Omen was one of the more successful Metal Blade artists of the eighties, employing a classic 80's metal sound vaguely along the lines of Priest/Maiden. Frankly I remember little about them, though I thought they were decent (if not outstanding) at the time. The Escape To Nowhere album marked a slight departure from their early style, and shortly after its release, the band broke up. It wasn't until 1997 that founder Kenny Powell resurrected the Omen name with a new lineup, and his own son Greg taking over on vocals. The resulting album, Reopening The Gates, reportedly had more in common with 90's metal than with their earlier albums, which left many core fans longing for the classic Omen style. The band took a break, then came back together with a new vocalist (son Greg having moved on to his own band, Stomping Ground). A new album, Eternal Black Dawn, said to be in the vein of the classic older Omen material, has now been released.