INTERVENTION

The first song is classic band's composition, melodic, a bit bombastic , with long instrumental part and heavy symphonic influences, possibly is the best album's composition. The band on its best.

Two next songs are live recordings. "Lies" is keyboards based symphonic heavy metal with nice melody, but a bit bombastic again. Few nice guitar solos, though."Flight" is more energetic and more rocks, reminding Iron Maiden and some power metal bands at the same time.

"Follow Me" is short pop-rock ballad, based on acoustic piano. "U-Turn" finished the EP with melodic pop-rock song with females back-up vocals.

All songs are melodic, nicely played and recorded. The problem with Royal Hunt is they are always balancing on the edge between progressive symphonic metal and pop-hard-rock (influenced by last Rainbow albums). This work is their usual product, and better than average one.

Could be recommended for melodic symphonic metal fans, as well as for everyone with no fear to commercial side of progressive metal. For band fans as well - two songs are presented on this EP only, and three other - there and on band's next EP, but never on albums.

Intervention: the first RH song i heard and its super. grand, progressive, epic!

Lies (Live): i love the thrashy guitar intro - totally un-RH like (they usually go for synth/ keyboard etc. given that Andre is the key composer)

Follow Me (Live): along with Intervention, one of the first songs i heard. its lyrical journey is fantastic right from: "If pictures could talk there'd be too many voices If sorrow could scream I'd be deaf in a day..." - dark poetry anyone?

U-Turn: one of the biggest enigmas of prog-rock for me is why this never made it to a proper album! its far better than many (most?) RH songs. 7+ minutes of lovely lyrics, soulful singing, mesmerising riff/ rhythm with piano solo thrown in...who in his right mind cut this off an album?

a strong 4-stars from me...