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