by Martin Popoff
Lefay - SOS
(Noise)Lefay continue to hone and perfect their rhythm-heavy take on power metal, forsooth really delivering the stomping power where others do not, finding ways to be progressive, always with a bottom line to beefy riffs and grooves. A band to restore your faith in classic metal without resorting to cheap retro tricks, Lefay should continue to dominate the European scene with their free-burning guitars and acrobatic drum patterns, over which vocalist Charles Rytkonen takes the proceedings to a hallowed spot between Savatage's Power Of The Night and Testament's The Gathering. Crushing but smooth, headbanged but excrutiatingly well-mapped, SOS is Lefay's crowning moment, a record where the Master Of Puppets magic happens without visible strings attached.
Rating 9