Inner Wish
No Turning Back

June 2010
Released: 2010, Ulterium Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP

It is virtually inevitable that when a band's studio album comes out they are excited and proudly declare it to be the best thing they have ever done. The label gets on board and reinforces the sentiment. I tend to take these statements with a grain of salt, but I’d have to agree in this case. I’ve never heard the ’98 debut, but of the last three, this is by far strongest.



The last couple were solid melodic/power Metal types albums, (leaning towards the melodic side) but NO TURNING BACK cranks everything up just a notch. Making the shift from Limb Records to the young and promising Swedish label Ulterium Records, and a long four-year break between albums, seems to have given the band a bit more fire.



The first noticeable difference to my ears (although it is subtle) is that the band is a bit faster, heavier and slightly darker. Vocalist Babis sings a little lower in his register but again these are pretty subtle differences that you’d have to be familiar with the other albums to really distinguish. However, his vocals have excellent range and power and a forceful delivery without descending into screaming.



There is some nice underlying keyboard work on the title track but the keys never get too prominent. The band will change up-tempo once in a while, it’s not all just raging double-kick drums. The guitars are crunchy with excellent soloing with again showing some restraint and melodic tendencies. The harmonies are very nice, easy to listen to and sing along without being sickly sweet. I don’t why, no real reason, but they remind a little of a heavier Fifth Angel, very elegant and composed without being frantic. They possess an overall sense of quality.



I could see why with so many classic, traditional Metal bands in the world (thousands!) that a casual fan could miss and/or pass over a band like Inner Wish. However, that would be a mistake because over the 15 years they have become one of the best Greek bands around. The better bands will rise to the top and survive and keep improving and slowly build a solid catalogue of quality songs. Inner Wish fits this mold perfectly, they are not the first band everyone thinks of when discussing ‘Power Metal’ however, they certainly deserve to be.