Metal Judgment

Normally I can't stand power metal, for the most part it is far to cheesy and over the top for me, however there are always exceptions to the rule and every once in awhile a power metal band comes along that is just awesome. Burnt Offerings-era Iced Earth and Children of Bodom are two of my favorites, and Kiuas could easily join them.

Hailing from Finland, Kiuas play power metal with POWER. Yes there are keys, but they are hardly noodling, and they are kept in the back of the mix where they belong. The vocals range from growling a la Children of Bodom, to traditional power metal vocals, that don't go to the ridiculous extremes of most bands of the genre. Musically Kiuas is rock solid, catchy, sometimes complex riffs are complemented by a superb rhythm section. Markku Nareneva has some excellent drum skills and an interesting style that I have not heard in power metal before.

Lyrically Kiuas is a little weak, often falling prey to the stereotypical power metal fantasy lyrics that are a bit too much for me, however the music rips and is great to headbang to so I can forgive this. The other low point of the demo is the song length, if each song was three to four minutes instead of six plus this would not only be a five skull record, but one of the better power metal albums I've heard. That being said it is still a great three track demo and all metal fans should keep an eye out for these guys.

4/5

Reviewed by Metal Militia