In case you have been living under a rock or haven't been following the current music scene, you will know this band and have heard their music before. ABSOLVA is a Manchester, Greater Manchester, England based band. "Fire In The Sky" is their sixth studio album, and they also have a fine sounding live album called "Live In Europe". The play full blown Heavy Metal that is rooted in the eighties, but with a feel and atmosphere that sits right in the twenties of this century.

Like I mentioned, if you don't know them you have been missing out. Music wise they are a blending combination of the sounds of STRYPER meets DOKKEN meets SAXON meets THE SCORPIONS. As you can see, four really impressive names, and that is also exactly what "Fire In The Sky" is, brilliant. Compared to their earlier work they are just a tad more melodic, less in your face. Whether that is down to the way the album is produced, or if the band have actually taken their aggression down a notch, is still to be decided.

I for one couldn't care less which one it is, because however good the former albums were, "Fire In The Sky" is in a class of its own. The songs are all of a very high quality, the sound is amazing and there is no way that you can not hop along and enjoy this fully. Melodic Heavy Metal that ranges from quite fast to very easy going, where every note fits and counts.

The lyrics are about every day events in their lives, and that makes listening to them such a joy. You hear what these guys have in mind when they sing it all. You can actually visualise the subject, give it your own touch, as if you're reading a book. And that, my friends, is a very rare occurrence in the current music business. Only the real story tellers in combination with superb musicians can achieve such a feat. And I am bold enough to say that ABSOLVA has achieved this in spades.

I for one can't begin to fathom why this band hasn't reached superstar status beforehand, but I would be very surprised if "Fire In The Sky" doesn't make this happen for them. Hats off to ABSOLVA in making one of the best Melodic Heavy Metal albums from the UK in a long time.