Band:	Retriem
Album:	Lead To Your Destiny
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	2004
A review by:	Jeff

01. Outcast
02. Curse
03. Highway
04. Death To Death
05. Give Me A Chance
06. Fighting Again
07. What Was This World Created For?
08. Lead To Your Destiny
09. Rainfall
10. Lonely Wolves

I'm not really into "Euro" Power Metal (read bands like Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius etc?) but when it's good I can still enjoy the music. And Retriem with its first album "Lead To Your Destiny" managed to keep my attention during the whole length of the CD! It's probably a good sign for them don't you think? Or simply the mark of a good release?

The guys of Retriem come from Moscow and are Russians. It means that all the lyrics of the CD are in Russian. It's the same with a lot of bands from this country and even if I cannot understand anything, I have to admit that it sounds good (this is probably the same thing with people who listen to French bands? those two languages are nice when you use them to sing). But "Lead To Your Destiny" is not only a matter of Russian language; it's above all a matter of music, a good one. All the songs of the album are well done. They all use melodic riffs and good melodies. You'll be able to find fast songs (it's Power after all) like "Outcast" or mid-tempo ones like "Highway", the album never lack of variation, it's not linear. Plus, the musicians are good and honestly if you have to do a comparison between the musicians of Retriem or the ones of Sonata Arctica for example, you'll be able to see that our Russian dudes aren't worst, at the opposite. They're also able to do great guitars soli, the lines of the keyboards are efficient, the drummer is a real machine, etc etc etc? As you can see, Retrimem is maybe a young band but its members doesn't lack of good ideas and musical class.

So ok, on the other hand even if it's good music, it's still Euro Power and even if the production of this album is really good, I'm sure that the ones who don't like the style will never change their opinion even if they listen to this album. But the fans of this music will probably find a lot of good things in this "Lead To Your Destiny". It's just a matter of taste of course but all the Euro Power Metal albums should be like this one?

"Lead To Your Destiny" is a great album! Evidently it's for the fans of the style first but really it's a good album of Power Metal and its principal force is that it's not boring. Let's see if the band will be able to confirm this first feeling but if they can do it, you'll all have to keep their name in your little heads because a lot of good music will come from Russia in the future.