The U.S. is known for breeding some of the best Death, Thrash and Speed Metal bands on the planet (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, MEGADETH, EXODUS, CANNIBAL CORPSE, DEATH ANGEL, MORBID ANGEL, HATE ETERNAL and so on), but it hasn't really kept up the pace as the European continent has, as far as Power Metal goes. Things are changing, though. More recently, Power Metal has been increasingly gaining popularity in the U.S. and thus more bands are choosing to play it (Nebraska's CELLADOR comes to mind). Another promising, up-and-coming act is Townsend, MA-based youngsters ARMORY, who possess the know-how to bring back some excitement into the sub-genre.

ARMORY - Adam Kurland (vocals), Chad Fisher (guitar/session drums), Joe Kurland (guitar), Thomas Preziosi (bass), Peter Rutcho (keyboards) and Tom Vieira (live drums) - have just released their debut full-length, "The Dawn Of Enlightenment". Judging from the album cover there is no mistaking that this is in fact a true Power Metal album, but surprisingly enough it does not adopt the cliché "cheesiness" that follows most others. Sure the typical Power Metal themes are there - epic guitar riffing, pounding double kick, soaring vocals, keyboard fillers, etc. - but ARMORY take the typical Power Metal sound and add more variety into the mix to keep things interesting and avert boredom, and this is certainly not boring. In fact, "The Dawn Of Enlightenment" could very well be a contender for "best Power Metal debut of the year".

It's obvious that the band are heavily influenced by the Europeans (especially EDGUY, IRON MAIDEN and HELLOWEEN), along with the traditional '80s sound, and the band do a good job of amalgamating the two nicely. Despite the fact that Adam Kurland's voice has a slight resemblance to Tobias Sammet's (EDGUY, AVANTASIA), his pitch, tone and melody blends in perfectly with the music, which sets him apart from the majority of the European Power Metal singers. He executes his vocal abilities seamlessly in tracks like "Faith In Steel", "Riding The Cosmic Winds" and "The Eyes Of Time", while the instrumentalists provide the thundering rhythms. Speaking of which, it's refreshing to listen to anthemic guitar riffs and keyboards working together in unison without being overdone. In addition to the stand-out 13+ minute epic title track, ARMORY also throw in a few bonuses - first by showing a nod to IRON MAIDEN with "Flight Of Icarus" and then with a whacky version of "Dr. Wily".

All in all, "The Dawn Of Enlightenment" turns out to be an enjoyable listen. It provides a digestible dose of Power Metal without the feeling of being bombarded by a slew of repetitive rubbish and silly vocals. Although a young band, ARMORY are a welcome addition to the Power Metal family and have more than enough spark within them to make a good career for themselves. Give it some time and sure enough they'll have labels knocking on their door.