What makes a random promo grab special is the absence of expectations and the ignorance of any band or album lore, at least in the initial stages. The promise of this blank slate drew me to Italian power metal quartet Aletheya, comprised of members from Fleshgod Apocalypse, Stormlord, Ivory Moon, and Concept. Debuting with their upcoming LP Chance to Reborn, Aletheya ventured a story centered around inner conflict and human resilience with a focus on perseverance, self-reflection, and hope. That concept suits the context of power metal perfectly, but how well does the final product coalesce into something exciting and compelling in this competitive arena?
Musically, Aletheya stick pretty closely to the established power metal blueprints established by bands like Rhapsody of Fire, Helloween, and Galneryus. That means a metric ton of double bass runs, thunderous gallops, whimsical synths and twinkling effects, and lightning-fast solo shreds with soaring choruses on top. Those with an affinity for the genre trappings will find great comfort here, and those averse to the same will find a familiar repulsion awaits. Nonetheless, Aletheya are charming and exuberant, such that Chance to Reborn is very difficult to dislike. In fact, the longer I spent time with it, the more I wanted to spend additional time with it.
The biggest detractor holding me back from doing exactly that at any opportunity is Chance to Reborn’s flat and plastic engineering. While not that dissimilar to the Industry Standard™ for power metal, every player except for vocalist Gianni Carcione occupies the same placement at dead center, resulting in a crowded soundscape dominated by Gianni’s heavily accented delivery in the front. Songs like “The Rule” and “Chasing the Sun” in particular suffer for such a lack in sonic dynamics. The former is meant to hit hard the way only Teutonic power metal can, but the engineering’s lack of guts siphon the muscle away from the tune and leaves its sharp, punchy ending dulled and ineffective. The latter should’ve been a sunny, inspirational hair-raiser—and it is for the most part—but this overly sterilized production makes it hard for even Gianni’s empowered vocal runs to punch above their weight as intended.
On the other hand, the songs themselves are sleeper builds, pumping fun and a palpable love for the genre deep into the veins. While at first I was cool on many of these tunes, the electric “Chasing the Sun” began that elusive catalytic reaction I so greedily seek. Eventually, high-energy frolics “Eye of the Stone,” “The Rule,” “Echoes of Oblivion,” and “Stealer” became impossible to resist. Cheesy as they are, their charms seem infinite. Gianni’s bright and unique tonal quality and exuberant delivery—highly reminiscent of Glenn from Superstore if that immensely lovable character fronted a europower act himself1—combine with Francesco Menale’s rapid-fire gallops and neoclassical noodles and David Folchitto’s adrenaline-spiked percussion to great effect. Other songs don’t fare quite as well if only because they sound remarkably similar to one another (“Invisible Heroes,” “Chance to Reborn,” etc.), which gives away a shortage of distinct songwriting ideas and pathways. Consequently, Aletheya aren’t able to support nearly 50 minutes of material on stable footing. Instead, they stretch themes and repeated structures so thin at times that the tissues holding the whole together threaten to tear apart.
Chance to Reborn is a competent, charming, but imperfect first record by a fledgling act. The talent and skill are there, and Gianni in particular boasts a unique and lovable voice that might take getting used to at first, but shines with personality. If the rest of the band can find a similar wealth of character and imbue their songwriting with a wealth of distinct ideas—even if they don’t necessarily challenge genre convention—then future Aletheya works could become truly exciting and epic to behold. Revisiting their engineering process to give their next round more dynamics and guts only promises even greater yields. Until that time, take an hour and test Chance to Reborn’s charms for yourself!
Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Rockshots Records
Website: Facebook
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026
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