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Instanzia are a relatively new Canadian power metal act and this is their debut album Ghosts. I've heard people compare these guys to more flowery acts such as Freedom Call, and I'd have to disagree. While this is unashamedly melodic power metal the guitars have a good crunch to them, and there is a lot of riffs that are genuinely headbangable. Their sound could be seen as an amalgamation of the Finnish and Swedish schools of power metal, boasting the massive double kick choruses and keyboard spanning of the former and the crunch of the latter.

Strangely enough I've been having a hard-time pin-pointing specific bands Instanzia remind me of, and while they're hardly original there is a certain charm about Ghosts that I just can't shake. The album kicks into gear with the superb "Ghosts of the Past" which never fails to lift me up, and the same can be said about the following track "Power of the Mind" which boasts a mega chorus that is damn catchy (and admittedly quite cheesey). The quality shown in these first two tracks keeps up for the duration and the whole album is a good show in nicely written power metal complete with memorable choruses and excellent musicianship. "The Key" is my favorite track here, home to the best chorus and guitar solo on the album. Special mention also goes to the awesome 11 minute closer "The Desert Fox" which should be heard by any power metal fan.

I can see a bright future ahead for Instanzia. The quality displayed on Ghosts is impressive, particularly being the band's first release. If they can improve on this sound we could be looking at a first class act. Fans of the more melodic side of power metal will easily fall in love with Instanzia: cool guitar work, double kick drumming, keyboards aplenty and charming vocals is the order of the day. Recommended.