25 years and several albums into their career, Italians, Drakkar actually get round to sending something our direction.

 

From a country as famed for fine metal as we are for bacon and egg and HP sauce, these lads are hugely unlikely to let their flag fall. The sound takes a lot of cues from their German counterparts from the start, with the speed metal assaults of 'Lord Of A Dying Race', 'Chaos Lord', and topped by singer David's delectably Scheepers/Hansen flavoured delivery. Using hook lines and high speed solos like precision tools as much as each other helps sell these ten tracks to all followers of the melodic metal flock and gifts them a guiltless mainstream accessibility with it.

 

The Celtic-flavoured 'And He Will Rise Again' wins the top spot for me with its traditional triple-step bounce and the album's biggest sing-a-long. Lead shredder, Dario Beretta keeps the solos to a sweet but princely duration, scattering them in all open spots across each track while the synths beautifully back them up in place of a rhythm guitar line.

 

Nicely crafted music and musicianship to suit as always, from a country where it happens non stop, it appears I might have some catching up to with Drakkar's catalogue (like 25 years worth).