No Turning Back

A lesser known Greek power metal band has been slowly riding the wave of international success. Inner Wish has been around since 1995, but it wasn’t until just recently that the fans began to notice and bang their heads in approval. Now, 15 years on, Inner Wish is moving forward on the crest of the metal wave with their latest and greatest release entitled ‘No turning back’.

Formed by guitarist Thimios Krikos and vocalist Yiannis Papanikolaou in 1995, 2 years were spent carefully finding the remainder of the band. Once settled, Inner Wish released their debut CD in 1998 through NMC Records. Three members left after the release, including Yiannis Papanikolaou (who decided to devote his life to god and became a cenobitic monk), and again the line-up reshuffled. 6 years passed (with a split release in 2000 featuring fellow Greek metal band Reflection) until Inner Wish’s next CD ‘Silent faces’ (now with Limb Music) and it was here where the band began their grasp at success.

New vocalist Babis Alexandropoulos gave the band new life, while Mystic Prophecy frontman R.D. Liapakis gave his production know-how on the CD and also the 3rd CD in 2006, entitled ‘Inner strength’. The solid releases gave Inner Wish some weight in the metal community, and in turn opened for and played alongside bands (in metal festivals) such as Helloween, U.D.O., Blind Guardian, Masterplan, Rhapsody of Fire, Manowar, Judas Priest and Brainstorm.

Moving from Germany ’s Limb Music to Sweden ’s Ulterium Records, Inner Wish have recorded and released their brand new CD, called ‘No turning back’. With some heavy artillery behind the mixing and mastering (mixed by Fredrik Nordström and mastered by Mika Jussila), Inner Wish’s 4th CD has proven to be their best material to date, receiving outstanding reviews across the globe. In the same vein as fellow Greek power metal band Firewind, Inner Wish play melodic power metal featuring bruising guitar riffs, double-bass pummelling, soaring solos and melodic vocals. You’ve heard that before, you say? Maybe so, but Inner Wish (particularly on this CD) have completely raised the bar on what heavy melodic power metal should sound like. Fans of the melodic/power metal genre and also (more to the point) fans of bands like Helloween, Edguy, Heavenly, Primal Fear, Hammerfall, Iced Earth and Gamma Ray should take immediate notice and read on...

The opening crunching blast of wailing guitars on the first track “The signs of our lives’ is enough already to get the head banging, while the song itself is furiously heavy, fast and energetic; with an excellent twin guitar solo in the middle. Babis Alexandropoulos is an extraordinary vocalist, who sings with great power and passion, and also has a vast range and delivers with authority. At times, Babis sounds similar to journeyman singer Tim “Ripper” Owens, same conviction in his vocals, but a lower pitch than the shrieking Owens.

“Chosen one”, the next track in line is quite speedy and catchy, while “Burning desires” is slower, but with a driving, galloping riff that power metal is renown for. Quite emotional as well, “Burning desires” has it all, including another brilliant solo from Thimios Krikos and Manolis Tsigos. The intensity lifts once again with the title track “No turning back”, an aggressive song with a catchy chorus; while the peaceful start of “Sirens” gives you a small breather until a thunderous heavy riff explodes through the speakers. Epic in feel and sound (with help from the creative use of the keyboards), “Sirens” continues the trend of kick-ass tracks this CD has to offer. Not wanting to yield, Inner Wish persist with breathing fire for more top-notch tracks, such as the furiously fast “Last breath” and “Full of lust”, the bombastic and pounding “Lawmaker”, and the grand “Welcome to my world”.

This release has really impressed me and I find it no surprise that the reviews for it around the world have been extremely positive. And this review is no different. Without a doubt, Inner Wish have hit a massive home run with ‘No turning back’, and like the title suggests, this band have their eyes fixed straight ahead and charging at full strength. The musicianship and dedication on this release is 2nd to none, with Thimios Krikos and co putting in a career-changing performance that will see them skyrocket in popularity and success. I cannot speak more highly of this fantastic release by a relatively unknown band, outside of Europe especially. If melodic power metal with grunt, precision and ball-busting solos is what you’re looking for, then Inner Wish’s ‘No turning back’ is your CD of choice. The Greek Gods would be proud...

Originally written for www.metalcdratings.com and www.themetalforge.com