by Justin Gaines
– Sr. Columnist —
German Hard Rock turned Melodic Metal band Jaded Heart is back with a new studio album, their twelfth overall, titled Guilty By Design. The band has some new blood this time around, with guitarist Masahiro Eto and drummer Bodo Strickler replacing long time members Henning Wanner and Axel Kruse, but the Jaded Heart sound is still very much intact. This album also finds the band on the Massacre label for the first time.
The albums in Jaded Heart’s post-Michael Bormann “second era” have gotten progressively heavier and more metallic, and while Guilty By Design is still a Melodic Metal album, it does sound like the band has made a slight shift to a more melodic rocking sound here. It’s a “best of both worlds” kind of album, with more rocking songs like “Remembering” “This is the End” and “Rescue Me” alongside hard-hitting metal tracks like “Seven Gates of Hell” and “So Help Me God.” They’re all melodic songs, and they all have razor sharp riffs, a very satisfying heaviness and powerful vocals, which is what we’ve come to expect from Jaded Heart.
It’s not a perfect album, running a bit long and with a couple of filler tracks, but overall Guilty By Design is yet another high-quality Melodic Metal album from one of the best, most dependable bands in that scene. Jaded Heart is one of the best bands to bridge the gap between Melodic Rock and Heavy Metal, and fans of bands like Pink Cream 69, Jorn, Pretty Maids, Masterplan and Shakra will definitely want to check out their latest offering.
Edition Notes: The deluxe edition of Guilty By Design comes in a digipack and includes the bonus tracks “My Farewell” and “My Own Way Down.” Both tracks are available digitally as well.
Genre: Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Melodic Metal
Band:
Johan Fahlberg (v)
Peter Ostros (g)
Masahiro Eto (g)
Michael Muller (b)
Bodo Stricker (d)
Track Listing:
1. No Reason
2. Godforsaken
3. Seven Gates of Hell
4. Remembering
5. Rescue Me
6. Salvation
7. No Waiting For Tomorrow
8. Watching You Die
9. So Help Me God
10. Bullying Me
11. This is the End
12. Torn and Scarred
13. My Farewell
14. My Own Way Down
Label: Massacre Records
Website: www.facebook.com/jadedheartmusic
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10
