Wish this album came out earlier in the year so I had time to digest it and decide if it made my Top 25 of 2011. Regardless, I’ve been a long time fan of Royal Hunt, "Moving Target" and "Paradox" from the mid 90s with DC Cooper, "Fear" and "The Mission" with John West, to "Paradox II" with Marc Boals, its always enjoyable melodic prog rock.

"Show Me How To Live" sees the return of DC behind the mic and its definitely back to Royal Hunt’s sound from the above mentioned albums. The melodies, harmonies, big backing vocals (and the inclusion of a sweet female voice on ‘Another Man Down’)…its all here. The guitars are here too but I wanted maybe a little more. Royal Hunt have always been heavy in the keyboards but this time around they often wash out the riffs. ‘An Empty Shell’ is a little better, harder with more riffing and bass, darker in feel. Cascading keys can be heard during ‘Hard Rain’s Coming’ adding a very classical feel on top of the already prominent keyboard melody. Mainman Andre Anderson is a master of layering the keyboard melodies in an arrangement always unique unto Royal Hunt. The title track clocks in at 10 minutes including a rather grand chorus and featuring a keyboard piece which is magical.