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Here is an older release from Tad Morose, the great Swedish power metal band, and my first experience to the band. At the time I was on a big "Rainbow" kick, so I picked up this CD seeing the song "Gates of Babylon" on it. I really had no prior knowledge of the band. Needless to say, its a decent cover, but just can't beat the classic sound of Rainbow and singer Ronnie James Dio. Rainbow, at least in thier earlier years, was a pretty big influence for power metal in my eyes. Just listen to the cover that Stratovarius did of "Kill the King".

Anyways, this album isn't at all like the recent releases. Its quite a different line up with only the main guitarist/brains (Krunt Andersson) and the Drummer (Peter Morén) , and the band is a LOT more progressive on this album. Songs are lengthier and generally a lot slower. This isn't something you can just pop in the player and start headbanging like with Modus Vivendi. Big Crunchy riffs are few and far between, as most songs revolve around the capable singer. There are some catchy tunes on this album, but you have to be in the mood for them that's for sure.

Tad Morose must have a great knack for talented singers. While this singer isn't as good (or accessible) as Urban Breed, he's still quite talented. For the most part, he's the star of the album as the vocals are very prominent and there isn't a lot of fast paced rocking out, which will be tough to swallow if you're a fan of later Tad Morose. The highlights on most tracks are the catchy choruses.

It's also worth noting, in terms of the differences between this Tad Morose and the one of later years, is this music is also somewhat revolved around a keyboard. I admit, it's quite cheesy in some places. The piano intro of the first song would be perfect in a trance song were if followed with some bass and drums :)

Overall, this is a decent listen if you're a fan of more progressive works. If you're just getting into Tad Morose and have started with some of the later albums such as Undead, Matters of the Dark, and Modus Vivendi, you may want to listen to this before you buy it, since its quite a bit different.