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Always a strange album to stick on, Rage Of The Armada was the result of much touring for Germany's The Armada, a band that had a touch of fame back in 2003 (well, as it much as metal bands do). I was sure at the time they would go on to create many albums with their unique take on the style, but like a lot of bands on Limb (who were one of the best labels for distributing Power Metal during its heyday), they were destined to produce one album but nothing more. Sad as it is, we still have this, and if you like your Power Metal with plenty of balls and a whole bucket full of grit, just wait until you get onto this crazy bastard...

Mixing the shovel-handed assault of Grave Digger with the progressive pomposity of Symphony X (I know, what a combination!), The Armada pulse through a long album of twisting Prog-Power that takes you all manners of places, from heavy, head-splitting riffs to sweet, neo-classical pretension. Through a fine use of synthesizers, they take a great deal of atmosphere and syringe it into a corpse of metal that suddenly sits up alive. Vocalist Dirk Schaffner has a mad delivery, sometimes soft and melodic, others absolutely mental. During "Devilish Lolita" for example, he sounds like his head is about to explode, and there are many instances of this happening throughout the record. When he's not blowing his top, he can wail with the best of them, but his strength is in his gravelly mid-range, something which fans of Dark At Dawn and Angel Dust will appreciate.

The guitar work is quite astounding here, though the actual tone is oddly hollow, almost scratchy, which helps this thing sound more evil than it has to. It's a strange album, because at times it is undeniably Power Metal, though the progressive segments keep you guessing as to where they will take you next. I can't say Rage Of The Armada is a comfortable listen as such; it's one for those who like their Power Metal on the heavier side. But Luca Turilli fans will dig it, too. That's its beauty.