After my esteemed colleague Fred Bonanno gave the two singles of ROZARIO both a 10 out of 10, I became intrigued about the band. I then saw that the "Northern Crusaders" album was up for review, so I requested it for myself. And lo and behold, I was awarded it. This now means that I will have to describe what I think of when the Heavy/Power Metal of ROZARIO starts eloping from my speakers. I have to admit that I haven't heard their 2023 debut album "To The Gods We Swear", which makes this review even more interesting for me. As you know, if I really like an album and/or band, I tend to delve into their past. Well, if you are as new as me, I think you would like to know that the band is from Oslo in Norway. as for a year that they were formed, apparently nobody knows exactly when that happened, so it seems that the debut album was a complete surprise for the Metal community.

There is no such thing happening with "Northern Crusaders", as it is very much anticipated and expected. What I like about ROZARIO is that they have the ability to mix rather low tuned Heavy Metal with lighter and higher toned Power Metal without even a sweat or a sign that it takes an effort to do so. What that does is make the songs on the album sound very organic, pleasantly natural. You never get the feeling that you are dealing with a relatively new band. On the contrary, this sounds like a bunch of accomplished musicians who have decided that they are just going to belt out a new album in no time. And before you ask, yes, all the songs on "Northern Crusaders" are of a high or even very high standard. ROZARIO simply sounds too good to be true, but they are what they are, a really good band.

What I haven't touched is the sound that ROZARIO brings to the table. The musical genre might be Heavy/Power Metal, the sound they use can easily be seen as contemporary, but it also has one foot very clearly in the eighties. I can't help but admire those young bands that do such a thing. They know the era they live in, but also recognise the decade that everything was on the up and up. Bands like WINGS OF STEEL, TAILGUNNER and now ROZARIO are paying their due diligence to those days. And in all cases, they have been able to give us very, very good albums to boot. I might not rate "Northern Crusaders" at its max, what I will do is give it a very good review. The music as well as the band deserve that.