Normally, I'm not one to get into physical releases, as I listen to pretty much all my music digitally now. However, taking a look around YouTube, I began to see folks sharing their CD collections and showing off their new purchases or surprise unboxings. This got me hankering to maybe get into that a little myself, and when I discovered that Pure Steel Records was doing a big sale at the end of last year, I finally gave in and bought 8 CDs. It's taken me a bit of time to get to them all, but I figured I would review them all together instead of making them part of my Last Played articles. I tried to keep the reviews on the shorter side so that the article wouldn't run on too long. Still, it was a lot of fun to check out a bunch of bands I wouldn't have otherwise listened to!
These Russians are definitely going old-school, pulling together elements of 70s Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy, and sharing a lot of qualities with later bands like White Wizzard and Gygax. The production is perfect, giving the guitars a solid crunch without losing any of their musicality in the solos. Fans of classic guitar harmonies will find plenty to enjoy here, Igor Arbuzov provides great vocals that have that old-school metal bravado, and everything is generally consistent.
They do try to mix it up a little, with a few songs having some tempo shifts and change-ups in the rhythm. Songs like "Dying World" and "Witch" show some of their more experimental side. However, they also have the straight-ahead sound down as well. "Hellbringer" starts the album with a strong "Painkiller" vibe while "Shimmering Dawn" provides a more 70s hard rock vibe. Overall, it's a good chunk of songs that mix it up just enough to not feel repetitive.
I know I've featured this band a few times before, but I've never really jammed one of their albums all the way through until this one. When I saw it was on sale, I knew I had to pick it up because their Maiden-style of metal is so very on-the-nose. Some might roll their eyes at them for being a clone of a classic band, but I think they get away with it because they perform with a lot of fun and energy.
A lot of it is because they get the little things right. The playing is tight and powered by great production. The guitarists provide both meaty riffs and noodly solos, with some interesting syncopation here and there to mix things up. And vocalist Artur Almeida is doing more than just copying Dickinson's sound, but trying to recreate his sense of storytelling and theatrics to make the songs sound huge. I do think Attick Demons has a heavier, chunkier sound, but that could be just from me comparing the more modern production of this album against the classic 80s Maiden albums. While Let's Raise Hell is solid across the board, I did think that "Adamastor," "Dark Angel," and the epic "Endless Game" are the songs that stood out the most. It may not be particularly innovative, but those looking for some classic metal done well with modern production, Attick Demons has you more than covered.
Another band that's clearly built on a classic template, Blackbird seek out the anthemic blues rock of bands like AC/DC and Airbourne. Right off, the opener "Fire Your Guns" is a solid start, and "Don't Fool Me" and "Devil's Soul" also have some good energy. The rest of the album occupies a kind of anthemic, mid-tempo vibe, with "Deuce" being the best of those. They really stick to that fist-pumping arena rock formula and do a decent job of it for the most part.
However, there are some problems. The production isn't as clean as I would like, as the instruments tend to blend together, especially during the gang vocals sections. Another problem is that the singer Angus Dersim definitely has that gritty German vocal style, but it seems to lack a lot of charm, and can be grating at times. Finally, the music is pretty standard 80s blues rock. I wasn't expecting any massive innovations, but they really don't do much other than follow the classic templates pretty closely. While it might be interesting for fans of this specific style of rock, most folks will probably be better off just listing to Back in Black again.
I guess Canada has become a hot bed for a lot of classic metal bands over the past decade, and Sarasin is another one from that crowd, blending a few different 80s metal styles. With all the noodly guitars from Jim Leach and Greg Boileau, they certainly share a few vibes with US power metal and Ozzy's early solo albums.
However, what sets this album apart, strangely, is how much I was reminded of Godsmack! Singer Mike Wilson seems to have a lot of similar cadences to Sully Erna. Songs like "The Hammer," "Soul in Vain," and "Sinkhole" are the strongest examples of this. The riffs will sometimes get a bit groovy as well, making the album feel like a curious blend of traditional and alternative metal.
I also want to point out the drumming of Roger Banks. While he's tight on the rhythms, he gets a lot of opportunities for these little drum fills all over the album, giving the songs just a bit of extra flair that I liked. Overall, it's a pretty good album, providing more than few solid grooves and some interesting atmospheric elements. And at just under 40 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome.
