WIZARD is German power metal fixtures. Formed in Bocholt in 1989, they have released 11 full-length albums, the latest of which is "Fallen Kings", released in June 16 this year. They began their career with "Son of Darkness" in 1995, followed by "Battle of Metal" (1997) "Bound by Metal" (1999) "Head of the Deceiver" (2001) "Odin" (2003) "Magic Circle" (2005) "Goochan" (2007) "Thor" (2009) "...of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes" (2011) and "Trail of Death" (2013). The album begins with "Liar and Betrayer" using the ubiquitous power metal drumming pattern, which also appears on "White Wolf". You know the one: the double bass setting the tempo and the cymbal striking on every other beat, the snare striking on every fourth. "Let Us Unite" sees this pattern actively restrain the music, where the whole song sounds like it's battling to break free from its doggedly standard beat.

There are a couple of decent tracks. "Brothers In Spirit" (a superior version of the album's earlier mid-tempo track, "We Are the Masses") differs rhythmically and therefore automatically stands out - it's a good song besides, with melodies slightly different from the usual traditional power metal fare. The admittedly overlong "Live Your Life" has some variation and strong leads here and there.  "Father to Son" has a nice opening riff, but the chorus and bridge are the best parts of this track, where the ideas that WIZARD was exploring up to this point are realized to some degree. The backing vocals layer well with the leads and come off as stronger for it. "Frozen Blood" has solid constituent elements, even if the repetition dulls them somewhat. "You're the King", aside from having the most energetic chorus on the album, is a perfect example of an entirely acceptable trad power metal song. It doesn't break any new ground, but also doesn't make any serious mistakes (other than the numbingly monotonous rhythm guitar on the intro).

As with most average traditional power metal albums, "Fallen Kings" leans heavily on the voice of a lead vocalist, but D'Anna's is powerful and unique enough that this doesn't kill it. Aside from that, I don't find much to recommend. Considering that WIZARD are 11-album power metal veterans from a country with a prolific metal scene - indeed, a country that has produced excellent bands in the genre WIZARD inhabits - it's an unpleasant surprise that this album is barely superior to the Helker release I reviewed last week. "Fallen Kings" sounds restrained in an oddly tepid way, which is baffling given that the preceding full-length was pretty good. Given that they had twice the amount of time that they usually take (every two years, roughly) to make this album, it's a pity that it's merely passable.