The Swiss symphonic metal band Lunatica came to life in 1998 and in 2001 they released their debut album ‘Atlantis’, which I’m not familiar with. The catchy ‘Fables & Dreams’ followed in 2004 and in 2006 they released another catchy album entitled ‘The Edge of Infinity’.

Right now I’m holding their brand new release ‘New Shores’ in my hands... an album that I sadly have mixed feelings about. Mostly because of the annoying voice-overs that are all over most of the songs, but certainly also because of the songs.

Sound and style-wise they continue where they left us with ‘The Edge of Infinity’, namely with very melodic symphonic hard rock/metal. The album opens with 4 catchy tunes packed with memorable riffs and enjoyable sing-along choruses that will stay in your head for days... but the next 4 tracks are not above average in my humble opinion. “Into the Dissonance” is a splendid example of a song that you feel you’ve heard a million times before. Track 6, “The Day the Falcon Dies” is actually alright but still lacks something. I miss a hammer chorus and riffs you wish you’ve written yourself.

And that’s the problem with this album. It’s all well written, well arranged and well produced but 6 catchy tunes out of 11 are simply not enough for me.

All in all... a solid album... but not quite as good as ‘Fables & Dreams’ and ‘The Edge of Infinity’ in my humble opinion.

Listen before you buy.