FINAL HOUR

I suppose you could call this melodic Power-Metal.There certainly is a lot of double bass drumming and the drums are almost always upfont and center.These guys are from Norway and this is their first studio album released in 2009. I had a lot of trouble getting into this one.There's something about the sound here that is far from being clear. Fuzzy might be the word but it did have an affect on my listening experience.

"The W.I.R.E." builds quickly to a heavy mode.Vocals a minute in. Background synths with vocals and heavy outbursts. It's okay. A brief guitar solo before 4 minutes then a calm before it kicks back in. "Scarlet Skies" settles quickly with vocals.Some nice prominant bass around a minute then it kicks back in. "The Devil In Your Heart" is smoother but the drums are very upfront as usual. "Once We Are Here" features synths and a powerful sound as the vocals join in. I like the brief guitar solo a minute in. A calm 5 minutes in to end it. "A Moment To Remember" has these reserved vocals and a pastoral intro. It kicks in after a minute with fat bass.

"The Passage" has double bass drumming all over it with vocals standing out. I love the last 40 seconds or so. "Pandora's Box" opens with synths as guitar joins in tastefully.Vocals and a beat follow. Crunchy guitar before 2 minutes. A music box 3 1/2 minutes then it kicks back in. "The Adventures Of Arcan" has these heavy outbursts with background synths.Vocals 2 minutes in. A calm before 3 minutes with synths. Sampled words too before it kicks back in. Another calm before 7 1/2 minutes but it's brief.The tempo continues to shift. "A Ghost From The Past" is the closing track which is pretty straightforward and melodic.

A low 3 stars.