CONCERTO MOON is a band few metalheads are familiar with. On one hand, hailing from Japan is not the centre of the Metal world to get widely known. On the other hand, only some of their releases were issued/distributed via some e.g. European Metal label, hence you should try to have an eye on them if willing to get to know their blend.
Heavy/Neoclassical Metal with a 'smell' of Hard Rock is their offering through the years, with a career spanning ten years now or more (their first offering, a live album, was released only in Japan in '97-'98). The 'LMP license' years of the band (Fragments Of The Moon, From Father To Son, Rain Forest and The End Of The Beginning - Live) was the time they were getting known to wider audiences, while I'm not sure of their campaign status in their homeland. If you think of Japanese Metal bands such as LOUDNESS, BOW WOW, ANTHEM and EARTHSHAKER, you can get a very first clue of the 'Heavy' side of CONCERTO MOON, while the next main ingredient is the DEEP PURPLE/RAINBOW legacy of Ritchie Blackmore and the stones also Y. Malmsteen stepped upon later on.
CONCERTO MOON does not exaggerate in focusing mainly in wizard Norifumi Shima's skills and virtuosity. Of course, for the trained ear, you'll see Shima is a 'key factor' for the band's output, but CONCERTO MOON efficiently also lets Toshiyuki Koike bring on the keyboards supremacy, while the rhythm section is quite Metal in pounding tempos and a vast ALCATRAZZ vibe. While most songs are done for Central/Northern Europe 'melodic' metalheads (with a remarked deed for ASTRAL DOORS followers), there's also the side of e.g. Break Free, more of a Hard Rock gem, with Inoue sounding like a Japanese version of Graham Bonnet; the man - in the whole - delivers some interesting singing in full passion and less of conformity. The 'harsh accent' thing - in my opinion - is a plus since it allows him no to sound typical. A mix of Bonnet, Tony Martin and Chris Boltendahl? Spooky...
The melodies of CONCERTO MOON also have the benefit of not sounding identical for a (let's say) 'neoclassical' Metal band. You won't get tired of endless guitar leads or typical Malmsteen-related performance (remember the 'balance' thing pre-said?).
Four years after the After The Double Cross studio album (a limited edition of which featured a bonus CD with ALCATRAZZ, DEEP PURPLE, Brian May, KANSAS and RAINBOW covers), CONCERTO MOON strikes back with nothing less than a nice and well-structured album. Don't know if Rise From Ashes will be distributed outside Japan, but I think it's really worth the money to purchase the import via the Internet. CONCERTO MOON can ensure total satisfaction to what they deliver.
P.S.: Pain in My Heart kicks serious mid-tempo melodic Metal ass.