Third album in for 'Messiah's Kiss' and unsurprisingly it's another damn fine instalment of passionately executed Power Metal, that follows firmly in the footsteps of it's excellent predecessors. Personally I would say this has the edge over that last two releases, thanks mainly to a superior production and the fact they have kept the album simple, 11 tracks, 45 minutes, no overblown epics or experimental stuff, just good old fashion Metal from front to back. Guitarist 'Alexander Hitz' has since departed and is temporarily replaced with producer / former 'Accept' axeman 'Hermann Frank', who provides the majority of the solos.

'Dragonheart' gets off to a rollicking start with the hard-hitting ripper 'The Ancient Cries', a riff and rhythm driven cracker that sees 'Mike Tirelli' delivering with power and conviction and overall makes for a great album curtain raiser. Not quite so blistering but no less impressive is the more melodic 'Babylon', which highlights some superb guitar work from 'Georg Kraft' and 'Hermann Frank'. The tempo then falls for the mid tempo of 'Where the Falcons Cry' which sounds like mid 90's 'Riot' meets 'Dio', it kind of works though, lyrically it's clichéd, which does distract, but thankfully the execution is spot on. Another genuine Metal experience is brought about by the pulsating title track 'Dragonheart', which is more than a little reminiscent of the mighty 'Priest' and although it doesn't rank with their best, is still another hearty fist-raiser. Ensuing strongly is the more anthemic 'Thunder of the Night' which ebbs and flows to a sublime rhythm, while the tempo is increased for the blazing 'Priest' inspired 'Steelrider'. Taking a slightly more modern approach is the more harmonious mid tempo of 'City of Angels' and for me 'Mike Tirelli' steals the show here with a stunning vocal performance, whilst as a whole adds some much needed mid-track variation. The momentum unsurprisingly is lifted for the blistering riff driven 'Nocturnal', which in turn gives way to the more restrained 'Northern Lights', a slight deviation for the band as they explore a more melodic Hard Rock style to good effect. Slightly more predictable is the 'Krokus' come 'Judas Priest' of 'Open Fire', lyrically it's all pretty clichéd, but all told still an enjoyable track and comes complete with yet another sweet 'Hermann Frank' solo. The album closes with perhaps the most thoughtfully crafted song 'The Ivory Gates', which opens with a moody yet beautifully sung intro, before the tempo goes through the roof and develops into a blazing Power Metal rocker, the penmanship is strong throughout and features a couple of twists and turns to keep the interest- top track.

I think it's a pretty safe bet to say this is their most consistent and ultimately strongest release to date and if you liked their previous work you will enjoy this.