Now this is a new one. For all the criticisms you can throw at Power Metal - the cheese, the nerdiness, the chainmail - it's very, very rare to find any that's boring. Plenty of people, for example, don't like DRAGONFORCE, but their shows are so bombastically ludicrous that even Tom G. Warrior would find something to enjoy. Maybe. The pomp, the showmanship, and the sheer exuberance of Power Metal, is key to why so many people love it.

So why then, is "Through The Ages" so unremittingly dull? On paper it should be ace; it's the sophomore release by a Dutch six-piece who've been doing this for nearly fifteen years and is packed with galloping rhythms, high speed guitar solos, and songs about Kings defending their lands against Viking invasions. And yet somehow, very little of the band's passion and enthusiasm has worked its way through the decks and into the recordings themselves. It should be a near constant adrenaline rush, instead it sounds like Power Metal that's being played by people who don't like Power Metal.

That's not to say it doesn't have moments. Album mid-point "Laissez Faire", for example, is like SABATON gone Medieval and has an instantly hummable chorus, while "A Wanderer's Lament" is a well-executed ballad. For the most part though, "Through The Ages" is frustrating and unremarkable.

Part of this can be attributed to the vocals of Jacco De Wijs. He can certainly hold a tune, but compared to someone like Matt Barlow or Niklas Isfeldt, his voice lacks character and the album is practically begging for a few more piercing, high register screams. It's not entirely his fault though, and the entire band must shoulder some of the blame for making tracks like "The Finest Hour" and "Of Spices And Gold" so depressingly ho-hum.

If you could pick out a single moment to define "Through The Ages", it's "To Rule Them All". This particular track revolves around Alfred The Great, the Dark Ages King of Wessex, who united the English and spent his entire lifetime fighting off constant Viking attacks. It's a subject deserving of a big booming anthem that'd make even casual listeners want to stand atop a cliff, hair billowing in the wind, while an invisible camera pans around them in a wide panoramic shot. Instead, it's five and a half minutes of trying to resist hitting the 'skip' button. Avoid.<