Dionysus is a new band formed by Swedish and German musicians, one of whom is Olaf Hayer, vocalist on Luca Turilli’s solo albums. Their debut album “Sign of Truth” is mixed by Tommy Newton and co-produced by Tobias Sammet (Edguy and Avantasia). The opening track “Time Will Tell” is strongly percussion-orientated and the multiple vocal harmonies don’t really add anything to the music. The title track “Sign of Truth” is pretty straightforward power metal with some good guitar work. However, the long and slow vocal parts do not seem to fit the high speed of the instruments. “Bringer of Salvation” and “Anthem” are two of the more powerful songs on the album, as all positive elements of the band Dionysus seem to fall into place in these tracks.

For the first time the band shows some progressive signs. The ballad “Don’t Forget” starts out with acoustic guitars and clear vocals, but the song lacks emotion and basically turns out to be a disappointment. In conclusion, despite some critical notes, “Sign of Truth” is a profound debut album that will please a lot of melodic power metal fans. Dionysus is not a melodic power metal band though, but instead a melodic band and a power metal band. No doubt they will progress and find their way into the metal world.