STORMFORGE is a Power Metal band that hails from my home country of glorious New Zealand, whom I have been following for a year, since witnessing them live with NIGHTWISH. The best support act of the night had already set themselves in stone as quite a gem, even more so now with their first commercially-available recording, "Sea Of Stone". This EP contains 4 tracks, each special and brilliant in their own right. The band's influences are deep-seated in the realms of epic Power Metal such as LOST HORIZON, ANGRA and HELLOWEEN.

Opening track "Immolation to Infinity", by design or not, feels perfectly suited to fire off such a recording. A fantastical, powerful, melodic intro, anxiously lengthy for good reason, builds the foundation for an upbeat and uplifting verse riff. Great Power Metal does not solely contain expert musicianship and intellectual arrangements; the vocals are usually universally recognized as top-notch. The classically-power metal vocals of Courtney compliment the technically well-versed instrumental outputs of the rest of the band and will put chest-hairs on everything, singing with equilibrium of power and pitch-management. "As the Night Sky Burns" builds on the heavyweight foundations set by the previous with ballista-lined walls of metal and beard-having. For the most part, it is noticeably more up-tempo, and more aggressive in the riffage, this time focusing on the immortal sound of double-kicks pounding out a furious rhythm section. A lengthy track, the band used time to their advantage, giving the song a chance to evolve as it progressed through slower and softer passages and changes in arrangement, much in the vein of LOST HORIZON.

A thoughtful touch on this EP was the inclusion of a ballad in the form of "Death Sings in the Night". For this piece the band powers down a notch; Courtney simmers down from blazing screams and wails to a soulful croon; guitarists Flynn and Miro, bassist Tom and drummer Antony bring out a toned-down, bluesy side in the band. This lasted for nearly 3 minutes until STORMFORGE could not resist but to break out some surprising heaviness, carrying the ballad through a small genre-wormhole, ending up in the best lead-guitar section on the album, marked by virtuosic solo trade-offs and galloped rhythm sections. The final and title track, even longer than the second brings back the epic churning of the first, and explores an even greater number of tempos, chord and melody progressions, filling out the well-spent 9 minutes with Courtney's greatest vocal performance and a lengthy, blazing sweep-solo.

New Zealand's metal scene is typically popularized by extreme Metal acts, but to hear a melodic Metal band this excellent among the sea of black and death (and blackened Death, and Death / Black / Thrash), is a welcomed experience. Hearing 4 tracks, I am most anxious to hear a full-length down the road.