EUFORY is a band from Slovakia that plays their own brand of very over the top Power Metal.  "Higher and Higher" is the band's second full-length album.  The band was founded in 2008 and actually started out as a DEF LEPPARD tribute band.  Now, though, the band has more in common with bands like SONATA ARCTICA and EDGUY than anything from NWOBHM.

The album opens with "Dragon Hearts," and an extended intro of keyboard and guitar introduces the song.  When the verse kicks in, the band evolves into a bit too Power Metal for this reviewer.  While there are bands from every genre of Metal I appreciate, the ultra-slickly produced Power Metal, particularly of the early 2000s is not exactly my cup of tea.  I am, however, reminded of a Power Metal band I do admire, BLIND GUARDIAN, in the way the vocal tracks, for example, are layered.  The second track, aptly titled "Louder" is a bit more palatable.  The band seems to suffer from thinking the more sound in any one particular spot is preferable.  Between all of the guitar work and the ultra-symphonic keyboards, it's just too much.

The fifth track, "On a Pyre," touches on familiar territory for the genre as kings and queens are the subjects of the lyrics.  Like BLIND GUARDIAN, the lead plays a harmony over the thick chords of the rhythm guitar, and there is some very fluid and fast fret burning here.  The eighth and final original track, "I Want Out," is not the HELLOWEEN song.  Nevertheless, It is one of the better songs on the album.  Last on the album is a cover of MOTORHEAD's "One More Fucking Time," and it is in this version that I can make the case for the album itself.  The raw emotion of the original track is lost in the pomp and circumstance of the overblown production of this cover.  Ultimately, the feeling is just lost.

The vocals tend to be hit or miss at times.  There's definitely a Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson vibe going on, but like everything else on the album, it's just too much.  The guitar riffs seem to be more or less what would be thought of as Modern Metal with drop tuning and thick riffs always chasing the groove.  The band seems to be trying to wear a great many hats in the process.  The bottom line is that the band is skilled at what they do and are well-equipped musically to drive their point home.  Perhaps one with an ear fonder for the rank and file of Power Metal would appreciate this more.  Unlike the greats of the genre, nothing seems to really stand out as a mark of greatness.