The third album from Dionysus entitled Fairytales and Reality aptly describes the subject matter that is a common thread throughout this whole album. Along with epic fantasy and other escapisms, several songs deal with the harsh realities of the emotional turmoil that many of us deal with in everyday life experiences. While not really trying to reinvent the wheel so to speak in the melodic power metal genre, nonetheless Dionysus has been consistent in delivering quality European melodic power metal that fans of the genre should find instantly likeable. Whether it be the strong soaring voice of Olaf Hayer who is also the lead vocalist for Luca Turilli's solo project or the intricate and tasteful guitar work of Johhny Olin and Kasper Dahlqvist, everything always seems to be in the proper place for this band. Sure they sound very predictable and not entirely original ( I would hesitate to use the term "generic") but if delivering quality melodic power metal is of much more importance than originality, Dionysus fits the bill perfectly.

Along with some obvious Statovarius influences with songs such as The Orb, The World and Dreamchaser, Dionysus shows a strong grasp of how to write quality material that incorporates strong riffs, solid vocal harmonies and many soaring melodic choruses. Heavier and speedier power metal can be found with tracks like The World whereas a passing hail to Hammerfall can be heard with the chorus section to True At Heart. Several tracks have more of a neo-classical edge that once again brings Stratovarius to mind but the lead guitar scale runs combined with lightning fast keyboards take the listener back to the 80's era of Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force. The lead guitar work is very strong and melodic with just enough technicalities to sound interesting but not overblown with excessive wankery. Olaf Hayer's voice sounds as solid as ever and his Timo Kotipleto vocal range allows for lots of layering to enrich the melodic sense to even greater heights. Other tracks including Blinded, Spirit and The End, explore more atmospheric power metal nuances with The End featuring some great instrumental breaks with wild guitar and keyboard lead work. Although the album largely falls into the power metal category, several tracks like the album opener Illusion Of Life, Queen Of Madness and Tides Will Turn are great examples of the band's ability to produce quality melodic heavy metal. While not as speedy in overall sound as the debut Sign Of Truth, it borrows a bit from that album and Anima Mundi as far as overall style. The production is excellent on this album and it has all the power, punch and melody that one would expect from a power metal album.

The song writing gets a bit formulaic as you get about half-way through the album and would benefit considerably from a little more variety in the arrangements as there's definitely a few tracks that have similar sound and chorus structure. But, if your a stickler for what you want and expect in a solid power metal album, there's definitely lots to like with Fairytales and Reality. While there are no real weak tracks, several rise above the others as far as quality and the running order of the album ensures a good mix for the listening experience. While far from earth shattering, mind-blowing or legendary in quality, it's still a very good album and one that fans of the genre should get lots of enjoyment from.