German power metal outfit Factory Of Art broke up at some point after the second album with their last gig being in 2006, but in 2019 they decided to get back together as a mix of musicians who had been in the band previously along with both lead singers, with the line-up now Ronald Losch (bass), the only founder member still involved, plus Gunter Lange (vocals, keyboards), Ralph-Marcel Dietrich (drums), Jens Schmikale (vocals) and Thoralf Schulze (guitars). The result has been a coming together of the best bits of both their releases to date to create a power metal blaster which is a load of fun. The two singers complement each other wonderfully, with Gunter naturally lower and more guttural than Jens, which allows them to bounce off each other very well indeed. The keyboards are also somewhat more to the fore, and while the tempo can sometimes be a little slow it never feels ponderous but that it is planned to create the perfect environment for bouncing the noggin.
It feels like a brand-new band but with decades of experience behind them, punching well above their weight. It is heavy, but has the lighter moments to provide the dynamics, with the two singers having a blast at the front, Ron locking in with the powerful drumming of Marcel and Thoralf throwing shapes like it is going out of fashion. This is German power metal from a band who have really stepped up from what has gone before, and there is no doubt this is an album which fans of power metal really need to hear. There is a new website, their FB page is active, and this is available on Bandcamp, so if you want your metal to be crunchy with great vocals then this is for you.
Rating: 8/10