It might be considered questionable to review this here at all, as Finnish composer Antti Martikainen is primarily a creator of symphonic music sometimes called "trailer music" or "soundtrack music". Many of his earlier efforts are entirely non-metallic, despite how well done they might be, even if he has been using more and more metal sounds since the pivotal Northern Steel album in 2017.

But Sonic Savior is an out-and-out metal album. It's symphonic, it's instrumental, but it's absolutely a metal album, rather than just a symphonic album with metal elements. The entire songwriting sense has shifted to encompass metal sensibilities and to make use of the guitars as a driver rather than just a background effect. The riffs and compositions on this are better than anything Luca Turilli has ever done, and not only the use of the guitar, but the respect for the instrument in the way the songs are structured, beats a lot of so-called metal bands who are past their prime and can't seem to let it take center stage. (I'm looking at you, Iron Savior).

At a massive 78 minutes, this album is just a feast of riffs and leads and melodies, like a never-ending cascade of what we might call "the good part". I am not normally a big one for instrumental music, and Symphonic Metal is not my favorite subgenre, but I can't argue with this one.