Altaria Unholy
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
Finnish rockers Altaria wield a sound deeply rooted in European Metal. In fact, it’s also deeply rooted in Pretty Maids. If you like Pretty Maids, their heavier, more guttural songs like “Future World” or “Red, Hot and Heavy,” you are going to be all over Altaria. Most of this comparison is because of lead singer Marco Luponero, who sings with the same energy and edge to his voice as Ronnie Atkins. Luponero gets stronger the higher he sings, though, and can belt out the high notes with ferocity, where Atkins doesn’t have quite the pipes he once had …
The opening track is “Alterior Motive,” which sounds a lot like the band’s name, Altaria, instead of going with “ulterior.” That aside, the song is a riot, with pummeling rhythms and buoyant melodies. The highlight is after the guitar solo, where Luponero nails a high scream on the song title. After hearing his normal delivery, you’ll be shocked he can sing this high, but he does it throughout the album.
“Warrior” is kind of a sleazy and menacing composition, and it sounds closer to Hammerfall than anyone else, at least on the opening verses. Altaria’s choruses tend to be fairly simple, based on repetition, and this one gets to you after a couple listens. “Warrior, you cheated destiny, now you’re running free. Warrior, I hear you calling me, from the battlefield …” Manowar would love this song.
While most of the CD is fast-paced and fairly heavy, when you get to “The Lake,” you’ll hear Altaria change things up. Acoustic guitars open the track, and they are played deftly. Luponero’s vocals are way out front, and his accent certainly doesn’t take away from anything; it makes it a little more mysterious, if anything. Topically, though, this is a song about killing yourself in an evil lake, where children were buried. It’s the exact opposite of every other song on the release; Altaria is not a “dark” band, and they seem to want to just rock the house. But this is almost Black Sabbath evil, and it’s one of the best tracks on Unholy. The solos from J-P Alanen and Petri Aho play off this palpable foreboding. “The Lake” is awesome.
“Steal Your Thunder” is less than awesome. Again, you’ll be reminded of Pretty Maids, and that band used to be mocked in the media because of their silly songs and lyrics, at times. Writing a song about stealing someone’s thunder, with extremely cheesy backing vocals, earns them the comparison to Pretty Maids again.
Altaria gets back on track with “Wind Beneath My Wings.” This is one of the most blazing songs, and the attitude and energy is back. The pacing alone brings this close to Progressive Metal, and the solo, while not mind-blowing, certainly kicks ass.
The downtrodden and great unwashed masses get their new anthem as the album ends with “Underdog.” It has a lot in common with the earlier song “Warrior,” but delivers a stronger chorus and lyrics that don’t grate. Plus, Luponero’s vocals get as sinister as Cage’s Sean Peck at times on “Underdog,” so it’s worth hearing.
Altaria does some great things on Unholy, but it’s not all great. With some killer songs and some you’ll immediately forget, you are also left with the conundrum that a lot of the tracks—good and bad—sound similar. It’ll take you a few listens to differentiate all of the above and come to your own conclusion.
Label: Escape Music
Track listing:
1. Alterior Motive
2. Warrior
3. Unholy Invasion
4. Pride & Desire
5. The Lake
6. Danger Zone
7. Steal Your Thunder
8. Wind Beneath My Wings
9. We Own The Fire
10. Ready!
11. Never Wonder Why
12. Underdog
HRH Rating: 7.2/10