Iron Savior | The Landing

by Erik Tweedy
Staff Writer –

When you crack open the CD case from Iron Savior’s seventh studio release, The Landing, don’t be surprised when you find the record label has included your very own seat belt and crash helmet. The intro track “Descending” with its slow building symphonic momentum gives the listener about 30 seconds to sit down, strap in and prepare for a bone crushing ride through one of the best power metal releases to come out of Germany in a decade. With a gritty guitar intro, “The Savior” slowly introduces you to one of the best kept secrets in the metal world. Forming in 1996, Iron Savior has been flying under the metal radar and cranking out some seriously great metal and they are about to take the world by storm with The Landing.

The blazing speed of “Starlight” puts drummer, Thomas Nack, in the spotlight with a neck-breaking, double bass, beat down that is certain to get your heart pounding and your fist pumping. Be careful not to snap an ankle as you try and keep up with this one.

There are several tracks on The Landing that stick to a formula of speed metal drumming, crunchy guitar work interlaced with keyboards and a bruising bass line that compliments the gritty, heavy vocals of singer, Piet Sielck. Tracks like “March of Doom,” “Moment in Time” and “Faster Than All” break out at full speed and never let up until you have smashed your balls flat against the wall.

By the time you make it through the first four tracks, you should have the volume cranked way past 11 and pissing off your neighbors. A solid bass line and crunchy riff slowly rolls into a kick-ass metal anthem that will have you shouting out the chorus to “Heavy Metal Never Dies.” This is one of the best tracks on The Landing and it needs to be played at maximum volume over and over again.

Mid way through the release, the mid-tempo rocker, “Hall of Heroes,” slows the pace down, but never derails this brilliant release. Many songs on The Landing showcase the soldier marching harmonies of this quartet and will remind some of fellow German band mates Accept, but that is where the similarities end. Iron Savior, successfully blends a progressive keyboard mix with full on power speed metal drumming and some pretty stellar guitar playing that lays the foundation for the baritone vocals of Piet Sielck.

Picking up the pace with “R.U. Ready,” this massive arena rocker will have you busting out the devil horns. Paying homage to everyone from Hendrix, Zeppelin and Steppenwolf to Deep Purple, Judas Priest and Saxon, this track totally kicks ass. This will be the one to play as you head out for a solid night of partying. This is one of the best tracks of the year in the metal world and anyone into heavy metal needs to listen to this. Ronnie James Dio would have loved this track. Are you ready to rock?

Even kick ass metal bands have a soft spot and the lads from Iron Savior put their hearts on their sleeves with the enjoyable “Before The Pain”. Nothing new lyrics wise as we’ve heard it all before, boy meets girl, shit happens, the girl bails and the boy laments over it. A solid way to wind down this release as you head into the final track of “No Guts, No Glory.” “NGNG” is the most commercial sounding track with its driving beat, great backing vocals and superb guitar work. This should have you pushing the play button to start this ride over again from the top.

Clocking in at 47 minutes, The Landing is a progressive-power-speed-metal feast and Iron Savior has put together the best release in their 15 year career. There is nothing negative to say about The Landing and it will easily rise to the top of the pile in this genre in 2012. Not very often do you come across a release that is about as perfect as it gets. Fans of Pretty Maids, Hammerfall, Symphony X and Dragonforce will really enjoy this release. The production and mastering by Piet Sielck is great and give this release a huge sound. The guitars are right out front but never take away from the vocals or the rest of the band. If you are looking for a new release to get your blood pumping at a rapid pace, order this now, you won’t be disappointed.

