I have read about a few Heavy Metal bands coming out of Bulgaria in recent years, although I personally haven't heard many of them before. KROSSFIRE is a fine example of what this country has to offer to Power Metal fans, and this is made evident with their full-length debut album "Learning To Fly".

Despite taking a very similar title to a hit single by the FOO FIGHTERS, this album presents plenty of uniqueness to keep KROSSFIRE an interesting prospect for Metal fans. The album features a nice, well-constructed collection of Prog influenced Power Metal. The overall sound lacks a little in the punch department, and because of this, sometimes fails to keep my attention. It does, however, do a nice job of mixing things up to keep it moving along comfortably. This is an essentially quality that an album needs to be heard as a whole in this era of iTunes.

I like what KROSSFIRE does with the synths on this record, giving that kind of atmospheric ambience, but it does really affect the guitars; which are a bit underemphasized. The Bass and Drums are also somewhat lost in translation in the mix. Vocalist Dimo Petkov does a nice job with the singing, but doesn't change his style much throughout. That's why the guest appearance by Violeta Kousheva feels so refreshing on the closing track "The One", but frankly; I thank that song should have been more toward the middle of the album rather than at the end as it would break things up a bit more effectively.

It's really just a bunch of small complaints, but the album is pretty enjoyable overall. Definitely worth getting if you can find a copy at a discount somewhere. If you like synth heavy Power Metal, this record will be an enjoyable title for you. I think KROSSFIRE should implement some heavier riffs and maybe mix up the vocals on the next record if they really want to make a splash, but for now they will fall into the "good, but nothing special" category.

I think they standout songs on this record are the Title track "Learning To Fly" and "False Reality", the closing duet "The One" is a nice mellow track as well. Check out of few of their tracks on YouTube or their Myspace page and decide for yourself if this record belongs in your collection. It really will come right down to personal taste, as would just about anything.