After introducing themselves in 2020 with their debut, ‘The Force Within’, multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Cristiano Filippini and co. have returned to continue their journey towards making a bigger name for themselves. Cristiano mentioned that this album was inspired by the manga series ‘Knights of the Zodiac‘, which has elements of Greek mythology, and the album cover certainly portrays that in a vivid manner. The figure of Pegasus and its rider, holding an electrified sword pointing towards the night sky, represents Cristiano’s ambition of composing something truly for ‘the universe’.

Opening track ‘The Immortal Fire’ is a bombastic instrumental prelude for what’s to come, as Cristiano wastes no time in hyping listeners. If something is to be called Symphony of the Universe, then this really gives us a good flavour of it. ‘On the Wings of Phoenix’ gets the action underway as the handbrakes are off, with the band firing away on all cylinders. A brief synth intro gives way to a fast-paced onslaught of double kick and some sweet guitar harmonies. The lyrics tell the story of one of Knights of the Zodiac’s main characters, Ikki, and the struggles of a tough period he went through to keep his Phoenix Armour. Lead singer Marco Pastorino’s delivery is world-class. Within that falsetto range, he cleverly chucks in some signs of vulnerability when interpreting Ikki’s journey by flipping between different textures and octaves. Michele Vioni performs one of those solos that you know he’ll never do another one quite as nicely. The way in which he executes it is nothing but soul-touching, with some beautiful shredding and tapping. Meanwhile, Paolo Caridi also steals the show, mixing up different tempo changes and techniques to keep the tune’s message flowing.

In need of some breathing space, we’re treated with back to back mid-tempo tracks. ‘Midnight Riders’ keeps the momentum going with a bit of a twist. Rather than being another typical rapid power metal song about defeating beasts, this one has a darker feel. Set in a dystopian version of Los Angeles turned into a wasteland, the so-called ‘Midnight Riders’ are a cry of hope, showing that even in darkness, a light can shine through. Paolo’s simple mid-tempo beat feels like a perfect match for the group of bikers, as they normally tend to cruise. In addition, the choice of D minor on the guitars evokes a creepy backdrop. Michele shows more authority through the extra crunch in his guitar tone and riff style, resembling a classic revving engine. The solos may be just as complex, but they hit differently (in a good way). Marco establishes why he’s versatile enough for the job, as he perfectly adapts to his surroundings by following Michele’s lead, lowering his range to a firm tenor sound while adding in a cheeky outro in a higher key, like many tunes of this genre do.

‘A Flame from the Sky’ ends that sequence, and notice just how shifting up a key changes everything despite the speed remaining the same. From something hopeful and mysterious, it suddenly feels a lot more emotional. Michele showcases his talent once more with a delightful solo, while Marco’s passion shines through and Paolo drives things forward, pulling off satisfying, straightforward grooves. ‘The Power of Stars’ picks up the pace again, and this is where the record starts living up to its name, as if it’s really building to something big. For instance, the presence of the synth and orchestra grows, while the guitars contain extra force that hadn’t been heard previously. Marco follows the lead of the other instruments as well through his belting, not to mention Paolo’s double kick coming across aggressively.

‘When Love Burns’ returns to a comfortable tempo, giving off shades of Timo Tolkki’s Avalon’s ‘Enshrined in My Memory’ with its romantic but melancholic tone. The key of E minor cuouldn’t be a better pick in this scenario, considering the song is about the pain of when a relationship ends and how hard it is to let go. Hence the title, because when passion is strong, it can lead to suffering. Unsurprisingly, we get to hear Marco do what he does best: pour his heart out in the most charismatic way possible, to the point where we can feel the pain through our headphones. Michele does the same with a moving solo that’ll make listeners want to air guitar, while Paolo’s grooves can easily crack a satisfied grin.

Until now, the flow of Symphony Of The Universe had been exciting. However, it’s from the halfway point that structural challenges arise and, unfortunately, the album struggles to find its feet again. At 69 minutes long and 13 songs in total, that’s a lot to fit in, and pushing anything that far takes something special to keep listeners engaged from start to finish. Some tunes, such as ‘Tears of Love and Hate’, ‘Don’t Leave Me Tonight’ and ‘Eclipse’, feel like fillers that should have been saved for a different record, while the sequencing between others, not to mention length, disrupts the momentum and creates ear fatigue. For me, a perfect trio of tunes to bring it to a grand finale would have been ‘Darkside of Gemini’, ‘Constellations’ trimmed to before the drums kick in, and then ‘Symphony of the Universe’ shortened by about a minute.

It’s an ambitious effort from Cristiano Filippini’s Flames of Heaven, and while there are plenty of entertaining segments, there is room for improvement. The signs are encouraging that these guys have what it takes to go one step further next time. Like any young band with only two records under their belt, encountering obstables like these isn’t entirely unexpected. However, the future looks bright, and Cristiano can be proud of himself for working on a promising project.

Symphony Of The Universe was released on November 14 2025 via Limb Music