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Fabio Lione and Alessandro Conti could be arch-enemies; they could fight to the death for a top spot in the Italian Metal scene, speak ill of each other or even get into a fist fight and I wouldn't be surprised. Instead, the two joined forces and, much like Russell Allen and Jørn Lande before them, bet on the "powerhouse duet" style of playing music with their first album.

As far as comparisons go, the Italians do it way better than their predecessors and charge with full speed in Lione/Conti, debut for their project - which doesn't stray far from what they're used to do in their main bands but is way less sugary. With the help of heavy hitters such as Simone Mularoni (DGM) and Mario Lanciotti (Elvenking), the two offer a surprisingly good Power Metal experience and alternate between fast-paced, more direct songs like opener "Ascension" and "Destruction Show" and more emotional and melody-driven ones like "You're Falling" and "Somebody Else". The instrumental and the overall performances are top-notch, especially so when the songwriting seems to be tailor-made to each vocal style, be it Conti's higher and cleaner pitch or Lione's low and dense newer singing approach.

Like I said, this is a great surprise in an already stacked year for Power Metal (at the time I'm writing this, we already have cool stuff like Mike Lepond's Silent Assassins, Imperial Age, Frozen Crown and Nova Reign's new albums) and will make everyone who enjoys the genre without the high doses of sugar that would make a diabetic get visited by the grim reaper in a matter of seconds.