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Argentina's Helker have been around since 1998 and Somewhere in the Circle is their fourth full-length. I had never heard of them prior to this album showing up in my inbox and if they've been this good over their career, that's a mistake I'm pretty pissed about. Helker takes the old school Traditional Metal sound of early Dio (that singer Diego Valdez sounds a LOT like the late legend doesn't hurt) and combines it with updated, crunchy Power Metal to create some superb songs. I want to highlight individual tracks but they are all so good, it's hard to pick. Valdez is the consummate front man and sells the songs easily with his powerful delivery. The tempos are mostly mid-paced, perfect for that air guitar that's been sitting unused in the corner. You'll want to rest up first, though, as the riffs just keeping coming one after another.

Somewhere in the Circle has Helker knocking on the door of an exclusive club that boasts members like Pharaoh and Paragon. If you like either of those bands, you're going to want to give Helker a listen. Highly Recommended.