Innerwish – No Turning Back

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For just their fourth album in fifteen years Greek power metal outfit Innerwish signed to their third label so far, Sweden’s Ulterium Records, enlisting locally famed producer Fredrik Nordström. No Turning Back is probably their strongest album to date, on the back of several successful tours and festival slots. The presence of both Primal Fear and Brainstorm can be felt all over many of the tracks, including anthemic opener The Signs of Our Lives and other ready-made concert fist-raisers Burning Desires, title track No Turning Back and Save Us. Back-to-back pairing of Lawmaker and Welcome To My World are straight out of the Astral Doors book of dark metal courtesy of vocal melodies very reminiscent of Nils Patrik Johansson while hints of Tony Martin and Mark Boals preside over the Eastern influenced epic Kingdom of Our Prime. Vocalist Babis Alexandropoulos delivers one of the most towering performances of the year here, culminating in the astonishingly heartfelt piano ballad Live For My Own, which may well prove to be the vocal delivery of the year come December. For fans of classic power metal this is probably the best 2010 will offer.

Written by Andy Lye
More: 2010, Albums, Power Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Innerwish