Iron Mask | Black as Death

by Nikiforos Skoumas
Staff Writer –

It is arguable that Belgian neo-classical metal band Iron Mask put out one of the best albums of the genre in early 2010 with the release of their third album Shadow of the Red Baron. At that time guitar hero and band leader Dushan Petrossi had been credited for saying that if the album’s commercial life-cycle was significantly impeded by illegal downloading, that would be the last of Iron Mask as a band.

Two years past that time, Iron Mask seem to have won that bet with Shadow of the Red Baron, resuming their activity with a new album Black as Death and a bigger label, being the German AFM Records. Still, it seems victory has its price and Iron Mask have suffered losses in their line up. Gone are drummer Erik Stout, keyboardist Andreas Lindhal and powerful vocalist Val Halla Jr.

Never the less, reinforcements were never far away; enter drummer Rami Ali (Frontline, Kiske-Somerville), renowned Swedish keyboardist Mats Olauson and on lead vocals, arguably the most iconic of all neoclassical singers, Mark Boals.

As your intuition probably tells you, Iron Mask have developed into something greater than the personal outfit of the Belgian guitar virtuoso; It’s a neo-classical metal force to be reckoned with, hence going no longer under the moniker ‘Dushan Petrossi’s Iron Mask’ (which served as the band’s full name up until the previous album), but plainly ‘Iron Mask.’

And it is all entirely justifiable since the changes in line up brought along changes in the musical style. Songwriting wise, the album is substantially heavier in terms of rhythm section and guitar riffs than anything Petrossi has attempted in the past (add to that the fact that Black as Death was produced by Denis Ward, and it all makes perfect sense).

Not only are we presented with a heavier album but with a thematically darker concept as well. From the majestic opening of the title track to its melodic yet sorrowful chorus (an epic composition that only Mark Boals can pull off so convincingly) one more-or-less gets the picture of what Black as Death is all about. That is not to say however that long term fans of the band are not going to find the characteristic neoclassical scales and vibrato-based vocal harmonies that have defined the band’s sound since their debut.

It is not a question of stronger songs over weaker tunes; simply tracks like “Broken Hero”, “God Punishes I Kill,” “Rebel Kid” and “The Absence” are expected to connect with the listener from their opening note, while “Black as Death” and “Feel the Fire” should require more plays for one to feel at home with all their musical twists and turns.

Believe it or not, with Black as Death, Iron Mask are actually pushing the creative boundaries of neoclassical metal in 2012 and that alone is a major accomplishment. One strongly feels that through Black as Death, Iron Mask offer something challenging but ultimately rewarding to the listener.

Genre: Neo-classical Metal, Melodic Metal

Line up:
Mark Boals – Vocals
Dushan Petrossi – Guitars
Vassili Moltchanov – Bass
Roma Siadletski – Vocals/Shouts
Mats Olausson – Keyboards
Ramy Ali – Drums

Track Listing:
01. From Light Into The Dark
02. Black As Death
03. Broken Hero
04. Feel The Fire
05. Genghis Khan
06. God Punishes, I Kill
07. Rebel Kid
08. Blizzard Of Doom
09. The Absence
10. Magic Sky Requiem
11. Nosferatu
12. When All Braves Fall

Band website: http://www.iron-mask.com/index.php

Label: AFM Records

Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10

Vengeance | Crystal Eye

by Marcel ”Mars” Groeneveld
Staff Writer –

“We did it again, ha ha ha ha,” that is how Vengeance’s 1987 classic Take It Or Leave It starts off. Although a lot has changed over the years since their breakthrough album Leon Goewie, the driving force of the band, has certainly managed to once again put Vengeance back on track after a difficult time. Having gone through a lot of musical ups and downs, personal issues, the sudden and untimely death of guitarist and friend Jan Somers last year, you might say they have reached an all time low.

So much to everyone’s surprise, a new era has kicked in and another gem Crystal Eye see’s the light of day. With new players, help from some old friends and a new record company, SPV, the future looks bright again for Vengeance. The album’s sensational all-star cast is just as spectacular as the new material. Alongside original vocalist Leon Goewie, Crystal Eye features drummer Chris Slade (ex-AC/DC), guitarist Keri Kelli (ex-Alice Cooper), and bassist Chris Glen (Michael Schenker Group). This line up is also known as Chris Slade’s AC/DC cover band Steel Circle that plays throughout Europe.

