Greek guitarist and bassist Babis Kaisas assembled the band KAISAS to see his songwriting ideas come to full fruition. Their debut album in 2011 "Unify" featured ex-TNT / SHY vocalist Tony Mills and drummer Acacio Carvalho, while for the follow up "Degitalize" he chose HEAVENS EDGE singer Mark Evans and MYSTIC FORCE drummer Allen Brunelle to complete the work through these 12 songs.

The style is melodic Hard Rock with 80's AOR leanings, Mark keeping his harmonies and natural high range in line with say ORION THE HUNTER or 80's era KANSAS when John Elefante was the main singer. Babis has adequate playing skills, occasionally offering up an energetic hook/ chord combination that works well through the high melodies - "Baby Don't Cry" and the cruising ALDO NOVA-like "Poisoned Heart". Beyond the 11 original songs, the trio decide to tackle the 80's CUTTING CREW pop classic "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" that seems a little bit slower and more melancholic than the original.

The production values leave a lot to be desired. Overall the drums appear to be very distant and squashed in the mix, and I feel that the quality is closer to something I would expect in demo form than a true album. KAISAS could be victimized by the 'downloading / file sharing' antics that leave artists to record on shoestring budgets, but if they want to be taken seriously against the hundreds of other releases per month to hit the marketplace, quality on all fronts wins in the end- and this seriously affects long term enjoyment.

If Babis continues to go this route for a third album, he should really take the time to invest in a better mixing / mastering budget, otherwise his melodic hard rock talents are wasted.