According to the information that cane with this STAR.GATE album "The Moment Of A Lifetime" they consider themselves to play Neoclassical Metal, whatever that may be. What I do know is that I hear Power Metal, Symphonic Metal and Melodic Rock in different combinations and styles. As this is already the seventh studio album by this Greek band from Thessaloniki in Central Macedonia, my expectations were such that I would be hearing a band of which I could confirm that they have been playing this kind of music for almost 23 years, since 2003. And that is indeed the fact. You can really hear that these people have a history together, that they feed off each other and that they have a knack as to complement each other where possible.

If you are a fan of this kind of Neoclassical Metal in general, or in this case what STAR.GATE is feeding us on "The Moment Of A Lifetime", I guess that you're in for a treat. It will be no surprise that I feel that this album will really speak to you. Why? Because everything that STAR.GATE does fits. The songs are well written, properly built up and all have that kind of flow that makes listening to it all rather easy. And to top it all off you have singer Dimitris Tiktopoulos who not only has a very decent voice, but also happens to own a very pleasant sound to make your experience even more pleasurable. I will warn you, I find most of what I hear on "The Moment Of A Lifetime" to fall into the category easy-listening music.

And therein lies my biggest critique. The songs are all a bit too simple for a real Neoclassical Metal band. I would have liked to hear more Classical elements shine through, would have preferred some more intricate breaks and passages to be used and played. To me "The Moment Of A Lifetime" is not a bad album as such, just of a level that is below what I had hoped for from STAR.GATE, especially as they have been making music for such along time. I guess I expected too much. Don't get me wrong, this is pleasant music, but please classify this as Symphonic Melodic Rock, because that would be a lot more appropriate as a description. STAR.GATE is quite a good band, but "The Moment Of A Lifetime" is not giving me those extra vibes or shivers down my spine that I was hoping for.