Origin:	Norway
Genres:	Power Metal

Beautiful Sin

This new power metal band has major-league pedigree, starting with well-travelled drummer (and band founder) Uli Kusch (next to Jörg Michael, the most well-travelled German metal drummer ever) and also featuring guys with ties to bands such as Pagan's Mind, Narnia, and Masterplan. Style-wise, this isn't a dramatic departure for any of the members, but on the other hand it's not pure prog metal like Pagan's Mind, nor is it Euro power metal like several of Kusch's past works. The Unexpected is best described as melodic metal (not keyboard-dominated, though they are present) with some hard rock tendencies as well as an occasional heavier edge. Vocalist Magali Luyten (the sole relative unknown here) puts forth an impressive performance, as she has a husky yet forceful voice well-suited to this kind of metal, perhaps in the same ballpark as Benedictum's Veronica Freeman. The standard disclaimer concerning side projects has to apply here, as almost everyone involved has another major band to deal with, but The Unexpected stands tall as a solid Euro metal album.