The material for Crystal Eye, Goewie composed mostly in collaboration with producer Michael Voss (Mad Max, ex Vengeance), except for the title track written by former Vengeance guitarist Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One). The CD consists of 11 straight forward, kick you in the face songs. They all have that quality of being melodic, good sing along songs, with strong choruses while keeping that crunchy edge, do to Kelli’s guitar playing. Kelli is also helped by Michael Voss and Timo Somers (Jan’s son and also ex-Vengeance).

Even after 30 years Goewie is still exploring and developing his vocal abilities as he already has a very unique recognizable voice. As he sings in a lower register on parts of “Back To The Bone” and also the beautiful ballad “Missing,” Gary Barden (MSG) comes to mind. The beautiful bluesy ballad “Promise Me” brings out the pain and more serious side of Vengeance. You have to strap on the seat belts for “Whole Lotta Metal,” a number which Tony Martin (ex-Black Sabbath) contributed tailor-made for Goewie and Vengeance, rocks you socks off.

The album closes with the instrumental, “Jan’s End Piece,” which features the last solo recordings of Jan Somers as a tribute to him. Jan will not be forgotten as the band use the old Vengeance logo as an arch between the past and the future. The only negative remark on the album is the title song “Crystal Eye,” although a great song, is a little out of place when compared to the rest of the album.

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock

Line Up:
Leon Goewie – vocals
Keri Kelli – guitar
Chris Glen – bass
Chris Slade – drums

Guest musicians: Michael Voss – guitar, vocals / Timo Somers (Delain) – guitar
Jan Somers – guitar, artwork; cover and illustrations.

Track Listing:
1. Me And You 04:02
2. Bad To The Bone 04:51
3. Barbeque 03:31
4. Shock Me Now 03:28
5. Five Knuckle Shuffle 04:10
6. Desperate Women 04:03
7. Whole Lotta Metal 04:11
8. Promise Me 03:43
9. Crystal Eye 06:13
10. Missing 04:51
11. Jans End Piece 01:16
12. Paint This Town 03:25 (bonus track digi pack)
13. Barbeque – radio edit 03:35 (bonus track digi pack)

Website: www.vengeanceonline.nl

Label: www.spv.de

Hardrock Haven rating 9.3/10

Amaranthe | Amaranthe

by Nikiforos Skoumas
Staff Writer –

It’s been over two years since Dreamland singer Jake E. and Nightrage guitarist Olof Morock sat down to discuss the possibility of forming an original band/concept in Swedish metal. Knowing that Jake’s background is melodic metal and melodic hard rock and Olof’s melodic death metal, experienced fans can imagine what the end product would sound like; well not quite.

The outcome of this collaboration is Amaranthe, a band-project fronted by three singers of different vocal disciplines. Jake handles clean vocals, Andres Solvestrom performs brutal vocals and (the incredibly talented) Elize Ryd adds the female vocals. The rest of the line up features band-leader guitarist Morock, bassist Johan Andreassen and drummer Morten Sorensen.

The foundation of Amaranthe’s sound is the well identifiable Swedish heavy-melodic style while the vocals provide a major area of differentiation for the band. Obviously the lion’s share of vocal lines goes to Elize who exchanges lines with Jake while Anders ads his brutal attack between the verses and choruses.

Speaking of choruses, Amaranthe have probably the catchiest, lengthiest and most melodic choruses in contemporary melodic metal. That is very much due to the technical proficiency of Elize who carries the majority of vocal harmonies accompanied by Jake. Songs like “Hunger,” “One Million Light-years,” “Automatic” and “Rain” bare choruses with such mainstream quality, definitely providing a point of concern for the so-called ‘true’ metal fan.

Moving to the instrumental aspects of Amaranthe’s style, the rhythm section is not far from the characteristic melodic metal rhythm section with refined bass and drum sound and the occasional double-bass drum attack. Morock once again proves himself the melodic shredder adding inventive guitar lines and substantial melodies during the solos. Truth be told his riffs come out as a bit too obvious yet he compensates by dressing his rhythm guitar with keyboard harmonies which performed by himself.

Overall Amaranthe is a somewhat original concept in 2012 metal attempting to bind together melodic metal, death metal and female fronted metal in an album that, for the biggest part, makes sense. Those who have followed the respective careers of the artists and bands mentioned above should definitely try this fast rising Swedish hybrid.

