Artist: Juvaliant
   Title: Inhuman Nature
   Label: Limb Music  

Hailing from Austria, Juvaliant are a Symphonic Progressive Power Metal that aim to shake the very foundations of the genre with their debut release ‘Inhuman Nature’.  The album opens up with the intro ‘Into The Abyss’ which sets the mood for the entire album.  This almost film score style intro shows the high quality musicianship of the band from the off and leaves you wanting to hear more.

And more you get as the album opens up proper with superb ‘Heroes (We Will Be)’.  This true blue Symphonic Metal at its finest.  A big meaty bass line courtesy of Aleksandar Vešic and a massive drum sound from Sebastian Lanser, engulfed in a fiery lick filled guitar from Robert Schönleitner and the superb keyboards of Saso Gacnik.  But without a vocalist equal to the task this would all be in vain, however luckily the band have found a voice equal to the musical splendor in Thomas Strübler.

The riff monster Schönleitner and the keyboard wizard Gacnik really set their stalls on the excellent ‘Doomsday Machine’.  This one has an air of Rhapsody of Fire about it, then there is the sublime metal of ‘Live To Die’, a much heavier refrain to this one, with a bigger double kick drum sound, a more menacing bass line and a chunkier guitar.  But it’s the tremendous vocals of Strübler that really shine out on this one, keeping it true and melodic all the way.

It’s back to the fiery almost virtuoso guitar licks of Schönleitner on the epic ‘Hell’s Roundabout’.  Featuring again that massive metal sound from the Saltsburg boys.  The traditional metallers out there are just going to love the splendid riffs featured on ‘Killing Child’, while the keyboard fans will just love what Gacnik does on this one.

But track of the album for me has to be the sublime ‘On Wings Of Steel’.  This is Nightwish meets Rhapsody of Fire and everything in-between.  A massive keyboard intro leading the way into a cacophony of pure symphonic metal gold.  A really powerful statement to the bands peers to watch out because these guys are coming for your crowns.

The same massive overture of sound is carried on with another favourite ‘Silent Agony’, before the album closes on another highlight with the epic, and I mean epic, eleven minute masterpiece ‘Cold Distance of the Universe’, which closes one of the best debut releases in the genre for a long time.  But don’t just take my word for it, check out Austria's finest, you won't be disappointed.  

Tracklisting

01. Into The Abyss
02. Heroes (We Will Be) 
03. Doomsday Machine 
04. Live To Die
05. Hell's Roundabout
06. Killing Child -
07. On Wings Of Steel
08. Silent Agony
09. Cold Distance Of The Universe  

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