I’ve only known ANTHENORA as a Maiden-cover band so far, so I’m a little surprised that this is already their second album with own compositions. Therefore, I can’t compare it with the first one. There are some parallels with Iron Maiden, but not so many as one maybe would expect. Also the similarities with most other Italian so called “Power Metal” bands are not too strong (fortunately), as well as you can hear them (especially in some refrains, Luigi Bonsanea’s voice is close to the well-feared Spaghetti howling). Soulgrinder shows that ANTHENORA are good at writing songs themselves, but by far not on the level of their idols. The music is well-composed and well-played, but not more than that, because there are too few really catchy parts. I can’t say that any song on Soulgrinder is really weak, and sometimes melodies and vocals lines appear that remain in your ear (Dawn Of Blood, A New Rebellion, Hundred Knives). Nevertheless, most parts of the album just aren’t exciting enough for me, despite all undeniable instrumental and vocal abilities. Furthermore, it’s too much mid-tempo and too little speed. Faster songs like Fatherland and Hellish Fire are exceptions. One the other hand, you can find well-done mid-tempo tracks like The Call Of The Undead and Cassandra. Good songs, but you won’t find any real hit on Soulgrinder. All in all, I see no reason, why the album should not be recommended to friends of solid Heavy Metal with a little Maiden touch that also can’t completely deny its Italian origin. Anyway, it’s a refreshing, compared to all those howling Rhapsody clones.