Clandestine Cuts Vol. 3 #1 - The Best New Demos And EPs From Around The Metal World

The three tracks on Aphelium's Demo - one short intro and two speedy symphonic power songs, one sung in Spanish and the other one in English - show much promise, since there's tangible passion for the genre oozing from Aphelium's every pore. Every band member has ample space to show what they can do - yes, including the bassist, quite a power metal rarity - and the music is guitar-driven but keyboard-flourished, just the way I like my power metal. The guitarist and the vocalist deserve a special mention, one for his epic Thomas Youngblood-esque leads and the other for delivering his lines convincingly, without resorting to falsetto overuse, which has become such a cliche in the genre. That, and he has a mean Dickinson-style scream. Nice job, Venezuela.