Metal Underground.com

The great thing about power metal is its willingness to go over the top. From the insanely fleet-fingered arpeggiated guitar solos to the operatic falsetto vocals, it's a genre that embraces its sense of grandiosity. But there really is a point at which there is too much of a good thing — and Wisdom's "Judas" reaches that point when it comes to the vocals.

Gabor Nagy is a more-than-capable power metal vocalist, with a purity of tone in his high range that is enviable on tracks like "Age Of Lies" and "Heaven And Hell" (not a remake of the Black Sabbath classic), which also has some excellent low-end material. His greatest performance comes on the album's gentlest track, the ballad "All Alone."

The problem is that the backing vocals on nearly every track are completely overwhelming. The effect is that it often feels like one is trapped in the middle section of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Take, for example, "Fallin' Away From Grace," in which the chorus seems to consist of an entire choir. "Judas" and "Silent Hill" also suffer for having choruses that almost feel reminiscent of Christmas carols for the vocal excess.

If you can overlook the vocal excess, there's plenty of guitar-y goodness to enjoy. Gabor Kovacs and Zsolt Galambos rip up the fretboards on tracks like the speedy "At The Gates" and the galloping "Wander The World." The restraint they show on the gentle "All Alone" is equally admirable. There's also an excellent almost-thrash quality to the instrumental break in "Fallin' Away From Grace." Also, there's a hint of blues in the solo and groove to "Somewhere Alone" that are quite appealing.

Excellent guitar work can't entirely make up for the overblown vocals on Wisdom's "Judas." That said, there's still enough here that will prove pleasing to power metal fans — even if others might roll their eyes at the excess.