Crashbreaker

Prior to this album, the third from the Chilean progpower metallers Delta, there was scarce evidence that this was a band poised to make lasting music. Sure, Apollyon is Free showed that guitarist Benjamin Lechuga knew his Yngwie-isms, but the whole thing was marred by amateur songwriting and poor production, with barely listenable results. The group's second album, Black & Cold, fixed the production issues and showed occasional songwriting potential, mostly with gorgeous ballad "I Can't," but still didn't position the band to be anything more than also-rans in a genre where seemingly everyone both can play their asses off and write big hooks.

Then Delta put out Crashbreaker and lapped everybody.

From the opening stomp of the title track, the music catches fire with a contagious sense of purpose and drive. "Crashbreaker," "Who I Am," and "Face 2 Face" are three of the most infectious power metal songs you'll ever hear, with florid yet purposeful instrumentation supporting Felipe del Valle's soaring tenor and the best backing vocals in metal. Power ballad "Lone Wolf" sounds like the best song Bon Jovi never wrote, and "My Other Side" and "Back Again" return to the furious but catchy formula to deliver two back-half standouts as well.

All the band members distinguish themselves throughout. Del Valle's explosive range shines through--he's capable of huge high notes (see the end of "Who I Am" for a truly stunning display), gorgeous clean singing, and a grittier approach that can keep up with the band's heavier moments. Lechuga, by this point, had grown immensely from the Yngwie emulation of the band's debut, with high-energy riffing balanced with tasteful, melodic lead work, and he's matched note-for-note by an array of cool sounds from keyboardist Nicolas Quinteros. Even bassist Santiago Kesevic, who departed the band after this album, gets a funky solo on "Who I Am" and some really cool moments elsewhere.

This is not Delta's best album--their fifth disc, The End of Philosophy has a more epic, progressive scope with more overall consistency and grandeur. Here, the band stumbles a bit in a couple of places--the plodding "Blind" lacks the energy and purpose of the rest of the album, and the one attempt to stretch out to a more progressive framework--the closing 12-minute "Regrets--mixes some nice parts with some meandering, making it somewhat enjoyable but ultimately not the epic finale it wants to be. Overall, though, this disc comes up with several absolute classic, top-of-the-line driving powerprog songs, with top-notch sound and performance to boot, making it a really essential disc of the genre. It's amazing that the band managed to top this five years later.