Unleash The Archers, Modern Power Metal.
Release date – out now.