SCULFORGE is the self-described first and only High Speed Power Metal band hailing from Germany. This is their second full-length album only two years removed from their first official release. The appropriately titled ‘’Cosmic Crusade Chronicles…Stories from the …Err…Nevermind’’ is the continuation of their brash unapologetic Science- Fiction tinged Power Metal. So what’s with Germany and quality Traditional Heavy Metal and Power Metal? I mean we got bands like HELLOWEEN, ACCEPT, BLIND GUARDIAN, HAMMERFALL, PRIMAL FEAR amongst countless others. The working class in Germany has brought some exceptional talent throughout the last several decades and continue to do so.

Branching off from the traditional themes of the genre is always a nice respite. We were overwhelmed at one time or another by the dungeons and dragons legacy of the genre. It was pretty much everywhere and it felt claustrophobic to say the least. Most of the bands revolved around those themes for anything remotely close of Power Metal so bands like SCULFORGE talking about Science Fiction and distancing themselves from the themes of yore is always a great thing for longstanding fans like me. SCULFORGE stray from the path. What is delivered here is almost 45 minutes of pure speed/high powered material. There are a few hiccups here and there but overall this is a work of art, a work in progress, can be comical yet serious at the same time. It's chock full of songs you know the band are going to perform live. Nearly every song here is instantly memorable, but continues to please the ears after repeated listens. Here, as the title would suggest, the lyrical themes are mainly science-fiction driven.

However, what really makes the new opus shine is the coherency. There is a definite sound to this album that distinguishes it from its predecessor. Whereas half the time it feels like the classic formula of ‘’Somewhere Out in Space’’ from GAMMA RAY, and on the other side of the spectrum, it feels like early DRAGONFORCE by it’s sheer manic pace and rhythm. It does chart however a territory of its own, and stands out on its own merits, not as a tribute to other metal giants. This establishes the band in it’s own right. I have always wondered why bands have not gone the DRAGONFORCE route of putting everything to 11. DRAGONFORCE broke boundaries with sheer speed and talent and brought the Power Metal genre to another dimension per se. I like the fact that most of this album by SCULFORGE has that pace, obviously not with the sheer talent of Herman Li and Sam Totman but it feels like a spiritual successor to their first albums. It covers the influences of bands like STRATOVARIUS and GAMMA RAY yet retaining some original aspects either way. They establish a fusion of many bands and make it all their own.

This new release is an excellent representation of the elements that make up the German power metal scene. With Powerful riffs, mind-blowing soloing, heavy double bass, and strong singing, SCULFORGE creates an album which reaches standards often overlooked in the Power Metal genre. I definitely recommend this album to both newer and…not so new listeners to metal, as it is very enjoyable and there is very little to dislike.