Galloglass - Legends From Now And Nevermore (2003)

German band Galloglass only ever released two albums and, judging by this debut, that's a shame, because there is some terrific stuff on here.
It has the power metal elements of speed, melodiousness and fantasy topics, best illustrated in songs like "Dragon's Revenge", the classic "Legends From Now And Nevermore", "Eye To Eye", the enchanting, folk-tinged "The Quest" and "The Last Stand", helped by haunting choral vocals at times, but also here is a lone violin (not a full string section) which is quite effective, and is rather reflective of Kansas (early Kansas, anyway).
In considering what power metal artists I should buy and listen to, I try to cast the net as widely as possible, but if a band is pretty short lived, I wonder if it's worth it. Well, I'm certainly glad I've given Galloglass a try, because they know what they're doing with this outstanding record.

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