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So here we have a Symphonic/Power Metal album from Italian multi-instrumentalist Antonio Pantano. It is every bit as grandiose and flowery as the words "Italian Symphonic/Power Metal" and the title, Arcandia, would lead you to believe. It is a concept album about the "frozen land" of Arcandia and tells a story of hardship, royalty and loss, not through lyrics, as the songs are mainly instrumental, but via spoken word voice-overs. I have to tell you, at 1 hour and 9 minutes, that's a LOT of instrumentals. Musically, the foundation is one built by the Rhapsodys and Ancient Bards of the world, with flashy solos, keyboards, speedy drumming and non-traditional instruments, like the flutes of "Majestic Winds." The voice-over parts remind me of the beginning to Sonata Arctica's "The End of This Chapter." There's no doubt about Pantano's musical ability and his melodies are quite beautiful but I found the length of Arcandia, and lack of catchy choruses, to be a significant hurdle to my enjoyment of the album. It is like listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra, only featuring songs you don't know. I can see some people enjoying this, especially while playing some type of MMORPG, but the formula didn't work for me.