Sisslith After the departure of bassist Masashi and drummer Yuki, Jupiter released the single "The Spirit Within Me", which featured Rucy and Daisuke playing bass and drums, respectively, as guest musicians. However, it wasn't long before they joined Jupiter as permanent band members. A few months later, the new line-up released their latest work: "Tears of the Sun".

There are several things that quite surprised me whilst listening to this EP. First of all, their music is progressively becoming darker. Unlike many bands of the genre who soften their sound throughout the years, Jupiter seem to have much interest in adding death metal traits -we could already see this in previous songs, such as "Allegory Cave" or "Darkness"- and atmospheric elements into their musical pieces -just listen to the track "The Crucifixion". It is precisely in this song where Zin delivers an impressive performance by blending his tenor voice with death metal growls. Nevertheless, Jupiter's unique sound is still very recognizable, and a great example of it is the title track, in which the initial choir followed by a blast of symphonic metal and the melodic, neoclassical and highly proficient guitar solos by Hizaki and Teru are the band’s trademark.

Secondly, the production, both mixing and mastering, is simply flawless. It is so polished and well-done that it reminded me of albums like “Into the Legend” by Rhapsody of Fire, where it is a noticeable feature. Moreover, the lyrics fit in extremely well with the aforementioned dark sound. Although I don’t understand Japanese, the English verses depict feelings of struggle in our current society, going against the established order and so forth: “Live the pain and keep the struggle alive” or "I don't know why I was given breath, yet I still must go find the answer, no matter what", for example.

Finally, the musicianship is undeniable. Regarding the new members, their contribution is significant and they have their moments too. For instance, the bass in “We Against” and in “Guilty as Sin” or the drumming in the third track. But the symphonic elements and the guitars are the evident focus, and they take the stage.

Overall, Tears of the Sun is a really good release which represents the new phase Jupiter is entering. Not only have they maintained their characteristic sound, but they are also taking a new direction into heavier territories, in my opinion. Highly recommended for symphonic/power metal fans.