FORKLIFT ELEVATOR is a Metal band based out of Italy. This is their debut album, self-financed and recorded, and contains eleven tracks. The eerie and indiscernible spoken words in the "Intro", lead quickly into the first track with vocals entitled "Misery." Sonically, it's kind of a cross between Classic Metal and Power Metal, with a lot of pace and energy. The vocals are mostly clean but done with an obvious rasp. At just over two minutes, it also has Punk tendencies, especially with the instrumentation. Though "The Skin" clocks in with an additional minute, the haste is still very driving. But this track has some darker qualities to it, especially in the guitar solo section. "Overload" brings the first part of variegate to the album, with its emotional acoustic leanings and a bluesy, southern rock sound. This song has a lot of soul, which is sometimes missed in this genre. "Struggle of Life" has a real bossy main riff and a lot of punch as well. The galloping feeling reminds me of some of the early work of JUDAS PRIEST. "Arey" is the oddball track on the album, in terms of length, being almost seven minutes long. It features another soft acoustic intro that allows a sturdy build-up to the main sound. You can think of it almost as a modern day power ballad. It's nicely constructed and breathes very freely. I really enjoyed this track. Closing the album is the song "Dream Reaper." Though it has a darker quality to it, it is anthemic in nature and this might be the track that I would play to best describe the band's sound. Overall, this is just honest and straightforward metal not to be overthought. Some of the tracks are hit or miss when it comes to memorability, but that can be expected with a first album and eleven total tracks. It is noteworthy to mention that it is well performed also, and I would look forward to hearing the band continue to develop as they write together in the future.<