Let's talk about being productive. Some bands take ages to release let an album, let alone several. Then you have the Symphonic Power Metal band IMPERATORE, hailing from Perth in Australia. They were formed in 2023, and thus far the band has produced an album per year. "Imperatore" was released in 2023, while 2024 they gave us "Nations, Rise!". 19 December 2025 saw the third rendition of their music with the one I'm about to review, "The Lionspirit". Ten songs that last over 42 minutes will have you transported into a world where Classical Music and Power Metal meet, with Symphonic backing where possible. And before I go ahead and tell you more about the album itself, I need to point out that there are only three people in IMPERATORE, but it sounds more like double that number.

The sound that "The Lionspirit" is showing off is superb, is exactly what this kind of music needs. The bombastic and epic parts are being blasted through your speakers, which does happen all through the album. The Heavier parts like the distorted guitars are very much present at the beginning of the album, but slowly drift a bit to the background when the Classical elements come out to impress. That's when I feel that IMPERATORE doesn't  reap what they are sowing. What is most impressive though are the vocals of Zoran Cunjack. He has a very strong voice, and can articulate everything perfectly. But when he starts his operatic meanderings, he really becomes a force in himself.

As for the music, well, if you decide start with "Ides Of March", my hairs start standing on end straight away. We all know the IRON MAIDEN version (and woe to those who don't), but even though this one is recognisable, it is completely different in interpretation. The amount of keyboards and background noises not mentioned in the line-up make the IMPERATORE version at least as impressive as the MAIDEN one. As a whole I think that "The Lionspirit" isn't bad at all, it just misses a natural flow. It feels a bit too haphazard. For my taste there are too many stops and starts, that do make sense, but take away the ability for me as a listener to really to get into the whole experience properly. Doesn't change the fact that IMPERATORE has produced a solid album that will appeal to a lot of Symphonic Power Metal fans. Oh, and that they are proud to be Australian will become quite clear when you hear "Australian". No worries, mate!