French singer, David Slame has been keeping his act quiet over here up to this stage and his third album. Hoping I've not entered as an awkward moment, the signs are initially good as 'Life In Vain' glides in and gives us a taste of his smooth prog preparation.

 

Propping things up against verse-chorus- verse pedestal serves to his credit as we cruise into 'Slaves' and it's slick modern hard rock take. Carrying on, 'Follow The Butterfly II' is a soaring melodic metal workout with Slame's upper octave prowess in glowing prominence. Several further tracks surf around the seas as already travelled, 'The Enemy Within' with its latter-day Iron Maiden approach and lengthy but infectious chorus, the solo-peppered 'Pray For Me' with its piano interludes accounting for the stand-outs while 'Freedom' and 'Forgiveness are attractive ballad- based numbers with a nice tilt of Asia in and about them.

 

'Magic Kingdom' is highly Magnum in its gentle-moving, keyboard covered structure and set to be the cig-lighter waver of his live show, with guest vocals by Laura Bertaina, and 'A Life To Die For' sees David make a climatic delve into power metal territory which he again carries off very smoothly with no stitches to show.

 

Always great to have another unknown European artist getting on the picture even later than sooner, Monsieur Slame's style or styles should find a fair bit of audience outside of France as well as within it, if his previous two albums haven't already seen to that.