Genre: Melodic Metal, Death Metal, Female Fronted Metal

Line up:
Elize Ryd – clean female vocals
Jake E – clean male vocals
Andreas Solveström – guttural vocals
Olof Mörck – guitar & keys
Morten Løwe Sørensen – drums
Johan Andreassen – bass

Track List:
1. Leave Everything Behind
2. Hunger
3. 1.000.000 Lightyears
4. Automatic
5. My Transition
6. Amaranthine
7. Rain
8. Call Out My Name
9. Enter The Maze
10. Director’s Cut
11. Act Of Desperation
12. Serendipity

http://www.amaranthe.se/

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10

Diamond Eye | Sound of the Guns

by John Kindred
Staff Writer –

Who doesn’t love their hard rock or metal from down under? Australia, that is, which has given us bands like Airbourne and AC/DC, now delivers up Diamond Eye. Formed in Perth, Western Australia in 2007 by vocalist Will Kelly and guitarist Greg Faucet, the duo recruited bassist Chase Cameron and Danny Torre on drums to complete the band. Their debut EP Sounds of the Guns highlights five songs that, in the bands own words, “…captured” the essence of Diamond Eye.

Sounds of the Guns was produced by Matt Gio, and while reflecting the band’s influences, the compositions are a creative canvas that is exclusively Diamond Eye. The band combines those influences into a bag of tricks that features all that we love about Melodic Hard Rock; memorable hooks, great vocals, bombastic guitar solos, heavy bass and tight percussion.

“Waiting For Me” opens Sound of the Guns with the band’s signature crunchy-driven hard rock sound. Kelly’s vocal are clean, audible and extremely listenable. The band uses harmony vocals to thicken up the choruses. The song breaks into the solo in dramatic fashion. Faucet takes his first opportunity to impress with flashy-melodic chops that embellish the song. “Waiting For Me” truly is a good starting point for Diamond Eye to showcase their talent. “Closer to the Sun” gets started with a heavy riff and a melodic twin harmony solo. Torre shows his skill, throwing in double-bass kicks in the first verse. Again, Faucet unloads with a blistering solo with plenty of aggression and attitude. “Atlantis” lives on the back of driving percussion and a heavy riff. The song features a cool rhythmic breakdown before the solo. More of the same from Kelly, at this point, it would be nice to hear a little more diversity and dynamic to his vocal presentation.

Kelly achieves this, if ever so slightly, on the next song “Machine.” The opening riff has an eerily familiar groove, which isn’t good if you’re trying to sell your own originality as a band to a new audience. It has a heavy, grinding and grooving vibe. Kelly’s vocals, again, are beefed up with additional harmony vocals during the choruses. The title track, “Sounds of the Guns,” closes the EP. Opening with a acoustic-electric arpeggiated melody and melodic solo, the song quickly kicks in gear. Moving into a distorted rhythm, the song shifts into an up-tempo rocker. Torre, again, puts double-kick drum in play. The chorus has a big anthem like feel, which is very dramatic. The song continues to increase the momentum as it pushes to the finale. Kelly and Faucet, both, take the song to its conclusion with a solo performed alongside the finale chorus.

Here is a band that visually gets it right; long hair, decked out in black and members who have the attitude and sound to back up their presentation. They have room for growth and improvement, but Sound of the Guns is an impressive independent studio release. With the EP available now on their website and upcoming album, which will be recorded and released in 2012, Diamond Eye is poised bring its message and musical vision to the world.

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock

Band:
Will Kelly (v)
Greg Faucet (g)
Chase Cameron (b)
Danny Torre (d)

Track Listing:
1. Waiting For Me
2. Closer to the Sun
3. Atlantis
4. Machine
5. Sound of the Guns

Website: www.diamondeyeofficial.com

MySpace: www.myspace.com/diamondeyerocks

Hardrock Haven rating: 7/10

Lamb of God | Resolution

by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer –

The creative method Lamb of God have been meticulously perfecting since 1999, has now reached its apex. The band has finally managed to distil all of its influences into one laconic formula, and tighten and tweak to exactness the way they present it. The end result is a vehement, roiling concoction of power groove, stoner rock, death metal and punk on the album with is both their personal benchmark and a new touchstone for metal. Resolution is a work of huge energy of conviction, and although the band – as ever – doesn’t invent anything radically new, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more persuasive and concise exponent of metal as a genre on today’s scene.

It would be interesting to see where Lamb of God go from here, now that they have seemingly reached the peak of the mountain they were climbing for 7 albums straight. It’s hard to imagine what could beat this release in intensity and aplomb, but it would also be just as hard to imagine them going in a different direction. The three available options seem to be carrying on in the same vein trying to match what they have done on this album, putting their feet up, or taking a cardinally different stylistic path.

