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The debut album from Bulgaria's Krossfire, Learning to Fly, is full of excellent, Italian-style Power Metal. Guitars and keyboards share space without sacrificing the "Heavy" part of Heavy Metal. Singer Dimo Petkov has a fine, clear voice, maybe not a flashy as others in the genre, but when he gets behind a chorus, he makes it soar. Georgi Kushev's guitar has a nice, thick sound, unlike the sterile squeals you sometimes hear on over-produced Power Metal records. The whole album is quite good, with the exception of the overly long intro "Visions." Highlights include the title track and "Warmachine," a song I sing along with every time it comes up on the album.

Cross Kaledon's Legend of the Forgotten Reign – Chapter 4: Twilight of the Gods and Richard Andersson's Space Odyssey's Embrace the Galaxy then throw in some Middle Eastern melodies to mix things up a bit and you've got Learning to Fly. That's a recipe that works for me.