Band:	Wizard
Album:	Thor
Style:	Heavy metal, Power metal
Release date:	January 31, 2009
A review by:	Baz Anderson

01. Utgard (False Game)
02. Midgards Guardian
03. Asgard
04. Serpents Venom
05. Resurrection
06. The Visitor
07. What Would You Do?
08. Utgard (The Beginning)
09. Stolen Hammer
10. Lightning
11. Pounding In The Night

Power metal. Lets be honest, it has never been a particularly cool genre now has it? But even though power metal may have had a rise in the popularity a few years ago with bands like Dragonforce raising awareness of its withering species, times in power-metal-land these days are not exactly the best they have been. Not only this, but the increasing chasm within power metal itself between European power metal and so called U.S. power metal seems to have split people even more into niche categories, with the European power metal side bearing the full brunt of the cheese knives and hammers in its back.

Wizard, long running German power metallers have been there and done that, and probably bought the t-shirt as well, all really without becoming a well-known giant in the genre such as bands like Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian, also from sweet sweet Deutschland. "Thor" is album number eight, and not a whole lot has changed. Wizard have always been a European power metal band, and thus have been called "cheesy" and "flower metal" and all the other generic remarks, but compared to other bands in the genre, Freedom Call and Fairyland for example, these guys, and "Thor" in particular sound as hard as a ton of bricks and just as heavy. No, Wizard have never been the cheesiest band and "Thor" probably has the least dairy product of any kind in it looking back over the band's history. These guitar riffs are thick and solid, perhaps more and more reminiscent of good ol' "Painkiller" in places as they stab the airwaves. Singer Sven D'Anna once again follows on here from previous album "Goochan" where increasing amounts of rougher, gruffer vocals were used in between the wailing, which have themselves noticeably increased in quality over the years. Wizard are once again the complete package, perhaps even more so with "Thor" as this new offering is the band's first with two guitar players. Every element of their music as precise, clean and accomplished as the next. Plenty of double bass drumming seals the album together and seals the deal for a good quality album.

European power metal, U.S. power metal, whatever. Chances are if you like power metal, you will like this album. "Thor" has the wailing vocals, the catchy choruses and of course the fantastical themes and lyrics of a concept album, but it also has the hard and heavy guitar riffs, some rougher vocals and a tough, rough and ready feel that the U.S. brings to power metal.

Overall "Thor" is a great, solid album, but for long running Wizard fans may feel slightly lacking in standout songs that latch inside your head and never want to let go. Who can forget the "Witch Of The Enchanted Forest", or the "Call Of The Wild", or even the "Magic Potion"? Indeed, there is nothing quite so catchy for Euro power fans on this release, but what "Thor" does is open itself up to a possible middle ground of power metallers who consist of both Euro and U.S. power followers. If you're already a Wizard fan, you'll like this album but it won't be your favourite. If you're new to Wizard and swing both ways when it comes to power metal, this might just be your thing.