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If you're like me, ever since the departure of Tarja Turunen from Nightwish, you've been waiting for a band to pick up the banner of operatic Symphonic Metal. Let me present a worthy challenger for the crown in Spain's Eternal Dream. The Seed of Naryll is their debut album (even if it only checks in at 26 minutes) and it has everything a Symphonic Metal fan could want; Power Metal guitar riffs, sweeping keyboards, big, huge choruses and the beautiful voice of lead singer Ana Moronto. She is a truly talented and gifted vocalist, equally adept at both the operatic and Power Metal musical styles. The rest of the band display a high level of technical ability (one would expect nothing less in this genre) and execute each song with surgical precision.

Despite being a relatively new band (they formed in 2007) and not having the benefit of a record label behind them, they've produced a smooth, well-written collection of songs. Nightwish was the first band to make the combination of opera and Power Metal truly work and while Eternal Dream aren't the equal of their Finnish heroes yet, they are on their way. The balance between the two styles is critical to any band's success and Eternal Dream do an admirable job on The Seed of Naryll. Just listen to "Frozen Salanthine" and you'll immediately be reminded of Angels Fall First. The intro, "Angelus Perversa" is far too long at 3:40, but the rest of The Seed of Naryll maintains a good flow from ""Symphony of Horizon" through "Waters of Reality."

An impressive debut from Eternal Dream in a style of metal that isn't the easiest to pull off (capable opera singers who like to sing over metal music can't be THAT common!) While there is a "sameness" to the songs, the talent of the players is obvious. As they grow as songwriters, things should only get better for Eternal Dream.