I didn’t realize these guys had been going so long, but they released their first album back in ’89. This is their 12th album which came out back in 2009. They have managed to go through a seemingly revolving door of members, the most famous of which would be guitarist Timo Tolkki. The sound has evolved somewhat over time and they are now a very melodic power metal outfit. Taking the melody of say Europe, and the metal of say other Euro Metal bands such as Edguy. The emphasis here being on the vocals and guitar. I’d even say that going further back that early Rainbow would have been an influence as well.
This is the first album after the departure of founding member Tolkki. In fact, he actually disbanded the band but agreed to let them continue with the name. This album is not as heavy as previous efforts as Winter Skies and Forever Is Today are the only tracks that really bring the heavy, but the album is still an impressive release. My favourite track is the two part Emancipation Suite, which is epic. I really love the grandiose overblown nature of the beast. It’s these type of narrative tracks that are what the band are known best for.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
