SELENSEAS is a Russian symphonic metal band combining elements of folk, orchestral, Viking, traditional power metal, electronic, and progressive metal to bring you a wild fantasy ride with their all-new album, "The Outer Limits." Active since 2017, the band delivers great music that symphonic metal fans will especially appreciate.

The "Intro" is a typical entrance into a symphonic metal fantasy, complete with orchestral elements. The music swells and gives us a taste of the symphonic elements on the album until it stops abruptly. "Hope" is the first full-length song on the album. Apart from wishing for a smoother transition from the opening track into this one, it's a great song. It's musically tight. The vocals are clear and operatic, with a slight characterized quality. The production is clear, so the distinctions between each instrument and the harmonies are transparent. It's a promising opening with some great harmonies and songwriting qualities present.

"Frigate" opens with some wave-crashing ambiance. Here's where I hear the Viking metal influence for the first time, rather than just straight-up symphonic beats. The main melody gallops in an enticing way. The lyrics are evocative of fantasy landscapes, which will pull any symphonic metal fan in. The next song, "Time," shows the variety between tracks, but also shows how the band can creatively blend elements from traditional power metal with progressive elements like tempo changes in the middle of the chorus. The guitar solo in "Asgard" is remarkable in its variety. I also enjoyed the varied melodies throughout the song, including a syncopated sounding opening that drew me in.

"The Revenge Of The Ifrit" is the long, steady ballad on the album. Featuring symphonics and strong Nordic elements, the song draws me in to the intro and invites me to stay through the steady, heavy track. The intro is long, but so characterized that I don't mind. Another great thematic song is the next one. "Dante" begins with a wonderfully melancholy orchestration. The lower register of the vocalist and the allusions to Dante's Inferno are spot on. It listens like an ode to Virgil, Dante's guide into Hell. The echoing harmonies in the second verse are also a plus. "The Mirror" is also a delight, from the tingling beginning and galloping riff to the shattering glass at the end. The variety in the guitar solo is also a treat to hear. At this point, that's not a surprise. The guitar solos on the album are all exquisite.

The album closes with "The Outer Limits", an instrumental that pulls no punches. It ends the album on a cosmic note that transcends the more traditional Viking undertones of the album. While it would seem to come out of nowhere, the penultimate song, "The Milky Way," bridges it to the rest of the album in a biting, intense song. "The Milky Way" is cosmos breaking out of a traditional symphonic metal song that leads perfectly to the closer of the album.

If you're a fan of symphonic metal and prefer the older sounds of NIGHTWISH's "Oceanborn" album, or even SONATA ARCTICA's "Ecliptica," you will love this band. They combine several, fantastic elements of power metal into one album and they do it incredibly well. My one caveat is that I wish they would have been slightly more experimental, but that's a nitpick. Great job to this band, I hope to hear more in the future!