THE ORDER is a New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWTHM) band from Switzerland releasing their sixth full-length album. They wanted to produce a harder album that went back to their roots, incorporating lower bass and guitar riffs and adding a bit of grit to an otherwise operatic, shiny album. The quality is what makes this album. While the songs may not necessarily stand out from one another, the album overall is well done.

The opening track "The Show" begins with a gallop riff revving up. The vocals range from gritty and gravelly and climb into an operatic belt that is wonderful to hear. It's a conceptual introduction to the whole thing that I would love to hear opening at a concert. The following songs are combination of power metal, speed metal, and traditional metal. While all the songs were solid, there were a few standouts. "Dreams Are Not The Same" is a melodic romp with a great, engine-cutting riff from the bass harmonizing with the soaring guitars and vocals. The operatic vocals are energized and point. I love the sudden stops before the chorus for emphasis, it's a really nice way to use musical painting. "August In Miami" is another interesting one. It starts off like any other 80s-inspried song on this album, but it has this fiery energy that makes it stand out more. I think it's because it's more rooted in LA glam metal than the other ones. The piano-based song "Sometimes" is an interesting composition for a metal band. It invokes imagery of a lonely city street at daybreak. It's one of my favorites because of its uniqueness. It stands out against the incredibly traditional songs on the album. Coming so late in the track listing, I didn't expect it. The closing song is a brash, heavy hitter in the style of DIO. It mirrors the opening song, and is a fitting, solid closer for the album. However, I still have its predecessor in my head.

Overall, I thought it was very traditional metal. It's a solid album with intriguing vocals and instrumental notes. But does it stand out enough to be memorable? Each song is varied from the last one, so it doesn't feel too monotonous. The surprises the album threw at me made it worth it, particularly "Sometimes." As a whole, it's the quality of the album, especially the vocals, that distinguish this album from its peers.  If you like a darker tone to your traditional metal with a few surprises thrown in, this is worth checking out.