Italy’s Labyrinth has been around for a long time, but I wasn’t familiar with them until a single late last year for their January 2025 release, “In the Vanishing Echoes of Goodbye.” I was hooked after listening to the single and am quite enamored with this album. This is fantastic melodic progressive power metal, with plenty of speed balanced with softer sections, blazing guitars and killer solos, smoking keys, pounding bass, technical drumming, and incredible vocals. Roberto Tiranti has an incredible range, effortlessly going from a lower tenor register to crazy whistlenotes a la Daniel Heiman, and a rich emotive tambor which adds extra depth to the songs. The song compositions cross a broad range, with speedy gallops, thrashy riffs, guitar virtuoso solos, and AOR sensibilites, all connected via progressive plumbing. I love the variety in each song, and this is a fabulous album from start to finish!

From the epic opening salvo of “Welcome Twilight,” a doomy underbelly leading to crazy guitars and keys before going full-on barn burning power metal, all with an amazing chorus and crazy lead work, you know this album is going to rock. Experience the cinematic feel of “Accept the Changes” with its big chorus, or the bombastic gallop of “At the Rainbow’s End” with great use of dynamics, lead, and some crazy high range from Tiranti. “Heading for Nowhere” unleashes a thrash-tinged assault with amazing keys and guitar leadwork and more highs from Tiranti. Labyrinth can slow things down too, such as the beautiful power ballad “To the Son I Never Had,” that builds throughout, with a great time signature change 2/3 of the way through that gets layered with a great guitar solo before finishing out. The intro to “The Right Side of the World” is so good, with a clever driving melody while the rest of the song evolves around it, including some really fantastic vocals (wow that ending!) and lead guitar work.

Each song showcases the creativity and talent of Labyrinth, and this album is just fantastic from start to finish. Hopefully, I get to see them live one day!

Original Instagram review link