Once again, it is time to celebrate the releases of a given year with the next Anniversary Series article. For 2007, I pretty much just had a few power metal albums, so I thought I'd try and diversify my playlist with the albums reviewed below. However, one highlight I do want to mention is the debut of Northern Kings called Reborn, a kind of symphonic metal passion project by the singers from Charon, Dreamtale, Sonata Arctica, and Nightwish of doing covers of 80s songs. They only ever did one other album, but both are a blast and worth checking out. Now, on to the reviews!
Let's kick things off with some straight-ahead rock and roll! Airbourne is that name I'd seen around here and there, but it wasn't until I seriously listened to one of their albums that I began to understand that there was more to them than their blues-rock style indicated. For this anniversary article, I figured I'd go back to the beginning and check out their debut album.
Unsurprisingly, it's full of anthemic bluesy rockers. Sure, some are faster than others, but they're all very much designed to be fist-pumping, chest-pounding, hedonistic hard rock, with enough saucy lyrics and triumphant choruses to cover at least 3 or 4 AC/DC albums. I've always felt Airbourne was a more distilled version of their Ozzie mates, and this album makes it clear they started that way from the beginning. The riffs are tight, the rhythms are driving, and the lyrics easy to follow, making for a set of songs that demand some headbanging.
If you've had your fill of AC/DC, this certainly won't change your mind, but for those who don't mind another dose of classic party rock, it's pretty consistent and solid across the board. I find that I like the faster songs here, such as "Stand Up for Rock 'n' Roll," "Blackjack," "Girls in Black," and "Hellfire." Overall, the album is a decent start for the band, and doesn't overstay its welcome by keeping to a tight length, though I do think they've created better later on.
I think I came across this band from watching the Thralls of Metal YouTube Channel. While they mostly focus on extreme metal, they do cover a few other bands as well, and this one was recommended for its classic style. After checking out a few tracks, I decided this was a band I should keep on my radar. As their debut EP came out in 2007, I thought I would include them for this anniversary article.
Right off, the guitar work stands out. Not only do you get some chunky riffs, but plenty of shreddy solos as well. Ian K. Childron really works his fingers across all four songs. As for the songs, they feel like a blend of US power metal and NWOBHM, with a dash of speed metal here and there. The singer Jason Decay is a little rough on the ears, sometimes trying for a low gritty voice that doesn't quite work, but when he sings high he's not too bad. The title track "Into the Cauldorn" is probably the best song of the four, but all of them are worth checking out if you like this style of retro metal.
Before Russell Allen teamed up with Anette Olzon, Frontiers Records first paired him with Jorn Lande. While I enjoyed their first album The Battle quite a bit, it can come across as being pretty generic, with its AOR-styled approach to symphonic metal, written and orchestrated by guitarist Magnus Karlsson (who has done all kinds of work for Frontiers over the years). The Revenge stands to carry on where they left off, without any deviation at all.
Right off, the opener "The Revenge" makes it clear that these songs are going to be bombastic and melodramatic. You can tell Jorn is having fun with his ad-libbed croons. Allen doesn't do too bad, but I think he tries to force it too much sometimes, especially on the song "Obsessed." Karlsson gets plenty of opportunities to show his skills, often going back and forth between melodic segments and shredding. There isn't much variety, but the goal was to give these iconic vocalists a platform to go big and let loose, and it does that pretty well.
While the album is pretty consistent, there were some standouts. The title track is fun, while "Just a Dream," "Her Spell," and "Gone Too Far" have good energy. I also quite liked Jorn's ballad "Master of Sorrow," which is unique, as I'm usually not a fan of ballads. I do feel like Jorn is more comfortable, as Allen doesn't seem quite on the same level. He's good, but fans will probably prefer his work in Symphony X and his other projects. The quality is probably on par with the project's first album; it would probably take several listens to decide which is better. On its own, it's a solid chunk of symphonic metal that doesn't try too hard, but sticks with what works.
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