review by: Roberto Martinelli

The one thing above all else that'll make or break a power metal band is whether the singer is good. Luckily Dionysus has Olaf Hayer, whom you might be familiar with if you've heard Luca Turilli's solo stuff. Hayer has a great voice and fronts a band with so much talent that shines through in all aspects, and in no small way with the super impressive soloing.

However, the songs on Sign of Truth are never more than good. In fact, the songs remind me a lot of what you'll find on an Yngwie Malmsteen album (albeit with less over the top soloing): songs that don't really kick ass as such, but are more about the talents of the band members. Sure there are some really excellent parts, but none of the songs here are mesmerizing, and at least one or two (like the power ballad), are a waste. So while Dionysus totally blow away a band like Manilla Road (reviewed in this issue) in terms of playing their instruments, there's no way in hell that Sign of Truth can even begin to match the timeless passion and likeability of something like Manilla's Spiral Castle. For sure Sign of Truth is way better than the inexplicably bad album cover art that really does the band a disservice.