The only power metal album from the pack, Shadowbane focus on more post-apocalyptic themes for their lyrics, if the album art wasn't a clue. Even though they got some support from the Wacken Foundation, this is their only album, which is a shame because I would have liked to hear where this band could have gone from here.
Their sound is very much like their German brothers, putting them in the same camp as Paragon, Accept, Iron Savior, and Primal Fear, with maybe a dash of US power metal here and there. The result is a very chunky blend of heavy/power metal stompers, with plenty of noodly guitars, double-kicking bass drums, and catchy choruses; all pretty typical stuff. However, they certainly have the chops, as they all sound very tight and epic. The production keeps things thick without getting in the way of the high-speed riffing at all. While there aren't any innovations in their songwriting (though they mix it up a little), I can't deny this is some very solid power metal. I quite liked "Beyond the Winds of War," "Traitor," "Tear Down the Wall," and "Last Division." Maybe one day they'll get back together and record another album, as I'd love to hear more!
When I first got a sample of this group, I definitely got a Saxon vibe, mostly because of Udo Bethke's vocals sounding like Biff Byford. However, now that I've listened to it, I'm hearing plenty of influence from their German classic metal compatriots like Accept and Grave Digger, going back and forth between high speed chugfests and more mid-tempo anthemic rockers. Right off, the guitar work is amazing. Wolfgang Tewes and Günny Kruse work great together, providing not only a solid set of chunky riffs, but also plenty of complex guitar harmonies, and they're really the highlight of the album.
The biggest problem is the lyrics. While I don't mind some clichés in my metal, this really does feel like they got a set of 80s metal refrigerator magnet poetry, and then just fiddled with them until they sorta made sense. It's a shame, because Bethke is a good singer, especially for this kind of metal. Your mileage may vary, but the weak lyrics really did become a bit distracting for me. Still, there's plenty of solid traditional metal, with "Scream in the Night" being the stand-out track, as it has a bit of a power metal vibe, as does their rerecording of "Dragonride." Overall, it's not bad, but I do wish the lyrics were as strong as the music.
Despite having nothing to do with the boardgame with the over-the-top 90s commercials, these Bulgarians aim for a kind of fusion of prog and power metal, similar to the likes of Seventh Wonder and Darkwater, with some Ghost Opera-era Kamelot for good measure. There's certainly plenty to like, with a few ambitious ideas, plenty of chuggy riffs, and decent production. "One More Time" and "Fall from Grace" are good uptempo tracks, while "Glory to the Heavens" shows the best of their epic style.
However, there seems to be something missing, and I can't quite put my finger on it. The performances are fine, across the board. Dimo Petkov is maybe a little stiff, but his voice works well for the dramatic stories they're telling. It's clear that their orchestrations are just keyboards, but Peter Boshnakov uses them well, and gets a few solid synth solos in along with the guitars. There doesn't seem to be any major mistakes, and yet, I feel like this album isn't as good as I want it to be. Maybe I'll figure out my feelings on this as I listen to it more, but for now, it's a solid collection of symphonic prog metal that might not blow you away, but passes the time well enough.
Despite coming from Italy, this band is very much in the vein of the German style of traditional metal, with a good measure of Painkiller Judas Priest for good measure. Vocalist Alfonso Giordano certainly sounds like Udo Dirkschneider as he sings in his broken English. The production does get a little muddy, but it's not a deal-breaker, as you can still hear all the furious chugging, riffing, and soloing that Giuseppe Seminara and Gian Luca Rossi has to offer.
It's definitely one of those albums that's trying make up for it's lack of innovation or original ideas by being as passionate as possible, and embracing classic 80s metal to its fullest extent, and it mostly works. While the lyrics do get clunky from time to time, the way the album just rolls you over with riff after riff, it's hard to really care. Stand out tracks were "Finalizer" with its neat little riffy section in the middle of the solo, "Wings of the Abyss" for it's anthemic build-ups, and there are even times where the album gets a bit thrashy. Perhaps it doesn't do much that hasn't been done better elsewhere, but this was a solid listen, overall.
So, that was quite fun. I don't know how often I'll do this, as it can be pricey. I mainly did this because it was such a good deal and it let me hear a bunch of bands that I hadn't heard before. I think I enjoyed the Attick Demons and Shadowbane albums the most, but none of them were completely bad, as found bits I liked on all of them. This was a fun exercise, but I don't know when I'll do it again. Maybe someday I'll get more into collecting physical CDs or subscribe to the Metalhead Box. Until then, rock on! \m/
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