STARGAZERY is a Finnish Melodic Metal band re-releasing their debut album "Eye on the Sky" as a limited release on vinyl. Due to the wonderful production, instrumentation, and vocal work, I highly recommend purchasing this album on vinyl. The opening track, "Dying", begins with some ambiance interspersed with a solid melody. The vocalist, Jari Tiura, comes in with a beautiful, low voice; he doesn't strain his voice trying to hit notes too high for him (except for the odd falsetto or two). Instead, he stays comfortably in his range and carries his clear, commanding voice well throughout the album. While it's a simple song instrumentally, by showcasing the singer's talent, it's got me hooked already.

The instrumentation on the second track, "Puppet on a String", is progressive and interesting. We get treated to the singer's upper register and while it's a hair shaky, it's still good: powerful, clear, operatic - some of the best I've heard in a while. I wish production would turn up the vocals a little more on this track, but the mixing on the album is great overall. I love the symphonics in the solo and the quality is as good as the Power Metal gods I indulged in high school and it brings me back to the golden age of European Power Metal in the early 2000's. "I Am the Night" is my favorite on the album. I enjoy how the band combines European Symphonic Metal tropes and classic 80's synthesizers. I didn't expect to like it. Not to mention, the vocalist is amazing! It combines the best of KAMELOT, NIGHTWISH and SCORPIONS. This song just puts a smile on my face due to the quality (note: he sounds like Klaus Meine in his upper register).

While the follow up track, "Eye on the Sky" is good, it's not as stellar as the last track. I love the riff, but it sounds a lot like every other generic Power Metal song and I'm personally not a fan of the hook. It's still a great song, and I think I'd like it better if it weren't following up the last track. I enjoyed the fast guitars in the instrumental break, however. I also like the varied tempos and flavors of the songs. The last track was fast, but the next track, "How Many Miles", is slower and more anthemic with varied pacing. I love this band when their songs are anthemic and have a steady, fist-pumping tempo more than when they veer towards thrash (the last song).

The last song on side A (and the album's slow ballad), "Every Time I Dream of You" was expectedly good. The vocalist can hold his own (demonstrated in every song before this), so he should have no problem with a slow song where the weight's more on him. However, I prefer his voice on faster tracks and think this song would go from good to excellent if he started in his lower register. However, the song is great as it is, especially the vocals. The next three songs are the most symphonic. The opening of side B, "Judah (The Lion)", gives us a great symphonic intro and shows us Tiura's good command of his high range. I love the instrumentation here, especially the guitar solo. The sweeps are great. The next two songs turn up the cheese, a lot. They're technically good, like the rest of the album, but unless you really like the ham, they're probably not going to be for you.

The closing track, a cover of BLACK SABBATH's "Headless Cross" goes back to a more 80's style. While the last 3 were heavily symphonic, this one's edgier. It retains its epic stylings throughout and ties the album together in a decent, albeit long, closing track. The bonus track is technically great but doesn't reach the quality of the songs on the album. It's still a fun song. Overall, this a wonderfully mastered, technically spot-on album. If for nothing else, check it out for its seamless blending of power metal styles and great production.