The German Power/Speed Metal band WIZARD is back, celebrating their 20th year anniversary with the album Thor, a concept release based around the mighty god of thunder. WIZARD had a lot to prove with Thor, with a lot of fans unhappy with the direction the previous album had taken. I think it is safe to say that WIZARD hasn't disappointed any of its extensive fan base with this new album.

Thor is an interesting album and an enjoyable listen. It is interesting because WIZARD manage to create a set that transitions between slow Power Metal epics with fast and aggressive Speed Metal songs that have the guitar duo shredding so hard you might think Thor himself has learned to play the guitar.

The Power Metal songs stand out from the pack, on a first listen they have a ballad feel to them, on further listens these songs turn into fist pounding epics which are just begging for a crowd of people to be singing along to. This is helped with the amazing vocal range on show, once again WIZARD do not disappoint.

Sven D'Anna's voice is a highlight of the album and really helps to immerse you in the epic nature of the songs. The best example of this is The Visitor, in which the chorus goes I'm Thor, the mighty god, The lord of rain and storm, Now build a fire, For feast it shall be warm, which is not only catchy but simply proves why WIZARD are the best at what they do. Sven's voice soars above the instruments and completely immerses the listener into the world of Thor.

The Speed Metal-based songs feature everything you would want, the speed and shredding on show is brilliant. What this does is gives a great balance between song styles that keeps you immersed in the music throughout the whole of the album.

The lyrics deal with what you would expect from an album based around the Norse god. This is however where my only criticism comes in as the lyrics can become somewhat repetitive. It really does get to a stage where you think if I hear the word hammer, lightning or anything to do with trolls once more I am turning it off, but then what else can you expect  from a concept album about a god of thunder who wields a giant hammer named Mjöllnir? As with previous WIZARD albums it is music that is suited to some moods rather than others.

If you can look past that annoyance then you have one of the best German Power/Speed Metal albums released in a long time. The scene has been stale for a long while, with bands releasing consistently mediocre material - but WIZARD have returned and they have brought one hell of an album with them, which we can only hope will make the other bands take notice and up their game.  If you are a fan of WIZARD's early work but felt the band have betrayed you in recent times then I highly recommend you give this a listen, if you fancy a bit of epic Metal to make you want to grab the nearest hammer and pretend you can control thunder then by all means you need to hear this.