Genre: Progressive, Power, Speed Metal

Band:
Piet Sielck – Lead Vocals/Guitar
Joachim Kustner – Guitar
Jan-Soren Eckert – Bass
Thomas Nack – Drums

Track Listing:
1. Descending
2. The Savior
3. Starlight
4. March of Doom
5. Heavy Metal Never Dies
6. Moment In Time
7. Hall Of The Heroes
8. R.U. Ready
9. Faster Than All
10. Before The Pain
11. No Guts, No Glory

Label: AFM Records

Website: http://www.iron-savior.com/

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.4/110

Brainstorm | On the Spur of the Moment

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer –

Long running, hard-hitting German power metal band Brainstorm is back with a new studio album, their ninth, titled On the Spur of the Moment. With a sound that focused more on the headbanging heavy metal side of power metal than the sing-song hyper-melodic focus of some of their peers (looking in your direction, Freedom Call), Brainstorm has always been one of the more exciting bands in the German power metal scene, but their last couple of albums didn’t thrill a lot of their fan base.

Downburst and Memorial Roots were both totally solid albums, but they didn’t have the same energy as Brainstorm’s essential Soul Temptation and Liquid Monster releases. There was a sense that the band was just treading water to some extent. You definitely don’t get that sense with On the Spur of the Moment, which grabs you by the throat from the opening seconds of lead off single “Below the Line” and never lets up until the final song ends. Maybe it’s that the rhythms are heavier, or that the melodies are more infectious, or that Andy Franck – now free from his commitment to side band Symphorce – is singing with renewed vigor and jaw-dropping power, but there’s just an incredible energy to this album. The songs on Memorial Roots were enjoyable while the disc was spinning and forgotten once it stopped. With On the Spur of the Moment, songs like “Still Insane,” “In These Walls” and “Dark Life” lodge in your head immediately and won’t let go until you play the album again…and again.

If you’ve let your attention drift away from Brainstorm in recent years, it’s time to give them another look. On the Spur of the Moment is the band’s first truly essential album since Liquid Monster, and is one of the best – if not the best – power metal album 2011 has to offer. Now if only we could get the band over to America to tour in support of this album.

Edition Notes: The limited edition version of On the Spur of the Moment comes in a digipack and features two bonus tracks: “The Pain Is Mine” and “The Heartless Spawn of Seed.”

Genre: Power Metal

Band:
Dieter Bernert (d)
Torsten Ihlenfeld (g)(v)
Milan Loncaric (g) (v)
Andy Franck (v)
Antonio Ieva (b)

Track Listing:
1. Below the Line
2. In the Blink of an Eye
3. Temple of Stone
4. In These Walls
5. Still Insane
6. Dark Life
7. No Saint – No Sinner
8. Where Your Actions Lead You To Live
9. A Life On Hold
10. My Own Hell

Label: AFM Records

Website: www.brainstorm-web.net

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.75/10

U.D.O. : Rev-Raptor

by Erik Tweedy
Staff Writer

In 1986, the band Accept was on top of its game and was one of the biggest metal bands touring Europe, and then it all instantly fell apart. In search of a solo career, lead singer Udo Dirkschneider unceremoniously left the band, leaving his fellow band mates to fend for themselves. Citing the usual musical differences, the members of Accept wished him well and waved goodbye. In 1987, Udo took his unique voice and his camouflage pants and started his own metal outfit, simply titled U.D.O.

Fast forward a couple of decades and an impressive 12 studio albums later, and U.D.O. continues to create some of Germany’s finest metal. Their latest release, Rev-Raptor is pretty much what you would expect from an U.D.O. release: Bashing drums, dueling guitars, pounding bass and that trademark Udo grunt and growl on vocals. Accept fans from around the world continue to shake their heads, trying to understand why Udo just didn’t stay in Accept because the music’s formula is pretty much the same with both bands. Because Accept reformed in 2010 with Mark Tornillo on vocals and having put out one of last year’s best metal releases, the comparisons will, no doubt, be the hot topic of conversation around the German water cooler.

The title track to Rev-Raptor kicks things off with a cool drum intro and the pedal to the floor. The fast pace of this release burns through tracks “Leatherhead” and “Renegade” and doesn’t slow down until hitting “I Give As Good As I Get,” which is as close to a U.D.O. ballad as can be, given the limitation in Udo’s vocal range. Some tasty guitar work near the end will keep you awake until the barn-burner that arrives in the form of “Dr. Death.” By now, you will have recognized that many of the tracks are starting to sound the same with different lyrics. This is not a knock on the band, but it is difficult to not recognize this. There are some solid guitar solos captured throughout the release, and the production is very good. But the almost continuous use of the same beat and the layering of Udo’s vocals many times over get to be a bit on the boring side by the time you are awaken by “Motor-Borg,” which is one of only a few standout tracks on this release. By the time you reach the final track, “Days of Hope and Glory,” sadly, it doesn’t provide the listener with any hope or glory.

