MINUETUM is a Power Metal band hailing from Athens, Greece. The most surprising element is that the album was mixed and mastered by Timo Tollki. The man seems to be perpetually busy. The album starts out almost shockingly with blast beats accompanied by traditional Power Metal keyboards, then it calms down a bit and unfortunately the vocalist chimes in. Not to be mean, but I have heard better in my lifetime and to be fair, I have also heard a lot worse. Hopefully he will improve. I don't know exactly how to explain my disappointment with his vocals other than to say he annoyed me. I will note though however, that after repeated listening, his vocals began to either grow on me (a little), or it just become less of a factor, since the rest of the music is done rather well. The keyboards are gratuitous, but nicely played at the same time. It has a melody and isn't just key mashing.

I like the production. It has depth and sounds great. The double bass drumming is done very well. The rhythm guitar is solid as are the rest of instruments that accompany them with ease. The solos are solid standouts and one of the best and most satisfying aspects of the album. The songs range in topic, but never go past the realm of what Power Metal is about. You don't get something that feels terribly out of place. Dimitris Zacharopoulos needs to work on his voice. I don't mean to belabor the point (I can't help it) but it's not a deal breaker for me like Gerrit Mutz from SACRED STEEL is. I just can't take that guy. The keyboard into to "Key To Glory" is a nice touch. It would be nice if they didn't use them as much as they do."Time To Fly" is up tempo and features some quality guitar work. The final song on the album is an epic titled "Eternal Twilight" and it begins with some beautiful female vocals. It is my belief that they should use her as their main vocalist. This final song is my favorite on a fairly average album.

Overall I wouldn't highly recommend this to anyone that gets annoyed with vocal issues. Those who are able to see, or in this case "hear" beyond that, might like this album more than I do. It has its heart in the right place and perhaps they can mature into something better in the future.