LABYRINTH is an on again off again Power Metal band from Italy. I say this because they have changed styles on more than one occasion. It does seem thought that they are back on track with Power Metal on this latest release. I hope they stay this way for awhile. The departure of Olaf Thorsen is mainly to blame for their change in styles when he left in 2002, and it is no wonder their change back to Power Metal occurred when he rejoined the band in September 2009. Hopefully for the band's sake, he decided to stay this time. Sometimes it is seen as a move of desperation when a band chooses to name their new album after their most successful album from years gone by, usually in terms of a sequel. Many bands have done this, few if any have ever lived up the name of the first album. Sometimes a band will simply rerecord their first album and change the name a bit. SODOM did this with their first album as did EXODUS. I am glad this album is a true sequel and not just a rerecording with new members.

In true Power Metal fashion, the album starts off with a fast tempo to get you to bang your head to. My one complaint is that there are a few too many mellow parts to this album. That fact slightly distracts from all the other good points of the album. When I pick up a Power Metal release I expect to hear both the power and the metal, not slow lazy ballads. "Like Shadows In The Dark" sounds like a Top 40 wanna be single. In the Heavy Metal community slow songs like this are often referred to as "piss breaks" if the song is played live. Those fans will use that song as an opportunity to use the restroom, and I can't blame them. Two full ballads and many up tempo songs with slow breaks doesn't ruin the album for me, but it doesn't do anything to endear me towards it either. Also, how is a band supposed to replace Fabio Lione? I guess they aren't, but Roberto Tiranti does a very good job regardless. It's just impossible for him to ever live up to the legacy Fabio has. I have to compliment him for trying. He really is quite good. If it wasn't for the fact Fabio used to be in the band, I wouldn't even notice any change in quality. Roberto is better than most Power Metal vocalists today.

The production is very good. The keyboards and solos are all well done. "To Where We Belong" is the fastest song on the album and is what I wished the rest of the album was like. No, not everything has to be lightning fast, but it does need to sound like the genre it is supposed to be representing. If you are a fan of quality music, do not let the slow parts drag you down, because ultimately, even through the mild tempo songs, quality shines through like a beacon. Overdone tempo changes have always been my biggest gripe with Metal bands. It is why I threw METALLICA's "Black Album" out my car window after hearing "Nothing Else Matters" and "The Unforgiven". Thankfully, nothing is as glaringly game changing as those two horrific songs, and to be fair, this band was never as heavy as METALLICA used to be.

Overall, if you like the LABYRINTH albums that feature Olaf Thorsen on them, you will like this one as well, he always brings what made this band successful in the first place, the traditional power metal sound. I only hope he throws the ballads away next time. If you liked LABYRINTH before their change in musical directions when Olaf left, you will most certainly like this one due to his return.