The longtime U.D.O fan might enjoy this release even if it is quite boring, but it probably won’t pull in too many new fans. The guitar tone and drum beat rarely change throughout the entire album, and the over-mastered vocals are a sure sign that Udo’s singing career is coming to an end. U.D.O. has had some pretty solid releases during the past two decades, but this one falls somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Band:
Udo Dirkschneider: Vocals
Stefan Kaufmann: Lead Guitar
Igor Gianola: Rhythm Guitar
Fitty Weinhold: Bass
Francesco Jovino: Drums

Track Listing:
Rev-Raptor
Leatherhead
Renegade
I Give As Good As I Get
Dr. Death
Rock ‘N’ Roll Soldiers
Terrorvision
Underworld
Pain Man
Fairy Tales of Victory
Motor-Borg
True Born Winners
Days of Hope and Glory

Label: AFM Records

Website: http://www.udo-online.de/

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.6/10

Bloodbound : Unholy Cross

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Swedish power metal troupe Bloodbound is back with a new offering, entitled Unholy Cross. This is the band’s fourth album, and comes after a significant change, namely the not entirely amicable departure of vocalist Urban Breed (also ex-Tad Morose), who gave the band a degree of name recognition and cache within the power metal community. With Breed out, expectations for the new album were somewhat lowered, but Unholy Cross may be the band’s most enjoyable album yet.

Bloodbound has always had a darker, heavier take on the traditional power metal sound, and judging by the sinister cover artwork and title Unholy Cross looked like it would continue that trend. Opening call to arms “Moria” puts that assumption to rest in a hurry. The Olsson brothers’ songwriting has put a greater emphasis on melody, which is exactly the right complement for the talents of their new vocalist, Dawn of Silence frontman Patrik Johansson. With a voice that recalls both Bruce Dickinson and Tobias Sammet, Johansson’s vocals soar triumphantly through the galloping rhythms and wickedly catchy melodies. Bloodbound seems very aware of the recent success of their fellow Swedes in Sabaton, so Unholy Cross has a familiar sound, especially on battle-themed songs like “Brothers if War” and “Together We Fight.”

Unholy Cross is clearly modeled on the Iron Maiden and Helloween template, so it’s not all that original in terms of its overall sound. You’ve heard this kind of music many times before. Still, there’s something to be said for the familiar, melodic approach to power metal. Bloodbound’s earlier, darker efforts were arguably more creative, but Unholy Cross is a lot more fun, and has a lot more songs that will inspire you to raise your fist and sing along.

If you’ve already figured that without Urban Breed, Bloodbound is no longer worth hearing (you know who you are), Unholy Cross may come as quite the pleasant shock. This is a very strong, very addictive melodic power metal offering, and one that fans of Gamma Ray, Nocturnal Rites, Sabaton and especially Edguy should absolutely love.

Genre: Power Metal

Band:
Tomas Olsson (g)
Fredrik Bergh (k) (v)
Anders Broman (b)
Pelle Akerlind (d)
Henrik Olsson (g)
Patrik Johansson (v)

Track Listing:
1. Moria
2. Drop the Bomb
3. The Ones We Left Behind
4. Reflections of Evil
5. In For the Kill
6. Together We Fight
7. The Dark Side of Life
8. Brothers of War
9. Message From Hell
10. In the Dead of Night
11. Unholy Cross

Label: AFM

Web site: http://www.bloodbound.se/

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.25/10

The New Black II: Better in Black

by Mark Allen
Staff Writer

The biblical book of Ecclesiastes contains the famous phrase “there is nothing new under the sun,” a perceptively sage declaration that readily applies to the realm of hard rock. Certainly this sophomore album from The New Black brings nothing new to the table; we’ve heard this metallic heavy rock sound many times before. Thankfully, what this German band lacks in the freshness department, they compensate for by simply cranking everything up to the max and throwing down some unpretentious, full-throttle, ass-kicking hard rock.

