Rating: 91/100 / Because of the sudden kick-off of the first song, I'm immediately taken in by Ivory Moon's music. With the first notes of the singer I fell in love with him because of his killer singing. What a load of passion does this Sandro Manicone display with his voice! This band distinguishes itself from bands like Hammerfall or Nightwish by combining power metal with a slight touch of gothic metal. Of course it's the same trick that Nightwish does, but this band does differently. Characteristic for Ivory Moon is that the male vocals dominate the female singer in a combination of almost lovely piano tunes and sometimes almost soundtrack-like compositions (like the end of the song 'Reign of Time'). The interaction between Sandro and the extremely blonde female singer Cecilia is perfect. In duets they challenge and motivate each other to express themselves in their best ways. Both show what they are capable of like using their voices in different ways. Also worth indicating: Tarja (ex-Nightwish) has a new competitor! The songs contain a lot of rough changes of pace, bombastic passages, nice melodies, strings, fast drum parts and also choirs, all packed together in one powerful whole. There aren't any real ballads on the album because there a lot of change-overs and bridges in Ivory Moon's music: that's what a real power metalband is all about. The song 'Golgota' contains some rough voices with a sharp edge of both singers. The chorus is easy to sing along and therefore very catchy. 'Golgota' is a composition that had me dancing on my chair. One thing that's on my mind: maybe it would have been nice if Cecilia had a song for 'herself' instead of only opening the songs 'In The Deep Forest' and 'The Second King'. Finally the band does not have to compete with their compatriots Lacuna Coil because that band has a totally different sound. I think they can handle themselves pretty well in the metal world. A defying band with an own sound. After some research I still can't find any planned European tour for promoting the CD; I'll visit them, for sure. --Lords of Metal
