Labyrinth
Return To Heaven Denied

Ok, you have already seen the rating I gave the album. Many, like me, consider it a true masterpiece, others despise it like the plague, the most sordid individuals accuse it of lack of originality, repetitiveness, zero innovation...
The truth is one: even though today power metal is a genre that is more inflated than ever, this could not be said in 1998 (when Return To Heaven Denied was released). The very Ligurian Labyrinth, in their most famous lineup with Tiranti on vocals, Mat Stancioiu on drums, and with an Olaf Thorsen still fully in the game, can rightfully be considered the founding fathers of Italian power metal as we understand it today (is someone saying Rhapsody? No, sorry, I can't hear you!)
This little gem that should be in every respectable music collection is a real collection of pearls, from the opening song "Moonlight," with its immensely singable chorus, to more melodic and dreamy tracks like "The Night of Dreams" or "State of Grace," up to the two tear-jerking ballads "Heaven Denied" or "Falling Rain." The instrumental and highly electronic track "Feel" is also interesting.
Eleven tracks, an hour of playtime, and never, I say absolutely never, a drop in tone, a melody even slightly off, or a riff less spot-on than the others. Fearsome songwriting, impeccable execution with a truly outstanding performance by the legendary Rob Tyrant, our very own golden throat... it all truly borders on perfection!
And now, the question arises spontaneously: with a band like this, capable of producing masterpieces of this kind and maintaining superlative levels over the years, why persist in searching for bands abroad? The real musical gold mine is in Italy!