The New Black have toured with Black Label Society and either through happenstance or osmosis, their sound is very similar, so anyone hungry for Godzilla-size guitars with the occasional southern-metal groove is going to find this album to be a veritable banquet of heavy riffs. In fact, the riffs are relentless; they simply never let up, nor will you want them to, because these riffs are everything you want riffs to be, guaranteed to get your skull slamming in full metal-approved style. The guitars themselves are gargantuan, a tightly-choreographed twin attack that is layered and harmonized to create a thick, crunchy wall of aggressive sound influenced by the likes of Zakk Wylde or Herman Frank.

There is a timeless, classic quality to this kind of American heavy rock sound. The New Black care about the flavor of the week about as much as the Pope cares about the latest issue of Playboy. This is a no bullshit band with zero commercial pretensions; hell, they don’t even bother crafting catchy choruses (which, frankly, is to their detriment). That’s not to say the choruses aren’t there—they are definitely present and accounted for—but they lack the super-sized sing-along hooks and instant accessibility that mainstream audiences demand. Whether or not this is an issue will depend entirely on your personal hard rock proclivities. Most listeners will probably be too busy head-banging to even notice.

Vocalist Markus Hammer will not go down in history as one of the greatest singers of our time, but he’s satisfactorily serviceable. He comes across as Zakk Wylde crossed with Chad Kroeger juxtaposed with some James Hetfield inflections and cross-pollinated with some hints of Phil Anselmo, but not quite as good as any of them. In other words, he has one of those “everyman” rock voices.

He is backed by a powerhouse pack of professional musicians who do not showboat or engage in musical masturbation with their instruments to prove their technical prowess, but instead are content to simply blast out some in-your-face hard rock at maximum volume. Yes, there are melodies and solos and shredding and all the goodies that generally come with the genre, but they exist to serve the primary goal, which is pure metal power that rocks your face off.

In summary, the ripping guitars riffs are the main reason to pick up this release. Fans of Black Label Society definitely need to check this out, along with fans of Pantera and Texas Hippie Coalition as well as lesser known bands like Moon’Doc and Sledgehammer Ledge. Sure, there is room for improvement (choruses, vocals), but Better in Black is still better than a lot of what you’ve heard lately.

Genre: Hard rock/metal

Band:
Markus Hammer (vocals)
Fabian Schwarz (guitars)
Christof Leim (guitars)
Guenter Auschrat (bass)
Chris Weiss (drums)

Track Listing:
1. Better in Black
2. The King I Was
3. Batteries & Rust
4. Downgrade
5. Into Modesty
6. Altar Boys
7. Happy Zombies
8. My Favorite Disease
9. Fading Me Out
10. When It All Ends
11. Last Chance to Throw Dirt
12. Sun Cries Moon

Label: AFM Records

Online: www.myspace.com/thenewblackofficial

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.6/10

Eden’s Curse Trinity

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

With the release of their third full-length studio effort, aptly titled Trinity, Eden’s Curse is without a doubt separating themselves from the pack — and it’s not even close. Whether it’s Michael Eden’s surreal vocal expertise, the songwriting prowess of mastermind/bassist Paul Logue, or guitarist Thorsten Koehne’s blisteringly melodic solos and leads, no other humans on earth are consistently creating this level of intelligent, emotional, passionate and image-laden music. In a word … nonpareil. And it’s not like the gents didn’t come packing either, as the first single “Holy Man” features Progressive Metal vocal legend James LaBrie and Andi Deris (Helloween) joins the party on “Black Widow.” This is as complete an album you will hear all year …

After the haunting and foreboding intro, the first track is the title track, “Trinity.” There is typically a lose theme from album to album that ties everything together, and the spiritual and religious themes are out front from the get-go. “The father, the son, the holy ghost … who is the one you fear the most?” Even on a lyrical plane, everything Eden’s Curse writes is a surgical strike.

