This latest release by Skylark represents Part 3 and the end of the trilogy started with Divine Gates Part 1 (Gate Of Hell), continued with Divine Gates Part 2 (Gate Of Heaven) and now completed with The Princess' Day. I have to say that this is one of the best CD covers I have ever seen!!!!(nudge, nudge, wink, wink.....say no more!!!). The artwork on their last 3 releases has been stunning but this one's the best!!. Skylark is an Italian symphonic power metal band lead by keyboardist Eddy Antonini and not surprisingly, keyboards play a dominant role in this band. Another striking feature is the speed of their music. They play some of the fastest symphonic power metal there is. They sound a lot like Rhapsody but it must be made clear that these guys were really the first truly symphonic power metal band and were releasing material years before Rhapsody. The music is more epic and more symphonic than Rhapsody and also a lot faster!!. It is mostly keyboard driven but with great guitar hooks and awesome double-bass drumming. The use of female vocals and the heavy usage of synthesizer and even harpsichord on some tracks adds to the overall epic sound to this album. The sound really reminds me of a Sonata Arctica type of sound with very similar vocal styles. The title track The Princess' Day is a decent song with great lyrics and a solid chorus. I can hear the potential for a great song there but somehow the vocals just aren't strong enough. The vocal delivery needs a little more power and range and could really benefit from some backing vocals. I Will Cry Tonight is another good track with a solid catchy chorus, very speedy double-bass drumming and great lead guitar shredding. A few tracks are more guitar driven than others such as Symbol Of Freedom, but mostly they are pretty much part of the overall rhythm with the drums.White Warrior is a great extremely fast track and features some of the fastest drumming that I've ever heard. It also features a cool piano interlude in the middle of the track (many tracks have these type of keyboard passages mid-song)

This is a decent album and I think is better than Divine Gates Part 2 - Gate Of Heaven but not as good as Part 1 - Gate Of Hell, which seems to be a fan favourite as well. I like the sound of this band but it seems they still need a little more work in the vocals and songwriting aspects of their music. I love the killer speed to some of their music and they are a very technically talented and very tight band. I hope that one day it will all come together for them as I think they have the potential to be one of the best symphonic/speed/power metal bands there is.