Nice surprise from these very young fellows coming from ... Sweden. Scarlet Records might have found a Scandinavian band that can compete with Sonata Arctica.

You probably already know Sonata Arctica, so I can skip the "explanation" of the music style played here. And if you are a fan of Helloween or Freedom Call, let's say that you will find the same type of guitar melodies on Secrets Of Life. The "additional" touch here comes from the keyboard work - replacing the conventional guitar solos - exactly the same way Sonata Arctica use to.

Secrets Of Life is full of speedy rhythms, epico-symphonic keyboard parts (too much ?) and thundering drumming. The vocals are pretty bombastic creating a powerful atmosphere, especially when the chorus goes on. The vocalist does a great job considering his young age. He has a warm voice that suite perfectly to this type of music. As said above, Platitude is a mixture of Sonata Arctica, Helloween & Freedom Call. In other words - as it usually happens with Swedish speed metal - you have the impression to know the songs by heart, in advance : that's obvious for the first three tracks of the album : Deception, Just One Try, Dance Thru The Fire.

Anima is an interesting track. Even though Sonata Arctica is the creator of this type of song-structure, Platitude does an excellent work and you find yourself singing on the chorus. Raining Tears - much heavier and slow - is a promising track : it highlights the song-writing talent of the band considering the age of these musicians : from 16 to 21 ! The last track - Evil Sky - plays somehow on Nevermore's ground : that's true for the vocals and the changing rhythms. Without saying I fell on my knees for Secrets Of Life, I sincerely enjoyed most of the songs. After a few spins, I realized that it isn't just a common power/speed metal album. Everything seems to be well arranged and you do not have the feeling of recurrence. That's the strongest aspect of Secrets Of Life : song diversity.

If you remember Sonata Arctica's first album, I warmly recommend you to listen to this one. Good job from this very young talented band ! We will definitely keep an eye on you guys ;)