The first single, featuring the aforementioned LaBrie, is “No Holy Man.” If you are longing for a caustic dissection of hypocrisy, this will satisfy your palate. In summary, the song is about a man who purports himself to be a Man of God, when he’s a drug-using, alcoholic infidel … at the very least. “Let he without sin, cast the first stone,” sings LaBrie, in the duet with Michael. The damning statement at the end of the chorus, “You and I are no different, and you’re no Holy Man!” hits you right in the soul, should you have one. Even the eerie keys from new member Del Vecchio paint this track in an otherwordly, or perchance more apropos, “afterworld-ly” light. It’s one of the best on Trinity.

Eden’s Curse is one of those bands who have been able to pull off the softer ballads, but placing “Guardian Angel” immediately after “No Holy Man” takes the air out of the balloon a tad. With so many songs about saints, holy men, devils and sinners, you knew one about “angels” was forthcoming, and even if you can’t rock out to this one, you will still marvel at Michael’s talent as a singer.

Things immediately jump back onto the highway to hell with “Can’t Fool the Devil,” a burning, racing composition that is one of the heaviest on Trinity. The drums from Newdeck pummel your senses, and Michael puts a grittier edge to his vocals to endow the song with even more bite. “One you give me your word, you cannot go back!” The themes stay at the front on each track, and this storytelling aspect is another strength of Eden’s Curse.

“Black Widow” features Andi Deris, and the two vocal styles are in complete contrast. Michael and LaBrie have a clean, smooth delivery, and they played off each other with aplomb, but Deris is a more guttural and in this case, vicious singer. He’s the perfect complement to Michael per this jarring and monumentally heavy track. Eden’s Curse just has everything figured out …

The band covered Dio’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Children” for this release, and while it doesn’t fit into the overall religious themes of the album, it’s definitely is a sonic fit. The band puts their own velvet touch to the cover, polishing it while still maintaining the majesty of the original. As an ode to RJD, he’d definitely give it his blessing.

If you land the American release, you’ll end Trinity with a bonus track “Never the Sinner.” At track 13, you’ve already digested a lot of music, but “Never the Sinner” is as strong as “No Holy Man” or “Can’t Fool the Devil.” This is a classic Hard Rock composition, one of the most straight-forward songs on Trinity. Daring you to look into the mirror and see yourself for who you really are, Trinity closes with an eternal warning for all who are listening.

Eden’s Curse have proven once again that their debut and sophomore effort The Second Coming were no hoax. Rarely does a band top themselves time and time again, but somehow, Eden’s Curse, with Trinity, have overpowered two of the best albums of the past four years — their own.

Track listing:
01. Trinitas Sanctus (Intro)
02. Trinity
03. Saints Of Tomorrow
04. No Holy Man (feat. James LaBrie)
05. Guardian Angel
06. Can´t Fool The Devil
07. Rivers Of Destiny
08. Dare To Be Different
09. Children Of The Tide
10. Black Widow (feat. Andi Deris)
11. Jerusalem Sleeps
12. Rock´N´Roll Children (Dio cover)
13. Never the Sinner (bonus track)

Band:
Michael Eden – vocals
Paul Logue – bass
Thorsten Koehne – guitar
Pete Newdeck – drums
Ale Del Vecchio – keyboards

