Since the second half of the last decade, it seems that Symphonic Metal has faced many trials, because the style is really out of evidence. Only the giants as NIGHTWISH and EPICA are active and going well by now. But remember what Big Daddy always says: when a Metal style is in such way is the time when bands that really like the style will keep on it not for money, but by free will. And the Italian sextet AFTER APOCALYPSE really fits on what I'm trying to say, as their first album "After Apocalypse" shows clearly.

Their work is like you can cross a female singer in the same vein of Tarja Turunen (but a more opera way than her) with a strong and powerful instrumental basis, and nasty and guttural male grunts (that could be more cleaner. These extreme gutturals really do not fit well on the band's music). Besides they are not creating anything new in terms of a new Metal style, their work has a strong and bold personality, and even with the initial astonishing, the more you hear it, the more you'll like "After Apocalypse".

As you start to pay attention to the songs, you become aware that the sound quality is really good. Obviously that it's not a super production, but it is good, as you can understand what the band is playing, and all the volume levels for the instruments are fine. But the tunes for the instruments (especially the guitars and drums) aren't as good as they could be. It's not bad, but could really be better.

All the band's songs are good, showing a great potential. But as their finest moments, Big Daddy here could point to the grandiose and elegant "Dark Side" (a tender and heavy song, filled with fine female vocals and very good work from bass and drums), the tender "Glorious Way" (it is truly a heavy song, but the female vocals and some keyboards arrangements give a more accessible touch to it), the almost dramatic "Insight" (very good guitars, and a better appearance from male vocals), the beautiful and introspective "Crying Moon" (very good work from guitars and keyboards), and the abrasive and aggressive "Sentence" (the rhythm and instrumental is really more aggressive than on other songs, and the work of the guitars is good, as the duet between soft female voices with male guttural vocals).

They have potential, but by now, AFTER APOCALYPSE is a good name, indeed.<