The first thing running through my mind as the first track unfolded through my car stereo was "Is this the same DGM that gave us Hidden Place?" I'm not sure whether this new album Misplaced is a one-off deal where they put on their power metal hats or whether this album signifies a drastic change in focus and direction. DGM was one of those prog-metal bands that really stood out above the rest as far as the quality of their music. The last album, Hidden Place was a great mix of progressive metal and melody with a few power metal influences thrown in. With this new album, they've tipped the balance in favor of a more melodic power metal sound and dramatically downplayed the progressive elements to their music.

From the opening guitar melodies of the opening track Living On The Edge, the similarities to Stratovarius' Hunting High And Low immediately come to mind. This track has a great sense of melody, great strong vocals by Titta Tani and musically mixes speedy power metal with some awesome Yngwie inspired lead fills. The use of some synthesizer leads adds a progressive edge but otherwise, this is pretty much a power metal track. Is Hell Without Love? continues with charging and chunky muted power metal and again lots of melody for the chorus section. There's a weird interlude mid-song that seems to be used only to remind the listener that they are in fact still a progressive metal band. Otherwise, it's a bit out of place. Through My Eyes continues with a more mid-tempo feel and mixes quieter piano and vocal segments with heavier ones. This track has a great rich sound, awesome soaring vocals and some lead synthesizer and Hammond organ. Still Believe gets back to the more progressive sounds of earlier releases with it's dramatic piano and voice intro which inevitably gets heavier. There's a mix of the Hammond organ and booming guitar riffs that brings classic Carry On Wayward Son Kansas to mind. Pride, an album highlight if you ask me, is speedy riff driven power metal that has a big Angra-style chorus and soaring lead guitar work by Diego Reali. Amazing Journey again sees the band getting back to more of the prog metal style that's been such a staple of their sound. With a crazy and wild arrangement, this has some Yes-like instrumental fills and lightning fast guitar scale runs. A New Day's Coming explores more melodic metal styles and even has a Scorpions-like feel to it and the album finishes with Perennial Quest, another speedy Stratovarius style track that also uses Blind Guardian style speedy and aggressive muted riffing patterns. The drumming on this track is awesome as are the mix of lead guitar and synthesizer.

Clocking in at just over 40 minutes, this album is almost a full 20 minutes shorter than their previous one. I really liked the Hidden Place album but in my review of it, I addressed the fact that there was a lack of melodic hooks or real catchy choruses. With this album, they have done a complete about face. This album is bursting with melody, catchy melodic hooks and some great memorable choruses. With Misplaced, they have produced a very high quality melodic power metal album and all of the keyboard and guitar solos perfectly complement the melodies to their songs. The one thing that's always set this band apart was their originality and their richly progressive sound. With this new album, they've altered their sound to more of a power metal style. There's nothing wrong with that it's just that the competition is so fierce in that genre that the one thing (originality) that's set them apart, is in jeopardy with their foray into the power metal genre. I'm not sure whether this is indicative of future directions musically but I think a comprimise could be reached between the sound of Hidden Place and this new album that would yield stunning results and keep the band out of the heavy competition in the power metal genre. As a melodic power metal album, it's a great album but fans of DGM's previous work are going to be somewhat surprised..........