The band is tentatively tapping into ways to escape the monolith formula they have cemented on this release by introducing some darkly unsettling symphonic passages on some of the tracks, but don’t show enough interest (or stamina) to explore this direction to the full. Although with guitarist Mark Morton being a blues enthusiast, there are many other interesting detours they could take outside of the genre of metal. The real question is whether they’d be willing to take a risk on their next album or will stick to the blueprint which lays golden eggs. A solid guitarist – as dynamic and convincing as the rest of the band – Morton could certainly develop further as a lead player by bringing in other influences into the band’s format. As well as expand their stylistic terrain to make sure they avoid becoming frozen into a formula which from now on is in danger of becoming too familiar, if not predictable.

Genre: Metal

Line-up:
John Campbell – bass
Mark Morton – guitar
Chris Adler – drums
Randy Blythe – vocals
Willie Adler – guitar

Track Listing:
1. Straight for the Sun
2. Desolation
3. Ghost Walking
4. Guilty
5. The Undertow
6. The Number Six
7. Barbarosa
8. Invictus
9. Cheated
10. Insurrection
11. Terminally Unique
12. To the End
13. Visitation
14. King Me

Label: Epic, Roadrunner

Online: http://www.lamb-of-god.com/

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

Iron Fire | Voyage of the Damned

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer –

Voyage of the Damned is the seventh studio from Danish power metal band Iron Fire. Good old Iron Fire. You know, with the cheesy name and the cheesy album covers and the cheesy songs about battles and metal warriors. Shove ‘em off to the side with Metalium and Sacred Steel and the rest of the Hammerfall knockoffs, right? Not this time. The band has always been good at what they do, but what they did was pretty formulaic and predictable. With Voyage of the Damned Iron Fire made a concerted effort to change things and take their sound to a new level, and it paid off…big time.

As soon as you clear the obligatory instrumental opener (seriously, who really enjoys these things?), you start to hear a very different Iron Fire emerge. Some things remain the same, particularly Martin Steene’s strong, steady vocals and Kirk Backarach’s melodic guitar work and intricate solos, but there’s a noticeably darker vibe on Voyage of the Damned. The easy, sing-song melodies that have come to define the power metal genre are nowhere to be found. It’s still a power metal album, and it’s still melodic, but the melodies are more subtle and are accompanied by heavier rhythms and darker atmospheric elements worthy of Evergrey or Symphony X. There’s also a complexity that puts the album in progressive metal territory on more than a few occasions. To hammer the darker focus home, Steene even adds some surprisingly well-done aggressive screams/growls. And yes, that could come across as gimmicky, but here it works quite well and perfectly suits the nature of the songs and the album as a whole. His clean vocals seem a bit deeper too. The band treads new ground lyrically as well, opting for a focus on sci-fi themes instead of tales of battles and warriors, and while that is still in the fantasy realm it reinforces that this is not the same old Iron Fire album.

Voyage of the Damned is a remarkably strong album on all levels; the musicianship, vocals, songwriting and production are all first rate. As such it’s hard to single out the best songs the album has to offer. The 10-minute title track is an obvious choice, but if you’re looking to sample the album “With Different Eyes,” “Slaughter of Souls” and “The Final Odyssey” ought to be more than enough to make you a believer.

If you think you know all there is to know about what Iron Fire has to offer, Voyage of the Damned will be a real eye-opener. It’s a major step forward from the band, and is an early contender for power metal album of the year. Beyond the core power metal audience, Voyage of the Damned has the potential to make Iron Fire converts out of fans of progressive metal bands like Evergrey and Symphony X as well as those into more aggressive bands like Mercenary, Into Eternity and Raintime. Give Iron Fire a second chance and get ready to be blown away!

Edition Notes: The limited edition version of Voyage of the Damned comes in a digipack and includes the (very good) bonus track “Warmaster of Chaos.”

Genre: Power Metal

Band:
Martin Steene (v)
Fritz Wagner (d)
Kirk Backarach (g)
Martin Lund (b)

Track Listing:
1. The Dark Beyond
2. Enter Oblivion OJ-666
3. Taken
4. Slaughter of Souls
5. Leviathan
6. The Final Odyssey
7. Ten Years in Space
8. Voyage of the Damned
9. With Different Eyes
10. Dreams of the Dead Moon
11. Verge to Collide
12. Realm of Madness
13. Warmaster of Chaos (bonus track)

Label: Napalm

Website: www.ironfire.dk

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.25/10

Orange Goblin | A Eulogy for the Damned

by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer –

After a series of announcements that they might, wouldn’t, may never, and ultimately would be releasing a new album, Brit stoner kings Orange Goblin are finally delivering their seventh opus, A Eulogy for the Damned.

