Metal Underground.com

Walk the streets in Holland and one out of every five individuals you bump into is likely to be in a symphonic/power/progressive band with a female vocalist. However, walk the streets of Melbourne, Australia and your odds would significantly diminish. Better known for producing thrash greats like Mortal Sin and the mysterious Hobb's Angel of Death, Australia has now produced a female fronted band worthy of the Dutch.

Oozing with talent and gushing with melody, Divine Ascension rises from the Australian outback to shine forth with its debut release "As the Truth Appears" and to take on the best of the female fronted genre. The band may not play anything ground breaking, but what it does present rivals any of the current greats and not just the ones with frontwomen. Surely, this debut will provide divine inspiration for more Aussie bands to ascend in the band's wake.

"As the Truth Appears" showcases the brilliant musicianship of guitarists Karl Szulik and Robb Inglis, drummer Luke Wenczel, keyboardist David Van Pelt, and bassist Simon Mahoney. However, resistance is most futile when facing the gleaming vocals of Jennifer Borg, who adds the biological and technological distinctiveness of grace and power to her own style. Borg may be visually feminine, but her golden voice commands that power that plays behind her.

Divine Ascension is refreshingly guitar driven rather than withering to the temptation of flashy keyboards. The band has a knack for catchy choruses ("Vision Divine"), but demands that they are first built on a temple of ascending bridges. Most of the song structures are akin to climbing a spiral staircase. The real highlights on this tasty feast of power and progressive are the technically brilliant "Visionary," the driving power of "Guided by Osiris" and "In My Mind," the album's soaring and best track "Garden of Evil," and the progressive masterpiece "Another Battlefield."

All in all, "As the Truth Appears" is a very impressive debut album from a highly talented act. Divine Ascension should have no problem gaining the instant respect of fans who fancy the power/progressive scene.