Kev Rowland Golden Resurrection was formed in 2008 by Christian Liljegren vocalist and founder of Narnia, Divinefire and Audiovision, and vocalist, guitarist & composer Tommy ReinXeed who is the man behind ReinXeed and ‘Swedish Hitz Goes Metal’ (and if you’ve never heard that album, take it from me you are missing out). Over the years they have had a few line-up challenges but here they are back with the third version of the band on their third album, where they have been joined by Alfred Fridhagen on drums, Steven K. (bass) and Svenne Jansson (keyboards). Their stated game plan is to bring together musical influences from neoclassical and power metal legends such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Pretty Maids, Stryper, Rainbow, Helloween, Stratovarius, Masterplan and Gary Moore. Well, the first time I played it the names Helloween and Stratovarius were two of the names that immediately sprang to mind, along with Angra (especially) and DragonForce so they seem to be succeeding.

This is all about great vocals and melodies combined with a band that musically are definitely a force to be reckoned with. They can slow it down to normal speed when they need a break, but it is when they release the brakes and set off at the speed of light that these guys really take control. The musicianship and arrangements are just stunning in their speed and complexity, yet somehow they manage to maintain the melody and hooks and it comes across as being integral to the overall sound as opposed to just being an exercise in self-indulgence. I loved this album the very first time I played it, and the more it stayed on the player the more it burned itself into my skull. But, for all the speed and tenacity it is probably the very last song on the album that really hit home for me. This is an instrumental called “Moore Lord” where Tommy and Svenne do their very best to pay homage to two of the greatest rock musicians of all time. When I first played this I hadn’t noticed the song title, and thought how close it was particularly to Gary Moore, and how the Hammond keyboards reminded me of Jo Lord, so when I noticed the title I was pleasantly surprised. It is an extremely emotional and controlled piece of music.

This is a wonderful power metal album, with plenty of thought and care as well as songs and runs at the speed of light. This is essential for fans of Angra and the like.