(Heavy/Power Metal)
I remember being impressed with this Iron Savior album after the last few had felt lackluster compared to their first 5 albums.
And the reason for the rekindling of my taste for IS was they managed to recapture that sound they had with Kai Hansen before he left to focus on Gamma Ray. His guitar work has an explosive quality that matched Pete Sielk's (the lead vocalist and guitarist) perfectly.
Kai also had a knack for writing anthemic choruses. Something that I felt came up a little short in some of the later albums. But when Skycrest rolled out...they managed to get both qualities back. These songs are instantly memorable. Even if you've never heard them, by the end of the song, you know the chorus, and have your fist up in the air.
Of course, this new revelation that IS was sounding like the old days made me rush to see if Kai was indeed back on the lineup. He wasn't, but that didn't matter, I was just happy to see the energy and fire (and divebombs!) return.