NOVUM INITIUM

For fans of more straight up power metal, this is a quite excellent album. The songwriting is a mix of classic heavy metal, european power metal, and a little touch of prog. Rick Altzis pipes are lower and grittier than Landes, but it fits the music. Grapow joins him on the last track, and their voices compliments one another perfectly. The guitars are melodic and hard hitting, the keys are competent but never in the front. The drums and the bass are certainly good, but like the keys they are overshadowed by the dominant guitars. In conclusion this is a very good power/heavy metal album. It's classic and easily accessible, but it never goes in to the boring clich's which are often in this type of metal. A weak 4 for all fans of heavy/power metal, maybe a solid 2 for all progheads who doesn't like the power genre.