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Rating: Twelve years later, Labyrinth decided to release a sequel to "Return to Heaven Denied". True, just like "Send Me an Angel" from their colleagues Vision Divine, the news hits fans like a bolt from the blue, not sparing even the doubts regarding the success of the endeavor which (despite repeating the same success of the first installment was probably asking too much), we must acknowledge, they have embarked convincingly, at least enough to dispel the hypothesis of a vain attempt to curry favor with a segment of fans after the not overly acclaimed "Six Days to Nowhere".
We said a convincing attempt, and to explain this, the ballad that gives the album its subtitle, and "In this void", stand out above all. Of the first, let it be said that it is no different from the other ballads present in all the previous albums, and it is considered a strength and one of the trademarks for Tiranti (how can we forget A Star in the Universe?), just as they were for the Scorpions. On this occasion, Thorsen's moderate contribution is also notable. The excellent "In this void" happily suspends between ballad and sprint of the heart-wrenching refrain; as happens also with the subsequent song that helps close the album contrary to the first part. As for the other tracks, we can clearly talk about a rapprochement to the sound of the first chapter, with accurate technical exploits, especially from Thorsen (from whom it would be interesting to know why he decides to give himself two different names and appear with both in different parts of the booklet), and with driving rhythms from the luxury reinforcement for the occasion Alessandro Bissa, although the quieter cues are not lacking, especially visible in the third track, which also has the merit of recalling some lyrics from the wonderful "The Night of Dreams". Compared to the previous chapter, however, it is also noticeable how the melodies are overall paced less incisively, and the same can be said of the lyrics (although these are also a trademark of the group) at least until "To Where We Belong", which, in compensation, to some ears will sound familiar for certain verses. Aside from this note, the album flows in what I would say is a canonical manner for the high standards of the band, reaffirming it deserves the recognition acquired so far and its leading position in the Italian scene together with Vision Divine.
The last note of merit goes to the microphone performance of Tiranti, a true talent, who could also be called misunderstood, given the repeated attempts to break into showbiz, consistently frustrated by the ignorance of the general public regarding vocal and communicative skills, which no longer surprises even the latest newcomers among Metal enthusiasts.
To conclude the analysis, it must be reiterated the album's inferiority compared to the cornerstone of the genre "Return to Heaven Denied", while steadily adhering to more than dignified standards.
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