From the country of Belgium comes IRON MASK, a Power Metal quartet that is releasing their sixth studio album entitled "Diabolica." Once again, all songwriting duties were relegated to guitarist Dushan Petrossi, and the album contains twelve tracks. The opening song, "I Don't Forget I Don't Forgive" is a fast paced, upbeat song registering in a major key. Like with a lot of Power Metal, the vocals are a strong suit in both range and that heavy vibrato that lets you know that you are listening to a traditional/classic singer here. "Doctor Faust" is more of an extended tale, at over seven minutes in length. For as long as it is, it is mostly riff driven and doesn't really reach out as high as it could. In fact it really falls kind of flat. "Galileo" however is darker and reminds me of the IRON MAIDEN song entitled "Run Silent, Run Deep." This step-brother in this genre is the brother I typically prefer more over the unabashed galloping and sometimes pretentious sounding songs that are more commonplace.

"All For Metal" is that anthem that you are always waiting for in this genre. The dual guitar harmonies dance above the canter of the bass and drum in unison, and the chorus underscores this with a big, lively sound. "The Rebellion of Lucifer" plods along with purpose and stature and focuses on the storytelling over any rollicking instrumentation. The spoken words which simulate Satan's voice add a nice touch to the tale. "Diabolica" as the title track might be the best on the album. There is a balanced mix of darkness and light with an alternating focus and emphasis on detailing the evil which comes from the title. "Ararat" has a sort of Arabian feel to it, which makes sense as the title refers to the Armenian Highlands. It sounds like an ode to a place where someone used to live. Then we come to the fourteen minute closer, "Curse In The Devil's Mill." It seems that whatever complexity may have been missing in earlier tracks was saved for this grand vision. Riff changes, interludes, glittering leads, and reprisals abound. This is a really solid piece of songwriting.

Power Metal is an interesting genre. The early incantations are thoroughly documented all over the globe. This sort of second wave however has been very hit or miss for me. There are those bands who are content to re-create the sounds of old and just stay in that pasture for their time as a group, and there are others who want to use the influences of these bands but create their own sound off the beaten path. This album for me has elements of both so I will say that there is potential, and that fans of the traditional sounds of this genre will like this album. It just was not overly resonating for me.