Holy Force | Holy Force
by Franco Cerchiari
Staff Writer
Mark Boals, one of the greatest voices within the genre of metal, lends his talents to Holy Force’s self-titled debut. While truly a power metal release, the neo-classical shredding coming from Taiwan guitarist Ango Chen intertwines its way through tracks that are epic, extremely melodic and in cases like “Breathe” almost larger than life. A super-group of sorts, members of Manowar, Royal Hunt, Seven Witches, Paradise Lost, Rhapsody of Fire and Yngwie Malmsteen have brought to the core those things which are great about their past projects.
Two things standout immediately after a listen to this; of course the guitar talents of Chen, but the extraordinary voice of Boals is simply astounding. His range is jaw dropping, and even more remarkable is how long he can hold a note in the highest of octaves. So it must be said, being able to have a guitar talent playing alongside of a vocalist such as Boals is, there is little that a band can do wrong. And for the most part, Holy Force does everything right.
The guitar riff heavy opening track, “Holy Force,” played alongside synthesizers, joins the furiously played speed of the double bass drums. It is almost brings up the question: how exactly does a person move his feet so quickly? But it is better to digress from such a subject and just enjoy what is heard. The moody, brooding “Breathe,” is colossal, “Seasons,” is where the signature Boals comes to life, for it is on this track that accurately showcases his multi-octave range. The heavy “Power of Life,” and the short instrumental “Sky Etude,” is a dazzling piece of piano work if ever there was one. Almost in the vein of the classic/metal approach of Artension’s keyboardist Kuprij, the piano playing heard on “Sky Etude,” is beyond phenomenal. “We Are The Warriors,” “Moonlight Fantasy,” “Wings of Forever,” Chasing the Dream” and “Emperor,” while all well played, perhaps are a bit much and almost over the top, do have images of sorcery, fantasy and the imagination of the listener can go wild, picturing themselves traveling into dark forests where mythical creatures reign. And the also short instrumental “Waiting,” again with some excellent synthesizers and the neo-classical shredding of Chen, come together strong. Heavy vocal harmonies open the closing track, “See You In The Future,” a pulsating, banner held high metal outing.
Holy Force has released a strong contender in today’s power metal field. While no track was not worth listening to, and on more than one occasion the repeat button was played, the sound came across as guarded and somewhat rigid, as it seems the band almost seemed to stay shielded instead of allowing themselves to relax, have fun with being part of such a great lineup, and let their musical imagination run rampant. In a time or two a few tracks sound similar to a track heard previously to it, but there is no escaping the talents of Mark Boals. As has been already stated, he is one of the metal world’s best. The tracks come across as well played. The bass work of Mike LePond is stunning (especially as that heard on “See You In the Future,”) and the by and large sound is well mixed. It will be interesting to see what future work comes from Holy Force. With a lineup such as this, it’s entirely possible that they have it within themselves to come up with some killer melodic power metal. And that is never a bad thing.
Genre: Melodic Power Metal
Track Listing:
Holy Force
Flying
Breathe
Seasons
A Country Good or Bad
Power of Life
Sky Etude
We Are The Warriors
Moonlight Fantasy
Wings of Forever
Chasing the Dream
Emperor
Waiting
See You In The Future
Band Members:
Mark Boals – vocals
Ango Chen – guitars, keyboards
Mike LePond – bass
Ken “Rhino” Earl – drums
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.9/10