Picking up where Healing Through Fire left off, A Eulogy… continues Orange Goblin’s surreal journey through time and space, yet manages to do so in a very accessible way. While the band is still appropriately deemed stoner rock, they tend to avoid long, drawn-out space jams and psychedelic head-spins. Instead, A Eulogy… is melodic hard rock played through a stoner rock filter. A bit more fuzz and de-tuning, sure, but it’s still solidly uptempo hard rock.

Standout tracks here include “Stand for Something,” with a very melodic and catchy chorus that’s somewhat reminiscent of early Stone Temple Pilots, “Save Me From Myself,” which features slide guitar and wouldn’t have been out of place on the Black Crowes’ Southern Harmony… record, and “Acid Trial,” with a riff that wouldn’t seem out of place on a power metal album. But while influences (admitted or not) can be found throughout the album, Orange Goblin successfully doses them with enough sludge and heaviness to make every song their own.

A Eulogy for the Damned is not only a great Orange Goblin record, but also a great jumping-on point for potential fans of the band and stoner scene in general. While they may not dissolve too far into the tripped-out ether that some of their contemporaries often do, they, along with Fu Manchu, Electric Wizard and numerous others, help to fill the void that the original Kyuss left when they split over 15 years ago. It seems the heir to the desert rock kingdom may In fact be from rainy ol’ England.

Genre: Stoner / Desert / Fuzz Rock

Band:
Ben Ward (v,g)
Joe Hoare (g)
Martyn Millard (b)
Chris Turner (d)

Track Listing:
1. Red Tide Rising
2. Stand for Something
3. Acid Trial
4. The Filthy and the Few
5. Save Me From Myself
6. The Fog
7. Return to Mars
8. Death of Aquarius
9. Bishop’s Wolf
10. A Eulogy to the Damned

Label: Candlelight Records

Website: www.myspace.com/theorangegoblin

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.1/10

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

Tommy Johansson | Swedish Hitz Goes Metal

by Nikiforos Skoumas
Staff Writer –

The original album cover does not do this release any justice… What looks like a compilation of Swedish pop/AOR songs turned metal by various artists, is actually the brainchild of one man alone. We are looking at no other than young guitar prodigy Tommy Johansson recognized by most as the leader of the progressive metal band Reinxeed, also lead guitarist of the Swedish all-star Christian-neoclassical group Golden Resurrection.

To his credit, Tommy delivers what the title promises; only what king of metal versions is one getting with Swedish Hitz Goes Metal? Is it power metal, neoclassical metal, progressive metal? The spelling of the word ‘Hitz’ actually gives it away, experienced fans got it right, this is indeed glam metal or melodic hard rock if you prefer. So you can expect thick yet melodic guitar lines, all the original keyboard harmonies recreated while the up-tempo rhythm section adds tons of attack to these compositions without undermining the instrumental melodic lines and vocal harmonies which is what this album is all about.

As in Reinxeed, Tommy handles all lead vocals and guitars and does a surprisingly good job considering that it is fairly difficult to cover classic hit songs convincingly. Guitar-wise the young man is overqualified for the job, he is however challenged on the vocal department where he has to utilize his full range-from the lowest to the highest note- and for the biggest part he succeeds.

Another key factor for the artistic success of this project/venture is actually choosing the performing line up. Instead of current band-mates, Tommy teams up with bassist-vocalist Sebastian Roos and keyboardist Anders Berlin, both from the Swedish AOR, melodic hard rock band Miss Behaviour. The line up is sealed by veteran drummer Andres Johansson.

There is no denying that the album features some rather predictable inclusions such as “Mamma Mia,” “Money Money Money,” “The Winner Takes it All” and “Lay All Your Love On Me.” But the fact remains that they do sound great in their hard rocking versions. And the reason they work so well is not really the distortion and heavy drumming, but because the electric instruments reinforce the melodies of each song, and arguably great melodies are what made these tunes global hits in the first place.

