Germany's Dark Sky was formed way back in the early 1980s. Since then they have released 4 albums that are quite high on the character scale. Their new release Empty Faces tosses no shame to their history; it’s an explosion of some very fine Melodic Rock.

“Hands Up” has a typical kind of 80s Metal Theme. It’s fast, energetic, and gurgles with great melodies. What hits you from the very beginning is the voice of Vocalist Frank Breuninger. Many Metal bands today lack charisma in their singer, but Dark Sky does not have that problem! Their vocalist sings with a high-pitched voice that sounds like it has a bit of distortion put to it. He can remind you a little of Norwegian singer Knut Erik Østgård (Return). It seems like it’s hard to find someone singing like this nowadays. In the 80s there was a man with these vocal standards in every Metal band. Well, maybe not actually with the standard of Frank because his voice is rather special!

“Slave Of Time” is indeed the best song on this record. It starts out with some exceptional keyboard playing and builds up through the verse before the tension is let loose in one of this year's greatest Metal choruses. Pure listening pleasure! The sixth song is a cover of Michael Sembello’s “Maniac,” which is one of the weaker moments of the record. Not much of a makeover actually, they only ad a little tempo, some heavy guitars and they exchange the synth-drums with real ones. Not remarkable at all, thought it’s better than the original.

Further out in the album there’s a bunch of classic Heavy Rock tunes that certainly make your foot stomp to the beat. Unfortunately, the album becomes a little repeating at the end when the songs have a lot of similarities. Apart from that, there’s nothing bad to say about this record. And, if the psychedelic cover doesn't drag your attention, remember what is written above ‘cause this is a strong album worth a try for everyone that enjoys the sound of good Heavy Rock. Besides the strong material this album consists of, you have the outstanding voice of Frank Breuninger that carries the album even further than it would be without. Empty Faces is full of attitude, catchy hooks and a great overall production. It is definitely an album worth spending money on!

Dark Sky's Official Web Site.