• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

This was a surprise. Excalion are a Finnish band who play a proggy style of melodic Power Metal, and they do it really well. I dropped this in and was grabbed right away by the powerful production, catchy melodies and the nice, heavy guitars. Normally any kind of prog styling puts me right to sleep, but Excalion don't overdo it with the time shifts and the key/guitar interplay, just using them to add dash to their sharp, hooky sound. "Temptation Wasteland" is a strong opener, but the following track "A Moment In The Spotlight" is the strongest song, with a really great chorus. Other standouts include "Reality Bends" "Dire Waters" and "My Legacy". Later on they tend to overdo the prog stuff, and thus render songs like "Megalomania" and "Obsession To Prosper" a bit dull, but overall Excalion have put out a tremendously strong debut. All the performances are good, but I have to single out charismatic frontman Jarmo Paakkonen as one to watch, as he's just a great performer. Not the most gifted singer of all time, but he sure knows how to sell a tune. Yet another good Finnish band to keep an eye on.