Exciting new blood from established vets, including singer James Paul Luna (ex-Holy Grail/ex-White Wizzard). This time around, he and his bandmates have channeled their Latin ethnicity, adding Spanish lyrics to two of the nine compositions (additionally, "Entra La Tormenta" is just 100 seconds of a rainstorm sound effect and the snorting of some large beast) Don't let that dissuade you from taking a listen. 

Going back to the ‘80s, but certainly more in vogue, come the black metal heyday, non-English tongues are welcome in metal, as long as the music cooks! And Intranced do just that, on the late ‘70s hard rock, early ‘80s metallic front. They don't make records like this anymore. Take your choice of descriptor: hard rock, classic metal, NWOTHM...Intranced exude quality! 

Wisely, the songs are structured around Luna's smooth (some say Dio-esque) delivery. That said, there's also guitar ear candy within the grooves. Aggressive guitar leaps from the speakers as "Reyes De Las Tinieblas" kicks things off. Ability, for fans, to sing along has always been a hallmark of the scene and the likes of "Switchblade Serenade" hit the mark. Sort of an early MSG vibe, to the guitar, on the otherwise locomotive chug of upbeat "Fantasy". 

A throwaway title like "I Dunno Nothin'" belies an airy ‘70s bop with "hoo hoo" vocal accents and a bit of falsetto. Following the title track, which offers both English and Spanish lyrics (alternating every line), the aforementioned "Entra" serves as a palette cleansing intermezzo. With a quick guitar shuffle, "Lady Lightning" is a soaring, fleet fingered romp that channels the best of Blackmore's Rainbow, before they became Americanized. "Pulse" is something of a non-ballad love song. 

Friendly, there's a familiarity to the sound, despite never having heard it before, which isn't easy to accomplish. "Passionate Pretender" builds on a Judas Priest vibe (and riff), circa Point Of Entry. Of all the cuts, it has the most width for the individual instruments to shine. Disc concludes with an original tribute to Uli Roth era Scorpions, called "See You On The Other Side". Great Stuff!

Easily destined to be one of the most exciting releases of 2024. Watch the year end polls!