Genre: Power/Heavy/Melodic Metal

Online: www.edenscurse.com

Label: AFM/Metal Mayhem

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.1/10

Elvenking Red Silent Tides

by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer

For those unfamiliar with Elvenking, the name and cover art for their newest release, Red Silent Tides, would surely lead most well-trained metal heads to make some reasonable assumptions about the music contained therein. Hell, the name Elvenking and accompanying log would certainly invoke certain images–Viking ships, elves, blood. All would seem to belong to a band residing somewhere in the realm of Ensiferum or Heidevolk, with maybe a little Himinbjorg thrown in. The first few notes of “Dawnmelting” (following a spoken intro) would doubtfully do anything to change that expectation. Then things get weird. Suddenly, amongst the flurry of violin-laced pagan power metal, someone flips the switch, and you realize that somehow you’ve been transported a renaissance fair situated somewhere right around 1988. You read that right.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of a strange description, but in reality, Elvenking play a very bizarre mix of pagan power metal and ‘80s radio rock. Clean vocals, great harmonies, big choruses, and all sorts of medieval melodies. Though an unlikely (and rather jarring) mix at first, after a song or two, it’s hard not to see that the members of Elvenking have stumbled across something quite intriguing. Why shouldn’t pagan metal also be radio friendly? It’s about damn time ’80s metal made a comeback, and if it takes a bit of neo-paganism to do it, why complain?

The big question is how well this mix really works. That’s a tough question, and the answer would likely be different depending on the listener’s background. Fans of “traditional” pagan metal may find it all a bit too cheesy (and for a genre that teeters on that edge already, that’s a scary prospect.) Sure, the wandering minstrel melodies are sure to please, and the Helloween-fueled double lead solos are inspiring, but songs like “Those Days” are a likely a bit too close to Bon Jovi for pagan diehards.

On the other side, fans of classic glam/hair/call-it-what-you-want metal will definitely dig the throwback sound, but may be a bit confused by the fantasy lyrics and ale-swinging guitar/violin riffs. It’s easy to picture the band running around in tights, but here they may be a bit more Robin Hood than Hollywood.

Regardless of the weirdness of the whole thing, it’s hard to deny that the members of Elvenking have, at the very least, created a well-written metal record. The riffs are driving, the instruments well played, and the melodies almost annoyingly catchy. To quote the illustrious Derric Miller, “It’s like HIM and the Hooters joined forces and wrote songs together.” Referencing those two names at least tells you that it’s far from bad.

So where does that leave the newest incarnation of Elvenking? Well, that’s tough. They’re too weird and retro to dominate rock radio, but too radio-able to dominate hordes of metal fans. Perhaps that’s the key though; they’ve created something that doesn’t depend on the sides from which it was inspired, and instead appeals to a new breed of metal heads that can listen to their music with an open mind and embrace it for what it is at the core: well-written, fun heavy metal. With all of the genres, subgenres and “this is metal, that’s not metal” debates, maybe that’s what the metal world really needs anyway.

Genre: Pagan Pop Metal

Band:
Damnagoras (v)
Aydan (g)
Rafahel (g)
Gorlan (b)
Elyghen (violin,k)
Zender (d)
Lethien (violin)

Track Listing:
1. Dawnmelting
2. The last hour
3. Silence de mort
4. The cabal
5. Runereader
6. Possession
7. Your heroes are dead
8. Those days
9. This nightmare will never end
10. What’s left of me
11. The play of the leaves

Label: AFM Records

Website: http://www.elvenking.net

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.2/10

Kickhunter All In

by Mark Allen
Staff Writer

If you get your jollies from the retro sound of classic late 70s/early 80s rock ‘n’ roll, then Kickhunter will be the musical equivalent of Viagra. Anyone who enjoys wah-wah guitars, four on the floor beats, boogie-blues rhythms, Hammond organ theatrics, and a fun-loving vibe needs to hunt this album down like a good ol’ southern boy hunting down the rootin’, tootin’ SOB that chopped off his mullet while he was passed out drunk on the couch.

Things kick off with the AC/DC-inspired “Mine All Mine” and then proceed to channel the spirits of Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Alabama, and bands of that nature. It’s barroom rock, the kind of stuff made to be played in smoke-hazed roadhouses where the beer is cheap, brawls are considered wholesome entertainment, and the parking lot is loaded with mud-spattered pickup trucks and primer-spackled Camero IROC-Zs driven by blue-collar workers with dirt under their nails and hammer loops on their jeans that are functional rather than fashionable.

