Metal seems to be very alive in Greece, since this is yet another heavy metal band that finds its origin in Greece. Dark Nova was founded quite a while back, in 1987. After their demo Shrinel they released three albums, of which The Dark Rhapsodies, released in 1993, was their debut album.

Dark Nova clearly base their music on progressive heavy metal. The dark, profound guitar sound and riffs combined with their heavy rhythms form respectable songs like “Come Into My Nightmare” or “Desperate Act”. For a change the keyboards add up to the whole, and they actually have a say in the music; for instance in the (second) intro “El Cant De La Sibil”. But yet again, the keyboards in “Out Of The Silence” for example, make the song a bit cheesy which is a pity.

Micheal Choulakis has a suitable voice for the band, but at times he becomes a bit long-winding.

On the other hand, he’s capable of leading the course into a different direction and therefore making the song more interesting to listen to. In my opinion, he should do this more often.

Taking everything into consideration, Sevilla is an album with certain qualities, but it sometimes lacks originality. Somehow this band sticks to a basic line and seems to find it hard to get away from this path. A bit more experiencing with solos and riffs wouldn’t harm. Maybe then, this album would have more variation. The song “Say No More” for example, is a lot heavier than previous songs and definitely woke me up. In spite of the previous comments, the album is an enjoyable one to listen to. For the progressive metal fans among us, this is most certainly a recommendation. One advice: don’t judge this album yet after listening to it only once.