Power Metal is a Metal genre that really needs a reformulation, a push to make things interesting again. Many bands still bet on the old formulas and clichés, evading the idea of creating something new. Althgouth they aren't revolutionary, it seems that the French quintet SILVER WIND seems to be rewriting the rules of the game on their first album, "Legion of the Exiled".

The first thing that calls our attention is their musical insight: it's extremely far from the model created by HELLOWEEN, ANGRA and RHAPSODY. It seems more a mix between influences from ACCEPT, RUNNING WILD and some melodies that comes from epic moments of MANOWAR, and even some Hard Rock feeling is presented. The vocals are not using that high pitched thin screams, their main focus is on the weight and not on the technical work (besides they aren't bad musicians at all). Their melodies are easy to understand and everything is on their right places. It's nothing new, but shows an alternative to the current model.

The sound quality is another interesting feature of "Legion of the Exiled": it is raw, and besides the sonority is not filthy, it grants their music some very good weight and an extra dose of aggressiveness. Although it could have been done in a better way, it is out of everything the producers of the genre are used to doing.

You can hear what these French guys are into when you hear songs as "Legion of the Exiled" with its thundering weight, created by bass guitar and drums, the fierce epic onslaught done by the guitars on "Miracle Steel", the purely German Metal style shown on the guitars and vocals on the excellent "Steel Against Steel", and the excellent traditional Heavy Metal melodies that fills "Lord of the Last Rampart" and "Revenge". But you must hear their fine version for MEDIEVAL STEEL's song "Medieval Steel", that is really very good, with the band putting their own personality on it (besides some high pitched screams appear on the end of the song).

They aren't quite there, but they will be if the band evolves in the right way.