With a name like Adamantis and Gates of Hell as the release label, I expected Far Flung Realm to be a US heavy metal revival album. What I got was unexpected but just as welcome, if not more: European-style power metal, the unironic sword-and-sorcery variety. It's got the fast Maiden-influenced guitar work and tenor singing of that genre, but with a heavier low end with more distortion that I attribute to its American roots. The best of both worlds, in other words.

Adamantis had an EP a couple of years ago, but the band was still finding its feet and the result wasn't particularly good. Over the last two years they swapped the off-key female vocalist for the much stronger pipes of Jeff Stark, who has a generous range and can hit a higher note than his predecessor ever could. The songs are a parade of hook-filled goodness driven relentlessly in a gallop by the two guitars, with my favorite, Fire and Brimstone, culminating with an indulgent shred-fest in the middle of the song and a simple but catchy chorus.

This isn't a one-trick pony, either. The Siege of Arkona shows off a doomy side, more worthy of Visigoth or of Evangelist's most recent offering, while Imagination is a more high-flying piece with some progressive leanings. And for those who were starting to think (as I was) that the sound of Far Flung Realm was a lot like Elisa C. Martin-era Dark Moor...well, she's here too, as a guest vocalist on The Oracle's Prophecy. This debut is a spectacular rise out of nowhere for Adamantis and a must-listen for power metal fans.

Bandcamp: https://adamantismetal.bandcamp.com/album/far-flung-realm.