Despite the French sounding moniker, these newcomers (although lineage dates back to ’99) are from the Czech Republic and have acquired the ‘guest’ services of heavyweights like Mike DiMeo (Riot/ex-Masterplan), Doogie White (Cornerstone/ex-Rainbow), Roland Grapow (Masterplan/ex-Helloween), Amanda Somerville, Apollo Papathanasio (Firewind) and Fabio Lione (Rhapsody Of Fire).

Lively power metal is the name of the game here (as if the name checks didn’t give that away). The opening ‘Musee De Satan Rogue’ has a gritty, Peavy Wagner (Rage) quality about the vocals, the lone such moment, although a snippet of female voice can be heard in ‘Femme Fatal’ (“I’ll be your Romeo, be my Juliet”). The remainder of the dozen inclusions could be Tony Kakko, on a lost Sonata Arctica platter, lively, keyboard (in ‘Dorian’, organ) accompanied anthems (‘Remiel In Flames’ and ‘Lake Of Dreams’ especially), plus acoustic tinged ‘Fields Of Chlum’ and the closing two-part ‘Black Rose’ ballads.

Nice surprise!