A winner for anyone who likes solid Metal with a show of bravura.

The Finnish Power Metallers are back, after a few line-up re-shuffles, with an album that is as good as anything that's gone before. The most significant change is singer Pasi Rantanen's return after separating from the band and being absent on the previous 'Dirt Metal' record. Drummer Atte Palokangas also joins the ranks and the band sound re-energised and full of ideas.

There's something distinctly old-school about their sound. The band is happy to let the guitars and keyboards fight it out on the likes of 'Walk Away Free' where the keyboards swoop in and out, giving them an added Prog feel. The keyboard sound has a classic Hard Rock feel, displaying Deep Purple or Uriah Heep influences and, at other times, the songs often have the noble air of Dio pulsing through their veins; Rantanen can sound like a higher pitched Jorn Lande in places too. Of course the band bring with them the more modern thump of Power Metal in their delivery too.

Rantanen is a damn good vocalist. He doesn't over egg it, but his voice is capable of the range and power necessary for this kind of music and he's also able to bang out some choice melodies that add a Melodic Metal tag to their overall sound. The slow big ballad 'Through The Pain' would plod in the hands of a lesser singer, but Rantanen brings a powerful performance to hold your interest. The title track whips along at race-horse pace and houses a fine choral arrangement on the chorus, while 'Higher' surprises with an added horn and organ sound that is almost Funky (not a sound you often associate with Power Metal), before it slows into a more traditional Dio style Rocker. 'Days Of Our Lives', with its stabbing keys and slow insistent riff, has a Kashmir feel, and 'Barren Land' rounds the disc off mixing a bare keyboard sound with full-on Power Metal and a distinctly Finnish sounding hook.

Assured Metal, guaranteed to please those who have picked up any of their previous output and also a winner for anyone who likes solid Metal with a show of bravura.

Duncan Jamieson