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This band hasn't been around long, but they are already carving out a distinct niche for themselves. Fusing the classic metal sounds of '80s bands like Scanner or Deadly Blessing with a retro Sci-Fi aesthetic (including some of the coolest cover art you will see this year), Kosmic Dragon have created a weirdly entertaining album.

The production on this could be heavier by a lot, but I do enjoy the electronic and synth sounds layered in to add to the '70s Sci-Fi vibe. Some of the riffs are really good, and the songwriting is solid, while still falling into a bit of that Maidenish tendency to repeat things a few too many times. Vocalist "Captain Izzy Mortus" has a decent voice, though he's not really especially good at any one thing, and some of his melodies are iffy. Nothing about this stands out as either terrible or really awesome, it just all adds up to a whole that is somehow more than the sum of its parts and is fun throughout. I want to like this more than I do, because I love the concept and the feel of it, but I still like it.