I was listening to “Bloodangel’s Cry” at work recently, and a colleague asked me what kind of music it was. I thought about it for a moment, and then replied “Female-fronted symphonic speed metal”. And that’s what Krypteria is, and it is *excellent*.

Lead singer Ji-In Cho doesn’t have as strong a voice as that of Amy Lee of Evanescense or Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation, but she has tremendous energy. And she *needs* it, to keep up with the blistering pace of music that the rest of the Krypteria band puts out. Their combined efforts result in a symphonic metal album that is truly inspired.

Stand-out tracks include “All Systems Go”, “Scream”, “Lost”, “I Can’t Breathe”, “Dream Yourself Far Away”, and “Sweet Revenge”. I normally consider an album to be worth buying if it has at least two stand-out tracks, and this one has SIX. And *all* of the rest are worth a listen as well. Not a single one among them is bad.

*Highly* recommended. Any fan of female-fronted rock should consider buying this album today.