Italian outfit DGM is now out with their third album, the follow up to the surprisingly good "Change Direction". Originally, DGM was formed as a three- piece instrumental band in 1994. In 1995, the band was joined by a fourth member, and the line- up was completed. In 1995 they released their self-produced debut mini- cd "Random Access Zone" and in 1997 the first full-length, " Change Direction ", was released by Elevate Records.

In September 1998, the band and drummer Gianfraco Tassela decide to part ways, and new drummer Fabio Costantino is recruited. The European version of "Wings of Time" has 8 songs (the Japanese version has 2 bonus-tracks) with running time of 47 minutes. What we are offered here is 8 songs of very good prog/speed metal. The guitars are great, varied and not unlike the playing of Micheal Romeo of Symphony X, although not as much crunch and power. Guitarist Diego Riali pulls off some cool riffs and some very tasty and melodic guitar-solos. The songs are very guitar-driven, but the keyboards are also noticeable, always filling the background. On some songs, keyboardist Maurizio Pariotti comes very close to the sound of Pinella of Symphony X, just to give you a clue what this sounds like. All songs are good, with catchy rhythms and great choruses, and there is enough variation within each song to keep the music interesting. The high- pitched vocals of Luciano Regoli is good, and he does not have any problems singing the high notes, although some people might find his voice a bit nasal on some occasions. Compared to the last album, "WOT" has a slightly more speedy edge to the songs, and is perhaps more accessible, both in melodies and choruses. Style-wise the Symphony X comparisons is obvious, all mixed with a good portion of, let's say, Stratovarius. This should give you a good idea of what this sounds like. Having said that, I do think they have found their own style, which I think fans of both prog and speed/power metal will enjoy. The production is good, and has improved compared to the last album, although there is still room for improvement.

I think DGM has made a great album, which offers plenty melody and the arrangements/songs are worked through very well. I have played the cd many times now, and it gets better with each spin. Fans of these styles of music should get this cd right away, you would not want to miss it. I rate this cd to 4 out of 5 points. Highly recommended!