Dennis Ward’s production is impeccable, as crisp and clear as the dinner bell ringing on grandpa’s farm on a cool autumn evening. The components are each allowed room to breathe, no single instrument overpowering the others; despite this undeniably being a guitar-driven affair, the Hammond organ pumps out its distinctive punctuation, the honky-tonk piano pops up from time to time, the bass (courtesy of Markus Grosskopf of Helloween fame) rumbles along to provide a muscular foundation, and the drumming displays some nice flair. The finishing touch on the band’s style is the frequent utilization of female backing vocals that some might find a bit off-putting but serve their intended purpose of making this release sound like it came out thirty years ago.

Front-man Jorg “JC” Wesenberg is a bit of a vocal chameleon, one moment doing a reasonable Brian Johnson impression, the next veering off into Geddy Lee territory, and other times content to simply sing like he’s not trying to imitate anybody in particular. Lead vocal duties are occasionally shared by Melanie Black, with additional assistance from “Ela,” and if neither gal blows you away with their vocal power, they don’t do the songs any disservice either.

The songs themselves show a wide and welcome range, from the full-tilt rock of “Revolution” to the Skynard-esque ballad “Feels Like Home” to the covers of Victory’s “Check’s in the Mail” (featuring Herman Frank on guitars) and Blondie’s “Call Me” to the Pink Floyd-wannabe “Ocean.” The hooks are a bit on the simple side, but that’s okay and by design; this is straight-up, boogie-your-butt-off rock ‘n’ roll, not an intricate progressive metal project.

Bottom line, if you’re a fan of this classic, bluesy, retro rock sound, you shouldn’t need a kick in the pants to go out and buy this album. It’s fun, simple, feel-good music that never really goes out of style. Admittedly, there’s not too many bands cranking out this kind of stuff anymore, but among those that do, Kickhunter ranks right up there with the best of ‘em.

Genre: Classic rock

Band:
Markus Grosskopf (bass)
Rollie Feldmann (guitar)
Karsten Kreppert (drums)
Stefan Aurel (guitar)
Ansas Strehlow (Hammond)
Jorg “JC” Wesenberg (vocals)
Melanie Black (vocals)
Ela (background vocals)

Track Listing
1. Mine All Mine
2. Revolution
3. Another Tear
4. Feels Like Home
5. All In
6. Shy Shy Shy
7. Check’s in the Mail
8. Boogie Town
9. Deep in My Heart
10. Call Me
11. Ocean

www.kickhunter.com

AFM Records

Hardrock Haven rating: 7/10

At Vance Decade

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Decade is an appropriate title for the first “best of” collection from German melodic power metal band At Vance. They released their first album – No Escape – in 1999 and just issued their eighth studio album – Ride the Sky – last year. Decade captures the highlights of the band’s eight studio albums, including their famed metal renditions of key classical works, plus several covers and other bonus tracks that were previously exclusive to the Japanese market in a jam-packed 2-disc set.

Decade does a good job capturing the essential At Vance sound, which is power metal with plenty of melody and founding guitarist Olaf Lenk’s tendency towards Malmsteen-style neoclassical guitar theatrics. Decade also excels at capturing At Vance’s sound throughout the various lineup changes. You get songs featuring original vocalist Oliver Hartmann (Empty Tremor), Mats Leven (Therion) and current vicalist Rick Altzi (Thunderstone). It’s interesting to see the progression the band has gone through over the past decade. They’re writing their strongest material later in their career, but vocally it’s tough to match the polish and sheer emotion of the early days with Hartmann.

Decade has a wealth of power metal anthems, soaring ballads, a host of unexpected covers (including songs by Survivor, Tears for Fears and no less than three Abba songs), and of course Lenk’s blistering takes on Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, Decade is the perfect introduction to At Vance’s brand of power metal. It’s also ideal for those who like the band but don’t feel compelled to buy all of their studio albums (though after hearing how good these songs are you may feel compelled to do just that). There are also enough rarities to make Decade a worthwhile purchase for long time At Vance fans.

