Euro power metal

Stratovarius did manage to almost become the next big thing for a brief moment in the past as they managed to bring their rather standard power metal with some quite virtuosic performances from certain members and a series of pretty good albums with key “classic” songs and a singer in Kotipelto that sounded more impressive than he actually was “good” to the masses, at the right time... but then some weird $#it hit the fan.
 

I remember many years ago… (apparently twelve have passed) receiving the debut album of Axenstar “Perpetual Twilight ” for review… I think M#t@l #$#@$#@%, was still “in print” back then, in fact!!! I remember them being a quite hapless bunch and from being on a small Spanish company I even though they must have been Spanish… you see, back in the day, encyclopedia metallum wasn’t a luxury afforded, and not everybody was sending press releases with their promos – or even if they did it’s no guarantee they reached the intended recipient.
 

4th Dimension is an Italian band whose musical style belongs to the symphonic power metal. To their credit they have so far a released a debut album entitled “The White Path to Rebirth”, in 2011 and this year they do return with their sophomore effort “Dispelling the Veil of Illusions” which consists of 10 compositions.
 

What started out as a personal project by the young and unknown songwriter/vocalist/producer/ multi-instrumentalist Tommy Johansson then… turned out to be a consistent euro power metal band that has released 5 albums since 2008 when the debut was out! That’s pretty impressive don’t you think? Especially, if we keep in mind that Tommy has played in three other bands (PelleK, Golden Resurrection, Charlie Shred) except for ReinXeed and he has recorded and produced quite a few albums during the last five years… three of them will be out later in May. Undoubtedly, this young Swedish is a very talented guy by any means.