This is the fifth album from this Progressive/Power Metal formation hailing from Norway, who are obviously fascinated with Science Fiction and more specifically the TV series Stargate SG1. Despite releasing top quality albums, very much in the vein of the SYMPHONY X, PAGAN'S MIND haven't met the same success on this side of the Atlantic as they have in their native Europe, where their live shows have sold out in many venues and where they will be touring in the spring 2008 support of BRAINSTORM. Except for the ProgPower USA festival in 2007, the North American sub-continent, very much to the fans' dismay, has remained thus far mostly unexplored by this Scandinavian combo.

Undeniably, anybody who has been lucky enough to be exposed to PAGAN'S MIND's music will admit the exceptional level of talent and inspiration of this quintet and can't help wondering why their catalogue hasn't yet met a much larger commercial success. "God's Equation" is no exception to the rule and reveals to be from far, if in any way possible, the most accomplished and mature album of their career. The combination of aggressive Power Metal, technical Progressive Metal and very infectious melodies has never been this strong before. Tracks like "United Alliance" and the very kick-ass "Atomic Firelight" should leave the strongest impression on everyone. The album also includes a surprising cover of David Bowie's single "Hallo Spaceboy" (originally released in 1995 on "Outside"). As always singer Nils L. Rue is exceptional and reaches extremely high notes without ever making him sound like a sissy!

Very aggressive tracks such as "Evolution Exceeds" or "Alien Kamikaze", with its killer riffs, display very elaborate melodies and technical skills that near perfection. This probably explains why PAGAN'S MIND has never been able to be considered as a purely Progressive formation choosing instead to perform in the heaviest possible way for a Power Metal formation. Drummer Stan Kristoffersen operates almost on an ongoing double-bass basis, which combined with the works of bassist Steinar Krokmo and the exceptional performance of their only guitarist (hard to believe) Jorn Viggo Lofstad, will blow you away. Not being a huge fan of keyboards myself, I still can't deny that, in the case of PAGAN'S MIND music, the omnipresence of Ronny Tegner's keys up the sound quality and overall strength of each composition. The album concludes in the classiest fashion with the very impressive "Osiris' Triumphant Return". Just make sure that you get the early edition which includes a bonus CD with previously unreleased material as well as extra goodies!

PAGAN'S MIND's "God's Equation" is not good or great; it is phenomenal and can easily be considered as one of the greatest albums ever released in Heavy Metal. Everything from the production (entirely assumed by the band members themselves) to the general performance of each track should bring PAGAN'S MIND to the top of the Metal scene. Simply brilliant!