Without a shadow of doubt, Progressive Power Metal is the most enchanted metal hybrid you could ever find. PAGAN'S MIND and SYMPHONY X are the biggest names in the genre, but there are tons of bands out there that create topnotch Prog-Power just waiting to be discovered. One of them is NOVERIA, a quintet from the city of Rome. They have been around since 2013, and since then has released two albums in 2014 and 2016. This October, they are releasing their third form "Aequilibrium" via Scarlet Records.

The album opens with "Waves", without a drama whatsoever. Its straightforward attack will truly hook you for the rest of the album. It runs high in adrenaline which was backed up by "The Awakening". The songs are full of positive energy, yet it possesses an equal touch of darkness in the lyrics. Clearly, this album relies heavily on the riffs and they fucking made it. Some of their best and crunchiest riffs can be heard in the songs "Blind", "Broken", and "Stronger Than Before". On top of the awesome production is Francesco Corigliano's excellent vocals, soaring through high notes and baritones with relative ease. The work on the keyboards is also very good, and is very essential to the life of the album. Remember that every good Progressive Metal bands out there have amazing keyboardists, and Julien lives up to that expectation.

Talking about dynamics, this album is like a workshop on how to do smooth transitions within every song and within the album itself. Besides the hard-hitting tracks, it also has mid-pacers like "Collide" and "The Nightmare". To complete the recipe, there is also a Power Ballad in the album called "Darkest Days". It's a good emotional song, but I'm not so sure why they chose to close the album with this kind of approach - however, this doesn't change the overall quality of the album.

Overall, I'd say that "Aequilibrium" is an excellent release. The production and songwriting are very good, there is balance within the album, the choruses are catchy and addictive as they can be, and most notably, the guitar work is awesome. Highly recommended.