MISTHERIA is not only the name of the band, it is also the nickname of the founder. He only goes by that one name. After quite a lot of digging I finally found out his full name: Guiseppe "Mistheria" Iampieri. He is a keyboard player and the rest of the band is basically a huge guest list, so I can safely say this is a project band and not a touring band. The music is of course filled with keyboards a little too much for my taste, but that is to be expected when the main musician in the band is a keyboard player.This is his fourth solo album since 1998. He is quite the maestro, his playing is top notch. In this album he often performs some classical music from the legendary composer Frederic Chopin and does fabulous job of it. He speeds it up to make it sound "Metal" and adds some electric guitar and drumming for good measure.

I have long been a fan of "metalized" classical music. Joey Demaio constantly refers to classical composer Richard Wagner as the father of true Heavy Metal and if you listen to the powerful compositions of the legendary composer you can definitely hear what Joey is referring to. Of course all the playing is top notch, but is it Metal? Yes it is. It is also so much more. The album is a huge melting pot of different musical influences with the keyboards being the focus backed up with stellar electric guitar playing, some very good double bass drumming and fantastic vocals from all the guest vocalists. Every one of them does a great job from start to finish. This music is very technical, but it has the speed required to keep me interested. Is the music "high brow"? I am not sure. I think many people will find this music enjoyable. You certainly don't need to wear a tuxedo and a tie to the concert.

Overall, if you love it complex and epic this is for you. The songs are well written and performed admirably, my favorite being "The Power Of One".The fantasy elements are here in the form of the songs "Dragon Fire" and "The Beast". I recommend this album to fans of Metal-infused keyboard playing and powerful epic Metal. I think you will like what you find inside.