Magica is one of those bands that tends to get lost in the mix of female-fronted symphonic acts. Though their albums are usually pretty solid, it's tough for a group from Romania to compete against powerhouses like Epica, and Magica's history of weak vocals and confused bouncing around between mainstream, power metal, and symphonic tracks have made their battle an uphill climb. "Dark Diary" finds them making an admirable attempt at working their way to the top of the heap. Probably the best track is "We Are Horde," and call me a geek, but I'm amazed no one's made a World of Warcraft fan video to this tune yet. The nearly speed metal tempo, death growls, and lower range, powerful lead vocals make this a killer track that's ideal for gaming. And though I doubt the song really is about Alliance vs. Horde, the battle references still seems apropos. Magica's latest offering isn't going to make any Top Ten lists, but "Dark Diary" shows the band growing and finding their niche in an admittedly bloated genre, which might help to make these musicians from an often ignored region a little less ignored. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.