Whilst no stranger to this website, these West Midlands residents play traditional metal. If you like Maiden post-1995, then this will excite. On their last outing, 2013’s ‘Born to Rule’, I found to be a rousing release; but this time around there’s been a few changes in terms of the delivery of the tracks. Therefore, I don’t find the whole release as thrilling. It takes a lot longer to get into this one is what I am trying to say.
Vocally, the early part of the album sounds strained, almost beyond the range of singer Steve Bell, but later, like the sounds heard on the cracking tune ‘Redemption in Blood’ it all fits perfectly. ‘Look Me in the Eye’ has some nice melody and ‘Old as Sin’ is infectious once it gets going, but there’s a definite feeling of Jekyll and Hyde about some of the tracks, both track to track and within their own song arrangement. Sadly, it’s not a consistent pleasure throughout, I feel there’s something missing and it’s the mix not the songs themselves. But remaining positive, ‘Soul Destroyer’ hits the metal spot, the vibrancy remains true here and rewards with an uplifting experience, even with some of the quirky vocal bits that are encountered. The big bonus compared to the previous album is the artwork which is much more special on this new album. That looks vibrant and truly metal, whereas the previous release was much darker in its stance.
The songs themselves are well written, the mix doesn’t come across well though. In some quarters the guitars sound really thin and overall the vocals are a touch loud in the mix and I’ve checked on 3 different systems before passing comment. But, if you look beyond this there’s some nice ideas, and some quite thoughtful time signature changes and arrangements. However, it’s unfortunate, but I simply don’t feel fully connected this time around and that’s frustrating for me as a fan of this band.
(6/10 Paul Maddison)
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