Genre: Power Metal

Track Listing:
Disc 1
1. Only Human
2. Take Me Away
3. Take My Pain
4. Heaven
5. Chained
6. Broken Vow
7. The Evil in You
8. Fallen Angel
9. The Curtain Will Fall
10. Dragonchaser
11. Shiver
12. Cold As Ice
13. Flying High (remastered)
14. Princess of the Night
15. Heart of Steel
16. Ride the Sky

Disc 2
1. Broken Vow (live)
2. Heroes of Honour
3. Logical Song (Supertramp cover)
4. Shout (Tears for Fears cover)
5. Highway Star (Deep Purple cover)
6. The Winner Takes It All (Abba cover)
7. Money Money (Abba cover)
8. S.O.S. (Abba cover)
9. Gloomy Monday
10. Wannabe
11. Eye of the Tiger (Survivor cover)
12. Desperado (Eagles cover)
13. Vivaldi/Spring
14. Vivaldi/Summer
15. Solfiegetto
16. Beethoven 5th Symphony
17. Flight of the Bumblebee
18. Caprice No. 16
19. Bach Invention No. 13
20. Cello Prelude G-Minor
21. Chopin Etude No. 4

Label: AFM

Website: www.at-vance.com

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10

Masterplan Time To Be King

by John Kindred
Staff Writer

Masterplan is back in 2010 with their forth studio release to date, Time to Be King. Following up ’07’s MK II led to a period of time that saw original vocalist Jorn Lande step down and Mike DiMeo (Riot) join the band as his replacement. Whatever fallout between Lande and Masterplan soon reared its head with DiMeo, as he departed the group early in ’09. To the delight of Masterplan fans everywhere, Lande was announced to be returning to the band during the summer of the same year. Now, after plenty of Masterplan’s fans anxiously awaited, the new studio album Time to Be King finally has finally.

From the beginning, Roland Grapow held the vision for Masterplan within his mind as he and Uli Kusch (former drummer) created a style of music that developed from their involvement with Helloween. Forging Power Metal with the Norwegian vocal prowess of Jorn Lande baptized Masterplan in fire, creating their vision of Melodic Power Metal.

Time to Be King comprises 10 songs. The music still has that metallic fire of Masterplan’s debut release as well the melodic tones of Aeronautics. It was produced and recorded by Grapow at studio Slavakia. Mixing duties fell upon Grapow as well as Mikko Karmilla at Finnvox Studios, Helsinki. Overall, the production is of the highest caliber.

The music on Time to Be King continues to have the epic feel of past studio albums. The audio experience is entrenched in lavish musical arrangements and produces a wall of sonic bliss. The band’s Power Metal edginess builds the accompaniment for Jorn’s powerful voice and lyrical prose. Lande’s voice dances from hard-edged tonalities to melodic vocal melodies.

Time to Be King scores big by delivering catchy and memorable music that focuses on the band’s strengths. There are no filler songs for listeners to skip over. The band drives its point home with songs like “Far From the End of the World,” “Blow Your Wind,” The Dark Road” and “Under the Moon.” Constantly producing driving rhythmic beasts with no let up of intensity, Masterplan takes Power Metal to another dimension, giving all the songs life with the infusion of melodic overtones. Within the context of the band, all the instrumentation; guitars, bass, vocals and keys, support each other to produce balanced and focused arrangements.

Time to Be King is a fitting return for Masterplan. Not that they went vary far, but the brief loss of Lande was an unexpected distraction. We can thank whatever god you pray to that he is back. Through this process of change, the music never lost its fire, but it certainly was hard to hear any other singer married to Grapow’s guitar work after Lande.

Genre: Melodic Power Metal

Band Lineup:
Jørn Lande: Vocals
Roland Grapow: Guitars
Jan-Sören Eckert: Bass
Mike Terrana: Drums
Axel Mackenrott: Keyboards

Track Listing:
1. Fiddle Of Time (4:20)
2. Blow Your Winds (3:19)
3. Far From The End Of The World (3:35)
4. Time To Be King (4:44)
5. Lonely Winds Of War (4:35)
6. The Dark Road (6:19)
7. The Sun Is In Your Hands (4:32)
8. The Black One (4:13)
9. Blue Europa (5:07)
10. Under The Moon (4:14)

Bonus track on ltd. Edition:
11. Kisses From You

Label: AFM Records

Web: http://www.afm-records.de

Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10

Next Page »