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You can't go wrong with a bit of Axxis. They are consistently cheesy, overlooked, and down right awesome, though they have never produced an album that is kick ass from start to finish, and 2007's Doom Of Destiny is no exception. As always, we have some great tunes here, firmly in the Helloween/Gamma Ray mould of happy, choir-led Power Metal with super-slick hooks and huge vocals from Bernhard Weiss. Doom Of Destiny is special in that it features guest female vocals on most songs, and the duets give the album a little variety. Still, "Bloodangel" is the pick of the bunch here, boasting a chorus that would send Chinchilla scuttling into the cracks. "Father, Father" begins with a slow vocal but then breaks into a run, and like a shooting star it zooms across your headphones, a masterwork of Iron Savior brilliance. Others like "Better Fate" and the opening title track tick all the boxes, but there are a couple of duds here (such as "The Fire Still Burns" and the insane, medieval-tinged "She Got Nine Lives").

Fans of German Power Metal will enjoy the hell out of this, and it's a great listen when the right mood takes you. I'm still waiting for Axxis to deliver that great album I know they have in them.