One year after the very good impression that I got from Dominion of Darkness, JACOB'S DREAM return with their 5th studio album entitled Beneath The Shadows. It is pretty obvious that Chaz Bond's voice has fitted the band's musical profile just fine  sounding solid as hell. The big step was made and the group, under the label of Retroactive Records, is ready to gain more thumbs up with their melodic Power Metal.

Through its 45 minutes, Beneath The Shadows is capable to remind us the golden period of QUEENSRYCHE and the non-approachable era of Operation: Mindcrime  straight back in 1988. The similarities are many: first of all, the timbre of Mr. Bond and the atmosphere created in a straightforward manner during the entire album. Secondly, this is a concept album and thus the songs bound together with the melodic guitar riffs and leads. The opening track, Welcome To My World, starts with the sound of heavy rain falling and the phrase ...I just wanted to tell you that everything's changed... I've changed... please, just give me a chance to explain... and the show begins! Berry and Noble make an excellent duo in the guitars and the voice of Bond welcomes us in the absolute world of JACOB'S DREAM. I was shocked the same with Kinescope last year.

And the guitars' melodic battle has just started: Minds Will Burn, Illusive Dream and All My Fears show us an aggressive side while Stain, the superb The Hell That I Breathe and The Darkest Hour reveal a sensitive and emotional point of view. The penultimate, self-titled song reminds a lot of Geof Tate's reading and gives the appropriate passing to The Blessing And The Curse which leaves us with a thirst for more. In my opinion, Beneath The Shadows is a complete Metal album with many original melodies, catchy guitar riffs and vocals that few singers grant in Metal nowadays.

Without a single doubt, this one has all the ingredients to become a classic album; full of inspiration and hooks that no one can avoid. All these, of course, only if you are an 'open- minded' listener who doesn't take up only with band names and labels.