This is the second album from this Florida based outfit, but it is the first time I have come across them, and yet again I am discovering a band that I wish I had known from the beginning as this is quite an album. If you enjoy melodic power metal with hints of symphonic then this is the one for you. The drums are a little higher in the mix than one might normally expect from music of this genre, but given that drummer Ty formed the group back in 2008 he can be forgiven as the end result is something that is polished and clean. It hasn’t had all of the rough edges smoothed over though, and there is never a fear of this dropping into AOR as there is just too much energy and passion for that. Ty Tammeus used to be in Leviathan and he has brought in his bandmate from those those days, Tom Braden, to provide the vocals while the line-up is completed by Shamus McConney (guitars) and Jon Jennings (bass).
While Iron Maiden and Helloween are musical references, so is Symphony X and Rhapsody, in an album that is a delight from start to end. The final song is the title cut, and it stretches out to more than ten minutes with Matt Barlow (ex-Iced Earth) making an appearance. It starts off slow and atmospheric but gradually builds into something that is both dramatic and impressive with plenty of riffs to go with the emotion. Well worth investigating.
www.puresteel-records.com
