If Bruce Dickinson is ‘the air raid siren,’ then Stefano Bottari, the frontman for this Iron Maiden obsessed Italian power metal outfit’s debut, must be the ‘dog whistle!’ Haven’t heard helium highs like this since Warrel Dane’s days in Sanctuary and some are uncomfortably off-kilter. After the 58-second liturgical organ intro (‘The Dawn’) the Maiden bass heavy NWOBHM influence and twin leads of the title track kick in.

The first hint of Bottari’s scorching throat doesn’t appear until the later half of their signature tune, but the Steve Harris galloping bass lines are everywhere (beginning of ‘The Waste Remains And Kills’, ‘Bearers Of The Slate’ and the falsetto laden ‘Ride To The Land Of The Machine Guns’, which ends in a hail of bullets, literally). Overall, fun amalgam of HammerFall meets Iron Maiden styles.

Already interested in any follow-up.