It's good: Kyros – Celexa Dreams

There's nothing quite so satisfying as musical surprises. And this album is full of them. The backbone of this album is super-nostalgic 80's powerprog, at times so cheesy it borders on homage. But this band brings in a truckload of modern influences, popping up where you least expect them. The heavy passages especially caught me off-guard, not only because they contrast so strongly with the rest of the music, but also because they turn out to fit perfectly, and are executed with great finesse. All too often a not-so-metal band will attempt to sound 'heavy' only to end up sounding brittle, but Kyros pulls off every single element of their sound.

This is really fun, colorful music that is both nostalgic and truly progressive.