How do you like your power metal? Fast?  Soaring vocals? Songs about evil rising?  Unstoppable double bass?  If that is describing what you are looking for then you're in luck because LANCER brings it all in spades.  Sure, there isn't anything here that hasn't been done before but, these days, everything under the sun has been done.  It isn't what you do but how you do it. LANCER does is so well that it's almost scary and in that process they end up not really sounding like anyone else on the scene.

Vocalist Stenvall's opening wail on "Dead Raising Towers" blows out your ear drums while reminding you more of Prog vocalists like Tate or La Torre than corny falsetto.  Stenvall's vocals can indeed get rather high pitched but he never over does it or tries to outshine the songs; he effortlessly glides along with the music using a sharp, pointed, vocal attack. Kelemen and Solvelius bring a twin guitar attack but it isn't all about guitar dueling; a large part of the music is pretty much speed metal. The super-fast riffing on tracks like "Iscariot" and "Freedom Eaters" echo LABYRINTH during their "Return To Heaven Denied" era.

Generally speaking, metal as a whole tends to not be a real show case for great bass players but Oberg is pretty damn amazing; his bass sound has a really good funky, playful sound to it but also still brings a heavy low end.  He really shines thru when the guitars forgo speed for melody, allowing him to lead the band. Remember the unstoppable double bass I mentioned? Pedernera is a machine with double bass so fast it sometimes sound like there is another guitar player thrashing out.  His snare and cymbal work is fast, clean, and furious. Although it is obviously early in the year, this album will without a doubt go down as one of the best Power/Prog releases of 2017.