We will explore some Power Metal today with the band SILENT WINTER from Greece. This is a six piece band that released their first full album in 2019. However, the band was created much earlier in 1995. They are releasing their third full length album called Utopia via No Remorse Records. Nice cover by the way. We start with “We Burn The Future” that immediately immerse you in the genre. Melodic guitars, speedy double drums, and an amazing singer. You can immediately feel the vibes of GAMMA RAY and ANGRA.

We follow with a more keyboard oriented riff with “Hellstorm” that has a nice chorus and some impressive vocal performance from singer Mike Livas. The guy can sing at a very high register but delivers much more than that. Like many bands of this genre, you can feel a kind of mystical, medieval theme in every song as in the beginning of “Hands Held High” that is delivered in a less frenetic way prioritising the mood. This track gave me a total MANOWAR 's vibe. The sense of epicness can also be felt in “Reign Of The Tyrants”. Is like a hymn for battle with memorable choruses and lyrics to sing along in festivals around the world. We reach half way with “Manifest Of God” that starts with the good drumming of Vaggelis Tsekouras, and delivers a nice  and energetic  traditional Heavy Metal arrangement. For me the strongest of the album so far.

Every track has a good chorus that sits at its heart, as you can hear in “Reborn”. This song provides something to sing along during live gigs and it would be fair to say that there’s a distinguishable HALLOWEEN feel to it. The band also has a competent keyboardist in Maria Mosxeta that adds to the themes creative moods and nice arrangements. I just missed more keyboard solos a la John Lord. “Heart Is A Lonely Hunter” is the tune that sounded the most commercial to me in the sense that is too palatable. Basic riff that sounds too familiar to my ears and did not add much to the fold. However, I have to say that it is well done, well produced, and the vocals still sound killer. Also killer is the guitar duo of Kiriakos Balanos and Vaggelis Papadimitriou that complement each other with creative riffs and solos as you can hear in another good track “Silent Shadows” that has also a nice keyboard arrangement.

Let's not forget to talk about the bass player Vaggelis Tsekouras that despite doing a good job, has his bass a little low in the mix. Let the bass shine!! We end our journey with the whimsical “Utopia” that starts with a nice acoustic arrangement before the speed and double bass drum madness takes over. If you think about  the Power Speed Metal genre at its purity, this is the track. Full of energy and a melody and chorus that will make you want to go to battle. Good work from the gang and a great listening for the Power Metal fans.