Kaledon - Legend of the Forgotten Reign - Chapter 4: Twilight of the Gods (2006)

2006 has been very impressive in its consistent body of power metal work, but there seems to have been a notable lack of speed in much of the material.
Re-enter Kaledon, the band who started horribly, and has improved rapidly.  This is their fourth album - sorry, chapter - and it pretty much matches the previous chapter in every wonderful way.
Of course, speed is great, but you need melody too, and this record has it in spades, like the opening "The Holy Water", "War Plans", the gloriously flying "Eyes Of Fire" (a song which just calls out why-I-love-power-metal-so-much), "The Fury" (one of the few slow songs here, which is ironic, considering the title), and the wonderful conclusion, "Out Of The Ground".
Through it all is a production that's almost Wall Of Sound, Phil Spector-like in its echoey tone, which just enhances the experience.
Twilight Of The Gods isn't all brilliant, but the best parts are so good, they make the album as a whole a joy to listen to. A must for power metal fans.

****1/2