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Silverdollar's Morte took a while to grow on me. On first blush it sounded like just another Melodic Power Metal album and, as these guys are from Sweden, that made sense. Crunchy guitars, supporting but not overpowering keyboards and clean vocals with just a touch of sandpaper grit are the album's hallmarks. The lyrics are typical of the genre; heavy handed environmental/political warnings ("CO2" with its Al Gore speech quotes), personal struggles ("Evil Good" and "Eternal Glory") and generic Heavy Metal anthems ("[Still a] Rocker.") I had it all written off, but the more I listened the more the hooks sank in and I found myself tapping my foot or drumming on the steering wheel. While Silverdollar are not charting new waters, the do have some songwriting skills. No one element of their performance stands out but everything works well, as a whole.

Morte is energetic and entertaining, if not original. The songs don't reach the level of excitement or complexity of, say Black Majesty, but fans of Masterplan and Burning Point will surely get what Silverdollar are all about.