Time Requiem

Stunningly original? Not necessarily. Just notice that Richard Andersson is the keyboardist (Majestic, Silver Seraph, Adagio, etc) and you kind of know you're in for some technicaly neoclassical power metal. But hey, it's really well done, and beats the hell out of the new Symphony X album in my opinion. Very diverse songwriting, and very well-structured, none of the songs ever fall into the pits of wankery or pretension. Overall it reminds me of Symphony X meets Yngwie Malmsteen (the Yngwie comparison really only came to mind on "Milagros Charm"), but the finest moments of each. Very technical overall but not unnecessarily so, although it is the drummer from Darkane (Peter Wildoer), Andersson, etc., so you know they're tight as hell. Memorable neoclassical keyboard runs, guitar/keyboard dueling solos, pummeling double bass and cymbal work, soaring (but not too generic) vocals, etc. Most of this band's members are in other projects too, so competency is at a high, fortunately-these guys know their stuff. A surprisingly flawless and tasteful debut album, and I expect the buzz on them to increase. If you appreciate quality neoclassical progpower metal, this is just what the proverbial doctor ordered. Another winning pick for Regain Records.