PRIDE

Here is strong second ARENA album with quite an eerie feel to it. "Welcome to the Cage" opens the CD with a fast tempo, some bombastic arrangements and a heartfelt delivery by vocalist Paul Wrightson - a perfect opener on concert nights. The album also contains some slow, delicate instrumentals such as the recurring "Crying for Help" theme, but mostly showcases ARENA at their most dramatic: the multi-layered "Empire of a Thousand Days", the simple but catchy "Medusa", the zany "Fool's Gold" whose flavour reminds me a bit of "Jericho" and last but not least, the almost 14-minute epic "Sirens". The whole thing is very convincing, the vocals gripping and the music, as usual, magnificent.