If you ever need a succinct reason why grizzled guys like me prop up old school power metal and disparage most of the modern bands in the trade, this very band and album sum up why. Skylark are Italian, and perhaps the wimpiest example of modern metal in this genre. The production is totally lacking in bass and any power whatsoever, the vocals are whiny, thin and annoying, the songs either laughably drawn out with bombastic synths imitaing orchestral instruments or brief but clowingly melodic. The lyrics are about princesses, elves, light, skylarks and care bears (okay, not care bears, but you get my point). It, like many other bands who verge towards the lighter side of the genre, is power metal minus power, and what the hell is the point of that? Plus the crediting of instruments is annoyingly pretentious. Just because your keyboard is programmed to make flute or string sounds, does mean you know how to write for or play those instruments, guys. And to think there were power metal fanzines having orgasms over bands like this while slamming bands like Pantera and Morbid Angel at the same time. I don't get it...why would you want to hear heavy metal that has no power, no oomph, no guts, full of false passion and flowery themes? Maybe it's just me, but when power metal fans whine about how modern bands are too aggressive, and not melodic enough and don't sing about the lord of the friggin' rings in every song, I wanna ask them why they don't just buy David Arkenstone albums if that's the qualities they're looking for? Maybe it's just me, but I'll take Manilla Road, Chastain, Cirith Ungol, Brocas Helm, Ostrogoth and Oz over this watered down poof metal any day of the damn year. And note, there are good power metal bands in the modern age, but this ain't one of 'em.
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