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Track Listing: Fields Of Avalon Come By The Hills Santiago Alayna Forevermore Pilgrim Road In Paradisum Rhapsody In Black I Walk In Neon Don't Let me Go

Symfonia is a brand new power metal supergroup from Scandinavia, formed as recently as last year. Aside from the fact that the musicians involved in this project have played in some highly renowned power metal bands, the likes of Stratovarius, Angra, Helloween and Sonata Arctica, they need no further introduction. As soon as this collaboration was announced, I knew it would be something the power metal community would embrace with open arms, but what remained to be seen was the extent to which they would draw musically from the primary bands they were once part of.

"Fields Of Avalon" opens up the album with all the goodness that you usually associate with power metal. Fast pace, catchy riffs, double bass-filled drumming, guitar-keyboard trade-off solos, and incredibly high pitched vocals, this song has everything you could ask for as a fan of this musical style. After that near-perfect start, "Come By The Hills" changes the pace straight away as it turns out to be a mid-tempo tune dominated by the vocals of Andre Matos more than anything else, although there is a semblance of a guitar solo in there as well. "Santiago" starts out along very similar lines to the opening track but then progresses into a delightfully slow melodic interlude that leads to an extremely enjoyable final segment laden with guitar and keyboard solos. This tune is definitely one of the highlights of this album and I would be really surprised if it doesn't make their live set.

"Alayna" is again a contrast to its predecessor, as it's a slow ballad-type tune. Andre's vocals have shone through on this tune, probably more than on any other song in this album. The other members combine with him well to create a rich, powerful chorus sound. It's also great to hear the pristine sound of the acoustic guitar for a change. "Forevermore" is another typical power metal tune that shouldn't disappoint any of the listeners, with guitar and keyboard solos galore. "Pilgrim Road" on the other hand is a mid-tempo tune that comes across as a good follow-up and one that succeeds in keeping the variety within the album intact.

There is no shortage of ear pleasing music on the album, as the title track "In Paradisum" continues delivering exactly that, a tune truly worthy of being the title song. Following that is "Rhapsody In Black", another track dominated by the melodic combination of Andre's vocals and Mikko's keyboard sound, but with an interesting twist in the form of some extremely raw, heavy sounding rhythm section. Mikko shows his prowess on the keys again on "I Walk In Neon" with what turns out to be the best keyboard piece on the entire album as this particular tune thrives on it. The album closes out with "Don't Let Me Go", a rather sombre end to an album that frequently changes momentum.

On the whole, Symfonia's debut is certain to live up to all the expectations that surrounded it. They haven't reinvented the wheel, and they'd be the first ones to admit that. But, each musician involved here has brought his own touch to the overall sound of the band, specially Andre whose vocals have emphatically ensured that this isn't just a new version of Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica or Helloween. The album has sufficient variety from track to track, something which can't exactly be said for other power metal albums that tend to get repetitive and end up going nowhere fast. This is a release which all fans of melodic/power metal should be grabbing with both hands.

A gratifying effort by a group of seasoned musicians, "In Paradisum" promises to be a stellar debut.