I had read several months ago that the North Carolina reissue label, Divebomb Records was going to release a collection of demo and live tracks from German Progressive Metal titans, SUPERIOR  and was looking very forward to this release. I own a large collection of Divebomb releases and know the quality and passion put into each of their releases is second to none and on this one, they certainly delivered the goods once again!

I've been listening to SUPERIOR for years and know them as playing Progressive Metal (I saw them play a killer set at ProgPower II in Atlanta, GA back in 2001), but this CD shows their roots came in a much more Power Metal direction. As the first few tracks roared out of my speakers, the band I was listening to resembled classic HELLOWEEN and GAMMA RAY. Both of those bands pack spectacular musicianship and SUPERIOR definitely has chops as well as their influences, which makes this release one I really enjoyed. The first five tracks start off with the songs from the "Moral Alliance" demo, which showcase a much different style heard on "Younique" and "Ultima Ratio", but are highly enjoyable none the less. The last 8 tracks were recorded at the band's 20^th anniversary shows and were tracks written during the "Moral Alliance" era that were never recorded (one of them is a well done QUEENSRYCHE cover). It must be mentioned that the disc was expertly remastered by Jamie King, a rising star in production and mastering. He truly makes this music from yesteryear really come to life!

My verdict on this is simple: if you dig the masters of the German Power Metal scene and want to hear another great band play this style of music, this is the CD to pick up!