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Beware of first impressions! Case in point: American heavy/power metal band Final Sign, a much classier affair than you might think after seeing that awesomely goofy cover. Hold High the Flame marries hard hitting, even gritty heavy metal with the melodic sensibilities and larger scale of power metal. Final Sign are not afraid to thrash it out and shred (or even doom it down a little); still the chorus of the title track is going to stay with you for awhile. Hold High the Flame has an aggressive production where everything has its place; the powerhouse rhythm section and the fleet-fingered soloing and speedy riffs, courtesy of Brian "Hellstorm" Williams.
Despite all the other qualities Final Sign has, it's the type of band that might fall flat in the hands of a lesser vocalist. But the powerful voice of Shawn Pelata dispels any such doubts immediately. Always in full control, no high notes hit just for the sake of hitting them; this is the kind of voice you need to create power metal that is actually powerful. Couple this with heavy metal that is actually heavy, and I think it's safe to say: if any of these genres interest you, you should check out Final Sign.