So I'm finally catching up on some current year releases, some new, some older. However, they are all certainly metal of the heavy or power variety (and sometimes both!). While a lot of this is pretty dang solid, I can't deny that last one really blew my mind! Check out what I've been jamming lately!
I admit I had some hesitation coming to this one, as the last one Metal Commando was pretty underwhelming. I know I included it in my Top 5 for that year, but I admit it hasn't really stayed with me much since then. Now for Code Red, I did like their first two singles, and in listening to the rest of the album, I do feel like they've got some oomph back, especially in the second half of the album.
I'm definitely splitting hairs here: the band is as reliable as ever, with plenty of melodic leads, chunky riffs, and Halford-like wails from Ralf. Business as usual really. If there is a difference, it's mostly an uptick in melodrama, adding symphonic swells here and there. The songs are also longer, letting passages linger and going for a more epic, mid-tempo tone. There's also some frustration boiling up in some of the lyrics as the past few years were an inspiration for some of the songs. Of course, they also have their standard fantasy tales, cheers of triumph, and anthems for the sake of metal, so it's certainly not some kind of concept album.
Overall, I think it's slightly better than their last album. "Another Hero" is a good mid-tempo opener and "Play a Song" is an appropriately catch song about using music to get through hard times. "Steelmelter" and "Raged By Pain" show their continuing love for Painkiller as those are very Priest-like. Basically another solid effort from a band that's generally pretty consistent.
Like I mentioned earlier this year, Weapon are a band that started in the middle of the NWOBHM scene, but never really got much notice. However, all these years later, they've started pulling together a few albums, with this one being their third full-length. Unsurprisingly, it's some pretty straight-forward heavy metal with a strong emphasis on melody.
Right off, they sound like their compatriots Saxon, with the good rockin' energy, but guitar tone and riffs are definitely on the chunky side, making me think of Grave Digger as well. The solos played by Oscar Bromvall tend to favor melody over shredding, making me think of Oscar Dronjak's work in HammerFall. Danny Hynes is a solid singer, and often has layers of overdubs on the choruses, giving the band a touch of epicness here and there. The rhythm section of Andreas Westerlund and Tony Forsythe keep things moving, sometimes pushing into power metal territory with those double-kicking bass drums. All of this comes together pretty well, musically speaking.
However, there are a few things that hold it back. The production is a little muddy, with the guitars very far forward, which sometimes buries Danny's vocals. The lyrics are a touch on the cliched side, especially on the ballad "Live For Today," but they aren't a deal breaker. Finally, the album really doesn't move from its comfort zone, sticking pretty closely to it's NWOBHM sound. Still, it's a decent sound, and I ended up liking the two openers "Drumbeats of War" and "Take It or Leave It," with "Hard Road" as a bright spot later for having some nice, crunchy riffs. Overall, the album is pretty level in quality, feeling like a solid update of a classic sound.
Like I mentioned earlier on my blog, this is a side project of a few folks from Visigoth, featuring female vocalist Madeline Smith, and their debut album certainly has elements of US power metal, here and there, along side a very strong 70s hard rock feel. There's also a sense of pulpy sci-fi, as teased by the album artwork, making me think of this stuff as a soundtrack to a system-spanning galactic thrill ride!
Right off, Madeline makes her presence known, her great alto voice blending in well with the mix without getting buried. She really brings an epic tone to the songs with her excellent vibrato and long notes, enough so to make me wonder if she's classically trained or something. Otherwise, the music is pretty spartan, not a lot of overdubs, but that gives them a distinct old-school style. They do touch things up with a bit of synths, but only on a few tracks, with the instrumental "Dawn Phenomenon" being where they are most prominent. The guitars have a very classic chug to them, making the songs meaty without losing the opportunity to rock out from time to time, usually in the form of some very 80s shreddy solos. The last song "Wait to Die" even pulls out some double-kicking bass drums to really end on a high note!
Overall, it's a decent collection of songs that seem to sit somewhere between 70s Judas Priest and Blue Öyster Cult. If there is a problem, its that the album is pretty short at just over 30 minutes long. I probably could have liked getting a few more songs, but I suppose that's not a bad takeaway, as I did like what I heard. I don't know what the future is for Blood Star, but these folks do have something pretty good here, especially with Madeline Smith in the band.
Okay, look: when I brought up two of the singles for this album, I mentioned how they hit all the right notes and tick all the right boxes. But what do I do when I feel like the entire album does that? I know this is just Iron Savior and they've been doing the same thing since the late 90s, but when it's this good, I just don't care!
Musically, it's pretty much business as usual for these guys. Driven by precise rhythms and double-bass-drum kicking, the riffs are allowed grounded and gritty while letting the solos melodically soar. And between it all is Piet Sielck's perfect vocal delivery, providing all kinds of triumph and heroism on nearly every track! They also know how to shake it up from track to track, so listening to it never becomes tedious, but a delight. After listening to a plethora of power metal bands, it's easy to hear the tropes and feel like it's all been done before, so it's amazing when I hear a band that still knows how to maintain that epic spirit and feel fresh at the same time!
This is album of the year territory. I know I brought up Twilight Force, Lovebites, and Kamelot as being contenders, but now they're gonna have to compete for second place! It's not a perfect album, as there are a few tracks in the back half that aren't quite a strong, but those are just nitpicks for an album that's going to have quite a few tracks on the Best of 2023 playlist! Superlative power metal from a group that hasn't lost their way at all!
I'm looking down the pipeline and I'm afraid I may have to repeat some things I did last year, binging several albums at the end, as there is still a lot of stuff I haven't gotten to! I think I've got things slightly settled in my own life, so I'm hoping I'll have time to get to them all. In any case, it's going to be a pretty busy last few months for me as I crank out these articles! Until then, rock on! \m/
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