Genre: Arena Rock, Melodic Hard Rock, Melodic Metal

Line Up:
Tommy ReinXeed — Guitars & vocals
Nic Steel – Bass
Sebastian Roos — Guitars & backing vocals
Anders Berlin — Keyboards & backing vocals
Andreas “HABO” Johansson – Drums

Track Listing:
1. Mamma Mia (ABBA Cover)
2. The Look (ROXETTE Cover)
3. Lay All Your Love On Me (ABBA Cover)
4. The Sign (ACE OF BASE Cover)
5. Summer Night City (ABBA Cover)
6. Sleeping In My Car (ROXETTE Cover)
7. Super Trouper (ABBA Cover)
8. Money Money Money (ABBA Cover)
9. Beautiful Life (ACE OF BASE Cover)
10. Intermezzo nº1 (ABBA Cover)
11. The winner Takes It All (ABBA Cover)
12. All That She Wants (ACE OF BASE Cover)
13. Joyride (ROXETTE Cover)

Band website: http://www.facebook.com/swedishhitzgoesmetal

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

Mad Max | Another Night of Passion

by Mark Allen
Staff Writer –

It is a travesty of ‘80s rock justice that this German band was never given their crack at the U.S. market. As the disheartening tale is told, Mad Max recorded their career-defining Night of Passion album in ‘87 and were on the cusp of getting that crack when record company shenanigans shot their chances all to hell. Opportunity sabotaged, the band has been relegated to cult status ever since, adored by the discerning melodic rock underground but never able to expand their parameters of acceptance.

Twenty-five years later, the present looks to the past for inspiration. Mad Max’s original lineup has reunited for Another Night of Passion, seeking with singular focus to recapture the sonic sorcery and create a companion to the album that should have made them a household name. This is a hearty meal of red-blooded, meat-and-potatoes commercial hard rock served straight up, no frilly garnishments, with nary a ballad in sight to interfere with the band’s goal of nonstop rocking.

While Mad Max take advantage of advances in production technology, there is nothing modern about this album; it is slick, polished, retro ‘80s hard rock. Don’t be fooled by the 2012 release date; Another Night of Passion will slot very nicely, from both a sonic and stylistic standpoint, between your well-used (at least, they should be well-used) copies of Bonfire’s Fireworks and Dokken’s Under Lock and Key.

The band sounds like they’re having a blast, each member giving it their all. Voss turns in one of the best vocal performances of his life, capable of golden smoothness one moment and snarled attitude the next. Jurgen Breforth cuts loose on the six-string with sizzling solos and snappy licks and all the whammy bar abuse you would expect on an album that resurrects the spirit of 1988. Meanwhile, Axel Kruse hammers the drums as if driving nails into the coffins of the record company execs that screwed them over all those years ago.

But enough about the sins of the past. Mad Max have had a quarter-century to bury their bitterness but they have never relinquished their love of ‘80s style hard rock. Showing no interest in reinventing the wheel, they resolutely stick to the accepted formula: melodic vocals, loud guitars, big hooks, catchy choruses, and gang vocal harmonies. Sometimes calling a band formulaic is a criticism, but this is not one of those times, because this formula is exactly what fans want to hear when they grab a Mad Max album. For those fans, listening to Another Night of Passion will be like getting reacquainted with an old friend that still looks, sounds, and acts the same as they did two decades ago.

There is a little filler scattered about, but for the most the album is loaded with strong tracks. “Metal Edge” should come with a label that says “Warning: Spontaneous Head-Banging May Occur.” It opens with a massive sonic boom drumbeat and stomps its way to a sing-along chorus with gang vocals shouting “Whoa!” and really, an ‘80s hard rock album without a gang vocal “Whoa!” or two would be like a strip club with no nudity. “You Decide” is a badass barn burner that cranks along like a cheetah with its tail ablaze and sports a hook big enough to snag a locomotive and stop it dead in its tracks. And so it goes, one solid song after another, resulting in a very consistent effort.

The band has released several other albums with revolving personnel since 1987, but this is the true and worthy successor to Night of Passion. Fans should not even try to resist the temptation to spend another Night with Mad Max and don’t worry, you’ll definitely still respect yourself—and the band—in the morning.

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock

Band:
Michael Voss (vocals)
Jurgen Breforth (guitars)
Roland Bergmann (bass)
Axel Kruse (drums)

Track Listing
1. Rocklahoma
2. 40 Rock
3. Metal Edge
4. You Decide
5. Welcome to Rock Bottom
6. Fallen From Grace
7. Black Swan
8. Back and Alive
9. The Chant
10. Fever of Love
11. True Blue

Webpage: www.madmaxofficial.de

Label: SPV Records

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

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