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Greece has been a starting point to many great acts lately. Sunburst, the Prog/Power child of Gus Drax and Vasilis Georgiou (aka Greek Roy Khan), is one of those greats, mixing a little bit of cheesiness found in modern Power Metal bands with a more darkened and crunchy approach. Fragments of Creation, their debut album, leans heavily on the prolific guitar skills of Drax, who is already considerably known in the metal scene, be it by the good Black Fate, Suicidal Angels or his work performing live and now on a full-time contribution to Paradox. Vasilis, likewise known, turned into a sort of consolation prize to those desperate Roy Khan fans who are still struggling to accept his departure from the Metal scene, and once again proves here that he's worthy of the comparison.

Mainly comprised of catchy tunes with rather emotional and personal lyrics, the album also delivers a good number of crunchy riffs and creative solos allied to a healthy amount of keyboards and clean production. At times, the tuned-down and heavily armed guitar work has a remarkable resemblance to what Jeff Loomis used to do with Nevermore, especially notable on songs like the opener "Out of the World" and "Reincarnation". You can also hear small passages which could be inspired by the earlier Evergrey songs, with "End of the Game" being a good example. In fact, Drax manages to add various techniques to his own and create juggernaut riffs full of crafty lines. There are also unorthodox tracks such as the closer "Remedy of My Heart" and angrier performances like in "Break the Core". My main complaint with the effort is that the bass and drums were left in the background and were clearly toned down to let Drax and Vasilis shine, which is ok, but kind of douchy too. Also, Bob Katsionis of Firewind provides welcomed keyboard lines throughout the course of the album, adding to the already amazing atmosphere.

From angrier tunes to beautiful gems such as "Forevermore", the instrumental monster that is "Beyond the Darkest Sun", and even an awesome ballad in "Lullaby" – which normally I hate – Fragments of Creation is a breath of fresh air. Roy Khan widows will rejoice with the amazing vocal range and techniques of Vasilis Georgiou, guitar-virtuoso enthusiasts will find sanctum with Gus Drax and even those who love the modern approach adopted by the newer Prog/Power bands will definitely find something for them here. This is what happens when highly skilled musicians who are at their creative peak join forces and pour their hearts into the work. Absolutely mandatory for Prog/Power Metal fans and strong contender for top 10 in my list this year.