Bigger, stronger, faster, blah blah blah; we can use all the usual catch-words to push Apostles Of Defiance, and being a Canadian mag pushing a Canuck band it’s expected that we do so. The thing is, Eidolon 2003 is actually worth the hype, having taken an established sound and shoved it through the stone wall labelled Expectation. Singer Pat Mulock makes an aggressive sophomore appearance, more convincing this time out as the lungs of a powerhouse act compared to his Coma Nation debut, the distinctly North American power metal link in Eidolon’s otherwise Euro-metal sound. The biggest surprise, however, is the death metal backing/guest vocals supplied by drummer Shawn Drover and Eclipse Eternal vocalist Voldamares Gollum, adding a new and ballsy dimension to an already over-the-top sound (see ‘Scream From Within’ ‘Volcanic Earth’ and the killer ‘Demoralized’). Musically, it’s all good, comparable to and on par with the likes of Overkill, Nevermore, Witchery, and yes, the melodic half of the Scandinavian death metal scene. There are a couple of versions of the album to be had: a double CD package featuring the band’s first independent outing, Zero Hour, the Canadian version adding a cover of Max Webster’s ‘In Context Of The Moon’ to the track list. Apostles Of Defiance is the album that will finally end those annoying comments of, “Hey, didn’t he play with King Diamond?” for guitarist Glen Drover, who clearly feeds from the same trough as Nevermore axe-master Jeff Loomis. Call Eidolon the Maiden Canada rash that won’t go away, one that has evolved to become highly infectious and even more lethal than previous strains.