It is not as if shredding went out of style in Greece for eight years, nothing close. Just a lot of shows, tours, feeling the stage more than the studio. Eventually it was time to create something from scratch, and on the way letting people go and bringing on new ones to man the fold. Angelo Perlepes and his MYSTERY band kept growing in popularity, raising the voice of Greek shred Metal to the masses, making it louder with every show. In 1999, newly signed to Unisound Records, "Tales..." was unraveled, ascertaining a higher stance for the guitar hero oriented band. Following the reissue of the debut, Sleaszy Rider Records went on it again to reissue this packet of the Greek string ripper.

When I checked out the debut I noticed a musical alliance between the 70s and 80s, more of a dangerous meeting between two major artists of the guitar hall of fame. Perlepes took on a signature sound and playing technique but never forgot to wrote songs without discouraging his fellow band mates. On the sophomore "Tales...", it seemed that Perlepes took more time to invest on his songwriting, coming up with a sort of epic scenery. His soloing abilities were given their rightful place, and not just a mere show off or practice verses, still going hard on the Neoclassical theme, yet also showing a fine set of rhythm guitar riffs, and a well done showcase of his picked band members to complete the listening experience. I believe that it came down as being a notable improvement in comparison to the debut.

The material delivered a good set hits and potential crowd pleasers and even sing-alongs. "(Feels Like) I've Done It Before" nailed it down being the band's most memorable song, impressive on the riffs and iconic on the soloing, it made the band as multi-dimensional. "The Final Battle" is the ultimate hymn, easy to sing with, forming a fine buildup until the blast. Not exactly a ballad, but nevertheless a good track. "Worship The Night" retains a type of old school Heavy Metal image, delivering an 80s blowout, grasping attention pretty fast as an easy going tune. The hooking "Witch's Cry" reminded me something on the verge of IMPELLITERI and very old STRATOVARIUS, essentially another Heavy Metal thunder screaming 80s out of its guts. Other worth mentioning: "The Hawk And The Wolf" and "Lady Evil".

Angelo Perlepes proved that he can write songs with a lot more content than just showing his guitar abilities, which are astounding no less. Another recommendation from yours truly for an easy pick.